FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EXPANDING CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CLINICAL RESEARCH MARKET GETS DEDICATED NEWS SOURCE

Thomson CenterWatch and ICON Collaborate to Launch Quarterly e-Newsletter

BOSTON - February 7, 2005 - Thomson (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC), a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to scientific and healthcare customers, and ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR), a global contract research organization, today announced the launch of a new electronic newsletter that sheds light on the quickly developing clinical research market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

The number of drug trials conducted throughout CEE has grown by an average of 15+% over the past five years, establishing this region as one of the world's most active in terms of clinical research. As a result of this growth, companies already operating there and those interested in entering the market have a high demand for targeted clinical research news information.

Developed by Thomson CenterWatch, through an exclusive sponsorship from ICON Clinical Research, "Inside Clinical Research - Central and Eastern Europe" helps industry professionals stay abreast of emerging trends, breaking news, best practices for conducting trials, and pipelines for drug development. Launched on December 23rd, 2004, the e-newsletter is sent electronically each quarter to more than 6,000 stakeholders operating in CEE and throughout the globe.

"Over the past 12 to 18 months, we've seen a growing interest in CEE from our customers and from industry in general. Although we frequently cover the region in our flagship monthly newsletter 'The CenterWatch Monthly', people wanted even more information," said Dan McDonald, vice president of Thomson CenterWatch.

Those interested in receiving "Inside Clinical Research - Central and Eastern Europe" should send a request to cw.marketing@thomson.com.

"Clinical trial activity in CEE is set to grow faster than elsewhere in Europe for the foreseeable future. This growth, and the challenges of operating in the CEE region with the varying language, legal, regulatory and other requirements, will drive novel and innovative solutions from pharmaceutical companies and CROs alike. ICON welcomes the opportunity to work with CenterWatch and to share our experiences with a wider audience via this collaborative newsletter." said Peter Sowood, President, ICON Europe.

Those wishing to receive more information on ICON’s experiences within CEE should send a request to info@iconuk.com.

About The Thomson Corporation and CenterWatch
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2003 revenues from continuing operations of $7.44 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to more than 20 million users in the fields of health care and scientific research, law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training, and assessment. Its healthcare solutions include CenterWatch (www.centerwatch.com), a leader in the clinical trials industry. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 38,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC)

About ICON plc
ICON plc. (www.iconclinical.com) is a global contract clinical research organisation (CRO), which has approximately 2,600 employees providing services to the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries from 37 locations in 23 countries worldwide. It is the fourth largest CRO based on like for like revenue across phase II-IV services and conducts international and global trials in a wide range of therapeutic areas. ICON’s growth is a result of its commitment to the highest quality standards and the company believes it is the only CRO with ISO 9001:2000 accreditation across all departments and offices. The company’s shares are listed on NASDAQ (ICLR).

###