Omnicare, Inc. in Deal to Boost Specialty Drug Business; Expands Specialty Pharmaceutical Business Platform

COVINGTON, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE:OCR - News), one of the nation’s leading providers of pharmaceutical care for the elderly, today announced the acquisition of specialty pharmaceutical services provider, Advanced Care Scripts, Inc.

Based in Orlando, Florida, Advanced Care Scripts provides both specialty pharmacy and product support services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its specialty pharmacy operations dispense high-cost oral and injectable medications directly to patients and provide a range of related clinical and administrative services. Its product support services division provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with a range of services, including reimbursement support, compliance monitoring, patient assistance programs and data management. Advanced Care Scripts’ business is focused currently on disease states within neurology and oncology.

Based on the quarter ended March 31, 2008, Advanced Care Scripts’ revenues are running at an annualized rate of approximately $212 million. The transaction is expected to be modestly accretive to Omnicare’s earnings in 2008, with accretion expected to increase in 2009 and beyond.

“The acquisition of Advanced Care Scripts is squarely in line with our strategy of broadening Omnicare’s platform through the addition of high-growth businesses as it enhances Omnicare’s position in specialty pharmaceutical services ? one of the fastest growing sectors in pharmaceutical care,” said Joel F. Gemunder, president and chief executive officer of Omnicare. “Advanced Care Scripts has a great track record as an innovative and rapidly growing business built on a strong foundation of high-quality patient care. Moreover, Advanced Care Scripts both complements and widens the scope of our existing specialty pharmaceutical business, allowing us to provide greater service offerings and expand our client relationships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as to enhance our ability to provide greater access to drug therapy.”

“We are looking forward to the continued growth of our core services as well as the broadening of our business with new and innovative services made possible by joining Omnicare,” said Jeffrey Spafford, president of Advanced Care Scripts. “By pooling our experience and expertise with Omnicare’s resources and commitment to this business, we see even greater opportunities for both companies to expand specialty pharmaceutical services for manufacturers, providers and patients.”

About Omnicare, Inc.

Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE:OCR - News), a Fortune 500 company based in Covington, Kentucky, is a leading provider of pharmaceutical care for the elderly. Omnicare serves residents in long-term care facilities, chronic care and other settings comprising more than 1.4 million beds in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Omnicare is the largest U.S. provider of professional pharmacy, related consulting and data management services for skilled nursing, assisted living and other institutional healthcare providers as well as for hospice patients in homecare and other settings. Omnicare's pharmacy services also include distribution and patient assistance services for specialty pharmaceuticals. Omnicare offers clinical research services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in 30 countries worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.omnicare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this press release contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, all statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations regarding the matters discussed or incorporated by reference in this document (including statements as to “beliefs,” “expectations,” “anticipations,” “intentions” or similar words) and all statements which are not statements of historical fact. Such forward-looking statements, together with other statements that are not historical, are based on management’s current expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that could cause results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those stated. The most significant of these risks and uncertainties are described in the Company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to: overall economic, financial, political and business conditions; trends in the long-term healthcare, pharmaceutical and contract research industries; the ability to attract new clients and service contracts and retain existing clients and service contracts; the ability to consummate pending acquisitions; trends for the continued growth of the Company’s businesses; trends in drug pricing; delays and reductions in reimbursement by the government and other payors to customers and to the Company; the overall financial condition of the Company’s customers and the ability of the Company to assess and react to such financial condition of its customers; the ability of vendors and business partners to continue to provide products and services to the Company; the continued successful integration of acquired companies; the continued availability of suitable acquisition candidates; the ability to attract and retain needed management; competition for qualified staff in the healthcare industry; the demand for the Company’s products and services; variations in costs or expenses; the ability to implement productivity, consolidation and cost reduction efforts and to realize anticipated benefits; the ability of clinical research projects to produce revenues in future periods; the potential impact of legislation, government regulations, and other government action and/or executive orders, including those relating to Medicare Part D, including its implementing regulations and any subregulatory guidance, reimbursement and drug pricing policies and changes in the interpretation and application of such policies; government budgetary pressures and shifting priorities; federal and state budget shortfalls; efforts by payors to control costs; changes to or termination of the Company’s contracts with Medicare Part D plan sponsors or to the proportion of the Company’s Part D business covered by specific contracts; the outcome of litigation; potential liability for losses not covered by, or in excess of, insurance; the impact of differences in actuarial assumptions and estimates as compared to eventual outcomes; events or circumstances which result in an impairment of assets, including but not limited to, goodwill; market conditions; the outcome of audit, compliance, administrative or investigatory reviews; volatility in the market for the Company’s stock and in the financial markets generally; access to adequate capital and financing; changes in international economic and political conditions and currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and other currencies; changes in tax laws and regulations; changes in accounting rules and standards; and costs to comply with the Company’s Corporate Integrity Agreements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact:

Omnicare, Inc. Cheryl D. Hodges, 859-392-3331

Source: Omnicare, Inc.

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