As Filed With Thefiled with the Securities Andand Exchange Commission on February 18, 2003September 22, 2006

Registration No. 333-            


UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


Form S-4

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware

8071

13-3757370

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)


358 South Main Street

Burlington, North Carolina 27215Delaware

(336) 229-1127(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)


Bradford T. Smith8071

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)

13-3757370

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

358 South Main Street

Burlington, North Carolina 27215

(336) 229-1127

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Bradford T. Smith

Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Secretary

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

358 South Main Street

Burlington, North Carolina 27215

(336) 229-1127

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


With copiesCopies to:

Michael J. Silver

Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.

111 South Calvert Street, Suite 1600

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

(410) 659-2700

Alan Dean

Davis Polk & Wardwell

450 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10017

(212) 450-4000


Approximate Date Of Commencement Of Proposed Sale To The Public:date of commencement of proposed sale to public:  As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.Statement becomes effective and the satisfaction or waiver of all other conditions pursuant to the exchange offer described herein.


If the securities being registered on this Formform are being offered in connection with the formation of a holding company and there is compliance with General Instruction G, check the following box.  ¨

If this Formform is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Formform is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨


CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEECalculation of Registration Fee

 


Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered

  

Amount
to be Registered

    

Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit

  

Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price

    

Amount of Registration Fee


5 1/2% Senior Notes due February 1, 2013

  

$350,000,000

    

100%

  

$350,000,000

    

$32,200(1)



 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

  

Amount to be

Registered(1)

  

Proposed Maximum

Offering Price

per Security to

be Registered(1)

  

Proposed Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price(1)

  

Amount of

Registration
Fee(1)

Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021 (“New Notes”)

  $743,966,000.00  $739.83  $550,408,365.78  $58,893.70

Common Stock, $0.10 par value per share, and associated preferred stock purchase rights

   (2)  (2)  (2)  (2)
 
(1)Estimated solely for purposesthe purpose of calculating the registration feeRegistration Fee pursuant to Rule 457(f)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amendedamended. The proposed maximum offering price per $1,000 original principal amount at maturity of New Notes is based on the book value of the currently outstanding Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021 (the “Securities Act”“Old Notes”). as of September 21, 2006 reduced by an exchange fee of $2.50 for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity.
(2)Includes such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and associated preferred stock purchase rights as may be issued upon conversion of the New Notes registered hereby; the shares and associated preferred stock purchase rights are not subject to an additional fee pursuant to Rule 457(i) of the Securities Act.


The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statementregistration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statementregistration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statementregistration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 



The information in this Prospectus is not complete andprospectus may be changed.change. We may not sellcomplete this exchange offer and issue these Securitiessecurities until the Registration Statementregistration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectusprospectus is not an offer to sell these Securitiessecurities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these Securitiessecurities in any Statestate where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Amendment, dated September 22, 2006

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED February 18, 2003PROSPECTUS

 

PROSPECTUSLOGO

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

OFFER TO EXCHANGE

a new series of Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021

Offer toand an Exchange Fee for all of our outstanding Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021

$350,000,000 5Subject to the Terms and Conditions described in this Prospectus


 1The Exchange Offer

/2% SeniorWe are offering to exchange, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus, a new series of Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Notes due February 1, 2013

which have been registered under the Securities Act2021 and an exchange fee of 1933

$2.50 per $1,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity for any and all of our outstanding

5 1/2% Senior Liquid Yield Option™ Notes due February 1, 2013

which have not been registered2021. We refer to this offer as the “exchange offer.” We refer to our existing Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021 as the “Old Notes” and to the new series of Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021 issued in exchange for the Old Notes in the exchange offer as the “New Notes.” The CUSIP numbers of the Old Notes are 50540R AB 8 and 50540R AC 6.

 

Tenders of Old Notes may be withdrawn at any time before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date of the exchange offer.

As explained more fully in this prospectus, the exchange offer is subject to a minimum of $371,983,000 of aggregate principal amount at maturity of Old Notes being tendered for exchange and customary conditions, which we may waive.

The exchange offer expires at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2003,October 23, 2006, unless extended, which date we extendrefer to as the offer. If we extend the exchange offer, we will not extend it beyond                     , 2003.expiration date.

The New Notes

 

Comparison: The terms of the exchange notes to be issued in the exchange offer are substantially identical toNew Notes differ from the terms of the original notes, except thatoutstanding Old Notes in the exchange notesfollowing ways:

Each New Note with a principal value of $1,000 at maturity is convertible if certain conditions are registeredmet into cash in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) the accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted on the conversion date and (b) the product of the then applicable conversion rate multiplied by the average of the sale prices of our common stock during the ten consecutive trading days beginning on the second trading day after the conversion date (which we refer to as the “conversion value”), and the remainder, if any, of the conversion value in excess of the accreted principal amount of the New Notes will be paid in shares of our common stock, subject to adjustment, under the Securities Act of 1933circumstances and during the transfer restrictions and the registration rights applicable to the original notes generally do not apply to the exchange notes.periods described in this prospectus. The Old Notes are convertible if certain conditions are met only into common stock.

 

All original notesThe purchase price of any New Notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawna holder may require us to repurchase on September 11, 2011 must be satisfied in cash. The purchase price of the Old Notes may be paid at our election in cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of both.

In the event of certain mergers, consolidations, binding share exchanges or transfers of all or substantially all of our assets in which holders of our common stock may elect the form of consideration, the New Notes will be exchanged.convertible in certain circumstances (subject to net share settlement) into the consideration received per share of common stock that a majority of the holders of our common stock have elected to receive. In the event of certain mergers, consolidations, binding share exchanges or transfers of all or substantially all of our assets in which holders of our common stock may elect the form of consideration, the Old Notes are convertible into the consideration received per share of common stock by the plurality of the holders that did not make an election.

 

TendersMaturity: The New Notes will mature on September 11, 2021.

Interest Payments: We will not pay interest on the New Notes prior to maturity unless contingent cash interest becomes payable, which is payable to the holders of New Notes for the six month period from September 12, 2006 to March 11, 2007 and during any six-month period from March 12 to September 11 and from September 12 to March 11, commencing March 12, 2007, if the average market price of a New Note for the applicable five trading day period as defined herein equals 120% or more of the sum of the initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance and accrued original issue discount for such New Notes. The amount of contingent interest payable for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes in respect of any quarterly period within a six-month period in which contingent interest is payable will equal the greater of (1) 0.0625% of the average market price of $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes for the applicable five trading day period or (2) regular cash dividends paid by us per share on our common stock during that quarterly period multiplied by the then applicable conversion rate;providedthat if we do not pay regular cash dividends during a six-month period, we will pay contingent interest semiannually at a rate of 0.125% of the average market price of $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes for the applicable five trading day period.

Optional Redemption: We may redeem all or a portion of original notes may be withdrawnthe New Notes for cash, at our option at any time, prior toat the expiration of the exchange offer.redemption prices set forth in this prospectus.

 

We do not intendRepurchase at Option of Holders: Holders may require us to applypurchase for listingcash all or a portion of the exchange notestheir New Notes on any securities exchange or to arrange for them to be quoted on any quotation system.September 11, 2011.

We will not receive any cash proceeds from the exchange offer.

Holders of original notes do not have any appraisal or dissenters’ rights in connection with this exchange offer.

PARTICIPATING IN THE EXCHANGE OFFER AND INVESTING IN THE EXCHANGE NOTES OR ORIGINAL NOTES INVOLVE RISKS. SEE “RISK FACTORS”RISK FACTORS BEGINNING ON PAGE 11.13 FOR A DISCUSSION OF ISSUES THAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WITH RESPECT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER.

None of our Board of Directors, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, the exchange agent, the information agent, the dealer manager or any other person is making any recommendation as to whether you should choose to exchange your Old Notes for New Notes plus the exchange fee.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or this transaction, passed upon the merits or fairness of this transaction, or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 


The exchange offer is not being made, nor will we accept surrender or exchange from holders of original notes, in any jurisdiction in which the exchange offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdiction.

Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account pursuant to this exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. The letter of transmittal states that by so acknowledging and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of exchange notes received in exchange for original notes where such original notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the date this exchange offer expires, we will make this prospectus available to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. See “Plan of Distribution.”

