DUBLIN, Ohio, January 28, 2003 – The board of directors of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry, today authorized the purchase by Cardinal Health of up to $500 million of its common shares.

The share-repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase common shares pursuant to terms management deems appropriate and at such time as it may designate. The company will hold any repurchased shares as treasury shares and intends to use them for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options. The share repurchase authorization announced in August 2002 was completed in mid-January, 2003. As of January 10, 2003, approximately 7.8 million shares were repurchased under that program.

“Repurchasing our shares makes sense due to Cardinal Health’s strong cash flow and solid capital position,” said Robert D. Walter, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health. “We expect to generate over $1 billion in operating cash flow in fiscal 2003. Additionally, our net debt to total capital position of only 16 percent at December 31, 2002 provides us with significant financial flexibility to fund both this program as well as future growth opportunities.”

ABOUT CARDINAL HEALTH

Cardinal Health, Inc. (www.cardinal.com) is the leading provider of products and services supporting the health care industry. Cardinal Health businesses develop, manufacture, package and market products for patient care; develop drug-delivery technologies; distribute pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical and laboratory supplies; and offer consulting and other
services that improve quality and efficiency in health care. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health employs approximately 50,000 people on five continents and produces annual revenues of more than $44 billion. Cardinal Health is ranked #23 on the current Fortune 500 list and was named one of “The World’s Best” companies by Forbes magazine in 2002.