B. Braun and Premier Ink Deal.

Full-Line IV Therapy Agreement Brings Premier Members Access to Greater Capacity of Safe, Efficient Products

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- B. Braun Medical Inc., a global leader in innovative healthcare products and services, recently announced it has entered into a contract with Premier Purchasing Partners, LP. Under the agreement, which will go into effect on February 1, 2009, Premier's members, a network of approximately 2,000 hospitals and 53,000 healthcare facilities, will benefit from the investment in automation and increased capacity of B. Braun's comprehensive portfolio of IV therapy products and solutions.

"For the past five years, B. Braun has worked with Premier to help address its members' needs for a broad scope of healthcare solutions that are safe, effective, easy-to-use and environmentally responsible," said Caroll H. Neubauer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for B. Braun Medical Inc. "Through relationships with organizations such as Premier's as well as automation and expansion of our manufacturing facilities, we've proven that we have the capabilities to not only handle a large capacity of orders, but to do so in the most efficient way possible. We're honored Premier continues to look to us as a trusted resource."

B. Braun continues to invest in advanced manufacturing processes and recently expanded its Irvine, Ca. facility to meet increased customer demand for IV therapy solutions. Offering a diverse array of infusion products and services, B. Braun helps clinicians and institutions reduce the potential for IV medication errors, improve best practices and meet patient safety needs, while protecting the environment from harmful effects of PVC and DEHP. From large-volume, PCA and syringe pumps and sets, to IV tubing and extension sets, to drug delivery systems, nutritional products, pre-mixed drugs and safety IV catheters, with the contract, Premier members will have access to B. Braun's full line of infusion products and services to address their varied and evolving needs.

For more than 30 years, B. Braun has led the industry in promoting safer and more environmentally-sensitive healthcare environments through its PVC-free and DEHP-free products. These unique designs provide for a safe, accurate means of administering IV medication.

The agreement comes on the heels of a contract between the two organizations last fall for B. Braun's Introcan Safety([R]) IV Catheters. The passive Introcan Safety([R]) IV Catheter is designed to minimize accidental needlesticks without requiring user activation. The passive design eliminates risk of inadvertent activation, while offering a short learning curve with minimal in-service training.

About Premier Inc.

Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and 53,000-plus other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation's largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. A world leader in helping healthcare providers deliver dramatic improvements in care, Premier is working with the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.

About B. Braun

B. Braun is a global leader in regional anesthesia, infusion therapy, parenteral nutrition, pharmacy products and services, and a pioneer in passive safety devices and DEHP/PVC-free products. Every day, some 36,000 B. Braun employees worldwide share their knowledge with colleagues and customers to improve working processes in hospitals and medical practices and to enhance safety for patients, doctors and nurses.

Consistently recognized by Frost & Sullivan and KLAS for its medical technology and support services, B. Braun promotes best practices for continuous improvement of healthcare and, through its "Sharing Expertise" initiative, helps today's healthcare workers address critical issues including environmental responsibility, medication errors reduction and infection prevention. For more information, call 800-854-6851, e-mail us at [e-mail] or visit B. Braun at www.bbraunusa.com.