LEVERKUSEN, Germany — 15 August, 2006 — GHX, LLC (GHX) has assumed full ownership of the company’s European operations with the purchase of shares previously held by D.Logistics AG, enabling GHX to leverage global product development and resources to better serve the needs of the entire healthcare supply chain. GHX provides products and services that reduce healthcare supply chain costs for both suppliers and their customers. Nearly 600 suppliers and 670 hospitals and other healthcare providers utilize GHX services in the United Kingdom and on the European continent, while more than 250 suppliers, 3460 hospitals and 800 non-acute care facilities are transacting business via GHX in the United States and Canada.

“Many GHX members operate internationally and have expressed a desire to access the best of what GHX offers on a global basis,” says GHX Europe Director of Operations Roy McDonald. “By consolidating ownership of the company’s operations in Europe, Canada and the United States, we can better fulfill that request, while still meeting the unique healthcare needs of each of the countries in which we operate.”

GHX Europe delivers services for both supplier and provider organisations, including enhanced product data synchronization to improve order accuracy, process automation to increase productivity, and reporting tools that provide greater visibility into purchasing trends. With a more global focus and increased resources devoted to the needs of the European marketplace, GHX can extend its ability to help hospitals better manage the ordering process and enable more suppliers and hospitals, even those without an existing e-Procurement infrastructure, to conduct business electronically with one another.

“While the specific regulatory and product requirements may differ country to country, B. Braun and other global suppliers will benefit by having a more consistent approach to how we serve our customers,” says Dr. Meinrad Lugan, a member of the executive board of B.Braun, which utilizes GHX services in four European countries. “In turn, our customers benefit from access to the breadth of order management and global data synchronization tools offered by GHX Europe.”

The leadership of GHX’s European operations will remain the same, with Norbert Kruchen serving as Managing Director and Roy McDonald as Director of Operations. GHX Europe will continue to be headquartered in Germany, with satellite operations in the United Kingdom, Austria, and Switzerland and partnerships in Belgium, France, Spain and the Netherlands. GHX Europe plans to expand services to five additional European countries.

About Global Healthcare Exchange Europe
Global Healthcare Exchange GmbH (GHX Europe) provides an electronic data communications network through which hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare organizations can purchase both medical and non-medical products more easily, quickly and accurately than ever before. Medical and pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers can receive orders from customers and send order confirmations, dispatch advices, and invoices to their customers electronically via GHX Europe. In the United Kingdom, GHX Europe also offers a Web-based e-trading service for the National Health Service (NHS).

About GHX, LLC
GHX, LLC (GHX) provides an open and neutral electronic trading exchange, along with complementary products and services, to improve the procurement-to-payment process in the healthcare supply chain. Service offerings include:

• Exchange services that support trading partner connectivity and provide electronic transaction sets, order validation and reporting tools
• Content services utilizing the GHX AllSource® product content repository as the foundation for data synchronization and advanced content services
• Contract services that allow users to maximize contract utilization
• Procurement services that enable automation of the requisitioning process
• Business Intelligence reports designed to provide strategic decision-making data

Through these services, healthcare providers and suppliers can improve efficiencies, automate processes and reduce operating expenses.

Equity owners of GHX are Abbott Exchange, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Corp.; Baxter Healthcare Corp.; B Braun Medical Inc.; Becton, Dickinson & Co.; Boston Scientific Corp.; Cardinal Health, Inc.; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Fisher Scientific International, Inc.; GE Healthcare; HCA; Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.; McKesson Corp.; Medtronic USA, Inc.; Owens & Minor; Premier, Inc.; Siemens; Tyco Healthcare Group, LP; University HealthSystem Consortium.; and VHA Inc. For more information, visit www.ghx.com.