PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced the 2011 PPD Heroes team, featuring cancer survivors and medical specialists competing as triathletes in the PPD Beach2Battleship Triathlon on Oct. 29. The PPD Heroes are helping raise public awareness about the value of participating in clinical trials in the development of life-changing medicines.

For people facing illness, participating in a clinical trial can offer new opportunities for cutting-edge treatment and close medical supervision. Increasing the number of patients who participate in clinical trials can help accelerate research into new medical treatments.

“We are proud to sponsor this premier triathlon, and we are pleased to introduce the 2011 team of PPD Heroes,” said Ray Hill, CEO of PPD. “We look forward to welcoming them to Wilmington, home of PPD’s global headquarters, and cheering them on during race day. They are an inspiration to us all.”

The 2011 team of PPD Heroes includes:

  • Kristen Adelman, a four-time non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor who participated in a clinical trial that she says saved her life. “The care I received was the absolute best,” she said, “and the team of doctors and nurses was incredible.”
  • Claudio Battaglini, Ph.D., a professor conducting research on the effects of exercise training in mitigating side effects of anti-cancer treatments. “Without clinical trials,” he said, “it is virtually impossible to test new interventions to improve the quality of our lives.”
  • Wendy Chioji, who was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer and participated in a clinical trial in part to help reduce the suffering of others in the future. “Before I even knew if I would get better,” she said, “participating in a clinical trial was a way for me to pay it forward.”
  • Roseann Dougherty, who at age 10 lost her mother to brain cancer and went on to become an oncology nurse and start a nonprofit organization to provide healing resources for cancer patients. “Clinical trials can provide hope and new treatments,” she said.
  • Mary Kreis, Ph.D., who learned she was pregnant and had melanoma during a cross-country bike ride. Through a clinical trial, she underwent surgeries during her pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Viva to symbolize living life to the fullest. “Without clinical trials,” Kreis said, “my cancer may have been missed."

The PPD Beach2Battleship Triathlon has been ranked one of the top five triathlons in the world by Triathlete magazine. Approximately 1,875 triathletes from 43 U.S. states and five other nations are converging in Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, N.C., for the event. It is expected to generate approximately $3.9 million in local economic impact. Funds raised from the event will benefit the Wilmington Family YMCA.

The iron distance triathlon includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, and the event also offers a half-triathlon course. The race starts in Wrightsville Beach, winds through New Hanover, Pender, Sampson and Bladen counties and ends at the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial in downtown Wilmington.

PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing drug discovery, development and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 44 countries and more than 11,000 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a commitment to quality to help clients and partners accelerate the delivery of safe and effective therapeutics and maximize the returns on their R&D investments. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions, including statements, expectations and assumptions about the PPD Beach2Battleship Triathlon events, contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based and could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Other important factors which could cause future results to differ materially include the following: overall global economic conditions; economic conditions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; research and development spending in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; consolidation in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; competition in the outsourcing industry; PPD’s ability to win new business; loss, delay or modification of large contracts; higher-than-expected cancellation rates; the rate of conversion of backlog into revenue; actual operating performance; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel; risks associated with and dependence on strategic relationships; risks associated with acquisitions and investments, such as impairments and integration, including PPD’s investment in Celtic Therapeutics; rapid technological advances that make our services less competitive; risks associated with fixed price contracts and cost overruns; compliance with drug development regulations; changes in the regulation of the drug development process; international economic and political risks; risks that we may increase, reduce or discontinue our annual dividend policy; and the ability to control SG&A spending. These and other PPD risk factors are set forth in more detail from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge upon request from PPD’s investor relations department. PPD assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements in the future, except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing PPD’s estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

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