Bergen Brunswig Announces Marketing Partnership With Omnicell; Combined Offerings Present Comprehensive Solution.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2001

Bergen Brunswig Drug Company (BBDC), a subsidiary of Bergen Brunswig Corporation (NYSE:BBC), has announced a five-year collaborative solutions agreement with Omnicell(TM) to jointly market products and services and leverage their respective strengths in hospital pharmacies and workflow automation.

In addition to the co-marketing agreement, Bergen and Omnicell will create unique e-commerce capabilities between Bergen's award-winning iBergen(SM) and Omnicell's e-procurement suite, OmniBuyer.

"This strategic partnership with Omnicell will enable our mutual customers to automate the workflow associated with procuring and distributing pharmaceuticals, creating synergies throughout the supply chain," said Brent Martini, President, BBDC.

As a part of the recently signed agreement, BBDC and Omnicell will collaborate and jointly respond to certain mutual customers' requests for proposals. Chuck Reed, vice president of Bergen's Pharmacy Technology Group commented, "The relationship will benefit customers with a single decision point to an integrated solution capable of greater control over drug distribution, improved accuracy in order processing and a reduction in medication errors."

Established in 1992, Omnicell provides an integrated suite of clinical infrastructure and workflow automation solutions for healthcare. Omnicell's solutions include pharmacy and supply systems, a Web-based procurement application and decision support capabilities, designed to enable healthcare facilities to decrease costs, enhance operating efficiency, reduce medication errors and improve patient care. For more information, visit www.omnicell.com.

Bergen Brunswig Corporation, headquartered in Orange County, California, is a leading supplier of pharmaceuticals and specialty healthcare products, as well as information management solutions and consulting services. Bergen's customers include the nation's healthcare providers (hospitals, nursing homes and physicians), drug stores, manufacturers and patients. Through its subsidiaries, Bergen provides product distribution; logistics; pharmacy management programs; and Internet fulfillment strategies designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes across the entire healthcare spectrum.

Except for historical information, all other information set forth in this press release, such as earnings forecasts and earnings rate projections, 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, 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," "believe," "think," "continue" or the negatives or other variations thereof or other similar terminology. Such risks and uncertainties include the risks described in exhibit 99(a) to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2000 and in other reports and exhibits filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the costs and difficulties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss or disruption of one or more key customer or supplier relationships, changes in the distribution outsourcing pattern for pharmaceutical products and/or services, the ability to obtain general financing or financing rates that would be compatible with the Company's business operations, and the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in the release.

Bergen Brunswig press releases are available on the company's website at www.bergenbrunswig.com.