Allentown, Pennsylvania - November 5, 2003

Health Network Laboratories, a Pennsylvania Limited Partnership, Announces Agreement to Build Relationship with Roche Diagnostics

Health Network Laboratories (HNL), a leading regional provider of medical diagnostics in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, announced today a five-year strategic alliance agreement with the world's leading diagnostics company, Roche Diagnostics. Together the two will develop a Molecular Center of Excellence (MCOE) to deliver the latest advances in medical diagnostics to physicians and patients, the first of its kind in the Northeastern United States.

Located at HNL's core laboratory in Allentown, PA, the MCOE will house today's premier innovative testing, as well as employ Roche's patented Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and other progressive genomic technologies that lead to the earlier and more accurate detection of hard-to-find pathogens and diseases.

The PCR technology provides a highly sensitive DNA methodology for more rapid detection of lower concentrations of target organisms with very high specificity in an expanding menu, including, but not limited to, HIV, hepatitis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which is associated with women's cervical cancer. Initially, HNL's molecular testing focus will include HIV, hepatitis B & C, women's health, cardiac diseases, and cancer detection.

"HNL is pleased to enter into this agreement with Roche Diagnostics. Our collaboration will deliver a high-level of combined expertise to the communities we serve, bolstering HNL's standard use of the utmost in new and emerging technologies," said Dr. David Beckwith, President and CEO of HNL. "HNL will serve as the local source for sophisticated molecular diagnostics testing. What HNL excitedly anticipates most is the positive impact this partnership will have on patient care."

"It is a pleasure to welcome Health Networks Laboratories as a Roche Diagnostics Molecular Center of Excellence partner," said Martin Madaus, President and CEO, of Roche Diagnostics Corporation. "Health Networks Laboratories' extensive diagnostics infrastructure, including expanded pathology services, is perfectly suited to help us gain velocity to shift the paradigm from reactive test, diagnose, treat, and monitor to proactive detection and delivery of actionable healthcare information to improve patients' lives."

Through clinical trial research and development of new cancer and genomic diagnostics to continue to improve the lives of people in the community, Health Network Laboratories will leverage its strengths with a market leader, like Roche Diagnostics.

About Health Network Laboratories

Health Network Laboratories, based in Allentown Pennsylvania, is a regional medical lab facility with over $41M in annual revenue. HNL serves the needs of the public and health care communities in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as central and southern New Jersey, performing almost three million billable clinical and pathology tests each year. The lab offers a full complement of clinical laboratory anatomic pathology services, including highly specialized or esoteric testing. Services are offered to hospitals, physicians, long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, corporations, government agencies, and veterinarians.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Rob Hurwitz, Director of Marketing, 610-336-6640, ext. 201.