PHCC Priority Healthcare b (MM)

Priority Healthcare Corporation Acquires HealthBridge Reimbursement and Product Support, Inc. LAKE MARY, Fla., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Priority Healthcare Corporation (NASDAQ:PHCC) today acquired 100 percent of the stock of HealthBridge Reimbursement and Product Support, Inc., a service company specializing in drug launch and reimbursement support for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. "The acquisition of HealthBridge expands our service offerings to both pharmaceutical manufacturers and payors. We are now able to partner with manufacturers at a much earlier point and provide support from pre-launch through the life of a product. We can also better serve our payor customers with improved benefit design management and formulary coverage," said Steve Cosler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Priority Healthcare. Mary Casey, Chief Executive Officer of HealthBridge, stated, "The combination of our current service offerings with Priority Healthcare is an exciting opportunity for us." Corinne Maioli, President of HealthBridge, added, "Joining with an industry leader will enable us to work with our customers and Priority Healthcare to maximize the growth opportunities for the HealthBridge platform." Founded in 1988, HealthBridge Reimbursement and Product Support, Inc. caters to pharmaceutical companies by offering reimbursement services, product support, strategic planning, and education and training for new medications. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Priority Healthcare, HealthBridge will continue to operate under the direction of founders Mary Casey and Corinne Maioli. Its 65 employees will provide services from HealthBridge headquarters in Braintree, Massachusetts. Additional company information is available online at http://www.healthbridgeinc.com/ "The acquisition price is consistent with our historical valuations," added Steve Saft, Chief Financial Officer of Priority Healthcare. "The transaction is very strategic to Priority Healthcare and should be accretive to EPS in 2005." About Priority Healthcare Corporation Priority Healthcare Corporation is a national specialty pharmacy and distributor that provides biopharmaceuticals, complex therapies and related disease treatment services. Priority Healthcare provides comprehensive programs for patients, payors, physicians and pharmaceutical manufacturers for a growing number of disease states including cancer, hepatitis C, respiratory and pulmonary conditions, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration. Additional information regarding Priority Healthcare is available online at http://www.priorityhealthcare.com/ Certain statements included in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent our expectations or beliefs and involve certain risks and uncertainties, including those described in our public filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; also including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, competitive pressures, changes in customer mix, changes in third party reimbursement rates, financial stability of major customers, changes in government regulations or the interpretation of these regulations, changes in supplier relationships, growth opportunities, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies and other benefits anticipated from acquisition transactions, difficulties relative to integrating acquired businesses, the accounting and tax treatment of acquisitions, and asserted and unasserted claims, which could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond our control, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date herein. http://www.healthbridgeinc.com http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030417/PHCLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Priority Healthcare Corporation CONTACT: Stephen Saft, Chief Financial Officer, Priority Healthcare Corporation, +1-407-804-6700 Web site: http://www.priorityhealthcare.com/

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