Under the terms of the agreement, which was completed yesterday in Australia, Quintiles acquired 100% of the stock of the DCCG/MAA group of companies for an undisclosed amount of cash. The acquisition is expected to be neutral or slightly accretive to Quintiles' 1997 earnings per share.

The DCCG/MAA group, the leading contract sales and healthcare recruiting organization in Australia, employs 110 staff, of which approximately 100 are sales representatives. The group provides both dedicated and syndicated sales teams to the pharmaceutical industry in Australia and New Zealand.

"The acquisition of the DCCG/MAA group of companies is a good strategic fit for the Innovex Division of Quintiles," said Dennis Gillings, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp. "This is an example of the synergy between Innovex and Quintiles that enables aggressive expansion where clinical trials capabilities are already in place. We are very pleased to welcome this high-quality group to our global organization."

Debra Chapman, Managing Director of DCCG/MAA, said, "We are excited about becoming part of Quintiles and believe the synergies between our two organizations will facilitate the strategic development and growth of our operations and an expanded array of services for our customers."

Quintiles Transnational Corp. is a leading provider of full-service contract research, sales and marketing services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries Quintiles also provides healthcare policy consulting and disease and health information management services to the healthcare industry. Quintiles is headquartered near Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and has more than 7,300 staff in more than 60 operating units located in 21 countries.

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, the ability of the combined businesses to be integrated with Quintiles' current operations, actual operation performance, the ability to maintain large client contracts or to enter into new contracts, and the actual costs of the combining of the businesses. 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 S-3 and S-4 Registration Statements and its periodic reports.