ACURIAN OPENS NEW OFFICES IN LONDON.

Acurian, a leading e-health company has established its European headquarters in London.

Founded in 1998, Acurian (www.acurian.com) uses Web-enabled databases and clinical trial launch applications to accelerate and improve the launch of clinical trials and newly approved prescription drugs.

Using Acurian's proprietary, Web-enabled databases and clinical trial launch applications, bio-pharmaceutical companies can quickly recruit and select the most qualified physicians and patients for specific clinical trials and facilitate the required regulatory documents. Using the Internet, physicians can present their services to the entire pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry free of charge. Additionally, patients will be able to search the Internet's most exhaustive database of clinical trial listings, register to be considered for specific clinical trials, and keep abreast of advances in therapies for their condition. The combination of industry, physicians, and patients working together, will allow breakthrough drug therapies to reach the patient populations they are intended to help more quickly than previously possible.

Acurian's investigator database, which is the largest in the industry, includes professional credentials, clinical trial experience, location, performance metrics, disease specialties and patient demographics, in addition to numerous other data points.

"We are excited about the opportunity to offer improved study start-up processes through expedited investigator and patient recruitment to Europe's leading markets," said Leslie Michelson, CEO and co-founder of Acurian. "Our initial efforts to expand operations will focus on the United Kingdom, Germany and France, however as our business expands we expect to serve a broad international audience of pharmaceutical companies, physician investigators and patients as an indispensable resource for information on new drug therapies."

Heading up Acurian's European effort is Michael D. Petrarca, vice president, European Operations, and managing director, Acurian Ltd. Petrarca brings to Acurian's European operation over thirteen years of experience in the healthcare field and clinical research industry. Prior to joining Acurian, he was CEO and managing director of Lifesign Diagnostic Services Ltd., a U.K.-based telemedicine and disease management company. Prior to that he was Director of European Operations for Avantec U.K. Ltd., a company specializing in electronic/real-time data capture in the clinical research industry. Petrarca also spent several years in positions of increasing responsibility with Scirex, a contract research organization, Pfizer and Centocor.

Joining Petrarca in London is Sanjiv Kanwar, vice president, Sales & Marketing Europe. Kanwar has twelve years experience in the healthcare field in positions ranging from biomedical science to business development to marketing. Prior to joining Acurian, he served for five years as a hematologist and was involved in conducting novel research and lecturing to medical students. Kanwar held positions of increasing responsibility at UCT International, a company involved in clinical laboratory testing for clinical trials. Over his seven-year tenure at UCT International he managed functions in product development, alliance integration, corporate development, global business

process review and international sales.

For more information, call 215/675-6100.