AmerisourceBergen Corporation Enrolls Its Good Neighbor Pharmacy® Network

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Jan. 23, 2006)—Bruce Roberts, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), today hailed the move by AmerisourceBergen Corporation to enroll its Good Neighbor Pharmacy® network of independent community pharmacies as Founding Members of SureScripts, the nation’s largest network provider of electronic prescribing services.  The move will add more than 2,400 pharmacies to the SureScripts network.  NCPA co-founded SureScripts in 2001 to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of the overall prescribing process.

“Physicians increasingly are transmitting their prescriptions electronically to pharmacies,” Roberts said.  “Enrolling in the SureScripts network will enable the Good Neighbor Pharmacies to better serve their customers and colleagues in the medical profession, and I commend the AmerisourceBergen Corporation for its commitment to e-prescribing.”  Under the Medicare Modernization Act, pharmacies are strongly encouraged to support electronic prescribing as part of Medicare Part D, the new prescription drug benefit that went into effect on Jan. 1.  About 90 percent of pharmacies in the United States currently use prescription software certified with SureScripts.

“I urge all independent pharmacists to get on board,” Roberts said. “Adoption of electronic prescribing is a critical step in moving the pharmacy profession forward.”

The National Community Pharmacists Association, founded in 1898, represents the nation’s community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 24,000 pharmacies.  The nation’s independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains represent an $84 billion marketplace, dispensing nearly half of the nation's retail prescription medicines.

AmerisourceBergen's Good Neighbor Pharmacy Network Becomes Founding Member of SureScripts
The first independent cooperative network to secure membership

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., January 23, 2006—AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE: ABC) has enrolled its Good Neighbor Pharmacy® network of independent community pharmacies as a Founding Member of SureScripts, the nation’s largest network provider of electronic prescribing services. SureScripts enables the two-way electronic exchange of prescription information by connecting physician and pharmacy software systems.

Membership in SureScripts demonstrates AmerisourceBergen’s continued commitment to help independent pharmacies prepare for and derive value from electronic prescribing. The SureScripts membership is a step in ensuring that Good Neighbor Pharmacies will have the necessary tools for e-prescribing, thereby enhancing clinical, economic and operational efficiencies.

“Good Neighbor Pharmacy is the first independent cooperative network of pharmacies to secure SureScripts membership,” said David Neu, AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation’s Senior V.P., Retail Sales and Marketing.  “AmerisourceBergen is committed to helping our network of independent pharmacies adopt electronic prescribing in order to improve patient safety, comply with government standards and further enhance the pharmacy profession.”

More than 2,400 Good Neighbor Pharmacies across the country will be provided with assistance to make a smooth transition to electronic prescribing through a connection to the SureScripts Electronic Prescribing Network. Once connected for e-prescribing, these pharmacies will improve the efficiency of the prescribing process by avoiding the need for manual data entry, faxes and phone calls and will improve the safety of the process by eliminating the potential for misunderstandings based on illegible handwriting and medications with similar sounding names.

New Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations support electronic prescriptions for Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit that took effect in January 2006.  As part of the Medicare Modernization Act, Medicare will require pharmacies participating in the new prescription drug benefit to support electronic prescribing.  Health and Human Services is establishing standards and steps to encourage the adoption of e-prescribing.

AmerisourceBergen will be working closely with Good Neighbor Pharmacy members to complete connectivity to the SureScripts network and launch physician outreach into the community.

Ninety percent of the nation’s pharmacies operate technology systems that have completed the certification process with SureScripts. AmerisourceBergen will be providing Good Neighbor Pharmacies with data outlining what steps each pharmacy needs to take depending on the software it has installed.

AmerisourceBergen customers who are interested in learning more about the SureScripts Electronic Prescribing Network should contact their AmerisourceBergen account manager or go to www.amerisourcebergen.com or www.surescripts.com.

About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) is one of the largest pharmaceutical services companies in the United States. Servicing both pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers in the pharmaceutical supply channel, the Company provides drug distribution and related services designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. AmerisourceBergen's service solutions range from pharmacy automation and pharmaceutical packaging to pharmacy services for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, reimbursement and pharmaceutical consulting services, and physician education. With more than $54 billion in annual revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 13,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #23 on the Fortune 500 list. For more information, go to www.amerisourcebergen.com.

About SureScripts
SureScripts, the largest network provider of electronic prescribing services, is committed to building relationships within the health care community and working collaboratively with key industry stakeholders and organizations to improve the safety, efficiency and quality of health care by improving the overall prescribing process. At the core of this improvement effort is SureScripts network, a health care infrastructure which establishes electronic communications between pharmacists and physicians and enables the two-way electronic exchange of prescription information. More information about SureScripts is available at www.surescripts.com.