LEHMAN BROTHERS

The date of this prospectus is                         , 2003.Dealer Manager

 


This prospectus and the letter of transmittal are first being mailed

to all holders of the original notes on                    , 2003.2006


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   

Page


PROSPECTUS SUMMARYSummary

  

1

RISK FACTORSRisk Factors

  

11

13

CONSOLIDATED RATIOOF EARNINGSTO FIXED CHARGESForward-Looking Information

  

19

22

USEOF PROCEEDSRatio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

  

20

24

CAPITALIZATIONPrice Range of Our Common Stock

  

21

25

DESCRIPTIONOF OTHER INDEBTEDNESSDividend Policy

  

22

25

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSSelected Consolidated Financial Data

  

23

26

BUSINESSThe Exchange Offer

  

33

28
Page

LEGAL PROCEEDINGSDescription of the New Notes

  

50

35

MANAGEMENTCertain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

  

51

50

THE EXCHANGE OFFERDescription of Capital Stock

  

54

57

DESCRIPTIONOF EXCHANGE NOTESValidity of Securities

  

61

59

BOOK ENTRY; DELIVERYAND FORMExperts

  

72

59

MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCESAdditional Information

  

74

ORIGINAL NOTES REGISTRATION RIGHTS

79

PLANOF DISTRIBUTION

82

LEGAL OPINIONS

84

EXPERTS

84

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

85

60

In this prospectus, “we,” “our,” “ours” and “us” refer to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and its consolidated subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires. The terms “note” or “notes” refer to both the original notes and the exchange notes to be issued in the exchange offer. The term “holders,” when used in connection with the notes, refers to those persons who are the registered holders of the notesYou should rely only on the books of the registrar appointed under the indenture.

No dealer, salespersoninformation contained or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not containedincorporated by reference in this prospectus. You shouldWe have not, rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus isand the dealer manager has not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer to exchange onlysell these securities in any jurisdiction where the notes offeredoffer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information contained or incorporated by this prospectus, and only under the circumstances and in those jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information containedreference in this prospectus is current onlyaccurate as of itsthe date on the front cover of this prospectus only. Our business, prospects and consolidated financial condition and results of operations may have changed since that date.

This prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about us that is not included in or delivered with this document. This information is available without charge to securityholders upon written or oral request to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Office of the Corporate Secretary, 358 South Main Street, Burlington, North Carolina 27215, telephone (336) 229-1127. In order for you atto receive timely delivery of the documents before the expiration date of the exchange offer, you must request the information no cost, upon your request. You can request this information by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

later than October 16, 2006.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings,

358 South Main Street

Burlington, North Carolina 27215

(336) 229-1127

Corporate Communications Department

Attention: Corporate Secretary our logo and other trademarks mentioned in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

 

IN ORDER TO OBTAIN TIMELY DELIVERY, YOU MUST REQUEST INFORMATION NO LATER THAN                     , 2003, WHICH IS FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE SCHEDULED EXPIRATION OF THE EXCHANGE OFFER.


 

i


PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary is qualified by, and should be read in its entirety byconjunction with, the more detailed information included elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Because this is a summary, it may not contain all the information that may be important to you. You should read the entire prospectus, includingas well as the “Risk Factors” section and the financial statements and the notes to those statements and information incorporated by reference, before making a decision whetheran investment decision. As used in this prospectus, the words “we,” “us,” “our” or “LabCorp” refer to participate inLaboratory Corporation of America Holdings and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified or the exchange offer.context otherwise requires.

The CompanyLaboratory Corporation of America Holdings

We are headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina, and are the second largest independent clinical laboratory company in the United States based on 2005 net revenues. Since our founding in 1971, we have grown into a national network of 36 primary laboratories and over 1,300 service sites, consisting of branches, patient service centers and STAT laboratories, which are laboratories that have the ability to perform certain routine tests quickly and report the results to the physician immediately. Through a national network of laboratories, we offer more than 4,000 differenta broad range of clinical laboratory tests whichthat are used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis, and in the monitoring and treatment of disease. In addition, we have developed specialty and niche businesses based on certain types of specialized testing capabilities and client requirements, such as oncology testing, HIV genotyping and phenotyping, diagnostic genetics and clinical research trials. We have expanded significantly our routine and specialty testing businesses through our acquisitions of Dynacare Inc. and DIANONSystems, Inc. For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, we generated net revenues of $1,857.6 million, which include the operations of Dynacare subsequent to its acquisition on July 25, 2002.

Since our founding in 1971, we have grown into a national network of 47 primary laboratories (including our recent acquisition of DIANON) and over 1,200 service sites, consisting of branches, patient service centers and stat laboratories, which are laboratories that have the ability to perform certain routine tests quickly and report the results to the physician immediately. On July 25, 2002, we completed our acquisition of Dynacare, a provider of clinical laboratory testing services in 21 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada. The acquisition of Dynacare has enabled us to expand our national testing network and we expect to realize significant operational synergies from the acquisition. Dynacare had 2001 revenues of approximately $238.0 million and had approximately 6,300 employees at the closing date of the acquisition. On January 17, 2003 we completed our acquisition of DIANON, a leading national provider of anatomic pathology and genetic testing services with a primary focus on advanced oncology testing. DIANON had 2001 revenues of approximately $125.7 million and had approximately 1,100 employees at the closing date of the acquisition. DIANON significantly enhances our oncology testing capabilities and positions us to more effectively market and distribute the advanced testing technologies that we have developed internally or licensed from our technology partners, such as Myriad Genetics, Inc., EXACT Sciences Corporation, Celera Diagnostics and Correlogic Systems, Inc.

With over 24,000 employees, we process tests on more than 300,000 patient specimens daily and provide clinical laboratory testing services to clients in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and two provinces in Canada. Our clients include physicians, hospitals, HMOs and other managed care organizations, governmental agencies, large employers, and other independent clinical laboratories that do not have the breadth of our testing capabilities. Several hundred of our 4,000 tests are frequently used in general patient care by physicians to establish or support a diagnosis, to monitor treatment or to search for an otherwise undiagnosed condition. The most frequently-requested of these routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, Pap smears, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. We perform this core group of routine tests in each of our major laboratories using sophisticated and computerized instruments, with most results reported within 24 hours.

We have invested significantly in buildingare a leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies by adding new and improved technologies for early diagnosis in three primary ways: (i) internal development efforts, (ii) acquisitions and (iii) technology licensing activities. The core of our advanced testing capabilities are our Centers of Excellence located throughout the country. The Center for Molecular Biology and

Pathology, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a leader in the development and application of molecular diagnostics and polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, technologies in the areas of diagnostic genetics, oncology and infectious disease. We believe these technologies may represent a significant savings to managed care organizations by increasing the detection of early stage (treatable) diseases. Our National Genetics Institute in Los Angeles, CA, develops novel, highly-sensitive PCR methods used to test for hepatitis C and other infectious agents. LabCorp, through National Genetics Institute, is the only laboratory in the United States that is FDA-approved to screen plasma for infectious diseases. Viro-Med Laboratories, Inc., our advanced virology lab based in Minneapolis, MN, offers molecular microbial testing using real-time PCR platforms. With its centralized location, proprietary molecular technologies and state-of-the-art facility, Viro-Med provides significant additional capacity to support the continued expansion of our advanced testing business. Our Center for Esoteric Testing, based in Burlington, NC, uses a wide variety of technologies to perform the largest volume of esoteric testing in our network.

Our Strategy

We believe that we have differentiated ourselves from our competitors and positioned LabCorp for continued strong growth by building a leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies. We believe that our leadership position enables us to provide a broad menu of testing services for the infectious disease and cancer markets, which we believe represent two of the most significant areas of future growth in the clinical laboratory industry. Our primary strategic objective is to expand our leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies and leverage our national core testing infrastructure to deliver outstanding and innovative clinical testing services to patients and physicians nationwide.

Develop and Be First to Market with New Tests.    Advances in medicine have begun fundamentally to change diagnostic testing, and new tests are allowing clinical laboratories to provide unprecedented amounts of health-related information to physicians and patients. Significant new tests introduced over the past several years include a gene-based test for human papilloma virus, Myriad Genetics’ predictive test for breast cancer and tests for HIV phenotyping and cystic fibrosis. As science continues to advance, we expect new testing technologies to emerge; therefore, we intend to continue to invest in our advanced testing capabilities so that we remain on the cutting edge of clinical laboratory testing. We have added, and expect to continue to add, new testing technologies and capabilities through a combination of internal development initiatives, technology licensing and partnership transactions and selected acquisitions. Through our national sales force, we rapidly introduce new testing technologies to our physician customers. For example, last year we entered into an exclusive sales and distribution partnership with Myriad Genetics under which we now offer certain of Myriad Genetics’ products, including a predictive test for breast cancer, to physicians throughout the United States, creating an immediate distribution pipeline into the primary care physician market for these products.

