News & Events

(April 17, 2000) -- CHICAGO, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), Guidant Corporation (NYSE: GDT) and Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) have joined the global healthcare exchange formed two weeks ago by five of the largest global healthcare companies. Johnson & Johnson, GE Medical Systems, Baxter International, Inc., Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic, Inc. recently announced the creation of a global healthcare exchange that will help healthcare providers make quicker, more efficient purchasing decisions by simplifying business processes and providing a single source for customers' healthcare purchases.

"This exchange already has gained tremendous momentum and industry acceptance," said Curt Selquist, company group chairman, Johnson & Johnson and member of the global healthcare exchange's board of directors. "One of the key benefits of our global healthcare exchange is that it will provide a diverse product offering and a dynamic and comprehensive portfolio. With the addition of these new companies, we move significantly closer to the goal of the exchange, which is to offer product breadth and choice representing nearly everything that is needed by healthcare customers."

The privately-held, independent on-line enterprise will facilitate the exchange of information related to buying, selling and distributing medical equipment, devices and healthcare products and services worldwide, and also provide access to extensive clinical content. It will provide equal access to all healthcare manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, providers, group purchasing organizations and other healthcare trading partners.

"BD is proud to join with other industry leaders to build this exciting new global exchange for our customers," said Edward J. Ludwig, president and chief executive officer, BD. "This is an important component of our company's overall e-commerce strategy. We look forward to investing BD's know-how and resources to build this capability to provide better services more efficiently."

"Our equity participation is consistent with Guidant's goal of providing timely, valued communication with healthcare providers any time, any place, in the most efficient way possible," said Ronald W. Dollens, president and chief executive officer, Guidant Corporation. "We believe that effective communication with our customers will ultimately lead to better care for our patients around the world."

"This exchange will help us better serve our customers-and their patients-by making it easier and less expensive to obtain high quality, innovative products from us and the other participants of the exchange," said Jim Tobin, president and chief executive officer, Boston Scientific Corporation.

BD, Guidant, and Boston Scientific are participants and equity partners in the global healthcare exchange.