News Release

BAXTER'S ADVOY e-CARE PLATFORM ENABLES CLINICIANS TO MONITOR PATIENTS VIA THE INTERNET FOR BETTER DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Baxter Launches Advoy for the Hemophilia Community in the United States and Europe

DEERFIELD, IL, June 27, 2001 - Baxter Healthcare Corporation and its affiliates in Canada and Europe announced today the launch of the Advoy e-Care platform. Advoy is a new e-Care platform that provides clinicians with timely patient therapy information via a secure Internet site allowing for improved disease management and patient care. Although scalable for multiple chronic disease states, Advoy is being initially launched to support the treatment of hemophilia at seven hemophilia treatment centers in the United States and Europe.

Hemophilia is caused by the absence or severe deficiency of Factor VIII or IX, proteins in human blood critical for proper blood coagulation. More than 300,000 people worldwide have hemophilia, and can experience spontaneous, uncontrolled internal bleeding that often is associated with pain and chronic joint damage. To prevent or treat these bleeding episodes they are required to administer a therapeutic clotting factor as prescribed by their clinician

Advoy's hemophilia application allows for enhanced communication between hemophilia patients and clinicians via a secure Internet site where patients record their latest treatment information, such as type of bleed, where it occurred, and how soon after it occurred they administered their prescribed clotting factor. This data is protected and accessible only to a patient's health-care team who can view patient therapy information at any time via the Internet.

"Through timely access to patient therapy information, Advoy enables me to provide better care for my patients by allowing me to respond more quickly to potential problems. Before, I would have to wait until a patient called with a problem or came in for a regularly scheduled visit, which sometimes only happens once a year," said Dr. Leonard Valentino, of Chicago's Rush Presbyterian Hospital and a participating physician for the Advoy trial. "Advoy also makes it easier to manage a larger case load and to follow patients who live far from the center."

People with severe hemophilia typically suffer from 30 or more difficult-to-manage bleeds per year, yet they may only visit their physician once or twice during that period. The Advoy platform enables a clinician to identify and respond more quickly to potential problems, such as a reoccurring bleed, which can lead to more serious complications if not addressed early.

Clinicians also can set multiple parameters within the Advoy platform to track a patient's progress. Should there be deviations from these parameters, an alert will be triggered to notify the health-care professionals of a potential issue and need to intervene. For example, in the case of people with severe hemophilia who are on a preventative regimen and are usually required to administer a therapeutic clotting factor two or three times a week, alerts could be set to monitor for adherence to protocol.

"Baxter's first commitment has always been to the patient. Advoy's e-Care platform has the potential to improve the lives of chronically ill patients and to assist health-care professionals in providing the best and most cost-effective care possible," said Dianne Bégin, vice president of e-Health for Baxter's BioScience business. "Advoy serves as a virtual bridge spanning relationships across patients, families and health-care providers--a bridge to better care."

The clinician is at the center of the Advoy system. People with hemophilia interested in using Advoy must first be registered in the system by their clinician, making it an integral part of the hemophilia disease management process and an important link in the patient/clinician relationship. Advoy is available to anyone with hemophilia regardless of the brand of clotting factor they use.

Additional features under development include a version accessible via a hand-held device, order fulfillment in select countries where Baxter provides home services, and enhanced therapy management features. An expanded launch of Advoy will occur at the beginning of 2002.

In developing Advoy, Baxter collaborated closely with Scient, an e-Business consulting group which helps clients address complex business issues using information technology to eliminate costs and create new sources of revenue. Scient's extensive knowledge of Web-based architecture brought a comprehensive development approach, integrating business strategy and design to create a platform that allows for more active disease management by patients and their providers.

Baxter Healthcare Corporation is the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX). Baxter is a global medical products and services company that, through its subsidiaries, provides critical therapies for people with life-threatening conditions. Baxter's products and services in bioscience (biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, biosurgery and transfusion therapies), medication delivery and renal therapy are used by health-care providers and their patients in more than 100 countries.
Baxter and Advoy are trademarks of Baxter International Inc. Baxter is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Baxter and Advoy are trademarks of Baxter International Inc. Baxter is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Media Contact: Tanya Tyska, (847) 948-3256     Investor Contacts: Neville Jeharajah , (847) 948-2875 Mary Kay Ladone, (847) 948-3371