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Eckert & Ziegler acquires cyclotron in the Rhineland

Berlin, 14 September 2007 - Eckert & Ziegler AG (ISIN DE0005659700), a specialist for isotope technology applications in medicine and industry, has acquired the radiopharmaceutical manufacturer MC Pharma GmbH. Effective today, the 16 employees and the cyclotron for producing radioactive contrast agents are now part of the Pankow-based Eckert & Ziegler Group, which is continuing to expand its position as a manufacturer of radiopharmaceutical products for new nuclear medical imaging processes.

The contrast agents or "tracers" made in cyclotrons are used in PET scans (Positron Emission Tomography). This new imaging process can diagnose cancer and other diseases very accurately and safely, and is playing an increasingly important role in precisely assessing cancer and monitoring its treatment. Already well established in many European countries, PET scans were just included in the catalogue of treatments remunerated by German state health insurance companies this summer. One of their major uses is in diagnosing lung cancer.

Eckert & Ziegler is one of the largest producers of PET tracers in Central Europe and operates its own cyclotrons, including in Berlin and Milan. In 1998, MC Pharma built one of the first private-sector cyclotrons in Germany, and has since become a leading supplier of PET tracers in the Rhineland area.

The Board of Directors