Capitalize on Unique Opportunities with Partnered Technologies.    We have announced a number of significant licensing and partnership agreements which provide us with access to exciting new testing technologies that we expect will have an increasing impact on diagnostic testing. For example, in June 2002, we announced the creation of an exclusive, long-term strategic partnership with EXACT Sciences Corporation to commercialize PreGen-Plus, EXACT Sciences’ proprietary, non-invasive technology for the early detection of colorectal cancer in the average-risk population. We currently plan to launch this gene-based test, which represents a significant new tool for the early detection of colorectal cancer, in the first half of 2003. We are collaborating with Celera Diagnostics to determine the clinical utility of laboratory tests based on novel diagnostic markers for Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer and will have exclusive access to any related markers found to have clinical utility. In addition, we recently signed a co-exclusive licensing agreement with Correlogic Systems to commercialize its ovarian cancer protein pattern blood test, which offers the prospect of accurate and early detection of ovarian cancer. With our exclusive sales and distribution partnership with Myriad Genetics, physicians now have the convenience of sending patients to one of our patient

service centers for Myriad Genetics’ predisposition testing for breast, ovarian, colon, uterine and melanoma skin cancers, as well as hypertension. Our relationship with Myriad Genetics makes us one of the few clinical laboratories in the United States to provide the entire care continuum from predisposition to surveillance testing, including screening, evaluation, diagnosis and monitoring options.

Enhance Our Oncology Testing Business by Leveraging DIANON’s Unique Capabilities.    DIANON is a national provider of oncology testing services and significantly enhances our oncology testing capabilities. DIANON is recognized by physicians, managed care companies and other customers as a leading provider of a wide range of anatomic pathology testing services, with particular strength in uropathology, dermatopathology, GI pathology and hematopathology. DIANON’s strengths in anatomic pathology complement our strengths in other areas of cancer testing, particularly cytology. We expect that DIANON’s extremely effective specialized sales force, scientific expertise, efficient operating model and proprietary CarePath clinical reporting system will allow us to enhance our cancer testing business. We intend to apply DIANON’s best practices to our existing anatomic pathology operations, through which we expect to realize significant operational efficiencies. We believe that DIANON’s sophisticated sales and marketing organization will enhance the value of our strategic cancer initiatives with Myriad Genetics, EXACT Sciences, Celera Diagnostics, Correlogic SystemsDelaware corporation, and our other technology partners as well as increase our sales potential by offering a wider range of testing services with the addition of LabCorp’s broader cancer testing menu to DIANON’s existing test menu.

Leverage National Infrastructure.    Our national presence provides us a number of significant benefits and we intend to maintain and continue to build our national presence. Our national network of 47 primary laboratories and over 1,200 service sites, including branches, patient service centers and stat laboratories, enables us to provide high-quality services to physicians, hospitals, managed care organizations and other customers across the United States and Canada. Our recent agreement with Premier, as well as our managed care contracts with United Healthcare, Aetna, MAMSI and others, demonstrate the importance of being able to deliver services on a nationwide basis. Furthermore, our scale provides us with significant cost structure advantages, particularly related to supply and other operating costs.

Expand Hospital Alliances.    Another of our primary growth strategies is to develop an increasing number of hospital and other provider alliances. These alliances can take several different forms, including laboratory technical support (management) contracts, reference agreements and cooperative testing arrangements. We have focused and will continue to focus on developing cooperative testing relationships that capitalize on hospitals’ ability to perform rapid response testing and our ability to provide high quality routine and esoteric testing.

Our principal executive office isoffices are located at 358 South Main Street, Burlington, North Carolina 27215, and our telephone number at that location is (336) 229-1127. Our website is located at www.labcorp.com. The information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.

Recent Developments

DIANON Acquisition

On January 17, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of DIANON for $47.50 per share in cash, or approximately $598.6 million. The transaction was funded by a combination of cash on hand, borrowings under our senior credit facilities and a new bridge loan facility. DIANON has approximately 1,100 employees who process more than 8,000 samples per day in one main testing facility and four regional labs. DIANON had 2001 revenues of approximately $125.7 million.

Senior Note Offering

On January 31, 2003, we completed a private offering of $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5½% Senior Notes due February 1, 2013. We used the proceeds of this note offering and cash on hand to repay our $350.0 million bridge loan which was used to partially finance our acquisition of DIANON on January 17, 2003.

Stock Repurchase Program

On October 22, 2002, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program under which we may purchase up to an aggregate of $150.0 million of our common stock from time-to-time. It is our intention that the acquisition of common stock through the program will be funded with cash flow from operations.

Dynacare Acquisition

On July 25, 2002, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Dynacare in a combination cash and stock transaction with a combined value of approximately $495.3 million including transaction costs. We also converted approximately 553,958 unvested Dynacare stock options into 297,049 unvested options to acquire shares of our common stock at terms comparable to those under the predecessor Dynacare plan. In conjunction with this acquisition, we repaid Dynacare’s existing $204.4 million of senior subordinated unsecured notes, including a call premium of approximately $7.0 million. The transaction was financed by issuing approximately 4.9 million shares of our common stock, valued at approximately $245.6 million, $260.0 million in available cash, the proceeds of a $150.0 million bridge loan and borrowings of $50.0 million under our $300.0 million senior credit facilities. Dynacare had 2001 revenues of approximately $238.0 million and had approximately 6,300 employees at the closing date of the acquisition. Dynacare operates in 21 states and two provinces in Canada with 24 primary laboratories, 2 esoteric laboratories, 115 rapid response labs and 302 patient service centers.

Recent Licensing Transactions

We have entered into several strategic agreements to expand our esoteric testing capabilities. We have created an exclusive, long-term strategic partnership with EXACT Sciences to commercialize PreGen-Plus, EXACT Sciences’ proprietary, non-invasive technology for the early detection of colorectal cancer in the average-risk population. The introduction of PreGen-Plus, currently planned for the first half of 2003, will mark the broadest commercial application of discoveries made about the human genome to address a major healthcare problem such as colorectal cancer—the most deadly cancer among non-smokers in the United States. In addition, we recently have signed a co-exclusive licensing agreement with Correlogic Systems to commercialize its ovarian cancer protein pattern blood test, which offers the prospect of accurate and early detection of ovarian cancer. We have also entered into a collaboration with Celera Diagnostics to establish the clinical utility of laboratory tests based on novel diagnostic markers for Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer. This collaboration will support current and future disease association studies at Celera Diagnostics that seek to identify genetic markers associated with these important diseases, while providing us with exclusive access to the markers found to have clinical utility. Our scientists will contribute substantial scientific expertise to the validation process and our national distribution network will make new diagnostic services broadly available.

Summary of the Exchange Offer

On January 31, 2003, we completedThe following is a private offering of $350,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our 5 1/2% Senior Notes due February 1, 2013. Prior to the offering of those original notes, we entered into a

registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers of those original notes in which we agreed to undertake an exchange offer for those original notes. Below is abrief summary of the terms of the exchange offer. For a more complete description, see “The Exchange Offer.”

 

Reasons for the Exchange Offer

The purpose of the exchange offer is to exchange the Old Notes for the New Notes with certain different terms, including the net share settlement feature on conversion, which we believe will reduce the likelihood and extent of dilution to our stockholders. We include the impact of the assumed conversion of our Old Notes into our common stock under the “if-converted” method when computing our diluted earnings per share when it has the effect of decreasing diluted earnings per share. We believe the terms of the New Notes will allow the number of shares used in computing our diluted earnings per share to be less than the number included under the terms of the Old Notes.

For a more detailed description of these changes, see “—Material Differences Between the Old Notes and the New Notes.”

Terms of the Exchange Offer and Exchange Fee

We are offering to exchange an aggregate of $350,000,000$1,000 in principal amount at maturity of New Notes and an exchange notes for an aggregatefee of $350,000,000$2.50 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity of original notes. The original notes mayNew Notes for each $1,000 in principal amount at maturity of our Old Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn. New Notes will be exchanged onlyissued in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. You may tender all, some or none of your Old Notes.

Conditions to the Exchange Offer

The exchange offer is subject to a minimum of $371,983,000 of aggregate principal amount at maturity of Old Notes being tendered for exchange and customary conditions, including the condition that the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part has become effective. See “The Exchange Offer—Conditions to the Exchange Offer.”

 

Expiration DateDate; Extension

ThisThe exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2003,October 23, 2006, unless extended or earlier terminated by us, which date we refer to as the “expiration date.” We may extend the offer. We will notexpiration date for any reason. If we decide to extend the exchange offer, beyond                     , 2003.

