PERSONALMD.COM and DRUGEMPORIUM.COM Announce Alliance

COLUMBUS, OH AND PLEASANTON, CA, OCTOBER 28, 1999 - DrugEmporium.com, a subsidiary of Drug Emporium, Inc. (NASDAQ: DEMP), a leading deep discount drug store retailer and PersonalMD.com, a health site providing online medical records management and health content, today announced an alliance that provides Drug Emporium's online and brick-and-mortar customers the opportunity to obtain a free, co-branded emergency medical card. This potentially life-saving PersonalMD/Drug Emporium "Emergency Card" enables emergency room physicians to instantly access a patient's vital medical records over the Internet or by fax.

Via a link on the DrugEmporium.com site, customers can enter their personal medical information into the www.PersonalMD.com secure and confidential online record. Medical information that can be entered includes prescriptions, known drug allergies, personal and family medical history and other important information. In addition, PersonalMD.com is the only online medical record service that allows paper-based medical information, such as EKGs and lab results, to be added via a secure fax-to-fax server connection without human intervention. Following registration, customers will receive a free personalized "Emergency Card" to carry with them at all times. In the event a Drug Emporium customer is one of the 100 million people who visit an emergency room each year, ER personnel will now have the ability to retrieve all vital medical records for registered Drug Emporium.com and brick-and-mortar customers through the Internet or by fax.

"Having immediate access to these vital medical records can literally mean the difference between life and death," explains Thomas Booth, MD, MS, Vice President of Medical Affairs for PersonalMD.com. "By putting medical records on-line, people are making it possible for emergency room physicians to make more informed and accurate diagnoses quickly."

As part of the agreement, PersonalMD.com will also provide DrugEmporium.com with original articles on a variety of health-related topics for consumers written by PersonalMD.com's staff physicians and its network of more than 50 medical professionals from around the world. This additional content will further complement DrugEmporium.com's existing suite of health-related content currently afforded visitors to the site. DrugEmporium.com and PersonalMD.com will offer this service via a co-branded site.

"We are committed to providing both our brick-and-mortar and on-line customers with the tools, information and products they need to safely manage their healthcare" said Brad Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer for DrugEmporium.com. "The combination of the online medical records, "Emergency Card" and original content enables our customers to take greater control over their health and well-being. We are pleased to team-up with PersonalMD.com to offer these valuable services to our customers. In addition to its crisis use, the plastic "Emergency Card" is a valuable tool for people changing physicians."

PersonalMD.com is a privately-held company based in Pleasanton, California. The company subscribes to the International HON (Health-On-the-Net) Code of Ethics. All medical records are strictly confidential. Information is encrypted and safeguarded through a series of security measures.

Drug Emporium, Inc. (NASDAQ: DEMP), through its subsidiary, www.DrugEmporium.com, owns and operates a health-content driven on-line drug store, with over 40 million insured lives. The on-line store sells prescription drugs, non-prescription medications, nutrition, wellness, cosmetics, and health and beauty aids on-line. DrugEmporium.com is headquartered in historic German Village in Columbus, Ohio. Drug Emporium, Inc. owns and operates 139 brick-and-mortar stores under the names Drug Emporium, F&M Super Drug Stores and Vix Drug Stores. All stores operate full-service pharmacies. The on-line store not only is a licensed pharmacy in all 50 states, but offers 24/7 e-mail access to its pharmacists. The company also franchises an additional 43 stores under the Drug Emporium name.

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release related to Drug Emporium are forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted or expected results. These risks include, among other things, the competitive environment of the on-line drugstore industry in general, the ability of the Company to secure and maintain key contracts and relationships, technical issues related to the development of the website, and economic conditions in general. These and other risks are more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Susan Cossette
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