Gold Standard/Elsevier First to Launch State, Federal Controlled Substance Drug Schedules, Helping Ensure Safe, Compliant Prescribing and Dispensing

New Alchemy Module Allows Healthcare Providers to Verify and Comply With State and Federal Prescription Drug Regulations

TAMPA, Florida, August 27, 2010 - Gold Standard/Elsevier, developer of drug databases and medication
management solutions, announced today the availability of its new Alchemy
(www.goldstandard.com/pages/alchemy.html?epm=1_1) State and Federal
module, the first and only database to offer both state and federal
controlled substance drug schedules.

The Alchemy State and Federal module will help providers comply with 41
state-mandated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) (
www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/rx_monitor.htm) and federal
regulations, while also controlling increasingly widespread prescription drug
abuse. Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Involving Abuse of Pain
Relievers: 1998-2008 , (
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press10/071510.html) a July 2010
White House study, reported a 400 percent increase in substance abuse
treatment admissions for prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008.

"Alchemy State and Federal delivers rapid, reliable answers for informed
prescribing and dispensing and protects against illegal transmission of
electronic prescriptions by identifying differences between federal and state
Drug Enforcement Administration information," said Marianne Messer, President
of Gold Standard. "Through this new module, the only one of its kind on the
market today, we take another big step in supporting the many providers whose
quest it is to reduce prescription medication misuse and alleviate clinical
and financial risks to millions of patients."

Many pharmacy companies face difficulties in complying with their state
PDMPs due to variances caused by conflicting state and federal rules. Some
state PDMPs have even added drugs excluded from federal regulations. Alchemy
State and Federal controlled substance drug schedule offers a solution by
allowing pharmacists to identify and track the growing list of drugs unique
to each state's list of reportable substances.

Alchemy State and Federal supplies a drug's state-specific legend status
and DEA classification for those instances when state regulations are more
restrictive than federal regulations. Drugs are identified by state,
classification ID, National Drug Code (NDC), and start/end date. To ensure
timeliness of database information, Gold Standard monitors materials such as
the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's (https://www.nabp.org/)
Survey of Pharmacy Law and state board of pharmacy newsletters.

In addition to controlled substance drug schedules, the
Alchemy State and Federal module provides data to support compliance with FDA
guidelines for consumer medication information (CMI), including: MedGuide
flags and associated MedGuides, Patient Package Insert (PPI) flags with
mandatory or permissive indicators, Black Box flags with codified reasons,
and REMs flags with codified descriptions that are unique to Alchemy.

"Using advanced technologies, Alchemy State and Federal
incorporates emerging industry standards and delivers alerts on pending
regulatory changes more rapidly and effectively than any other drug database
on the market. We are continuously upgrading Alchemy by keeping our product
development and customer service highly responsive to the needs of our
clients, ensuring the most agile and innovative drug database and decision
support resource," Messer said.

Learn more about Alchemy State and Federal by joining
representatives from Gold Standard (booth #514) at the National Association
of Chain Drug Stores' Pharmacy and Technology Conference (NACDS), Aug. 28-31,
2010, in San Diego, California.

For more information on how to stay compliant with state and
federal drug regulations, contact Gold Standard at info@goldstandard.com or
1-800-375-0943.

About Gold Standard/Elsevier

Based in Tampa, FL, Gold Standard/Elsevier uses innovative
technologies to provide a complete suite of drug information and decision
support solutions. With a tenacious commitment to product quality, Gold
Standard/Elsevier solutions empower healthcare organizations, professionals
and consumers to meet the most pressing healthcare challenges, improve
patient safety and ensure optimal outcomes. To learn more about Gold
Standard/Elsevier, visit www.goldstandard.com.

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 and Cell, and close to 20,000 book
titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's
online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and
Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health
professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help
research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more
cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs
7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, 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).

    Media Contact

    Tom Reller
    Vice President of Global Relations, Elsevier
    +1-212-462-1912
    T.Reller@Elsevier.com

Media Contact: Tom Reller, Vice President of Global Relations, Elsevier, +1-212-462-1912, T.Reller at Elsevier.com