Indianapolis, Ind., December 11, 2003

Roche Diagnostics Awarded New Three-Year Hospital Blood Glucose Contract by Premier, Inc.

Roche Diagnostics Corporation has been awarded a new contract from Premier, Inc., a general purchasing organization (GPO) for hospitals and healthcare systems. Within the agreement, Roche Diagnostics will provide a complete portfolio of hospital glucose products: meters, test strips, lancets, and connectivity solutions to Premier's members. Covered under this contract is the hand-held, Palm Powered Accu-Chek Inform hospital blood glucose monitor, Accu-Chek Comfort Curve Test Strips, the Accu-Chek Safe-T-Pro Lancet Device, and IT solutions that will give Premier members choice in connectivity options. Effective October 1, 2003, the three-year contract has a total value of more than $80 million.

This new contract continues a long-term relationship between Premier and Roche Diagnostics in the areas of clinical chemistry, immunochemistry, blood glucose monitoring, and molecular testing. Roche Diagnostics has been on contract for hospital blood glucose monitoring products since the inception of Premier as a GPO in 1997. This new contract will continue to bring the valued offering of Roche hospital blood glucose monitoring products to Premier membership.

"The confidence that Premier and its members place in Roche Diagnostics as a partner is a great honor," said Rod Cotton, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Roche Diagnostics Diabetes Care Hospital Group. "With the incidence of diabetes dramatically increasing in the United States, health care professionals need the tools that can help them streamline their information and be efficient in their testing. The connectivity functions of our Accu-Chek products as well as the breadth of our blood glucose product portfolio answer their needs."

The Accu-Chek Inform hospital blood glucose monitor is a powerful tool for the laboratory to proactively manage the hospital's point-of-care program. The handheld meter is user-friendly through the use of an intuitive touch screen and the reliable Palm Powered operating system.

About Premier, Inc.

Premier, Inc. is a strategic alliance in U.S. healthcare, entirely owned by more than 200 of the nations leading hospital and healthcare systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,500 hospital facilities and hundreds of other healthcare sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery including group purchasing for more than $17 billion annually in supplies and equipment. Other resources offered by Premier are supply chain and clinical performance improvement services and insurance programs. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Premier has other major facilities in Chicago, Ill.; Charlotte, NC; and Washington, DC.

About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading innovation-driven healthcare groups. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is number one in the global diagnostics market, the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for cancer and a leader in virology and transplantation. As a supplier of products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries. The Group has alliances and research and development agreements with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. 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 world-wide. Roche Diagnostics' North American headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Ind. (www.roche-diagnostics.us). For further information, please visit our websites www.roche.com and www.roche-diagnostics.com.

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ACCU-CHEK, ACCU-CHEK INFORM, COMFORT CURVE and SAFETY PRO are trademarks of a Member of the Roche Group.
Palm Powered is a trademark of Palm, Inc.
Premier is a trademark of Premier, Inc.