KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has established an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to provide expanded capabilities in global clinical trial management. The new office joins nearly two dozen other MDS Pharma Services late stage clinical trial management offices in 21 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. The opening of the Sao Paulo office is a clear indicator of the growing importance of Latin America to the drug development industry and of MDS Pharma Services' commitment to offer its clients the advantages of conducting trials in the region. "Our new office in Sao Paulo is a key component of our global expansion strategy. It allows MDS Pharma Services to provide clients access to a large diverse pool of clinical trial participants and abundant healthcare resources, including more than 237,000 qualified physicians and more than 46,000 health institutions," said MDS Pharma Services President David Spaight. "Thanks to this excellent infrastructure, clinical trials in Brazil have an impressive track record of strong enrollment rates and good patient compliance and retention. These are critical factors in allowing us to fulfill the MDS Pharma Services brand promise to deliver high-quality, on-time service to clients." In addition to the new office in Brazil, MDS Pharma Services also offers clinical trial monitoring services from Latin American offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Mexico City, Mexico. Since 2002, the MDS Pharma Services team in Latin America has conducted 33 global studies in focus areas such as oncology, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular, vaccines and infectious diseases. Drug development activity has exploded in Brazil, which experienced a 1000 percent increase in clinical trials between 1995 and 2000. It is estimated that 645 Phase I-IV clinical trials are currently taking place in Brazil. While the incidence of heart disease, arthritis, cancer and infectious diseases in Brazil is on par with the United States, a greater percentage of the Brazilian population is treatment-naive, providing a major source of potential adult and pediatric clinical trial participants who are not taking prescription drugs that could interact or interfere with the drug being tested. The Southern Hemisphere location is another reason to include Brazil and other Latin American countries in multi-center trials; these countries experience summer when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, allowing MDS Pharma Services to offer its clients year-round testing of drugs for seasonally induced conditions such as allergies and other respiratory indications. About MDS Pharma Services MDS Pharma Services is committed to delivering quality results on time. We offer 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, we apply advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more information, visit our website at http://www.mdsps.com/. MDS Pharma Services is a business unit of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,500 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find out more at http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day. Source data - clinicaltrials.gov website (x) 645 Phase I-IV studies currently taking place in Brazil http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/map?term=Brazil&phase=0123&map=SA DATASOURCE: MDS Pharma Services CONTACT: For Investors, Sharon Mathers, (416) 675-6777 ext. 34721, ; For Media, Charlene McGrady, (610) 239-7900 ext. 231,

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