CAMBRIDGE, Mass., August 09, 2006 — Neal S. Mantick, a skilled manager with over 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, has joined Abt Associates as Director of Registries. He will provide technical oversight and supervision for all registry projects, including design, implementation, and reporting, and will consult with sponsors to help optimize the receptivity, adoption, and long-term acceptance of new, innovative drug products and medical devices. Mr. Mantick comes to Abt Associates from Genzyme Corporation, where he served as Director of Global Registry Programs.

"There is ever-increasing pressure from a variety of sources — most significantly the FDA, payors, and patients — to obtain the kind of intelligence that is more readily available from a post-marketing study than from a clinical trial. This is true of all potential registry objectives, such as defining the natural history/burden of illness, confirming clinical effectiveness, monitoring safety and managing risk, estimating cost effectiveness, and measuring quality of care," said Steve Fosburg, Sr. Vice President of Clinical Research Studies. "We believe that Neal's leadership will further strengthen our strategic design and operational capabilities as we continue to evolve to meet the needs of the industry."

During his eight years at Genzyme, Mr. Mantick was responsible for leading multifunctional teams in the overall definition, design, planning, implementation, and ongoing management of four global registries for rare diseases. In that capacity, he had the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking advancements in the medical treatment of patients with genetic diseases and to lead the registry programs through a time of substantial growth and evolution, meeting a wider range of clinical, regulatory, and commercial expectations. Mr. Mantick's registry expertise is built on a strong foundation of product development and clinical studies management experience gained during his affiliation with The Upjohn Company, Arthur D. Little, and PAREXEL International.

To learn more about ABT Associates please visit them at CBI's Post-Approval Congress, September 18-21, 2006 at the Park Hyatt in Philadelphia, PA. Chris Pashos, Ph.D., Vice President of Health Economics Research Quality of Life Evaluation Services (HERQuLES) is pleased to be part of the elite faculty for this industry-leading event which has convened over 1000 pharmaceutical executives. The congress features strategies and best practices for designing programs to meet clinical, regulatory and marketing objectives through the use of Phase IV Trails, Patient Registries and Risk Management programs. To register for the conference simply call Glen Maseau at 781-939-2513 or glen.manseau@cbinet.com or visit www.cbinet.com/post-approval for more information.