Procedures for Tendering Original Notes

The procedures for exchanging original notes involve notifyingwe will announce the exchange agent before the expiration date of the exchange offer of your intention to do so. The procedures for properly providing notice are described in this prospectus under the heading “The Exchange Offer—Exchange Offer Procedures.”

Acceptance of Original Notes and Delivery of  Exchange Notes

We will accept any original notes that are properly tendered for exchange before 5:extension by press release or other permitted means no later than 9:00 p.m.a.m., New York City time, on the next business day this exchange offer expires. The exchange notes will be delivered promptly after expiration of this exchange offer.

Exchange Date

We will notify the exchange agent of the date of acceptance of the original notes for exchange which will occur promptly after the previously scheduled expiration date of the exchange offer.

 

Withdrawal Rightsof Tenders

If youThe tender your original notes for exchange in thisof the Old Notes pursuant to the exchange offer and later wish to withdraw them, you may do sobe withdrawn at any time beforeprior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the day this exchange offer expires.expiration date.

 

Effect on Holders of Original NotesProcedures for Exchange

Any original notes that remain outstanding after thisA holder who wishes to tender Old Notes in the exchange offer will continuemust transmit to the exchange agent an agent’s message, which agent’s message must be subjectreceived by the exchange agent prior to restrictions5:00 p.m., New York City time, on their transfer. After this exchange offer, holders of original notes willthe expiration date. We intend to accept all Old Notes validly tendered and not (with limited exceptions) have any further rights under the registration rights agreement.

Resalewithdrawn as of the Exchange Notes

Based on the positionexpiration of the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC as stated in certain interpretive letters issued to third parties in other

 

transactions, we believe that you will be able to freely transfer exchange notes acquired in the exchange offer without compliance withand will issue the provisionsNew Notes and pay the exchange fee promptly after expiration of the Securities Act that call for registrationexchange offer, upon the terms and delivery of a prospectus, unless:

you are an “affiliate” of ours, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act;

you are a broker-dealer who owns original notes acquired directly from us;

you acquire the exchange notes other than in the ordinary course of your business; and

you have an agreement with any person to distribute the exchange notes.

You will be requiredsubject to represent to us that you do not fallthe conditions in these exceptions in the letter of transmittal when you exchange your original notes.this prospectus.

 

 

If youOld Notes may be tendered by electronic transmission of acceptance through The Depository Trust Company’s, which we refer to as DTC, Automated Tender Offer Program, which we refer to as ATOP, procedures for transfer. Custodial entities that are a broker-dealer that purchased original notes forparticipants in DTC must tender Old Notes through DTC’s ATOP. A letter of transmittal need not accompany tenders effected through ATOP. Please carefully follow the instructions contained in this document on how to tender your own account as part of market-making or other trading activities, you may represent to us that you have not agreed with us or our affiliates to distribute the exchange notes. If you make this representation, you must agree to deliver a prospectus in connection with any resalesecurities. See “The Exchange Offer—Terms of the exchange notes and you need not make the last representation provided for above.

Accrued Interest on the Original Notes

Any interest that has accrued on an original note before its exchange in this exchange offer will be payable on the exchange note on the first interest payment date after the completion of this exchange offer.

Material Federal Tax Income Consequences

The exchange of the original notes for the exchange notes will not be a taxable exchange for United States federal income tax purposes. You should not recognize any taxable gain or loss or any interest income as a result of the exchange. See “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences.Exchange Offer.

 

Amendment of the Exchange AgentOffer

Wachovia Bank, National Association is serving asWe reserve the right to interpret or modify the terms of the exchange agent. Its address and telephone number areoffer, provided that we will comply with applicable laws that may require us to extend the period during which securities may be tendered or withdrawn as a result of changes in this prospectus under the heading “The Exchange Offer—Exchange Agent.”terms of or information relating to the exchange offer.

 

Use of Proceeds

We will not receive any cash proceeds from thisthe exchange offer. Old Notes that are validly tendered and exchanged pursuant to the exchange offer will be retired and canceled.

Fees and Expenses

We usedestimate that the proceedstotal fees and expenses of the exchange offer, assuming all of the Old Notes are exchanged for New Notes, will be approximately $3.2 million, including the exchange fee of $2.50 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

The United States federal income tax consequences of the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes are not entirely clear. We intend to take the position, however, that the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes will not constitute a significant modification of the terms of the Old Notes and that, as a result, the New Notes will be treated as a continuation of the Old Notes and there will be no United States federal income tax consequences to holders who participate in the exchange offer, except that holders will have to recognize the amount of the exchange fee as ordinary income. Unless an exemption applies, we may withhold at a rate of 30% from the payment of the exchange fee to any Non-United States holder (as defined herein) participating in the exchange offer.

By participating in the exchange offer, each holder will be deemed to have agreed, pursuant to the indenture governing the New Notes, to treat the exchange as not constituting a significant modification of the terms of the Old Notes. If, contrary to this position, the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes does constitute an exchange for United States federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences to holders could be materially different. For a discussion of the potential tax consequences of the exchange, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Old Notes Not Tendered or Accepted for Exchange

original note offeringAny Old Notes not accepted for exchange for any reason will be returned without expense to you promptly after the expiration, termination or withdrawal of the exchange offer. If you do not exchange your Old Notes in the exchange offer, or if your Old Notes are not accepted for exchange, you will continue to hold your Old Notes, you will not receive the exchange fee, and cash on handyou will be entitled to repay our $350 million bridge loan which was usedall the rights and subject to partially finance our acquisition of DIANON Systems, Inc. on January 17, 2003.all the limitations applicable to the Old Notes.

 

Consequences of Not Exchanging Old Notes

If you do not exchange your Old Notes in the exchange offer, the liquidity of any trading market for Old Notes not tendered for exchange, or tendered for exchange but not accepted, could be significantly reduced to the extent that Old Notes are tendered and accepted for exchange in the exchange offer. Holders who do not exchange their Old Notes for New Notes will not receive the exchange fee. Holders of Old Notes who do not exchange their Old Notes for New Notes can continue to convert their Old Notes during the term of the Old Notes in accordance with the terms of the Old Notes.

Deciding Whether to Participate in the Exchange Offer

Neither we nor our officers or directors have made any recommendation as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of your Old Notes in the exchange offer. Further, we have not authorized anyone to make any such recommendation. You should make your own decision as to whether you should tender your Old Notes in the exchange offer and, if so, the aggregate amount of Old Notes to tender after reading this prospectus, including the “Risk Factors” and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and consulting with your advisors, if any, based on your own financial position and requirements.

Exchange Agent

The Bank of New York.

Dealer Manager

Lehman Brothers Inc.

Information Agent

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

Trading

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LH.” The Old Notes were not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and we do not intend to list the New Notes on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system.

Material Differences Between the Old Notes and the New Notes

While the terms of the New Notes are substantially similar to the terms of the Old Notes, certain material differences between the Old Notes and New Notes are described in the table below. The table below is qualified in its entirety by the information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents governing the Old Notes and the New Notes, copies of which have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. For a more detailed description of the New Notes, see “Description of the New Notes.”

Old Notes

New Notes

Securities

$743,966,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity of outstanding Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021 (“Old Notes”).

Up to $743,966,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity of new Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021 “New Notes”).

The accreted principal amount of the Old Notes for the six month period beginning September 11, 2006 is $741.92 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity, and principal of the Old Notes will continue to accrete at a rate of 2.0% per year (computed on a semi-annual bond equivalent basis).

The New Notes will be issued at an original issue discount, with an initial principal amount upon issuance equal to the accreted principal amount of the Old Notes exchanged, and principal of the New Notes will accrete at a rate of 2.0% per year (computed on a semi-annual bond equivalent basis) from September 11, 2006. The principal amount of the New Notes will accrete on March 11 and September 11 of each year, beginning March 11, 2007.

As consideration for exchanging the Old Notes for the New Notes, holders exchanging Old Notes will receive an exchange fee of $2.50 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity of Old Notes exchanged. The exchange fee will be payable to such holders of Old Notes on the exchange date.

Payment upon ConversionUpon conversion of Old Notes, we will deliver shares of our common stock.

We will satisfy in cash our obligation with respect to the accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, with the remaining amount, if any, to be satisfied in shares of our common stock, in each case as described below.

The settlement amount will be computed for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the New Notes as follows:

•     a cash amount equal to the lesser of (i) the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted on the conversion date and (ii) the conversion value (as defined below) of the New Notes to be converted; and

Old Notes

New Notes

•     if the conversion value exceeds the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, a number of shares of our common stock equal to the greater of (i) zero and (ii) the sum of, for each trading day of the cash settlement averaging period (as defined below), the quotient of (A) 10% of the difference between (1) the product of the conversion rate then in effect and the sale price of our common stock for such day and (2) the accreted principal amount of the New Notes on the conversion date, divided by (B) the sale price of our common stock for such day.

