Mölnlycke Health Care, Inc. Awarded Contract with Premier, Inc. for Sterile and Bulk Non Sterile Surgical Packs & Gowns.

NEWTOWN, Pa. -- Mölnlycke Health Care, Inc. has been awarded a three-year contract by Premier, Inc. for their Barrier Surgical Pack and Gown product line, effective February 1, 2004. This contract for the Barrier line which is offered in both sterile and bulk non-sterile products represents a significant opportunity for Mölnlycke Health Care in the U.S. marketplace.

Barrier is a name descriptive of its function -- a protective aseptic barrier for both the patient and the healthcare professional. The history of the brand is rich with innovation and growth over the past 37 years. Along with significant enhancements that Barrier has made to both infection control and cost control, the comfort of the healthcare professional and the patient are also of primary concern, leading to the development of revolutionary fabrics and product design.

With more than 150 years of experience in developing clinical products, Mölnlycke Health Care is a leading supplier of surgical and wound management products. Established in Sweden in 1849, the company has been supplying a wide range of innovative, high quality products to the medical community in North America since 1979. In May of 2002, Mölnlycke Health Care was also awarded a three-year contract with Premier for their wound management products that feature Safetac technology.

Premier, Inc., is a strategic alliance in U. S. healthcare, entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading hospital and healthcare systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with approximately 1,600 hospital facilities in 50 states and hundreds of other care sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery. Among these resources are supply chain management support and group purchasing for more than $14 billion annually in supplies and equipment. Premier also offers insurance programs, performance improvement services of many kinds including substantial comparative databases and associated benchmarking applications, clinical technology services, and practice support services.