Bergen Brunswig, PDX, Inc. and National Health Information Network Announce Integrated E-Commerce Partnership.

ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 1999--

-- Alliance To Develop And Manage Website Solutions For Chains And GNP 

Independents --

Bergen Brunswig Corporation (NYSE:BBC), through Bergen Brunswig Drug Company (BBDC) one of the nation's leading distributor of pharmaceuticals; PDX, Inc. the leader in pharmacy automation to the retail chain drug industry; and National Health Information Network (NHIN), a sister company of PDX, today announced that they have formed an exclusive alliance to develop and market a set of integrated e-commerce solutions to host and manage web sites for pharmacy chains and for Bergen's network of Good Neighbor Pharmacy(R) (GNP) stores.

The PDX system is currently installed in over 8,000 pharmacies while Bergen's own GNP network numbers over 4,000.

This service will be integrated with PDX's leading pharmacy software, providing patients of participating pharmacies with real-time, secure and confidential access to their prescription records. Patients will be able to request refills and have access to an array of healthcare information.

"This is not about establishing web sites for our pharmacies and simply sending an e-mail or a fax to a pharmacy when the patient requests a refill," said Ken Hill, R.Ph., founder and CEO of PDX, Inc. "What we are introducing to the retail market is a true interactive application. Patients will be able to confidentially view their prescription records without a prescription number and can immediately tell if their physician's authorization is needed before placing the refill request."

Bergen will offer two unique Internet fulfillment services that will allow pharmacy chains and GNP sites to offer through their websites a broad selection of over 15,000 health and beauty and over-the-counter products, home health items, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. Bergen's newly dedicated fulfillment center, strategically located in Louisville, KY, will ship products directly to the consumer under the pharmacy's name. Pharmacies will also be able to offer private label direct-to-consumer prescription delivery for those chains that cannot cost effectively provide their own service.

As a part of the alliance, Bergen will introduce a central fill service for chains and high-volume independents. Bergen will install licensed pharmacists in its distribution centers during a night shift to prepare refills for participating pharmacies to be delivered next day along with the pharmacy's regular wholesale delivery. The licensed pharmacy will operate with a specialized version of the PDX system and be highly automated.

"As we continue to look for ways to drive costs out of the delivery system, central fill will allow us to take advantage of the automation advances pioneered in our distribution business and apply them to a greater percentage of today's prescriptions," stated Brent R. Martini, president of Bergen Brunswig Drug Company.

Also under the alliance, Bergen will offer PDX's leading chain store applications to its GNP sites at substantial discounts and provide a central host to further GNP's ability to act as a chain and compete in today's competitive marketplace. The GNP sites will gain access to the Care Rx(R) Disease Management System, an important tool in the emerging role of the pharmacist as an integral part of the patient's total healthcare plan, and to the Freedom Data POS system, a point-of-sale system tailored to the management of a pharmacy.

"We are bringing the most successful system in the chain drug marketplace to the Good Neighbor Pharmacy network in order to provide the centralized host capabilities critical to competing in today's environment," said David Neu, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Bergen Brunswig Drug Company.

Privately held National Health Systems and its subsidiary companies, National Health Information Networks, PDX Inc, and Freedom Data Systems, are based in Fort Worth, Texas. PDX is the leading provider of pharmacy systems to the chain drug industry. NHIN is in the forefront of the disease management movement within the pharmacy industry, playing an active role in the Mississippi Medicaid initiative designed to compensate pharmacists for consultative services. Freedom Data Systems, acquired earlier this year, is a leading provider of point-of-sale systems to the drug store industry.

Bergen Brunswig Corporation, a Fortune 200 Company with annualized revenues of $17 billion (excludes bulk shipments to customers' warehouses), is one of the nation's leading supply channel management companies, providing pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical supplies and specialty products as well as information management solutions and outsourcing services designed to improve cost-effectiveness and increase value for customers, patients and manufacturers across the entire healthcare spectrum. Additionally, through its wholly owned subsidiary, PharMerica, Bergen serves approximately 500,000 patients in long-term care and alternate site settings. Bergen also develops disease-specific treatment protocols and pharmacoeconomic initiatives to assist in the reduction of overall healthcare costs while improving disease management and outcomes.

Certain of the information set forth in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied. Such statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate" or "continue" or the negatives or other variations thereof or other similar terminology. Such risks and uncertainties may include the risks described in exhibit 99 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1999 and in other reports and exhibits filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.