ERES East Resources Acquisition Company

eResearchTechnology Signs $15 Million Franchise Agreement with Top 15 Pharmaceutical Company Six Study Awards Totaling $1.5 Million Also Announced PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- eResearchTechnology, Inc. (eRT), , a leading provider of centralized electrocardiographic (ECG) collection and interpretation services, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with a total value of $15 million over three years with a top 15 pharmaceutical organization to provide comprehensive cardiac safety and related services for compounds in all phases of clinical development. eRT will leverage its Digital ECG Franchise program to deliver core laboratory services associated with this agreement, which represents the third Franchise announcement by eRT in the last six months. The Digital ECG Franchise program offers a unique approach designed to address the growing capacity demands for eRT's ECG services through partnerships with sponsors that desire dedicated resources within eRT to address specific levels of cardiac safety monitoring transactions. Co-incident with the Franchise agreement, eRT has received awards valued at about $1.5 million, which cover six Phase II and Phase III studies across three new drug candidates. eRT will provide comprehensive site support and 12-lead ECG recording equipment, which is designed to facilitate the collection of cardiac safety data that are subsequently provided to eRT for analysis. eRT will manage collection, measurement, interpretation, review, and distribution of cardiac safety data through its EXPeRT workflow enabled data handling technology, the first solution in production that was designed explicitly to meet emerging international regulatory guidance and technical standards. "We are pleased to be in a position to leverage eRT's unique Digital ECG Franchise capability to deliver the capacity, compliance, and dedicated resources required to achieve best practices in cardiac safety monitoring for the drug development programs of this much admired industry leader," said Scott Grisanti, senior vice president of business development and chief marketing officer at eRT. "eRT's new approach to satisfying increasing regulatory demands for more intensive centralized analysis of ECGs collected during clinical trials is based on partnering at a strategic level to ensure effective planning and reliable margins for eRT, along with scale economies for the sponsor." The agreement covers services to be performed over a three-year period. In addition to a significant number of ECG transactions, the Franchise program includes a variety of related services: -- Allocation of 12-lead ECG and digital Holter recording devices directly to the sponsor's selected sites for each trial. -- Project Assurance services to address key operational requirements such as project management, site support, and a 24x7 Global Customer Care Call Center. -- Powerful eReporting capabilities designed to provide information critical to collaboration between sponsors, research sites, and eRT to attain mastery in the digital age. eReporting can be delivered automatically via fax or via eRT's eReporting Bulletin Board - a sponsor, program, and trial specific secure Web site. Based in Philadelphia, PA, eResearchTechnology, Inc. (http://www.ert.com/) is a provider of technology and services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries on a global basis. The company is a market leader in providing centralized core-diagnostic electrocardiographic (ECG) technology and services to evaluate cardiac safety in clinical development. The company is also a leader in providing technology and services to streamline the clinical trials process by enabling its customers to automate the collection, analysis, and distribution of clinical data in all phases of clinical development. Statements included in this release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties such as competitive factors, technological development, market demand, and the company's ability to obtain new contracts and accurately estimate net revenues due to variability in size, scope and duration of projects, and internal issues in the sponsoring client. As a result, actual results may differ materially from any financial outlooks stated herein. Further information on potential factors that could affect the company's financial results can be found in the company's Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DATASOURCE: eResearchTechnology, Inc. CONTACT: Joan Sterlacci, eResearchTechnology, +1-908-203-6473, or Matt Hayden, Hayden Communications, +1-760-487-1137, for eResearchTechnology Web site: http://www.ert.com/

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