ICON Named 2007 North American Pharmaceutical And Biotechnology Service Provider Of The Year

ICON Plc (NASDAQ: ICLR), a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, has announced that it has been awarded the prestigious 2007 Service Provider of the Year Award by the global growth consulting company, Frost and Sullivan. The award recognizes the company's sustained growth and highly successful and integrated business in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology service provider market.

"ICON's rapid revenue growth has been matched by a record growth in backlog levels signifying a strong foundation that is likely to drive future business growth," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Barath Shankar. "While diversification of client base and business has been the cornerstone of ICON's performance in the period between 2004 and 2007, it has made significant investments that enable the company to provide a comprehensive range of services targeting the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries."

Moving beyond the traditional contract research organization (CRO), ICON has established itself as a global service provider with an excellent reputation for quality. Through this award, Frost & Sullivan has recognized this quality along with ICON's strong revenue growth, and ongoing development of its service portfolio through both in-house development and strategic acquisitions.

"We are delighted to receive this significant recognition from Frost & Sullivan," said John Hubbard, Global President of ICON Clinical Research. "Being acknowledged for our growth and global services is truly rewarding because it demonstrates our commitment to strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support Clinical Development."

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices empower clients to create a growth focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit www.awards.frost.com.

About ICON
ICON plc is a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company specializes in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies. ICON teams have successfully conducted over 1,900 development projects and over 2,300 consultancy engagements across all major therapeutic areas. ICON currently has approximately 5,500 employees, operating from 66 locations in 34 countries. Further information is available at www.iconplc.com

SOURCE: ICON