TORONTO, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quick Facts on MDS Inc: - This global life sciences company has US$1 billion in revenues. It is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. - MDS is a global leader in providing products and services used to develop new drugs and technologies to diagnose, prevent and treat diseases. - MDS operates in 28 countries with its end markets growing 7% - 10% annually. - The company expects to generate more than 95% of its revenues from global markets by the end of this fiscal year. - It has three business units with market leading positions. They are MDS Nordion, MDS Sciex and MDS Pharma Services. - MDS products and services reach people in more than 90 countries around the world. - MDS will have over 5,800 employees after the diagnostics transaction is completed. Over 1,300 of those employees are at MDS locations in the United States. Background: MDS is making changes to position itself as a leader in global life sciences markets. The sale of MDS Diagnostic Services is the latest in a series of steps that support a new growth strategy launched last year. This strategy called for MDS to focus exclusively on opportunities within the fast growing life sciences markets served by the Company's three core businesses, MDS Pharma Services, MDS Nordion and MDS Sciex. These businesses are global market leaders in pharmaceutical contract research, molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics and analytical instrumentation. Here's a snapshot of what they do and their market opportunities: MDS Pharma Services is a leading contract research organization that provides drug discovery and development services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. It operates in an estimated US$15 billion market that is growing 10% - 14% annually. - It is a leading provider of early-stage drug development services. - It supports drug development and discovery in 26 countries around the world. - With more than 1,000 clinical trial beds, MDS Pharma Services has the largest early clinical research capacity in the industry. - It was recently recognized as the top contract research organization in Europe by Thomson CentreWatch. MDS Nordion is a leader in medical isotopes, radiotherapeutics and related technologies used to diagnose, prevent and treat disease. It is operating in an estimated US$2.8 billion market that is growing 5% - 8% a year. This growth is being generated by demands from patients for quicker diagnosis and more effective therapies for cancer and other health conditions. To help meet those demands, MDS Nordion is developing innovative diagnostic imaging and radiopharmaceuticals. - MDS Nordion now supplies more than half of the world's medical isotopes. - It is a global leader in the development and manufacture of radiotherapeutics. - MDS Nordion technology is also used to sterilize products such as bandages, contact lens solution and cosmetics. It is also being used to sterilize more than 40% of medical devices and supplies and an estimated 80% of all surgical gloves in the world. MDS Sciex is a leading manufacturer of sophisticated analytical instruments for drug discovery, life science and industrial applications. It operates in an estimated US$3 billion market with 8% - 11% growth rates. As pharmaceutical and biotech companies shift to targeted drug development programs, MDS Sciex is meeting their demand for mass spectrometers. - MDS Sciex is a leader in developing new instruments tailored to meet the very specialized needs of researchers. - In clinical research, these highly analytical instruments help researchers to uncover the cause of disease and analyze proteins for the development of new medicines. In applied markets, they are used to test water, food and soil for contamination. - MDS Sciex instruments are distributed to 56 countries. - The mass spectrometers produced at MDS Sciex are so sensitive that they can detect a pinch of salt in a body of water equal to 12 Olympic sized swimming pools. With three leading life sciences businesses, MDS is well positioned to grow. Over the past year, MDS has executed on its strategy focused on life sciences by taking the following steps: - MDS Pharma Services closed non core sites in Munich and Geneva. - MDS has sold its non strategic assets, starting with the sale of Source Medical last November, followed by the sale of both Capital Corp. retail fund and the Pharma fermentation business in December 2005. - The Company has streamlined its infrastructure by eliminating duplicate layers and reducing workforce by 700, mostly senior and middle management. These reductions were completed in December 2005. - MDS has redefined "corporate". It now has a smaller headquarters more focused on strategy, capital allocation, operating performance improvements, talent management, and compliance. - MDS sold its interest in Calgary Laboratory Services in April of this year. - David Spaight was hired as President of Pharma Services. He has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry and is making changes to sharpen the focus of this business unit. - MDS sold non-core MDS Pharma Services units in Tampa in May, in Lincoln in July and Blainville in August of this year. - MDS announced the sale of MDS Diagnostic Services on October 5th, 2006 to Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc. for CAD $1.3 billion. This transaction is an important milestone in the company's strategic transition to a global life sciences company. DATASOURCE: MDS Inc. CONTACT: Investors: Sharon Mathers, Vice-President, Investor Relations and External Communications, MDS Inc., (416) 675-6777 x 4721, ; Media: Catherine Melville, Director, External Communications, MDS Inc., (416) 675-6777 x 2265,

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