ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS AWARDED BLOOD GAS AND ELECTROLYTE CONTRACT BY HEALTHTRUST PURCHASING GROUP

Indianapolis, Indiana-April 25, 2002-Roche Diagnostics Corporation announced today that HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HPG) has awarded Roche a multi-source contract to supply blood gas and electrolyte products to HPG member facilities and affiliates. The contract will be effective from May 1, 2002, through April 30, 2005, and will cover the full line of Roche blood gas and electrolyte systems.

Blood gas systems are used to assess changes in pulmonary function, kidney function, and electrolyte balance due to trauma, such as disease, therapy, surgery, poison, and burns. Roche provides a full line of blood gas solutions for use in hospitals, clinics, and critical care settings. These solutions include the Roche OMNI® Modular System and the Roche OMNITM C for high-volume testing, portable Roche OPTI™ analyzers for testing at the point of care, Roche DataCare information management systems, and OMNILink™ instrument management software.

"The breadth of Roche's blood gas and electrolyte product line offers a wide range of options," said Scott Farrar, HPG Vice President of National Agreements. "With these systems, our members are better equipped to meet current and evolving needs in locations with diverse sample volume and menu requirements."

The blood gas and electrolyte contract is the latest development in a long-term relationship between Roche and HPG. Since 1994, Roche has had an agreement with HPG for blood glucose monitoring systems. In 1997, Roche signed an agreement to provide HPG with urinalysis products. In 2001, Roche was recognized by HPG as one of its top 10 vendors.

"Roche is pleased to strengthen its continuing partnership with HPG," said Dick Aderman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Roche Centralized Diagnostics. "We look forward to providing HPG members with systems that will help to enhance patient care and cost efficiency within their organizations."

HealthTrust Purchasing Group, L.P. is one of the nation's leading healthcare group purchasing organizations (GPO) with a current membership in excess of 800 facilities and contracting volume totaling more than $5 billion. HPG is committed to providing its members with the highest quality, most cost-effective supplies and services for their patients, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians. HPG's membership includes hospitals, surgery centers, clinics, physicians, integrated delivery networks, and affiliates.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-oriented healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and vitamins. Roche's products and services address prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, thus enhancing well-being and quality of life. Roche's Diagnostics Division, the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics with a uniquely broad product portfolio, supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals, and laboratories worldwide. Roche Diagnostics Corporation, based in Indianapolis, is the North American headquarters for the diagnostics business of the company. Roche Diagnostics' website is located at www.roche-diagnostics.com.

OMNI, OPTI, and OMNILINK are trademarks of a member of the Roche Group.