ESPS, Taratec Announce Joint Marketing Agreement; Companies Combine Electronic Publishing, Pharmaceutical Expertise.

FT. WASHINGTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 1998--Electronic Submission Publishing Systems, Inc. (ESPS) and Taratec Development Corporation today jointly announced their alignment under the ESPS CorePartner(TM) Program, combining ESPS' acknowledged leadership in mission-critical publishing solutions with Taratec's recognized expertise in management consulting, integration, and regulatory consulting for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and other regulated industries.

Under this partnering agreement, the two companies will embark on numerous co-marketing activities including a lead sharing program, joint seminars and web links. Additionally, Taratec will serve as an authorized marketing agent for ESPS products. The CorePartner program is designed to combine complementary services and products and thus total solutions in support of mission-critical publishing requirements for large and mid-size enterprises.

Taratec officials said their personnel are expanding and enhancing the skill sets necessary to represent and support implementation of ESPS' CoreDossier(R) enterprise software engine. CoreDossier allows companies to streamline the management and publishing of large compound documents typically associated with regulatory submissions or other business-critical document collections. In addition, it offers a wide range of distribution options, including paper, electronic (PDF) and internet/intranet.

Larry Spoerl, Alliance manager at ESPS, noted, "Our rapid growth makes it beneficial for us to join with Taratec to more effectively serve our customers in regulatory publishing. They understand the business needs of industries where we have a strong presence, and will be invaluable in helping companies implement the precise solutions they need to achieve global compliance across a wide range of regulatory submissions."

"We're very happy to have the opportunity to work with ESPS," said Ken Dooley, Taratec's Vice President of Marketing & Sales. "It gives us the chance to expand our systems integration and regulatory businesses within electronic publishing. This partnership gives us the ability to serve our clients more efficiently than ever before, by giving them the chance to utilize the document publishing product used by a majority of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies."

About Taratec

Based in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Taratec Development Corporation specializes in the integration, testing, validation, and maintenance of computer systems in regulated industries. Founded in 1982, Taratec has gained a global reputation for minimizing the business and regulatory risks that are associated with the implementation of systems in regulated environments. Taratec is the leading consulting resource for the validation and testing of computerized systems in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Taratec serves its partners and clients through six business units: Clinical & Regulatory Services, Validation Services, Software Testing Solutions, LIMS & Laboratory Automation Services, Medical Device Solutions, and IT Consulting Services. More information can be found at www.taratec.com or by reaching the company at 302/368-4040 or 908/725-8090.

About ESPS, Inc.

Electronic Submission Publishing Systems, Inc. (ESPS) is the global leader in the development and implementation of enterprise software solutions used to manage and publish regulatory compliance and other business-critical document collections. Founded in 1994 as an Adobe Systems venture company, ESPS is providing economic buyers with clear ROI and benefit through a combination of industry expertise, great technology and a commitment to high quality implementations. ESPS' world headquarters are located in Suburban Philadelphia, with additional offices throughout the United States and Europe. More information can be found at www.esps.com, or by reaching the company at 800/515-ESPS.