QED International Associates Announces Changes to the HealthShares(TM) Composite and HealthShares(TM) Cancer Indexes

NEW YORK, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- QED International Associates, Inc., administrator for the HealthShares(TM) Indexes, a series of 20 underlying indexes for the HealthShares(TM) Exchange-Traded Funds, today announced that effective at the opening of trading on March 10, 2008, ISIS Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ISIS) will replace Pharmion Corp. (NASDAQ:PHRM) in the HealthShares(TM) Composite Index. Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ:SNTA) will replace Pharmion Corp. (NASDAQ:PHRM) in the Cancer Index. Pharmion is being acquired by Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ:CELG).

The HealthShares(TM) Composite Index consists of the 80 largest companies by market capitalization that are engaged in healthcare, life sciences and/or biotechnology that are part of the 16 underlying HealthShares Indexes, selecting the top 5 companies in market capitalization from each of the Composite Eligible Indexes.

Companies included in the HealthShares(TM) Cancer Index are engaged in the research, development, and/or commercialization of therapeutic agents for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers.

About QED International Associates

QED International Associates, based in New York, is a leading financial industry consulting firm specializing in quantitative modeling and the design, development and maintenance of indexes and Exchange Traded Funds. For more information, visit the company's website at www.qedinternational.com

Source: QED International Associates

CONTACT: Ed Matluck, CEO, ematluck@qedinternational.com, or Michael
Carty, Senior Advisor, for QED International Associates, +1-212-953-4058

Web site: http://www.qedinternational.com/

2008-03-06 18:13:35 0306900 PRNEWSWIRE