Press Release November 26, 2001

21st Century Solutions Designed To Meet 21st Century Challenges

Managed Care Executives Name Aventis as Best in Pull-Through Initiatives, Cognet~X, Inc. Reports

FEASTERVILLE---(Nov. 26, 2001)---Aventis Pharma AG offered the best pull-through programs to managed care customers during the third quarter, Cognet~X, Inc. data reveals.

According to Cognet-X's PAR~Rx (Promotional Assessment Research) Report™, Aventis finished first in the twice-yearly Corporate Assessment Total Rankings for its pull-through programs, up from fourth place in the first-quarter rankings. Pull-through programs are pharmaceutical company initiatives designed to increase the market share of specific products while reducing pharmaceutical expenditures for managed care organizations.

PAR-Rx panelists, who are among the most influential pharmacy directors in the managed care community, cited Aventis' programs in the areas of asthma, allergy, diabetes, osteoporosis and deep-vein thrombosis. Panelists were impressed by Aventis' ability to effectively drive market share through clinically sound programs that were well supported by the company's field forces.

"Very successful…program for Allegra. Good, sound clinical information…backed by clinical studies. Results: market share increased by 8%. Aventis sales force did the leg work…allowed us to customize the pull-through to better meet our needs," one pharmacy director explained to Cognet~X.

"Local sales force is very willing to work with national account manager and regional account manager to carry proper messages to MDs," another panelist noted. Field force reps "pull" such a program "through" to physicians and other prescribing professionals to ensure the needs of the managed care organization and its enrollees are being met.

For the second consecutive ranking period, GlaxoSmithKline placed second in the PAR-Rx Report's Pull-Through Programs category. Pharmacy directors indicated that both Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham excelled in this category prior to their 2000 merger. "I am glad to see that nothing has changed," one panelist commented.

Also in the third-quarter Pull-Through Programs rankings, Novartis placed third, down from first in first quarter, American Home Products Co. finished fourth, up from seventh, and Abbott Laboratories bounded into the fifth-place ranking, after finishing 16th in 1Q 2001. Abbott and its account personnel received strong praise from a number of panelists for the company's program promoting appropriate antibiotic usage.

"Outstanding follow-through by account manager in helping [my] plan to design and bring to reality educational programs with physicians to optimize antibiotic use initiative," one panelist told Cognet-X.

The Pull-Through Programs attribute is one of seven included in the twice-yearly Corporate Assessment Total Rankings component of the PAR-Rx Report. The rankings utilize Cognet-X's proprietary Scale of Influence model to assess pharmaceutical company promotional activity to leading managed care pharmacy directors.

About the PAR-Rx Report

Cognet-X's PAR-Rx Report is a year-round service that provides the pharmaceutical industry with real-time, Internet-based competitive intelligence on pharmaceutical company promotion to influential managed care pharmacy directors.

The Report offers Cognet-X clients the ability to evaluate and analyze variable differences that are critically important to their decision-making process. The Report collects comprehensive data that can be segmented and analyzed to provide clients with "21st-Century solutions to their 21st-Century challenges."

About Cognet-X

Cognet-X offers the pharmaceutical industry market research, consulting and software development that help companies build and refine their relationships with numerous customer bases, including the managed care community. Based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Cognet-X is privately held and employee owned.

For more information on the PAR-Rx Report or other valuable Cognet-X products, please contact Robert E. Houghton (extension 101) at (215) 396-8300 or via e-mail at robh@cognetx.com.

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