Mar. 8, 2002 Rockville, Maryland — The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is pleased to announce that Northridge, Calif.-based Pharmavite Corp. will participate in USP’s Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP). Pharmavite, one of the nation’s largest dietary supplement manufacturers, will be the first company to join and submit its Nature Made vitamin and mineral product line through the DSVP certification process.

“We are extremely excited to have such a prominent dietary supplement manufacturer as Pharmavite be the first company to participate in our DSVP program,” said John Fowler, chief operating officer at USP. “Pharmavite, who also participated in the DSVP pilot program, understands the importance of the USP verification program and how it will help provide confidence and clarity to the dietary supplement purchaser.”

“We are pleased to participate,” said Tom Zimmerman, Pharmavite vice president for business development. “USP’s reputation as a rigorous and thorough standard setting organization makes our involvement a logical choice.”

The DSVP program was launched in November 2001. It was created to help inform and safeguard the growing number of consumers who use dietary supplements. The program responds to the need to assure the public that dietary supplement products contain the ingredients stated on the product label. If a product submitted to DSVP meets USP’s rigorous standards, it will be awarded the DSVP verification mark. The mark helps assure consumers, health care professionals and supplement retailers that a product:

*Contains the declared ingredients on the product label
*Contains the amount or strength of ingredients declared on the product label
*Meets requirements for limits on potential contaminants
*Has been manufactured properly by complying with USP and proposed FDA standards for “good manufacturing practices” (GMPs).,

It is expected that Nature Made products will be able to start carrying the DSVP verification mark in fourth quarter 2002.

Pharmavite Corp.
Founded in 1971, Northridge, Calif.-based Pharmavite Corp. manufactures Nature Made® vitamins and minerals, SAM-e, Nature’s Resource® herbal products, Optimize™ fiber/calcium beverages, and other supplements designed to promote health. Recently voted “Manufacturer of the Year” by the national trade publication Nutritional Outlook, and recipient of the 2001 Retail Excellence Award in the OTC-natural health category from Drug Industry News magazine, Pharmavite maintains one of the largest, most sophisticated research and development facilities in the industry and was instrumental in developing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for supplements. For more information, visit www.naturemade.com.

USP—The Standard of Quality
USP is a non-government organization that promotes the public health by establishing state-of-the-art standards to ensure the quality of medicines and other health care technologies. These standards are developed by a unique process of public involvement and are recognized worldwide. USP has six additional public health programs focusing on promoting optimal health care, including the Dietary Supplement Verification Program, Pharmacopeial Education, Health Care Information, Patient Safety, Veterinary Care, and the Public Policy Center. USP is a not-for-profit organization that achieves its goals through the contributions of volunteers representing pharmacy, medicine, and other health care professions, as well as science, academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, and consumer organizations. For more information, visit www.usp.org/e-newsroom.