Press Releases

DUBLIN, Ohio, July 8, 2005 — Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, announced today it is partnering with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist limited-income Medicare beneficiaries in applying for extra help to pay for prescription drugs under the Medicare Prescription drug coverage that takes effect January 1, 2006.

Cardinal Health is encouraging the owners of retail independent pharmacies to establish their pharmacy as a resource for limited-income seniors and persons with disabilities eligible for this program. More than 4,000 retail independent pharmacies are associated with Cardinal Health through its Leader® Member Services program and Medicine Shoppe International, Inc. and Medicap Pharmacies Incorporated franchises. Cardinal Health and CMS will provide Leader® pharmacies, The Medicine Shoppe® Pharmacies and Medicap Pharmacy® Stores with communication materials to assist them in conducting outreach programs designed to educate patients about the new Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and facilitate completion of the Application for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs.

During the National Community Pharmacists Association Annual Legislative Conference, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., stressed the importance of partnerships between pharmacies and the relationships between pharmacists and their customers in contributing to the success of community-based outreach.

“This is a great outreach step: it is natural that at the place people have to pay for their prescriptions, and where we have the best personal knowledge about which Medicare beneficiaries really need help, that pharmacists are providing this leadership,” McClellan said during his May 2 speech. “In response to our call to action, the Medicine Shoppe® Pharmacies, Medicap Pharmacy® Stores and Leader® pharmacies, as well as the national wholesaler, Cardinal Health, have embraced this challenge.”

“This is an incredible opportunity for retail independent pharmacies to further establish themselves as their community resource for information about the Medicare Prescription drug coverage, and to assist those who may be eligible apply for the extra help,” said Mark Parrish, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical Distribution and Provider Services. “Cardinal Health is dedicated to assisting CMS and pharmacies in reaching potential beneficiaries and ultimately encouraging the success of the new Medicare drug coverage.”

About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. (www.cardinalhealth.com) is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry. Cardinal Health develops, manufactures, packages and markets products for patient care; develops drug-delivery technologies; distributes pharmaceuticals and medical, surgical and laboratory supplies; and offers consulting and other services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents and produces annual revenues of more than $65 billion.