ALARIS Medical Systems Extends Contract with MedAssets to Improve Clinical Outcomes.

SAN DIEGO -- ALARIS Medical Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, has announced that MedAssets of Atlanta, GA, has extended its agreement four additional years through July 31, 2009 for the Medley(TM) Medication Safety System, as well as the Signature Edition(R) GOLD Infusion System with the Guardrails(R) Safety Software. MedAssets offers comprehensive solutions to healthcare providers helping to deliver quality patient care.

"ALARIS Medical Systems continues to provide high quality products and services at a reasonable cost to our members allowing these facilities to manage costs more effectively," said Rand Ballard, president of MedAssets supply chain and business services group. "By continuing our relationship with ALARIS Medical Systems, our hospitals and health systems have access to technology that significantly reduces the potential for medication errors. Providing products that improve patient care and patient safety and control costs is our goal."

"ALARIS Medical Systems is excited about the opportunity to provide these smart infusion platforms to MedAssets and its members," said Jake St. Philip, vice president and general manager of ALARIS Medical Systems' North American Business Unit. "Extending the contract drives a focus on growth and long term commitment providing savings and a positive momentum to build on." He explained that the partnership between MedAssets and ALARIS Medical Systems will offer a new opportunity to improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs, thus providing an immediate potential for cost savings to MedAssets members. St. Philip concluded, "We look forward to a long term partnership with MedAssets and its members to improve patient safety by reducing the potential for medication errors."

The Medley (TM) Medication Safety System is a modular point-of-care platform that integrates infusion, patient monitoring and clinical best practice guidelines for optimal outcomes. At the core of the Medley (TM) System is the Guardrails(R) Safety Software, available only from ALARIS Medical Systems, which provides an automatic safety net for infusion programming focused on medication error-prevention at the critical point of IV delivery to the patient. The Guardrails(R) Safety Software helps protect patients from infusion programming errors by allowing institutions to configure unique care-specific profiles with pre-defined drug dose limits and other delivery parameters to meet the particular needs of multiple patient care areas. ALARIS Medical Systems is the only provider of error-prevention software in a modular system that includes syringe delivery, large volume infusion therapy and patient monitoring in a single platform.

The Signature Edition(R) GOLD Infusion System optionally incorporates the Guardrails(R) Safety Software application for use at the point of care, allowing caregivers to safely select and program infusions. The software stores the drug library providing immediate accesses and continuous monitoring of infusion medication through the Guardrails(R) Safety Software.

About MedAssets

MedAssets, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, improves healthcare providers' margin and cash flow through revenue cycle and supply chain initiatives. As a strategic business partner, MedAssets can replace multiple vendors and decrease supply costs by 3-10 % and increase net patient revenue by 1-3 %. Proprietary information technology is used to work with and improve existing IT assets and work processes. MedAssets, through its revenue cycle subsidiary MedAssets Net Revenue Systems, provides best-of-breed revenue solutions including strategic pricing, pre-bill charge capturing, and ongoing chargemaster management tools. MedAssets, through its supply chain subsidiary, operates the fastest growing group purchasing organization and supply chain services company in the U.S. and builds customized solutions encompassing procurement of common medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, physician preference supplies, and capital equipment. For more information about MedAssets go to www.medassets.com or contact Gary Johnson, vice president of Marketing and Marketing Services, 100 North Point Center East, Suite 200, Alpharetta, GA 30022.

About ALARIS Medical Systems

ALARIS Medical Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) develops and markets products for the safe delivery of intravenous (IV) medications. The Company's IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, software applications, needle-free disposables and related monitoring equipment are marketed in the United States and internationally. ALARIS Medical Systems' "smart" infusion systems, with the proprietary Guardrails(R) Safety Software, help to reduce the risks and costs of medication errors, safeguard patients and clinicians and gather and record clinical information for review, analysis and interpretation. The Company provides its products, professional and technical support and training services to over 5,000 hospital and health care systems, as well as alternative care sites, in more than 100 countries through its direct sales force and distributors. Headquartered in San Diego, California, ALARIS Medical Systems employs approximately 3,000 people worldwide. Additional information on ALARIS Medical Systems can be found at http://www.alarismed.com.

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. (www.cardinal.com) is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry. Cardinal Health develops, manufactures, packages and markets products for patient care; develops drug-delivery technologies; distributes pharmaceuticals and medical, surgical and laboratory supplies; and offers consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health employs over 55,000 people on six continents and produces annual revenues of more than $50 billion. Cardinal Health is ranked No. 17 on the Fortune 500 list and is named one of the best U.S. companies by Forbes magazine for 2004.

Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Cardinal Health's Form 10-K, Form 8-K and Form 10-Q reports (including all amendments to those reports) and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) the costs, difficulties, and uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships or changes to the terms of those relationships, changes in the distribution patterns or reimbursement rates for health-care products and/or services, the results, effects or timing of any inquiry or investigation by any regulatory authority or any legal and administrative proceedings, and general economic and market conditions. Cardinal Health undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.