The “accreted principal amount” with respect to $1,000 principal amount at maturity of a New Note means, at any date of determination, the sum of (1) the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance and (2) the accrued original issue discount that has been accreted to the principal amount of the New Note.

The “conversion value” with respect to $1,000 principal amount at maturity of a New Note means, on any date of determination, the product of (1) the conversion rate then in effect and (2) the average of the sale prices of our common stock for each trading day in the cash settlement averaging period.

The “cash settlement averaging period” with respect to any New Note means the ten consecutive trading days beginning on the second trading day after the conversion date (as defined under “Description of the New Notes—Conversion Rights—Payment upon Conversion”) for those New Notes.

We will settle our obligation to deliver cash and shares of our common stock, if any, arising from any conversion on the third trading day following the final trading day of the relevant cash settlement averaging period.

Old Notes

New Notes

Unlike the Old Notes, the exact number of
shares of common stock, if any, issuable
upon conversion of the New Notes will not
be known until the expiration of the
ten-trading day cash settlement averaging

period. As a result, the value of the
common stock to be received on conversion
may fluctuate between the time a
conversion notice is delivered and the time
a holder receives the common stock issued
upon a conversion.

Settlement upon Conversion upon Certain Corporate TransactionsIf we are party to a consolidation, merger or binding share exchange or a transfer of all or substantially all of our assets, the right to convert an Old Note into shares of our common stock will be changed into a right to convert it into the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets of LabCorp or another person which the holder would have received if the holder had converted the holder’s Old Notes immediately prior to the transaction, assuming that such holder made no election with respect thereto and was treated alike with the plurality of non-electing holders.If we are party to a consolidation, merger or binding share exchange or a transfer of all or substantially all of our assets, the right to convert each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes into cash and shares of our common stock, if any, will be changed into a right to convert it into the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets (the “reference property”) of LabCorp or another person which the holder would have received if the holder had converted each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the holder’s New Notes immediately prior to the transaction into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the then applicable conversion rate. However, at and after the effective time of the transaction, the cash portion of the payment upon conversion will continue to be payable in cash (instead of reference property), but the conversion value will be calculated based on the sale prices of the reference property during the cash settlement averaging period instead of our common stock. In determining the amount of reference property to be received by the holder of a New Note in connection with a consolidation, merger, sale or binding share exchange in which our shareholders may elect the form of consideration, the holders of the New Notes will be assumed to have elected to receive the same consideration elected by a majority of the holders of our common stock.

Old Notes

New Notes

Unlike the Old Notes, the exact number of
shares of common stock, if any, issuable
upon conversion of the New Notes will not
be known until the expiration of the
ten-trading day cash settlement averaging

period. As a result, the value of the
common stock to be received on conversion
may fluctuate between the time a
conversion notice is delivered and the time
a holder receives the common stock issued
upon a conversion.

Settlement upon Repurchase at Option of HoldersIf holders of the Old Notes require us to repurchase their Old Notes at their option on September 11, 2011, we may, at our option, pay the purchase price in cash or shares of our common stock, or a combination thereof.If holders of the New Notes require us to repurchase their New Notes at their option on September 11, 2011, we must pay the purchase price in cash only.
Accounting TreatmentWe currently use the “if converted” method of accounting and have used this method since the adoption of Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) 04-8. EITF 04-8 became effective for all reporting periods ending after December 15, 2004. Prior to the adoption of EITF 04-8, no shares underlying the Old Notes were included in our diluted earnings per share calculations unless the market price contingency relating to the conversion of the Old Notes was reached. However, with the adoption of EITF 04-8, the market price contingent conversion feature is effectively ignored for purposes of calculating our diluted earnings per share, and since the Old Notes provided for the delivery of shares of our common stock upon conversion in all cases, we have been accounting for the Old Notes under the “if converted” method (which provides that all shares underlying the New Notes be included when calculating our diluted earnings per share results) since the fourth quarter of 2004.The terms of the New Notes require us to settle our conversion obligation in cash up to an amount equal to the accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, with the remaining amount, if any, of our conversion obligation to be satisfied in shares of our common stock. As such, in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 128, Earnings Per Share, EITF 90-19 and 04-8, we will be required to use the treasury stock equivalent method to calculate the dilutive impact on earnings per share. Under this method, our diluted shares outstanding will reflect only the shares of common stock issuable to settle the conversion obligation assuming conversion at period-end. Consequently, the New Notes will result in a lower diluted share count and higher diluted earnings per share in the future. The number of additional shares will be determined by the formula set forth in “Description of the New Notes—Conversion Rights—Payment upon Conversion.”

Summary of the Terms of the ExchangeNew Notes

The following is a summary of some of the terms of the exchange notes will be the same as the original notes, except that the exchange notes will not contain language restricting their transfer, and holdersNew Notes. For a more complete description of the exchange notes generally will not be entitled to further registration rights underterms of the registration rights agreement. The exchange notes will evidence the same debt as the outstanding original notes for which they were exchanged, and the exchange notes will replace the outstanding original notes. Both the original notes and the exchange notes are governed by the same indenture. See theNew Notes, see “Description of Exchange Notes” section of this prospectus for more detailed information about the terms and conditions of the exchange notes.New Notes.”

 

Issuer

Laboratory Corporation of America HoldingsHoldings.

 

New Notes Offered

$350,000,000Up to $743,966,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity of New Notes due September 11, 2021. We will not make periodic payments of interest on the New Notes prior to maturity unless contingent interest becomes payable as described below. Each New Note will be issued at an initial principal amount of 5 1/2% Senior Notes due February 1, 2013.

Maturity Date

February 1, 2013.

Interest Rate

The exchange notes will bear interest$741.92 with a principal amount at the rate of 5 1/2% per year from the exchange date to February 1, 2013.

Interest Payment Dates

February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2003. Interest payments will be made to the persons in whose names the exchange notes are registered on the January 15 and July 15 immediately preceding the applicable interest payment date.

Denominations

$1,000 and integral multiplesmaturity of $1,000.

 

Optional RedemptionMaturity of New Notes

We may redeem all or partSeptember 11, 2021.

Yield to Maturity of New Notes

The New Notes will accrue original issue discount from September 11, 2006 at a rate of 2% per year, calculated on a semiannual bond equivalent basis from an initial principal amount of $741.92 to $1,000 principal amount at maturity, assuming no contingent cash interest is paid. The principal amount of the notesNew Notes will accrete on March 11 and September 11 of each year, beginning March 11, 2007.

Conversion Rights

Holders may surrender New Notes for conversion into cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock prior to the maturity date only if at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:

during any calendar quarter commencing after September 30, 2006, if the sale price of our common stock for at least 20 trading days in a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the preceding calendar quarter is more than a specified percentage, beginning at 117.5642% and declining 0.1282% per calendar quarter thereafter until it reaches approximately 110% for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2021, of the accreted conversion price per share of common stock on the last day of such preceding calendar quarter;

during any period that the rating assigned to the New Notes by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is BB– or lower;

if we have called the New Notes for redemption; or

if we make certain significant distributions to holders of our common stock or we enter into specified corporate transactions.

Upon conversion, we will satisfy our obligation with respect to the accreted principal amount of the New Notes in cash, with the remaining amount, if any, timeto be satisfied in shares of our common stock, in each case as described below.

The settlement amount for each $1,000 principal amount at our option at a redemption pricematurity of the New Notes will be computed as follows:

a cash amount equal to the lesser of (i) the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted on the conversion date and (ii) the conversion value (as defined below) of the New Notes to be converted; and

if the conversion value exceeds the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, a number of shares of our common stock equal to the greater of (i) zero and (ii) the sum of, for each trading day of the cash settlement averaging period (as defined below), the quotient of (A) 10% of the difference between (1) the product of the conversion rate then in effect and the sale price of our common stock for such day and (2) the accreted principal amount of the New Notes on the conversion date, divided by (B) the sale price of our common stock for such day.

The initial conversion rate is 13.4108 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount at maturity, subject to adjustment upon occurrence of certain events described in the indenture.

The “accreted principal amount” with respect to $1,000 principal amount at maturity of a New Note means, at any date of determination, the sum of (1) the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance and (2) the accrued original issue discount that has been accreted to the principal amount of the notes being redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date or the make-whole amount. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Optional Redemption.”New Note.

 

Make-Whole Amount

The make-whole“conversion value” with respect to $1,000 principal amount is equal toat maturity of a New Note means, on any date of determination, the sumproduct of (1) the conversion rate then in effect and (2) the average of the present valuesale prices of our common stock for each trading day in the principal amount of the exchange notes to be redeemed, together with the scheduled payments of interest, exclusive of interest to the redemption date, from the redemption date to the maturity date of the exchange notes being redeemed, in each case discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual basis, assuming a

360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, at the applicable treasury rate plus 0.25%, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the exchange notes being redeemed to the redemption date.cash settlement averaging period.

 

Certain Covenants

We will issueThe “cash settlement averaging period” with respect to any New Note means the exchange notesten consecutive trading days beginning on the second trading day after the conversion date (as defined under an indenture. The indenture will, among other things, limit our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries, to:

create or assume liens;

enter into sale and leaseback transactions; and

incur indebtedness or issue preferred stock at the subsidiary level.

See “Description of Exchangethe New Notes—Certain Covenants.”Conversion Rights—Payment upon Conversion”) for those New Notes.

 

Ranking

The exchange notesPayment on the New Notes will, to the extent provided in the indenture, be our unsecured senior obligations and will rank equally with our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. Because we are a holding company that conducts our operations through our subsidiaries, the exchange notes will be structurally subordinated to any indebtedness of our subsidiaries. The exchange notes will be senior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our existing and future senior indebtedness. Payment on the New Notes will also effectively be subordinated debt.to all of our subsidiaries’ existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables.

 

Additional IssuancesContingent Interest

We may, at any time, withoutSubject to the consent ofrecord date provisions described below, we will pay contingent cash interest to the holders of New Notes during any six-month period from September 12 to March 11 and from March 12 to September 11, with the exchange notes,initial six-month period commencing on September 12, 2006, if the average market price of a New Note for the five trading days ending on the third trading day immediately preceding the first day of the applicable six-month period equals 120% or more of the sum of the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance and accrued original issue additional notes havingdiscount for the same rankingNew Note as of the day immediately preceding the first day of the applicable six-month period.

During any period when contingent cash interest shall be payable, the contingent cash interest payable for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Note in respect of any quarterly period will equal the greater of 0.0625% of the average market price of $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the New Notes for the five trading day measurement period or any regular cash dividends paid by us per share on our common stock during that quarterly period multiplied by the then applicable conversion rate, provided that if we do not pay cash dividends during a semi-annual period, we will pay contingent cash interest semi-annually at a rate of 0.125% of the average market price of $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the New Notes for the measurement period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, contingent cash interest shall be payable on the New Notes for the six-month period from September 12, 2006 to March 11, 2007, and samesolely for the purpose of determining the amount of contingent cash interest rate, maturitypayable during this six-month period, the average market price for the applicable measurement period will be determined by reference to the average market price of the Old Notes.

Contingent cash interest, if any, will accrue and other termsbe payable to holders of New Notes as of the exchange notes. Any additional notes, together with these exchange notes, may constitute single seriesrecord date, which shall be the 15th day preceding the last day of notes under the indenture.relevant six-month period, or, if we pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during a quarter within the relevant six-month period, to holders of New Notes as of the record date for the related common stock dividend. If we only pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during one quarter within the relevant six-month period, the remaining contingent cash interest, if any, will accrue and be payable as of the 15th day preceding the last day of the relevant six-month period. We will make contingent cash interest payments on the last day of the relevant six-month period or, if we pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during the relevant six-month period, on the payment date for the related common stock dividend. The payment of contingent cash interest will not affect the accrual of original issue discount.

 

FormOriginal Issue Discount

We will issue the New Notes at an initial principal amount significantly below the principal amount at maturity of the New Notes. The exchange notesoriginal issue discount accrues from September 11, 2006 at a rate of 2% per year, calculated on a semiannual bond equivalent basis, using a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months. Original issue discount and contingent cash interest, if any, will be representedcease to accrue on a New Note upon its maturity, conversion, purchase by registered global securities registered inus at the nameoption of Cede & Co.,a holder or redemption. The principal amount of the partnership nomineeNew Notes will accrete on March 11 and September 11 of The Depository Trust Company. Beneficial interests in the exchange notes will be shown on, and transfers will be effected through, records maintained by The Depository Trust Company and its participants.each year, beginning March 11, 2007.

 

TrusteeTaxation of New Notes

Wachovia Bank, National Association.As discussed above under “Summary—The Exchange Offer—Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” we intend to take the position that the New Notes should be treated as a continuation of the Old Notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consistent with that

position and our treatment of the Old Notes, we intend to continue to treat the New Notes as debt instruments subject to the Treasury regulations that provide special rules for contingent payment debt instruments. The New Notes will continue to accrue original issue discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes. You will agree in the indenture to treat your New Notes as contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes and to be bound by our application of the Treasury regulations that govern contingent payment debt instruments, including our determination of the “comparable yield,” which is the rate at which interest income will be deemed to accrue for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under the contingent payment debt regulations, even if we do not pay any contingent cash interest on the New Notes, holders will be required to include accrued interest income, at a rate equal to the comparable yield, in their gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The comparable yield will exceed the stated yield to maturity. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

Risk Factors

Investing in the notes involves risks. You should refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” for an explanation of the material risks of participating in the exchange offer and investing in the notes.

Summary Consolidated Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data

The summary consolidated historical financial data presented below (1) for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2001 are derived from our consolidated financial statements, which have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent accountants, and (2) as of September 30, 2001 and 2002 and for the nine month periods ended September 30, 2001 and 2002 are derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. You should read this table along with our annual report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Our unaudited summary consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial condition and results of operations for the relevant periods and, in the opinion of management, have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements. Results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2002 are not necessarily indicative of results of operations for the full year. The summary unaudited pro forma consolidated financial data presented below for the year ended December 31, 2001 and at September 30, 2002 and the nine months then ended, are derived from the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements contained elsewhere in this document. You should read this table along with those unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto.

  

Years Ended
December 31,


  

Nine Months
Ended September 30,


  

Historical


     

Pro Forma


  

Historical


   

Pro Forma


  

1999


   

2000


   

2001


     

2001 (e)


  

2001


   

2002


   

2002 (e)


  

(in millions, except per share and ratio data)

Statement of Operations Data:

                                  

Net sales

 

$

1,698.7

 

  

$

1,919.3

 

  

$

2,199.8

 

    

$

2,580.3

  

$

1,636.0

 

  

$

1,857.6

 

  

$

2,168.1

Gross profit

 

 

629.1

 

  

 

766.6

 

  

 

925.6

 

    

 

1,074.3

  

 

700.5

 

  

 

807.9

 

  

 

938.3

Operating income

 

 

149.7

 

  

 

245.6

(a)

  

 

367.6

 

    

 

366.2

  

 

290.2

 

  

 

346.7

(c)

  

 

355.2

Earnings before extraordinary loss

 

 

65.4

(f)

  

 

112.1

(f)

  

 

182.7

(f)

    

 

175.2

  

 

141.9

 

  

 

201.6

 

  

 

203.4

Extraordinary loss, net of tax benefit

 

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

3.2

(f)

    

 

N/A

  

 

3.2

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

N/A

Net earnings

 

 

65.4

(f)

  

 

112.1

(f)

  

 

179.5

(b),(f)

    

 

N/A

  

 

138.7

 

  

 

201.6

 

  

 

N/A

Basic earnings per common share before extraordinary loss

 

$

0.30

(f)

  

$

0.82

(f)

  

$

1.31

(f)

    

$

1.22

  

$

1.02

 

  

$

1.42

 

  

$

1.40

Extraordinary loss per common share, net of tax benefit

 

$

—  

 

  

$

—  

 

  

$

0.02

(f)

    

 

N/A

  

$

0.02

 

  

$

—  

 

  

 

N/A

Basic earnings per common share

 

$

0.30

(f)

  

$

0.82

(f)

  

$

1.29

(f)

    

 

N/A

  

$

1.00

 

  

$

1.42

 

  

 

N/A

Diluted earnings per common share before extraordinary loss

 

$

0.29

(f)

  

$

0.80

(f)

  

$

1.29

(f)

    

$

1.20

  

$

1.00

 

  

$

1.40

 

  

$

1.38

Extraordinary loss per common share, net of tax benefit

 

$

—  

 

  

$

—  

 

  

$

0.02

(f)

    

 

N/A

  

$

0.02

 

  

$

—  

 

  

 

N/A

Diluted earnings per common share

 

$

0.29

(f)

  

