Broadlane Awards Contract to Meridian Bioscience.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

CINCINNATI--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 16, 2001

Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:VIVO) today announced it has been awarded a three-year contract from Broadlane Inc., a leader in delivering supply chain services to the healthcare industry.

The contract includes Meridian's full line of parasitological transport devices and several of its microbiological diagnostic products used in the detection of gastrointestinal, bacterial, and parasitic infections. Meridian's newest product for the detection of Toxins A and B produced by the bacteria Clostridium difficile, Premier C. difficile Toxins A and B, is included in the contract. With access to this new diagnostic product, clinicians will be able to offer this enhanced detection system as an adjunct to their clinical diagnosis of pseudomembranous colitis affecting many hospitalized patients.

"We are very excited to have been awarded this contract from Broadlane," said Richard Eberly, Meridian Bioscience's Executive Vice President. "This agreement allows Meridian Bioscience to offer its broad menu of infectious disease diagnostic products to all of Broadlane's customers."

Meridian is a fully integrated life sciences company that manufactures, markets and distributes a broad range of innovative diagnostic test kits, purified reagents and related products and offers biopharmaceutical enabling technologies. Utilizing a variety of methods, these products provide accuracy, simplicity and speed in the early diagnosis and treatment of common medical conditions, such as gastrointestinal, viral, urinary and respiratory infections. All Meridian products are used outside of the human body and require little or no special equipment. The Company's products are designed to enhance patient well-being while reducing the total outcome costs of healthcare. Meridian has strong market positions in the areas of gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections, serology, parasitology and fungal disease diagnosis. In addition, Meridian is a supplier of rare reagents and specialty biologicals. The Company markets its products to hospitals, reference laboratories, research centers, veterinary testing centers and physician offices in more than 60 countries around the world. The Company's shares are traded through Nasdaq's National Market, symbol VIVO. Meridian's website address is www.meridianbioscience.com.

Through an extensive suite of services, Broadlane delivers integrated supply chain management solutions to the healthcare industry. Those services include group purchasing, procurement strategy and outsourcing and e-commerce services. Among the companies that focus on improving efficiencies within the healthcare supply chain, only Broadlane offers this full array of services.

Broadlane customers include leading healthcare providers such as Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC), Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS), Community Health Systems (NYSE:CYH), the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, IASIS Healthcare, Continuum Health Partners, Brim Healthcare and others. Broadlane counts among its customers 572 acute care hospitals and 2,335 sub-acute healthcare facilities. Broadlane has offices in San Francisco, Oakland, Dallas and New York. For more information visit www.broadlane.com.