Elsevier's new Custom Publication Guidelines set new Standards for Publishing Pharma-Sponsored Content

PHILADEPLHIA, Pennsylvania, February 23, 2010 - Elsevier, the world's leading publisher of scientific, technical and
medical (STM) information products and services announced today that it is
publicly sharing its internal custom publication guidelines so that the
scientific and medical communities can have insight into a new and practical
set of publishing standards for producing custom and sponsored publications.
The new guidelines (available at www.elsevier.com/locate/HSguidelines)
were first developed in June 2009 and updated in December 2009 following a
comprehensive internal review of custom publications practices within
Elsevier.

"We recognized the need to align our procedures for custom
publications across the business so they are consistent with our high
standards of transparency, disclosure and ethical behavior and consistent
with Elsevier's reputation and responsibility for delivering world-class
content," said Michael Hansen, CEO, Elsevier Health Sciences. "We think the
time has come for a higher level of bar-setting for disclosure of origin and
funding and encourage other publishers to take similar steps if they haven't
already."

The review was initiated when it was revealed that two
Elsevier publications from 2003, presented as an unbiased journal, were in
fact sponsored publications lacking adequate disclosures. The Australasian
Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine published reprinted original,
peer-reviewed research articles, plus other summarized articles, conference
reviews and news clips and was single-sponsored by a global pharmaceutical
company. Contrary to the high standards that Elsevier sets for itself, the
employees responsible did not make the sponsorship sufficiently clear to its
potential readers. (See press releases from May 7, 2009,
(www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authored_newsitem.cws_home/companynews05_
01203) and June 4, 2009 (www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authored_newsitem.
cws_home/companynews05_01233) at www.elsevier.com/newsroom for further
background.)

(Due to the length of these URLs, it may be necessary to copy and paste
these hyperlinks into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the
space if one exists.)

The guidelines cover the necessity for full disclosure of
funding and the origin of content and provide guidance on obtaining
permission for the use of content. The guidelines also point employees to
best practices for medical publications from the International Committee of
Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
and the Institute of Medicine.

Publishing units will consider in their approval processes
whether a custom publication is consistent with Elsevier's historical
standard for world-class content and whether appropriate disclosures are
made. They also need to follow the established record retention policy to
ensure the company maintains an archive of all custom products produced.
Affected employees have confirmed receipt of the guidelines and attended
presentations on implementation. Elsevier management will continue to monitor
and assess adherence to the guidelines and standards by all its business
units globally.

"These guidelines will help ensure our readers are aware of
the context in which content is presented to them," said Hansen. "Further,
this experience has demonstrated how much we value the input of our various
communities of authors, editors and others in helping us stay true to our
mission. Feedback on these guidelines and other parts of our business will be
continually welcomed."

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical
and medical information products and services. The company works in
partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more
than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet (www.thelancet.com) and Cell
(www.cell.com), and close to 20,000 book titles, including major
reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include
ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com), Scopus (www.scopus.com),
Reaxys (www.reaxys.com), MD Consult (www.mdconsult.com) and
Nursing Consult (www.nursingconsult.com), which enhance the
productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite
(www.scival.com) and MEDai's Pinpoint Review (www.medai.com),
which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more
cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier
(www.elsevier.com) employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part
of Reed Elsevier Group PLC (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher
and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and
Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL
(London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

    Tom Reller, Vice President,
    Global Corporate Relations,
    Elsevier
    +1-215-239-3508
    T.Reller@elsevier.com

Tom Reller, Vice President, Global Corporate Relations, Elsevier, +1-215-239-3508, T.Reller at elsevier.com