Springer Science+Business Media Acquires Current Medicine Group

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

[CMG formerly part of the same corporate family group as BioMed Central?]

PRESS RELEASE

Springer Science+Business Media acquires Current Medicine Group
Significant strengthening of pharmaceutical publishing activities

Berlin / London / Philadelphia, 10 November 2005

Springer Science+Business Media (Springer) has acquired the Current
Medicine Group (CMG), a leading publisher for the healthcare community.
CMG is based in the United Kingdom and the United States and consists of
four different operating units:

� Current Medicine Group Ltd (London), which publishes books, pamphlets
and manuals for primary care professionals, hospitals and physicians

� Science Press Internet Services Limited (London), which creates and
manages websites and produces educational content and news via its portal
MedWire

� Current Medicine LLC (Philadelphia), which publishes atlases and
produces an image library (Images.MD)

� Current Science Inc (Philadelphia), which publishes medical review
journals

The acquisition links complementary businesses, strengthens Springer's
existing position in the United Kingdom, and will provide Springer with a
strong position in the US pharmaceutical publishing market, which is the
world's largest and fastest-growing.

CMG brings an immediate and significant expansion of Springer's programs
in critical care/emergency medicine, primary care/family medicine and
geriatrics and well-established Springer programs in surgery and radiology
will be enhanced. The shared pool of authors as well as common subject
areas are further benefits of this add-on acquisition, which will drive
further organic growth. Over the past twelve months CMG realised sales of
around USD 20.5 million.

Derk Haank, Springer's CEO said: "Springer is of course already active in
medical publishing, but the focus is mostly on academic audiences. The
acquisition of CMG further strengthens Springer's position in sponsored
publishing in the US and UK. Springer already has similar operations in
Germany, the Netherlands and Italy and with the acquisition of CMG we will
strengthen these activities significantly. Springer's STM operations and
CMG�s publishing programs will not be integrated since they serve
different markets. In the coming months we will look at the appropriate
organizational structure to give us maximum benefit."  The approximately
100 employees of the units will join Springer. Abe Krieger and Jane
Hunter, Managing Directors of, respectively, CMG's US and UK businesses,
will also join Springer and continue to run the CMG units.

Abe Krieger said: "I am truly excited to join Springer and am convinced we
can grow CMG activities by accelerating our publishing programs and by
increased marketing and sales, not only in pharmaceutical publishing, but
also in surgery and radiology."

Jane Hunter said: "I see a tremendous opportunity for CMG and Springer.  
Certain parts of our businesses are already complementary, such as Science
Press Internet Services and Springer's BSMO. We feel we can upgrade
SpringerLink's science portal with our MedWire news services."

Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) is the second largest
publisher of scientific, technical and medical (STM) information in the
world, and was formed out of the integration of the former
BertelsmannSpringer and Kluwer Academic Publishers. Springer comprises
some 5,000 employees working in 70 businesses and publishing units in 19
countries all over the world.

For more information, please contact:
Eric Merkel-Sobotta
Springer Science+Business Media
Phone +49 30 827 87 53 60

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