Cook Pharmica Announces $80 Million Expansion to its Bloomington Biopharmaceutical Facility.

Up to 200 New Life Sciences Jobs Expected Upon Completion

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Cook Pharmica, the biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing division of Cook Medical, will invest $80 million in an 80,000 sq. ft. expansion at its existing site. The expansion is expected to add another 200 jobs, including professional, hourly and management employees, at the company when the expansion is completed and fully operational.

The announcement, which drew praise from Ind. Governor Mitch Daniels and Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, marks another significant expansion milestone for Cook Medical, which is expanding rapidly both locally and on an international scale. Last year, a major expansion was announced for Cook Urological in Spencer, Ind., and substantial expansions are planned or have been completed recently at several of the medical product manufacturing company's overseas plants. A new Cook office and warehouse in Shanghai, China also is slated to open this year, serving Cook customers throughout Asia.

"Anytime we can bring high paying jobs like the ones Cook has brought to Indiana, it's a great day. But today's announcement comes with special joy as it builds on both our strengths in manufacturing and life sciences and brings new balance and diversity to the Indiana economy," said Ind. Gov. Mitch Daniels.

"The City of Bloomington takes great pride in partnering with the State of Indiana and Cook Pharmica to bring these high quality jobs here," said Mayor Mark Kruzan. "This is great news for our community and our region, not only because of the significant infusion of 200 new jobs; but also, the expansion of Cook Pharmica in particular further enhances Bloomington's leadership in life sciences and advanced manufacturing."

"We could not be more thrilled with the acceptance we have gained from our customers and everyone involved that has made this expansion possible, which we have named Project Eos - the Greek goddess of the dawn," said Jerry Arthur, president of Cook Pharmica. "This expansion, which further diversifies our expansive portfolio of services, marks the dawn of a new era in our company's growth, and is a testament to Cook's commitment to contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing."

Plans call for the creation of two filling lines and complementary finishing lines. The plan includes one high-speed syringe filling line and one low to medium-speed vial filling line with lyophilization capacity up to 250 square feet. Both lines will feature isolator technology. Construction will begin in mid-2008, and is planned for an early 2010 completion. Additional space remains within the current campus for more than 600,000 square feet for potential expansion as demand for Cook Pharmica's services grows.

Currently aimed at developing and manufacturing mammalian cell culture-based products, the expansion means Cook Pharmica also will offer formulation, filling and finishing services to customers. The facility, located 60 miles south of Indianapolis, will expand into aseptically filled parenteral vial and syringe products including, but not limited to, simple solutions and diluents, suspensions, vaccines, proteins and biologics. With the addition of this capability, Cook Pharmica will be a centralized source for biotech and pharmaceutical clients' needs from cell development through finished packaging.

Already a 2007 International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) Facility of the Year Category Award winner for current production areas, Cook Pharmica has high expectations for the expansion. The Phase II expansion will include the same level of transparency and openness for clients to view real-time production via webcams during the manufacturing process as currently utilized with API production.

This is the second time Cook will be providing formulation, filling and finishing services to the pharmaceutical industry. Until 2001, Cook Pharmaceutical Solutions operated as a full-service parenteral contract manufacturer in Bloomington, Ind. Building on this expertise, Cook Pharmica intends to fulfill a key niche in the contract manufacturing market for customers seeking one-stop sourcing for their outsourcing needs.

About COOK Pharmica:

Cook Pharmica (www.cookpharmica.com) is a contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing organization developing and manufacturing mammalian cell culture-based pharmaceuticals for pre-clinical through commercial use. The company also offers cell line/strain development, clone selection, cell line adaptation, media optimization, process development, analytical development, cell banking/storage, stability testing/storage, and regulatory submission support.

About Cook Medical

Cook Medical was one of the first companies to introduce interventional devices in the United States. Today, the company integrates device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.