TETERBORO, N.J., MARCH 27, 1998-Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
(NYSE: DGX) announced today that it has entered into a strategic marketing and technology
sharing agreement with Bio Analytical Research Corporation (BARC) of Ghent, Belgium, to
jointly support clinical trials of new drugs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies. Quest Diagnostics' Clinical Studies Center and BARC provide central laboratory
testing, clinical trial and data management services.
Under the agreement, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, Quest
Diagnostics' Clinical Studies Center will market both firms' worldwide clinical trials
support services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients in North America, while BARC
will market in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. In addition, the agreement enables
both companies to use common technology, from investigator site provisions to laboratory
testing to relational databases. By using common technology, both companies will produce
comparable, combinable data from clinical trials conducted around the world, which will
speed the drug approval process for their pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors.
Quest Diagnostics and BARC have already begun working together on several global
clinical trials for major pharmaceutical companies. "This partnership positions us to
become a major player in the management of multi-site, global clinical trials," said
Alfred Bacharach, Ph.D., who heads the Clinical Studies Center for Quest Diagnostics in
San Juan Capistrano, California. Located at Nichols Institute, Quest's Center for
Diagnostic Innovation, the Clinical Studies Center provides comprehensive support to
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for new drug trials, from the development of
new assays, or tests, through central laboratory testing and reporting, to post-marketing
surveillance studies.
Dr. Joseph Jonckheere, Vice President for BARC explains: "This is a strong
technological partnership. Together, we will offer the most advanced analytical techniques
and information technology essential to management of significant volumes of real-time
data generated by large-scale clinical trials in several countries. The new partnership
will provide an answer to the increased demand in the pharmaceutical industry for global
testing with rapid turnaround time."
BARC has been a leading European central lab since 1985. With a vast array of
analytical interests, including advanced molecular biology tests, BARC has gained
preferred provider status for many pharmaceutical companies including several top ten
pharmaceutical companies.
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is one of the nation's leading providers of diagnostic
testing, information and services with laboratories across the United States. The wide
variety of tests performed on human tissue and fluids help doctors and hospitals diagnose,
treat and monitor disease. Its Nichols Institute unit conducts research, specializes in
esoteric testing using genetic screening and other advanced technologies, supports
laboratory testing for clinical studies, and manufactures and distributes diagnostic test
kits and instruments. Quest Informatics uses innovative data mining technology to help
large insurers and health care providers monitor populations of patients and identify
those at risk for certain diseases. Visit our web site at: www.questdiagnostics.com
The statements in this press release which are not historical facts or information are
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause the outcome to be materially different. Certain of these
risks and uncertainties are listed in the Quest Diagnostics Incorporated 1997 Form 10-K.