The following press release provides insight on industry trends and behaviors impacting all players involved in clinical research as analyzed and reported by CenterWatch.

CenterWatch Launches First-of-its-Kind Consumer Guide To The Risks and Benefits of Volunteering for Clinical Trials

New Book Empowers Volunteers To Make More Informed Decisions Before Consenting to Participate in a Clinical Trial

BOSTON - April 11, 2002 - CenterWatch, the leading publisher of clinical trial news and information, today announced the release of "Informed Consent™: The Consumer's Guide to the Risks and Benefits of Volunteering for Clinical Trials". This groundbreaking new book provides patients and their advocates with comprehensive and balanced facts, information and resources that help them understand the research process, their rights as volunteers, how to find and take part in clinical trials, and what questions to ask.

Last year, more than 17 million people inquired about participating in clinical trials in the US, and more than two million people volunteered for industry- and government-sponsored studies. The growing number of participants in our nation's clinical trials last year is indicative of a trend where consumers are becoming more receptive to considering investigational treatments as part of their medical options. Yet, identifying and evaluating whether to participate in a clinical trial can be frightening and confusing for consumers. To date, there has been nowhere for patients to turn to help them fully understand what they need to know to make educated and informed decisions and to understand their rights as research volunteers.

"My personal experience in losing a son in a gene therapy trial exposed many very serious flaws in the informed consent process. This book informs the average human being about what to expect and ask when participating in clinical research. It is a book long overdue," said Paul Gelsinger in his Foreword to the new CenterWatch book.

CenterWatch's CEO Kenneth Getz and health writer Deborah Borfitz spent more than four years developing Informed Consent™. Getz and Borfitz co-authored the guide based on extensive research, expert commentary and interviews with research and regulatory professionals, patient advocates and consumers.

Deborah Borfitz, said, "When faced with a debilitating or life-threatening illness, 85 percent of patients and their support networks want to know more about clinical trials and investigational treatments. But an equal percentage say that their primary and specialty physician or nurse do not provide them with any information on clinical trials."

More than 80,000 clinical trials are conducted in the United States annually. There may be excellent opportunities for patients to find promising and potentially life-saving new treatments. However, whereas the majority of clinical trials are safe and effective, there are risks for volunteers. A CenterWatch analysis of FDA data found that one in 30 volunteers typically experience a serious side effect, and one in 10,000 die due to the effects of the study drug.

Added Ken Getz, "Reviewing study requirements and signing an informed consent form is an important first step before volunteering for a clinical trial. However, it's extremely important that patients and advocates take it upon themselves to seek out additional information about a clinical trial and to fully understand the specific benefits and risks, and their rights and recourse as a participant. With "Informed Consent™" we hope to empower consumers to become far better educated and to take more control."

Informed Consent™ provides an authoritative and balanced foundation that empowers patients, their family and friends to understand what to ask, how to identify and minimize risks, and where to go for more help when considering volunteering for a clinical trial. Specifically, the guide covers topics including:

• Your rights as a volunteer, and how to protect them
• How to determine if a clinical trial is right for you
• How to find and evaluate clinical trials
• Special considerations for vulnerable populations including children and the elderly
• What to do when things go wrong
• A useful and practical appendix of reference information

Informed Consent™ will be distributed through a variety of channels including major retail and online stores, health associations and academic institutions, government agencies, patient advocacy groups and medical societies. Pharmaceutical companies will also be distributing the guide. CenterWatch will offer copies of the book through www.centerwatch.com.

About CenterWatch
CenterWatch is a Boston-based information services company that focuses on the clinical trials industry. CenterWatch offers a variety of publications and services for clinical research and general health professionals, patients and health consumers. Along with disease specific reports and profiles of centers that conduct clinical trials, CenterWatch publishes a variety of searchable databases online including directories of several thousand drugs in clinical trials, drugs recently approved by the FDA, and clinical trial results. In addition, the CenterWatch web site lists more than 42,000 ongoing clinical trials seeking volunteers. An estimated eight million people will visit the CenterWatch web site at www.centerwatch.com to view these trial listings. CenterWatch is a subsidiary of Thomson Healthcare, publishers of the Physicians Desk Reference ®.

To order a copy of Informed Consent™: The Consumer's Guide to the Risks and Benefits of Volunteering for Clinical Trials, please go to www.centerwatch.com or call 1-800-765-9647.

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