Kendle Acquires UK Contract Research Organization /

Specialist Monitoring Services (SMS) CINCINNATI (PROTEXT) - Kendle International Inc., (Nasdaq: KNDL), a leading full-service clinical development organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio announced today the acquisition of Specialist Monitoring Services Ltd. ("SMS"), a contract research organization located in Crowthorne, United Kingdom. Kendle acquired SMS for a combination of cash and stock and will account for the acquisition using the purchase method of accounting. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be neutral to earnings in 1999 and accretive in 2000. "The acquisition of SMS brings us enhanced clinical monitoring capabilities in the U.K. complementing our existing regulatory consulting and clinical operations," said Kendle CEO, Dr. Candace Kendle. "In addition to clinical trial management, SMS is also engaged in clinical resourcing and investigational site management. Their CRA training program is extremely well regarded and provides us with a steady stream of CRAs to meet market demands." The company, which was founded in 1992, has 108 associates. Approximately seventy percent of the associates are field based. A unique feature of SMS' business is its study site coordinator service. Through this service, SMS has formed partnerships with networks of investigational sites in both primary and secondary care, enabling timely patient recruitment, study start-up and compliance. Paul Martin will continue in his existing role with overall responsibility for managing the Kendle Crowthorne office, part of Kendle International Inc. He will also be assuming additional responsibilities within the U.K. Kendle, which currently employs more than 1,300 associates worldwide, is an international contract research organization that provides integrated clinical research and drug development services on a contract basis to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Information in this press release contains "forward-looking statements." These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including without limitation, actual operating performance, the ability of the combined businesses to be integrated with Kendle's current operations, the ability to penetrate new markets, the ability of joint venture businesses to be integrated with Kendle's current operations, and the ability to maintain large client contracts or to enter into new contracts. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to its Forms 10-K and S-1. ots Original Text Service: Kendle International Inc. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Julie Lerner, Investor Relations of Kendle International Inc., 513-763-1490 Web site: http://www.kendle.com Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT