Encorium Group Announces $5.1 Million New Business Contract For A Multinational Cardiovascular Trial Of An Innovative Anti-thrombotic Agent

Encorium Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENCO) today announced the signing of a contract for $5.1 million with an innovative biotechnology company for a Phase 2 clinical trial to be conducted by Encorium in conjunction with our South American partner Estudios Clínicos Latino América (ECLA). The contract amount includes $170,000 payable under a letter of intent that was announced previously. The current trial will assess the efficacy and safety of multiple doses of a new anti-thrombotic agent in an at-risk patient population with cardiovascular disease. Encorium will provide full service support, including consulting on trial design and protocol development, project and study site management and monitoring, data management, biostatistical analysis, safety monitoring, and medical writing. Revenues will be recognized as services are performed on a proportional performance basis over the life of the contract, beginning in the current third quarter. Kenneth M. Borow, M.D., Encorium Group’s President and Chief Medical and Strategic Development Officer, commented, "This trial is an excellent fit for Encorium and demonstrates the potential power of the international organization that we are in the process of creating. Our ability to enhance the rate of patient recruitment by utilizing the capabilities of ECLA in South America was a major determinant in our winning this contract. The trial combines our proven expertise in clinical trial design with our extensive operational experience in multi-national trials with subjects at high risk for cardiovascular events. Importantly, it is our second major contract with this client in two years. We believe that this repeat business reflects the high level of cooperation and success that characterized our first experience working together. We anticipate a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the sponsoring company.” Kai Lindevall, M.D., Ph.D., Encorium's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are excited about once again working with this pioneering client as well as with our partner in South America. The ability to provide access to resources, clinical trial sites, and patients across the Americas is an important extension of our core capabilities. The award of this contract confirms the value of our globalization strategy." About Encorium Group, Inc. Encorium Group, Inc. is a global clinical research organization specializing in the design and management of complex clinical trials and Patient Registries for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company’s mission is to provide its clients with high quality, full-service support for their biopharmaceutical and medical device development programs. Encorium offers therapeutic expertise, experienced team management and advanced technologies. The Company has drug and biologics development as well as clinical trial experience across a wide variety of therapeutic areas such as infectious diseases, cardiovascular, vaccines, oncology, diabetes endocrinology/metabolism, gene therapy, immunology, neurology, gastroenterology, dermatology, hepatology, women’s health and respiratory medicine. Encorium believes that its expertise in the design of complex clinical trials, its therapeutic experience and commitment to excellence, and its application of innovative technologies, offer its clients a means to more quickly and cost effectively move products through the clinical development process. Encorium is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania with its European base of operations in Espoo, Finland. The Company has a geographic footprint that includes over one billion people in North America, Western/Central/Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltics. On June 6, 2008, the Company entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Prologue Research International, Inc., a CRO that specializes in a full range of clinical research services for Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials in oncology and oncology-related studies ("Prologue”). This acquisition will broaden Encorium’s therapeutic area expertise in this very important and high-growth area of drug/biologics development. In addition, on June 11, 2008, the Company entered into a non-binding letter of intent to combine with Fine Success Investments, Ltd., a British Virgin Islands company doing business as Linkcon ("Linkcon”). Linkcon has acquired or will acquire either prior to or simultaneously with the proposed business combination with Encorium (i) a CRO based in India with over 10 years of clinical trial experience; (ii) a CRO operating throughout Latin America, also with over 10 years of clinical trial experience; (iii) a Chinese CRO that holds licenses to conduct clinical trials in the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong; and (iv) a controlling interest in the Chinese company that holds the license for JK1, a healthcare portal for medical professionals and consumers promoting the exchange of medical information between China and the Western world. This business combination is expected to enhance Encorium’s global profile as a CRO by broadening the Company’s operational services and therapeutic area offerings into established and emerging biopharmaceutical markets across multiple continents. This press release contains forward-looking statements identified by words such as "estimate,” "project,” "expect,” "intend,” "believe,” "anticipate” and similar expressions. Actual results might differ materially from those projected in, expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company's future operating results and financial condition generally include, without limitation: (i) our success in attracting new business and retaining existing clients and projects; (ii) the size, duration, and timing of clinical trials we are currently managing may change unexpectedly; (iii) the termination, delay or cancellation of clinical trials we are currently managing could cause revenues and cash-on-hand to decline unexpectedly; (iv) the timing difference between our receipt of contract milestone or scheduled payments and our incurring costs to manage these trials; (v) outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries; (vi) the ability to maintain profit margins in a competitive marketplace; (vii) our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; (viii) the sensitivity of our business to general economic conditions; (ix) other economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices; (x) announced awards received from existing and potential customers are not definitive until fully negotiated contracts are executed by the parties; and (xi) our backlog may not be indicative of future revenues and may not generate the revenues expected. You should not place any undue reliance on these forward looking statements which speak only as of the date of this press release. Additional information concerning factors that might affect our business or stock price which could cause actual results to materially differ from those in forward-looking statements is contained in Encorium Group's SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and other periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, copies of which are available upon request from Encorium Group's investor relations department or The Equity Group, Inc. In addition, this press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the potential acquisition of Prologue and the combination with Linkcon. Those statements involve risks and uncertainties and the actual effects of the transactions could differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) the timing of the closing, if any, of the acquisition of Prologue and the combination with Linkcon; (ii) the completion to our satisfaction of due diligence regarding both Prologue and Linkcon; (iii) the acquisition by us of a fairness opinion relating to the purchase price for Linkcon; (iv) our ability to negotiate definitive agreements with Prologue and Linkcon; (v) Linkcon’s ability to enter into definitive agreements with the CRO entities to be acquired by Linkcon and Linkcon’s ability to complete those transactions pursuant to the existing non-binding term sheets; (vi) Chardan’s ability to raise $25 million for investment in the combined entity; (vii) our ability to obtain the required corporate, stockholder and, if applicable, third-party and governmental approvals; (viii) the possibility that the transaction may not close; (ix) our ability to negotiate mutually acceptable employment arrangements with key employees of Prologue and Linkcon; (x) our ability to successfully integrate the businesses of Prologue and Linkcon; and (xi) the performance of the combined business to operate successfully and generate growth.