MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2005--

Dr. Schacter's extensive experience in Oncology and Hematology will be applied to the development of protocols and the design of studies for clinical trials of cancer compounds

MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has hired its Oncology Medical Advisory Board member Dr. Lee Philip Schacter, Ph.D., M.D., as its full-time staff Oncologist, based at the organization's executive offices in King of Prussia, Pa.

"We're delighted to be able to offer our clients the benefit of Dr. Schacter's expertise in Oncology and Hematology for protocol development and study design of Phase I-IV clinical trials of oncology compounds," says Beverly Harrison, MDS Pharma Services vice president for North American Clinical Operations. "His new full-time status allows us greater access to the extensive knowledge, skills and abilities he has honed at pharmaceutical and biotech companies and in academia."

An MDS Pharma Services Oncology Medical Advisory Board member since its inception, Dr. Schacter is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology and brings more than 25 years of Oncology experience to MDS Pharma Services. He has held a number of senior positions in clinical research management, including senior vice president for clinical development at Protarga, director of Clinical Cancer Research at Bristol-Myers Squibb, associate director for clinical trials at the Yale Cancer Center, and senior medical director and global product team physician at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

His academic experience includes teaching positions at Yale University School of Medicine, New York's Upstate Medical Center, and Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, where he was director of the Sickle Cell Program and attending physician in Medicine and Hematology-Oncology. He has published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, is a member of four professional societies, and has participated on seven major committees as a member or chair. The latter includes six years as a member and two as chairman of the Yale University School of Medicine Oncology Center Protocol Review Committee.

Dr. Schacter holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University and an M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine. His academic background also includes a Medical Internship at Baltimore City Hospital, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Brandeis, an NIH Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at The Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a Medical Residency and Oncology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.

About MDS Pharma Services and MDS Inc.

MDS Pharma Services offers a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, the company applies advanced scientific and technological expertise to each stage of the drug discovery and development process - early stage: lead optimization, pre-IND research, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical development, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis; and late stage: global clinical development (phases IIb-IV) and central lab. For more information, visit MDS Pharma Services' Web site at www.mdsps.com.

MDS Pharma Services is an integral part of MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS) (NYSE:MDZ). MDS Inc. has more than 9,000 highly skilled people in 25 countries providing a diverse range of superior products and services to increase our customers' speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and disease diagnosis processes. We are a global health and life sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative relationships. Please refer to our website at www.mdsintl.com to find out more about how we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease.

MDS Pharma Services (TSX:MDS) (NYSE:MDZ)