HDMA APPOINTS NEW VICE CHAIRMAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ARLINGTON, VA – Mar. 12, 2007 –HDMA is pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth R. Couch, R.Ph, President, Smith Drug Company, as Vice Chairman of the HDMA Board of Directors. Members of the 2007 HDMA Board of Directors, comprised of primary, full-service healthcare distributor members, are:

• HDMA Board Chairman Mark W. Parrish, CEO, Healthcare Supply Chain Services, Cardinal Health, Inc.;
• Vice Chairman Kenneth R. Couch, R.Ph., President, Smith Drug Company;
• Jon Borschow, President, Borschow Drug;
• Kurt Hilzinger, President and COO, AmerisourceBergen Corporation;
• Paul Julian, Executive Vice President and Group President, McKesson Corporation;
• David B. McQueary, Vice President, McQueary Bros. Drug Co.;
• Christopher D. Mitiguy, Vice President, Burlington Drug Company, Inc.;
• David S. Moody, Jr., CEO, N.C. Mutual Drug Company;
• Gary Prester, Vice President of Marketing, Dik Drug Co.;
• Michael Racioppi, President, Medical Group, Henry Schein, Inc.;
• George K. Richards, President, Capital Wholesale Drug; and
• Eric Schuss, Chairman, Bellco Health.

“On behalf of HDMA, I would like to welcome Ken as our new Vice Chairman, and thank him for his strong commitment and service to the Association.” said John M. Gray, HDMA President and CEO. “Ken clearly possesses the skills, energy and enthusiasm necessary to help lead the Association this year, and in the future. I look forward to working with Ken as we continue to advocate on behalf of patient safety, supply chain efficiency and innovation in healthcare.”

Couch is President of Smith Drug Company, a primary, full-service distribution company headquartered in South Carolina. Smith Drug is a division of the J M Smith Corporation, South Carolina’s sixth largest privately-held company serving more than 1,000 pharmacies in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Texas.

Couch has held various leadership positions with HDMA, serving as the HDMA Chairman in 1999-2000, and most recently as 2005-2006 Co-Chair of the HDMA Government and Public Policy Council (GPPC).

About HDMA
The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) and its members are committed to patient safety by delivering life-saving health products and services through a secure and efficient healthcare distribution system.  These primary, full-service healthcare distributors are responsible for ensuring that billions of units of medication are safely delivered -- to tens of thousands of retail pharmacies, nursing homes, clinics and providers -- in all 50 states. HDMA and its members are the vital link in the healthcare system that is responsible for medicine safety, quality, integrity and availability in the marketplace.  Through leadership on public policy and industry best practices, HDMA and its members focus on providing value, removing costs and developing innovative solutions to deliver care safely and effectively.  For more information, please visit www.HealthcareDistribution.org.