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Under the terms of the agreement, Merial will have exclusive rights to sell in the United States, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.'s new pharmaceutical products for companion animals. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica is well known in the U.S. market for its swine, cattle and equine portfolio. It is expected that the first products from this business alliance will be made available in 2003.

"Today marks another milestone in Merial's history," said Tom Zerzan, Vice President of Merial's companion animal business in North America. "The commercialization agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica demonstrates our continued commitment to seek newer and innovative ways to expand our services and product portfolio for veterinarians."

Merial makes several companion animal health products that are considered gold standards including market-leading FRONTLINE for flea-and-tick control, HEARTGARD, the leading heartworm preventative and IMRAB, the leading rabies vaccine. In addition, Merial invests significant resources in support of the veterinarian community in North America.

"We see this close cooperation as a perfect match for our two companies. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica has successfully established a differentiated pet line in Europe. This will now be launched in the U.S. with Merial as a highly competent partner. With their sales and marketing clout, as well as their depth of technical support, Merial is the leader in bringing innovative products to the market. We are proud to work with Merial to bring our exciting new companion animal products to America's veterinarians," said George Heidgerken, President & COO Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.

Merial is the world's leading innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of pharmaceuticals and vaccines to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animal species. Merial operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2001 sales were in excess of $1.6 billion/1.7 billion euros. Merial is owned by Merck & Company and Aventis, S.A. For more information see www.merial.com .

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. is a subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies, headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, is one of the 20 leading pharmaceutical corporations in the world. Its core businesses are human pharmaceuticals and animal health with reported revenues of US $6 billion.

For more information on Boehringer Ingelheim please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com .

(R)FRONTLINE, HEARTGARD and IMRAB are registered trademarks of Merial Limited.

Source: PRNewswire - 20th January 2003