CommonHealth Launches New Business Unit; Nanske Wood named President of Carbon Healthcare Communications.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2003

CommonHealth today announced the formation of Carbon Healthcare Communications, a professional advertising and promotion agency created to serve the marketing needs of high-science brands.

CommonHealth (www.commonhealth.com) is the world's leading healthcare-communications resource and a WPP Group (LSE: WPPL.L; NASDAQ/ADR: WPPGY; www.wpp.com) company.

Based in Wayne, N.J., Carbon Healthcare was designed to provide biopharmaceutical and other emerging technologies with distinctive, unexpected and effective ways of differentiating brands and building businesses. Its concentration on high science makes it the first CommonHealth agency of its kind.

"CommonHealth's primary focus has always been about growth - first and foremost for our clients' brands, but also for our own organic growth and the capabilities we have to offer those clients. Carbon Healthcare both expands and deepens our service offering in a critical and emerging healthcare sector," said Matt Giegerich, president and CEO of CommonHealth.

Heading up the Carbon Healthcare Communications venture is President Nanske Wood. Immediately prior to joining Carbon Healthcare, Ms. Wood was executive vice president, managing partner at Adient, a sister CommonHealth company. Ms. Wood has tenured with the CommonHealth organization for more than seven years.

"We're very excited about the launch of Carbon Healthcare. Our vision combines intellectual and organizational flexibility with a passion to serve both clients and the community. Bottom line, we want to be elemental to clients' needs," noted Ms. Wood.

"Nanske's unique blend of industry- and agency-side experience, coupled with her unbridled enthusiasm for the business, makes her a natural for this important new post. We have every faith that Nanske will help build Carbon Healthcare into a cornerstone of the CommonHealth network," said Mr. Giegerich.

Joining Ms. Wood in managing the direction of the day-to-day business for Carbon Healthcare is Cindy Johnson, senior vice president, management supervisor. Ms. Johnson also comes to Carbon Healthcare from Adient.

The unit launches with major assignments from three key manufacturers. Carbon Healthcare's current clients include Gilead, Serono and Wyeth.

CommonHealth comprises Carbon Healthcare Communications, Adient, Thomas Ferguson Associates, The Quantum Group, Noesis Healthcare Interactions, The Xchange Group, Health Learning Systems, ProCom International, The Conectics Group, MBS/Vox, Enterprise IG Health, EinsonHealth, MD/Salud, Shire Health New York, CommonHealth Europe, CommonHealth Australia and CommonHealth Kyowa.

CommonHealth also has partnerships with the following companies: Ogilvy Healthcare Network, Media Marketing Solutions, Medical Broadcasting Company (MBC), Pedagogue Solutions and PDI.