Investor Relations

WILMINGTON, Mass., Apr 28, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL), a leading provider of pre-clinical research products and services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, announced that it has been ranked 3rd in the Boston Herald Superstar 10 ranking of best-performing companies in Massachusetts. Overall, the Company ranked 11th in the newspaper's annual Herald Hundred listing of top Bay State companies.

The Herald Hundred was compiled from all publicly traded Massachusetts companies on the New York, American and NASDAQ exchanges with a closing stock price of at least $5 at the end of last year. From the 145 companies considered, the Herald Hundred represents those firms scoring best on a composite score of two vital financial criteria: two-year total return to stockholders and market value.

"Our job is to help clients to market," said James C. Foster, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charles River. Charles River is positioning itself to become a single-source provider of all services necessary to take a molecule or protein from discovery to FDA filing. This is evidenced by the Company's twenty-one acquisitions made since 1994. Mr. Foster continued, "We don't do acquisition just to be bigger." The underlying strategy for selecting appropriate acquisitions is based on their capacity to do "good science." Quality has been the main focus at Charles River since its founding in 1947 as an animal research model business. Out of our continued commitment to excellence, "We provide great 'sleep factor' to researchers," said Mr. Foster.

About Charles River Laboratories, Inc.

Charles River Laboratories, based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a leading provider of critical research tools and integrated support services that enable innovative and efficient drug discovery and development. The Company is the global leader in providing the animal research models required in research and development for new drugs, devices and therapies. The Company also offers a broad and growing portfolio of biomedical products and services that enable customers to reduce cost, increase speed, and enhance productivity and effectiveness in drug discovery and development. Charles River's customer base spans over 50 countries, and includes all of the major pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and many leading hospitals and academic institutions. The Company operates 82 facilities in 16 countries worldwide. For more information, visit the Company's web site at www.criver.com.

SOURCE: Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories
Investor Relations Contact
Susan E. Hardy, 978/658-6000 x1616
shardy@criver.com

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