$

0.80

(f)

  

$

1.27

(f)

    

 

N/A

  

$

0.98

 

  

$

1.40

 

  

 

N/A

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

                                  

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

40.3

 

  

$

48.8

 

  

$

149.2

 

    

 

N/A

  

$

55.5

 

  

$

98.4

 

  

$

81.9

Intangible assets (including goodwill)

 

 

803.9

 

  

 

865.7

 

  

 

968.5

 

    

 

N/A

  

 

952.3

 

  

 

1,241.0

 

  

 

1,849.0

Total assets

 

 

1,590.2

 

  

 

1,666.9

 

  

 

1,929.6

 

    

 

N/A

  

 

1,820.3

 

  

 

2,653.6

 

  

 

3,359.7

Long-term obligations and redeemable preferred stock (d)

 

 

1,041.5

 

  

 

355.8

 

  

 

509.2

 

    

 

N/A

  

 

443.8

 

  

 

519.8

 

  

 

1,118.9

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

175.5

 

  

 

877.4

 

  

 

1,085.4

 

    

 

N/A

  

 

1,036.5

 

  

 

1,575.2

 

  

 

1,575.2

Other Financial Data:

                                  

Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities

 

$

180.5

 

  

$

246.7

 

  

$

316.0

 

    

 

N/A

  

$

252.4

 

  

$

326.4

 

  

 

N/A

Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

(77.0

)

  

 

(150.0

)

  

 

(230.0

)

    

 

N/A

  

 

(193.3

)

  

 

(327.0

)

  

 

N/A

Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

(85.8

)

  

 

(87.9

)

  

 

15.0

 

    

 

N/A

  

 

(51.8

)

  

 

(50.6

)

  

 

N/A

Capital expenditures

 

 

(69.4

)

  

 

(55.5

)

  

 

(88.1

)

    

 

N/A

  

 

(59.0

)

  

 

(54.9

)

  

 

N/A

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges

 

 

2.65

 

  

 

4.33

 

  

 

7.40

 

    

 

4.42

  

 

7.22

 

  

 

10.74

 

  

 

6.35


(a)

Sinking Fund

In the fourth quarter of 2000, we recorded a $4.5 million restructuring charge related to the closing of our Memphis drug testing facility.
(b)During the third quarter of 2001, we recorded an extraordinary loss of $3.2 million (net of tax benefit) relating to the write-off of unamortized bank fees associated with our term debt, which was repaid in September 2001. We also recorded a charge of $8.9 million as a result of a payment made to a bank to terminate an interest rate swap agreement tied to our term loan.
(c)During the third quarter of 2002, we recorded restructuring and other special charges totaling $17.5 million. These charges included a special bad debt provision of approximately $15.0 million related to the acquired Dynacare accounts receivable balance and restructuring expense of approximately $2.5 million relating to Dynacare integration costs of actions that impact the our existing employees and operations.
(d)Long-term obligations include capital lease obligations of $4.4 million, $7.2 million, $6.1 million, $6.4 million and $6.3 million at December 31, 1999, 2000, 2001 and at September 30, 2001 and 2002 (both historical and pro forma), respectively. Long-term obligations also include the long-term portion of the expected value of future contractual amounts to be paid to the former principals of acquired laboratories. Such payments are principally based on a percentage of future revenues derived from the acquired customer lists or specified amounts to be paid over a period of time. At December 31, 1999, 2000, 2001 and at September 30, 2001 and 2002 (both historical and pro forma), such amounts were $0.0 million, $2.1 million, $0.3 million, $0.4 million and $0.0 million, respectively. Long-term obligations exclude amounts due to affiliates. On June 6, 2000, we called for the redemption all of our outstanding redeemable preferred stock, resulting in the conversion of substantially all of the preferred stock into common stock. During 2001, we sold $744.0 million aggregate principal amount at maturity of our zero coupon convertible subordinated notes due 2021 in a private placement. We used a portion of the proceeds to repay $412.5 million of our term loan outstanding under our credit agreement.
(e)The summary unaudited consolidated pro forma financial data are derived from the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements presented elsewhere in this document. The unaudited pro forma statement of operations data present the combined results of operations of the company, Dynacare, and DIANON as if both acquisitions had occurred on January 1, 2001. The pro forma consolidated balance sheet data gives effect to the acquisition of DIANON and the related borrowings as if they had occurred on September 30, 2002. This information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements and the selected notes thereto.
(f)Effective January 1, 2002, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” Under SFAS 142, goodwill and intangibles that have indefinite useful lives are no longer amortized but are reviewed at least annually for impairment.

None.

 

The following table adjusts earnings and earnings per share for the adoption of SFAS No. 142, as if it had been in effect for years presented below:

Redemption of New Notes at the Option of LabCorp

We may redeem the New Notes for cash, as a whole at any time or from time to time in part, at the redemption prices set forth under “Description of the New Notes—Redemption of New Notes at the Option of LabCorp.” We will give not less than 30 days’ or more than 60 days’ notice of redemption by mail to holders of New Notes.

 

   

Year ended December 31,


   

1999


  

2000


  

2001


Reported net earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

15.0

  

$

77.5

  

$

182.7

Add back goodwill amortization, net of tax

  

 

18.5

  

 

20.2

  

 

25.0

   

  

  

Adjusted net earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

33.5

  

$

97.7

  

$

207.7

   

  

  

Basic earnings per share:

            

Reported basic earnings per share before extraordinary loss

  

$

0.30

  

$

0.82

  

$

1.31

Add back goodwill amortization, net of tax

  

 

0.36

  

 

0.21

  

 

0.18

   

  

  

Adjusted basic earnings per share before extraordinary loss

  

$

0.66

  

$

1.03

  

$

1.49

   

  

  

Diluted earnings per share:

            

Reported diluted earnings per share before extraordinary loss

  

$

0.29

  

$

0.80

  

$

1.29

Add back goodwill amortization, net of tax

  

 

0.36

  

 

0.21

  

 

0.18

   

  

  

Adjusted diluted earnings per share before extraordinary loss

  

$

0.65

  

$

1.01

  

$

1.47

   

  

  

Purchase of New Notes by LabCorp at the Option of the Holder

On September 11, 2011 (which we refer to as the purchase date), we may, at the option of the holder, be required to purchase any outstanding New Note at a purchase price of $819.54 in cash.

Trading Symbol of Our Common Stock

Our common stock is quoted on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LH.”

Trading

We do not intend to list the New Notes on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system.

RISK FACTORS

We have made in this prospectus and the documents we have incorporated by reference, and from time to time may otherwise make in our public filings, press releases and discussions with our management, forward-looking statements concerning our operations, performance and financial condition, as well as our strategic objectives. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” or “anticipates” or the negative of those words or other comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and we claim the protection afforded by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors in addition to those discussed herein and in our other public filings, press releases and discussions with our management.

You should carefully consider the risks described below with the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus before making a decision to invest in our notes. Someexchanging Old Notes for New Notes. If any of the following factors relate principally torisks actually occurs, our business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case the industry in which we operate. Other factors relate principally to your investment in the notes. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also adversely affect our business and operations. We are under no duty to update anytrading prices of the forward-looking statements afterNew Notes, the date of this prospectus to conform them to actual results.Old Notes and our common stock could decline substantially.

Risks Associated with the ExchangeRelating to New Notes

Our debt may impair our financialThere is no current market for the New Notes and operating flexibility.

We havewe cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop or that a significant amount of debt. As of September 30, 2002, after giving pro forma effect to the acquisition of DIANON and our borrowings associated therewith, our debt outstanding would have been $1,238.9 million. On November 29, 2002, we repaid the outstanding balance of our $150.0 million Dynacare bridge loan. On January 17, 2003, we had approximately $56.4 million of available borrowings under our senior credit facilities. On January 31, 2003, we completed the sale of our 5½% SeniorNew Notes due February 1, 2013. The net proceeds from that offering were approximately $345.1 million after deducting the discount to the initial purchasers. We used these proceeds, together with cash on hand, to repay all outstanding amounts under our $350.0 million bridge loan which we utilized to partially finance the acquisition of DIANON.

We and our subsidiaries may incur additional indebtedness in the future. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, an even greater portion of our cash flow will be needed to satisfy our debt service obligations. As a result, we would be more vulnerable to general adverse economic and industry conditions andissued in connection with the other risks associated with high levels of indebtedness. These risks could limit our ability to make payments under the notes.

Our ability to make principal and interest payments on our debt and to satisfy our other debt obligations will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. If we do not generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service requirements, we may need to seek additional financing. This may make it more difficult for us to obtain financing on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.

