DUBLIN, Ohio, August 1, 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 $1 billion 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.

“With the most diverse portfolio of healthcare businesses in the industry, we are extremely optimistic about our future. In light of yesterday’s closing price, the Board of Directors determined that repurchasing our shares is one of the best investments we can make,” 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 2004. Additionally, our net debt to total capital position of only 11 percent at June 30, 2003 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 companies 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, the company employs more than 50,000 people on five continents and produces annual revenues of more than $50 billion. Cardinal Health is ranked #19 on the current Fortune 500 list and was named one of “The World’s Best” companies by Forbes magazine in 2002.
—————————————

Except for historical information, all other information in this news release consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. The most significant of these uncertainties are described in Cardinal Health’s Form 10-K, Form 8-K and Form 10-Q reports and exhibits to those reports, and include (but are not limited to) the costs, difficulties, and uncertainties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships or changes in the terms of those relationships, changes in the distribution outsourcing patterns for health-care products and/or services, the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings, and general economic conditions. Cardinal Health undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

###