July 17 ,2008

Asymchem Laboratories Inc. announced today that it has been presented with the 2007 Supplier Tier One Award by Merck& Co. Asymchem, a leading contract manufacturing organization with operations in both the United States and China, was one of over a hundred companies present at Merck’s annual Supplier Recognition Forum in New Jersey and was the only company out of the thirteen honored to be recognized for its excellence in process R&D.

Conferring the award was Ann De Camp, Head of Preparations and Separations Group in Process Research, who presented Dr. Hao Hong, Chairman and CEO of Asymchem Laboratories Inc., with an award plaque at the ceremony in Whitehouse Station. In a speech honoring the company, Richard Spoor, Senior VP of Global Procurement, praised Asymchem for its dedication to the highest standards, saying: “The quick growth of Asymchem’s business at Merck is the result of their successful execution of each project, ability to meet aggressive timelines, superior customer service, and high quality levels… Asymchem continues to be a top custom synthesis supplier for Merck and has been instrumental in assisting Merck to deliver on an aggressive pipeline.

Due to their innovation and outstanding performance, Asymchem will continue to be a key supplier throughout 2008 as our collaboration continues to expand into new business areas.” This honor commemorates a steady record of mutual confidence and close cooperation between Asymchem and Merck over many years and recognized in particular their outstanding collaboration in chemical process development and production.

Established in 1995 in North Carolina, Asymchem has grown from being a small company offering kilo-scale custom synthesis to becoming a leader of CRO/CMO pharmaceutical manufacturing in China for major Western Pharmas and currently has over a thousand employees worldwide. The company’s staunch dedication to high quality production, cutting-edge innovation, and rigorous environmental and safety regulation has consistently set Asymchem apart from other suppliers.

Upon receiving the award, Dr. Hong expressed his appreciation for this recognition and commented, “We are honored by this recognition and hope that our long-standing relationship with Merck will only get stronger in the future. While Asymchem is a youthful company, we have always maintained world-class standards and have taken advantage of opportunities to develop affordable R&D and innovative technology rather than depending on low labor costs to maintain our competitive edge. Asymchem plans to focus on becoming a full-service one-stop shop in the near future, offering a vast array of pharmaceutical science services in addition to handling projects from raw material to formulation.”