GREY Grey Global Grp. (MM)

Grey Healthcare Group Buys Hurd Studios, a Cutting Edge Visual Science Communications Company Winner of the Prestigious 2004 ACM SIGGRAPH Award for Outstanding Computer Graphics NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Grey Healthcare Group (GHG), the fifth largest healthcare communications company in the world, acquired award-winning New York-based Hurd Studios, one of the most advanced and respected visual communication companies in the healthcare industry. Its acquisition enables GHG to offer clients highly proprietary creative and medical education programs that are unique within the industry. Hurd is the newest addition to GHG's network of integrated healthcare communications companies with industry- leading specialties. The deal was 100% cash. Terms were not disclosed. Jane Hurd, founder and President, and Stephen Biale, Chief Executive Officer, continue in their positions. "The visualization of science is more critical than ever with the unprecedented pace at which science is unravelling the inner workings of cells and molecules. As novel therapeutic molecules are discovered, it has become increasingly necessary for the medical community to understand their structure and mechanism of action," says Jane Hurd. "It's very rewarding to educate healthcare providers by translating complex physiologic processes into clear, concise visualizations that elucidate the unique benefits of these new drug therapies." Hurd is a scientific multi-media firm with animation, video production, and marketing capabilities, and its founder, Jane Hurd, is considered a pioneer within the industry. She conceptualized a new business model, the Visual Science Agency, and is credited with improving and formalizing accurate and elegant scientific visual communications. Hurd's clients include some of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Aventis, Novartis, Celgene, and GlaxoSmithKline. In addition, Hurd recently won a prestigious honor from ACM SIGGRAPH 2004, the international organization that recognizes the best in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH's jury chose 30 winners to showcase out of hundreds of submissions from around the world. Last year the winners included "The Lord of the Rings," "Terminator 3," "The Matrix Reloaded," "Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets," and "The Hulk." This honor puts Hurd in the same league as Pixar Animation Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, and Disney, all of whom have won this honor in the past. "We're delighted to have Hurd join our network. They are the best in the industry at bringing science to life, and all our divisions are eager to work with them to offer our clients Hurd's powerful and compelling communications," says Lynn O'Connor Vos, CEO and President of GHG Inc." "This "visualization" of medicine stands as the hallmark upon which entire campaigns are built and enhanced across all phases of a product's lifecycle," says Stephen Biale, CEO. "We are thrilled to be joining our unique capabilities to what we believe is the finest and most forward-thinking healthcare communications company in the industry today, Grey Healthcare Group." GHG continues to expand its global network. It recently acquired s&kGrey, a top Germany-based medical education company specializing in oncology; Grey Healthcare Japan, a full service healthcare agency; and in 2003, DarwinGrey, a UK-based medical education company specializing in oncology and hematology. Headquartered in New York, GHG comprises 10 companies with 42 offices in 16 countries. GHG provides an extensive array of integrated services in support of brand acceleration and sales that include branding, advertising, CME, and medical education, direct-to-consumer/direct-to-patient communications, managed markets, e-marketing, consumer healthcare research, and contract sales. Grey Healthcare Group is a wholly owned partner company of Grey Global Group (NASDAQ:GREY), the world's seventh largest holding agency. DATASOURCE: Grey Healthcare Group CONTACT: Wendy Hauser, Dir, Corp Comm, GHG Inc., +1-212-886-3058,

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