RFID Accredited Workshop Added to INTERPHEX2006 Pre-Conference Program; Recent FDA Symposium Exposes Importance of RFID Education.

NORWALK, Conn. -- INTERPHEX2006, in partnership with the International RFID Business Association and the RFID Technical Institute, today announced the production of a special one-day RFID education workshop for pharmaceutical, life science and medical device professionals on Monday, March 20, 2006 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

INTERPHEX, the largest and longest running event devoted to the production and manufacture of pharmaceutical products, attracts industry professionals from the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. The Food and Drug Administration has expressed strong interest in seeing broad industry adoption of RFID by 2007 as the most effective means of ensuring the pedigree and authenticity of pharmaceuticals throughout the drug supply chain. The recent FDA symposium on RFID adoption highlighted both the challenges of the technology and the need for organizations to address the educational readiness of their workforce as they begin to scale this technology across the enterprise.

Interest in this add-on education program to the popular INTERPHEX2006 event is seen by Daniel W. Engels, Director of the MIT Healthcare Research Initiate and former Director of the MIT Auto-ID, as indicative of the critical role that education, training and certification will have on the efficiency with which industry will be able to widely implement RFID, to ensure the integrity of the drug supply chain. He stated, "While there is now much focus on RFID pilot project implementations, drug manufacturers and distributors will find the technology hurdles are only a part of the challenge. The dramatic impact of RFID on hundreds of business processes and high numbers of validated systems foreshadows a major need for individual businesses to address the gap in worker skills and knowledge needed in the validated, RFID-enabled workplace of tomorrow."

The pre-conference workshop, RFID for Life Sciences, is being conducted by the RFID Technical Institute (RTI), a leading RFID educator whose faculty has deep experience in supply chain and product life cycle management. According to Carla Reed, author, supply chain expert and an RTI course instructor, "RFID and sensor technologies enable an exciting level of granularity to business data. It's my view that there is a compelling RFID value proposition for end-users concerned about product life cycle management and issues like e-pedigree, product recall, counterfeit and diversion. That's why we've designed this course to give students a solid technology grounding while maximizing their understanding of RFID business issues across the supply chain."

According to the Institute, the RFID for Life Sciences one-day course will provide an accelerated learning opportunity for pharmaceutical and life sciences professionals who want to understand RFID in the workplace. The course curriculum encompasses a wide range of topics, including FDA Expectations from Firms Relating to RFID; E-pedigree & Mass Serialization; Using RFID to Combat Drug Counterfeiting & Promote Anti-diversion, and Key Insights into Leading-edge RFID Life Sciences Projects. Upon completion of the class, participants will also receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from DeVry University and a course completion certificate from the RFID Technical Institute.

About the International RFID Business Association (RFIDba)

The International RFID Business Association (RFIDba) is a not-for profit trade association serving end-users with guidelines, programs and standards for RFID education, training and certification. Through its Council on RFID Education (CORE(tm)), the Association is defining workplace standards for RFID job skills and knowledge, based on best-practices research among thought leaders, subject matter experts, and hands-on practitioners around the world.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, USA, the Association has affiliate operations in Europe, India, Australia and Asia-Pacific. It has end-user representation in 28 countries and a global membership base drawn from industry, government and academia. Membership is open to end-user organizations and individuals from all industries and government sectors, including systems integrators, educators and technology vendors. Information on RFIDba mission and membership is available at www.rfidbusiness.org.

About the RFID Technical Institute (RTI)

The RFID Technical Institute, Inc. (RTI) is an international global educational services company. The company designs, develops and delivers university-level education programs, seminars and workshops, for both the private and government sectors. Staffed by experienced practitioners, educators and thought leaders in wireless and RFID technologies, the company's products and services address both the business and technology aspects of auto-identification systems, RFID solutions and supply chain performance improvement. Its curriculum and seminar offerings are developed in close association with end-users and standards organizations, such that students can develop the knowledge and skills they require in the workplace. The company's educational products and services are delivered directly to corporations and government agencies or through accredited universities, trade associations and other learning institutions. For more information about RFID Technical Institute, its partnership with IEEE and DeVry University RFID Continuing Education Program, visit www.rfidtech.com.

About INTERPHEX

Now in its 27th year, INTERPHEX, the world's largest and most comprehensive pharmaceutical manufacturing conference and exhibition, will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York from March 21-23, 2006. Approximately 950 leading global companies serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries will showcase the latest lines of equipment, technologies and services in the areas of PharmaManufacturing, PharmaSourcing & Services, PharmaIT and PharmaFacilities.

Presented by Reed Exhibitions, the INTERPHEX exhibition will be paired with an innovative application-oriented conference program created to help pharmaceutical and biotechnical professionals develop critical skills to increase on-the-job performance. In addition to New York City, INTERPHEX holds events in Japan, Singapore, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Learn more about INTERPHEX at http://www.interphex.com.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions, which manages more than 420 trade shows annually worldwide, is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE:RUK) (NYSE:ENL), a world-leading provider of information-driven services and solutions. Reed Exhibitions offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet to a database of 3.5 million in North America. Reed has North American offices in Norwalk, CT, Newton, MA, Palm Beach, FL, Las Vegas and Toronto, and sales operations offices worldwide.

Reed Exhibitions, which manages more than 420 events worldwide, is a member of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading provider of information-driven services and solutions. Reed Exhibitions offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet to a database of 3.5 million in North America. Reed has North American offices in Norwalk, Conn., Newton, Mass., Palm Beach, Fla., Las Vegas and Toronto, and sales and operations offices worldwide. (NYSE:RUK) (NYSE:ENL).