EXHIBIT 99.1



                 EXPRESS SCRIPTS RECEIVES SUBPOENA FROM HHS OIG
                   RELATING TO RELATIONSHIP WITH PREMIER, INC.

         ST. LOUIS, AUGUST 14, 2002--Express Scripts, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESRX)
announced that on August 13, 2002, the company received a subpoena duces tecum
issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. The subpoena seeks information on stock options, warrants,
shares of stock or other items of value given by the company to Richard Norling,
chairman and chief executive officer of Premier, Inc. or to other persons
affiliated with Premier. Premier, Inc., among other things, operates as a group
purchasing organization for its hospital-based health system members.

         From March 1992 until May 2001, Mr. Norling served as a member of the
Board of Directors of Express Scripts. The company and Premier Purchasing
Partners LP, a Premier affiliate, were parties to an agreement pursuant to which
the company agreed to provide pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to
Premier health systems. The company's transactions with Premier have previously
been disclosed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

         When the agreement between the company and Premier was negotiated and
executed, Mr. Norling was president and chief executive officer of Fairview
Hospital and Health Care Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a Premier member.
Mr. Norling also served at the time as a member of Premier's board, and this
fact was disclosed to the company. Mr Norling did not participate in negotiating
the terms of the transaction with Premier, which was approved unanimously by the
disinterested directors of Express Scripts..

         When Mr. Norling was a member of the Express Scripts' Board of
Directors he received stock options pursuant to the company's Stock Option Plan
for Outside Directors. He received the same number of options on the same terms
and conditions, and the same annual retainer and meeting fees, as received by
other similarly situated independent directors. Mr. Norling received no
compensation from Express Scripts other than in his capacity as an independent
director of the company.

         The Company is not aware that any other person affiliated with Premier
received any equity compensation or other items of value from the Company. The
company will cooperate fully with the investigation, and is confident that its
relationships with Premier and Mr. Norling were appropriate.


         The OIG subpoena was received by registered mail on August 13, 2002,
and was opened and first read after the company had filed its Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2002, its related report on Form 8-K.


         Express Scripts, Inc. is one of the largest pharmacy benefit management
(PBM) companies in North America providing PBM services to over 50 million
members through facilities in eight states and Canada. Express Scripts serves
thousands of client groups, including managed care organizations, insurance
carriers, third-party administrators, employers and union-sponsored benefit
plans.

         Express Scripts provides integrated PBM services, including network
pharmacy claims processing, mail pharmacy services, benefit design consultation,
drug utilization review, formulary management, disease management, medical and
drug data analysis services, medical information management services and
informed decision counseling services through its Express Health Line SM
division. The company also provides distribution services for specialty
pharmaceuticals through its Specialty Distribution subsidiary and sampling
services through its Phoenix Marketing Group subsidiary. Express Scripts is
headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. More information can be found at
HTTP://WWW.EXPRESS-SCRIPTS.COM, which includes expanded investor information and
resources.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

         This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but
not limited to, statements related to the company's plans, objectives,
expectations (financial and otherwise) or intentions. Actual results may differ
significantly from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking
statements. Factors that may impact these forward-looking statements include but
are not limited to:

o        risks associated with our acquisitions of Phoenix Marketing Group
         (Holdings), Inc. and NPA, including integration risks and costs, risks
         of client retention, and risks associated with the operations of
         acquired businesses
o        risks associated with our ability to maintain internal growth rates, or
         to control operating or capital costs
o        continued pressure on margins resulting from client demands for lower
         prices, enhanced service offerings and/or higher service levels, and
         the possible termination of, or unfavorable modification to, contracts
         with key clients or providers
o        competition in the PBM industry, and our ability to consummate contract
         negotiations with prospective clients, as well as competition from new
         competitors offering services that may in whole or in part replace
         services that we now provide to our customers
o        adverse results in regulatory matters, the adoption of new legislation
         or regulations (including increased costs associated with compliance
         with new laws and regulations, such as privacy regulations under the
         Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act (HIPAA)), more
         aggressive enforcement of existing legislation or regulations, or a
         change in the interpretation of existing legislation or regulations
o        risks arising from investigations of certain PBM practices and
         pharmaceutical pricing, marketing and distribution practices currently
         being conducted by the U.S. Attorney offices in Philadelphia and
         Boston, by the Department of Defense, or by the Office of Inspector
         General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.



o        the possible loss, or adverse modification of the terms of our
         relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, or changes in pricing,
         discount or other practices of pharmaceutical manufacturers
o        adverse results in litigation, including a pending case which purports
         to be a class action, challenging Express Scripts' business practices
         under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
o        risks associated with the use and protection of the intellectual
         property we use in our business
o        risks associated with our leverage and debt service obligations,
         including the effect of certain covenants in our borrowing agreements
o        risks associated with our ability to continue to develop new products,
         services and delivery channels o general developments in the health
         care industry, including the impact of increases in health care costs,
         changes in drug utilization and cost patterns and introductions of new
         drugs
o        uncertainties regarding the implementation and the ultimate terms of
         proposed government initiatives, including a Medicare prescription drug
         benefit
o        increase in credit risk relative to our clients due to adverse economic
         trends
o        risks associated with our inability to attract and retain qualified
         personnel
o        other risks described from time to time in our filings with the
         Securities and Exchange Commission

We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.