New powder micro-dosing instrument will reduce the time to first-in-man studies through increased speed and accuracy while reducing costs

(Philadelphia, Pa. April 08, 2005.) – MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has announced the purchase of an Xcelodose™ 600, a precision powder micro-dosing system/automated encapsulator with a fill range of 100 micrograms to greater than 100 milligrams. Housed at the company's Tampa, Fla., facility, this machine is the first of its kind to be utilized by a contract research organization in North America.

With an automated high throughput unit, the Xcelodose™ 600 provides the ability to directly fill API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) into capsules without excipients at a rate of several hundred capsules per hour. The increased speed comes with other benefits, including reduced waste and improved accuracy (two percent standard deviation). The instrument is computer-controlled, fully automated and 21CFR11 compliant.

“With this addition to our pharmaceutical development offerings, we have the capability to help our clients begin first-in-man studies more quickly,” said Derek Hennecke, vice president and general manager, Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceuticals. “This means saving time and money – two very critical things in this industry.” Xcelodose™ and Xcelodose™ technology are proprietary to Meridica, Ltd.

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. We provide 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, values-driven health and life sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative relationships as we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease. Find out more at www.mdsintl.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.