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Pyxis Corporation Completes Acquisition of HelpMate Robotics, Inc., a Developer of Health-Care Robotics Systems

Transaction Expands Pyxis' Offering of Productivity-Enhancing Technology

DUBLIN, Ohio, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Pyxis Corporation, a subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), announced today it has completed its previously announced acquisition of the assets and certain liabilities of HelpMate Robotics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: HELP) of Danbury, Connecticut, in a cash transaction valued at approximately $13 million. Other financial terms of the transaction, which was approved today by HelpMate's shareholders, were not disclosed.

HelpMate is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of advanced mobile robotics systems used primarily in hospitals, laboratories and other health-care settings. The company reported sales of approximately $4.5 million for the 12 months ended June 30, 1999.

The HelpMate(R) mobile robotic system is the first of its kind to navigate autonomously through hospitals and other health-care facilities, including calling and using elevators, without fixed tracks or guide wires. The HelpMate system is one of the only trackless robots in production worldwide and is being used today to transport pharmaceuticals and supplies throughout health-care institutions cost-effectively.

Pyxis introduced a newly designed HelpMate system earlier this month at the 1999 Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Pyxis is integrating the HelpMate system and patented technology with its leading line of automated pharmaceutical and medical-supply dispensing systems. These advanced integrated systems streamline the medication and medical-supply distribution process allowing pharmacists and nurses to direct more energy to patient care. More information about Pyxis can be found at www.pyxis.com .

Standing 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 600 pounds, the HelpMate(R) robot employs state-of-the-art sensor technology, wireless radio and proprietary software to guide it from point to point, avoiding stationary and moving objects, summoning elevators and traveling between floors, announcing its arrival at destinations, signaling closed doors to open and maintaining communications with a central computer. HelpMate systems are battery-powered and can be dispatched by users via an on-board screen and keyboard. HelpMate robots are in use today individually and in small fleets at health-care facilities in 30 states and several other countries.

"We are delighted to add the capabilities of HelpMate to Pyxis and Cardinal Health," said Stephen S. Thomas, president, Pyxis Corporation. "The technologies that HelpMate has researched and proven, coupled with the sales and service strengths of Pyxis, will enable our customers to find new ways of reducing costs in the medication- and supply-management processes. The HelpMate system is an economical means of transporting pharmaceuticals, as well as lab specimens, supplies, medical records and other essential items throughout hospitals and other medical facilities, 24 hours a day."

HelpMate's founder and chairman, Joseph Engelberger, is known worldwide as the father of robotics. In the 1960s, he founded Unimation where he developed the first industrial commercialized robot for use in automobile production. Engelberger has agreed to remain as a consultant to Pyxis.

"Joining Cardinal Health's family of companies gives HelpMate a tremendous opportunity to broaden its influence in health care and bring greater efficiency to hospitals and other health-care providers at a time when many departments are experiencing labor shortages," Engelberger said.

San Diego-based Pyxis Corporation was established in 1987 with a simple objective: to revolutionize the way medication and supplies are distributed within health-care facilities. Pyxis automated dispensing technology allows health-care providers to streamline the medication and medical-supply distribution process, cut costs, save time and enables pharmacists and nurses to direct more energy to patient care. The company serves more than 3,300 customers worldwide with more than 60,000 units installed.

Cardinal Health Inc. ( www.cardinal.com ), a Fortune 100 corporation based in Dublin, Ohio, is a leading provider of services supporting the health-care industry. Cardinal provides a broad array of complementary products and services to health-care providers and manufacturers to help them improve the efficiency and quality of health care. In addition to automated dispensing systems through Pyxis Corporation, these services include pharmaceutical distribution (Cardinal Distribution and National Specialty Services, Inc.), health-care product manufacturing, distribution and consulting services (Allegiance Corporation), drug delivery systems development (R.P. Scherer Corporation), contract manufacturing (Automatic Liquid Packaging, Inc.), pharmaceutical packaging and repackaging (PCI Services, Inc. and National PharmPak Services, Inc.), hospital pharmacy management and consulting (Owen Healthcare, Inc. and The Enright Group), retail pharmacy franchising (Medicine Shoppe International, Inc.) and health-care information systems development (Cardinal Information Companies). The common shares of Cardinal Health, Inc. are a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

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'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 and difficulties related to the integration of acquired businesses, the loss of one or more key customer or supplier relationships, changes in the distribution outsourcing pattern for pharmaceutical products and/or services, and the costs and other effects of governmental regulation and legal and administrative proceedings. Cardinal undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Cardinal Health, Inc.

CONTACT: Media, Geoffrey D. Fenton, 614-757-7871, or Investors, Debra Dendahl Hadley, 614-757-7481, both of Cardinal Health, Inc./

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