- Covance's fourth CAP-accredited central laboratory advances patient safety, R&D efficiency -

PRINCETON, N.J., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Covance Inc. (NYSE: CVD) today announced that the company's Shanghai, China central laboratory has achieved accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). With CAP accreditation, Covance's Shanghai central laboratory joins an exclusive group of international laboratories that meet the highest standards of excellence to improve patient safety and speed drug development.

Based on rigorous accreditation standards, the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is the only internationally recognized program that utilizes teams of practicing laboratory professionals as inspectors. Designed to go well beyond regulatory compliance, the program helps laboratories achieve the highest standards of excellence to positively impact patient care.

The inspection process includes a quality practice blueprint for laboratories to follow, which is also used by inspection teams to assess the overall management and operation of the laboratory. Because of its comprehensive nature, CAP accreditation is designed to improve patient safety by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services through education, standard setting, and ensuring laboratories meet or exceed regulatory requirements.

Covance's Shanghai central laboratory is the company's fourth laboratory to achieve CAP accreditation and Level-1 NGSP (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program) certification, a standard requirement for drug development hemoglobin testing. Covance's central laboratory network includes dedicated facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana; Geneva, Switzerland; and Singapore. Each laboratory in Covance's network uses the same technical platforms, methods, and procedures to provide the same level of quality laboratory data, regardless of location.

"Covance is committed to meeting our clients' need for high quality laboratory data in all regions of the world," said Deborah Tanner, Covance's corporate senior vice president and president of central laboratory services. "With the combination of our broad, expanded portfolio of laboratory testing capabilities and CAP accreditation in China, Covance continues to provide the industry's most comprehensive and flexible clinical trial laboratory service solutions to the growing numbers of sponsors conducting clinical studies in the Asia Pacific region, and throughout the world."

The Shanghai laboratory opened in 2007 and currently offers routine chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, immunology, special chemistry, DNA extraction, flow cytometry, and coagulation testing services. Covance also operates two clinical development offices in Beijing and Shanghai that provide clients with access to large patient populations, investigators, and sites in this key region.

About Covance

Covance, with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies with annual revenues greater than $1.7 billion, global operations in more than 25 countries, and more than 9,600 employees worldwide. Information on Covance's products and services, recent press releases, and SEC filings can be obtained through its website at www.covance.com.

Statements contained in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All such forward-looking statements including the statements contained herein regarding anticipated trends in the Company's business are based largely on management's expectations and are subject to an qualified by risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, competitive factors, outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical industry, levels of industry research and development spending, the Company's ability to continue to attract and retain qualified personnel, the fixed price nature of contracts or the loss of large contracts, and other factors described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.