Secured indebtedness and borrowings by our subsidiaries will be effectively senior to the notes.exchange offer.

We conduct our operations through subsidiaries, which generate a substantial portion of our operating income and cash flow. As a result, distributions or advances from our subsidiaries are a major source of funds necessary to meet our debt service and other obligations. Contractual provisions, laws or regulations, as well as any subsidiary’s financial condition and operating requirements, may limit our ability to obtain cash required to pay our debt service obligations, including payments on the notes. The notes will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future obligations of our subsidiaries, including claims with respect to trade payables. Our

subsidiaries are limited in the amount of indebtedness they are permitted to incur pursuant to the covenant described under “Description of Exchange Notes—Certain Covenants—Limitation of Subsidiary Indebtedness and Preferred Stock.” This covenant is subject to important exceptions described under such heading. As of September 30, 2002, after giving pro forma effect to the acquisition of DIANON, our subsidiaries would have had outstanding $9.8 million of debt (including the current portion thereof).

There is currently no publicestablished trading market for the exchange notes.

New Notes. The exchange notes are a new issue of securities for which thereOld Notes may be traded on the over-the-counter market. It is currently no public market. Accordingly,expected that the New Notes will be traded in the over-the-counter market, but there can be no assurance as to the liquidity of any market that may develop for the exchange notes. We do not currently intend to apply for listingNew Notes, the ability of the exchange notesholders to sell their New Notes, or the prices at which holders of the New Notes would be able to sell their New Notes. The New Notes could trade at prices higher or lower than their initial principal amount upon issuance depending on any securities exchange.

The liquidity of, andmany factors. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the exchange notes orNew Notes will develop. Furthermore, if an active trading market were to develop, the original notes, asmarket price for the case may be,New Notes may be adversely affected by general declineschanges in prevailing interest rates, our operating results, the market price of our common stock, changes in the market or by declines in theoverall market for similar securities. Such declines may adversely affect such liquiditysecurities and trading markets independent ofchanges in performance or prospects for companies in our financial performance and prospects.

The original notes are, and will continue to be, subject to restrictions on transfer, and the trading market, if any, for original notes may be adversely affected by completion of this exchange offer.

industry.

The original notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and therefore may not be offered, sold or otherwise transferred except in compliance with the registration requirementsclosing of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws, or pursuant to an exemption from those laws or in a transaction not subject to those laws. We do not intend to register under the Securities Act the original notes that remain outstanding after completion of this exchange offer (subject to applicable limited exceptions). Original notes that remain outstanding afteris conditional upon a minimum amount of Old Notes being tendered and accepted in the completion of this exchange offer will continue to bear a legend reflecting those restrictions on transfer, and holders of those original notes will not be entitled to any rights to have those original notes registered under the Securities Act or to any similar rights under the registration rights agreement (subject to applicable limited exceptions).offer. To the extent that original notesOld Notes are not tendered and accepted for exchange in the exchange offer, the trading market, if any, for remaining original notesNew Notes could be significantly more limited than the trading market for the Old Notes. A debt security with a smaller outstanding principal amount available for trading (a smaller “float”) may command a lower price than would a comparable debt security with a larger float. Therefore, the market price for the New Notes may be affected adversely. A limited float could also make the trading price of New Notes more volatile. Issuance of New Notes will also reduce the float of the Old Notes, which may adversely affected.affect the market price of the Old Notes.

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to finance the purchase of the New Notes at the option of the holders or the cash portion of the payment upon conversion of the New Notes.

On September 11, 2011, holders of the New Notes may require us to purchase their New Notes. In addition, we will be required to pay a portion of the amount due to holders of the New Notes on conversion in cash. However, it is possible that we would not have sufficient funds at that time to make the required purchase of New Notes or cash payment upon conversion of the New Notes. In addition, our ability to repurchase the New Notes or to make the cash payment upon conversion may be limited by law and the terms of the agreements relating to our indebtedness, as such indebtedness or agreements may be entered into, replaced, supplemented or amended from time to time. The use of available cash to fund the required cash payments may also impair our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. See “Description of the New Notes—Purchase of New Notes by LabCorp at the Option of the Holder” and “Description of the New Notes—Conversion Rights—Payment upon Conversion.”

The conditional conversion feature of the New Notes could result in your not being able to receive the value of the cash and shares of our common stock, if any, into which a New Note is convertible.

The New Notes are convertible into cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock only if specified conditions are met. If the specified conditions are not met, you will not be able to convert your New Notes, and you may not be able to receive the value of the cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock into which the New Notes would otherwise be convertible.

The net share settlement feature of the New Notes may have adverse consequences.

The New Notes will be subject to net share settlement, which means that we will satisfy our conversion obligation to holders by paying cash in settlement of the lesser of the accreted principal amount and the conversion value of the New Notes and by delivering shares of our common stock in settlement of any conversion obligation in excess of the accreted principal amount of the New Notes, as described under “Description of the New Notes—Conversion Rights—Payment upon Conversion.” Accordingly, upon conversion of a New Note, holders may not receive any shares of common stock. In addition, any settlement of a conversion of New Notes into cash and shares of our common stock will be delayed until at least the 14th trading day following our receipt of the holder’s conversion notice. Accordingly, a converting holder may receive less value than expected because the value of the shares of common stock may decline (or fail to appreciate as much as the holder may expect) between the day that the holder exercise its conversion right and the day the conversion value of the New Notes is determined.

We expect that the trading value of the New Notes will be significantly affected by the price of our common stock and other factors.

The market price of the New Notes is expected to be significantly affected by the market price of our common stock. This may result in greater volatility in the trading value of the New Notes than would be expected for nonconvertible debt securities. In addition, the price of our common stock could be affected by possible sales of our common stock by investors who view the New Notes as a more attractive means of equity participation in our company and by hedging or arbitrage trading activity that may develop involving our common stock. This hedging or arbitrage could, in turn, affect the trading value of the New Notes.

The New Notes are not protected by restrictive covenants.

The indenture governing the New Notes will not contain any financial or operating covenants or restrictions on the payment of dividends, the incurrence of indebtedness or liens or the issuance or repurchase of securities by us or any of our subsidiaries. The indenture for the New Notes also will not contain covenants or other provisions to afford protection to holders of the New Notes in the event of a change in control or other fundamental change involving us.

You should consider the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning New Notes.

Every holder will agree with us to treat its New Notes as contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, despite some uncertainty as to the proper application of the applicable Treasury regulations, you will be required to include in your gross income each year amounts of interest in excess of the initial yield to maturity of the New Notes. You will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, exchange, conversion or retirement of a New Note in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale, exchange, conversion or retirement, including the fair market value of any of our common stock, if any, received, and your adjusted tax basis in the New Note. Any gain recognized by you on the sale, exchange, conversion or retirement of a New Note generally will be ordinary interest income; any loss will be ordinary loss to the extent of the interest previously included in income, and capital loss thereafter. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

The New Notes are subordinated in right of payment to other indebtedness.

The New Notes will be unsecured obligations subordinated in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior indebtedness. As a result, our assets will be available to pay obligations on the New Notes only after all senior indebtedness has been paid in full, and we may not have sufficient assets remaining to repay in full all of the New Notes then outstanding if we become insolvent or are forced to liquidate our assets, we default on our senior indebtedness, or the New Notes are accelerated due to any other event of default. In addition, because we are a holding company whose operations are conducted through operating subsidiaries, the New Notes will be structurally subordinated to any and all existing and future indebtedness, whether or not secured, and other liabilities and claims of holders of preferred stock of any of our subsidiaries. The New Notes will be exclusively

obligations of LabCorp. Our subsidiaries have no obligation to pay any amounts due on the New Notes. Our subsidiaries are not required to provide us with funds for our payment obligations, whether by dividends, distributions, loans or other payments. In addition, any payment of dividends, distributions, loans or advances by our subsidiaries to us could be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions. Payments to us by our subsidiaries will also be contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and business considerations. The incurrence of additional indebtedness and other liabilities could materially and adversely affect our ability to pay our obligations on the New Notes. The terms of the New Notes will not limit our ability to incur senior indebtedness, and do not and will not limit our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries to incur other indebtedness or other liabilities. As of June 30, 2006, we had senior indebtedness outstanding of approximately $603.3 million. See “Description of the New Notes—Subordination.”

Risks AssociatedRelating to the Exchange Offer

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exchange of the Old Notes for the New Notes are not entirely clear.

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes are not entirely clear. We intend to take the position that the modifications to the Old Notes resulting from the exchange offer will not constitute a significant modification of the Old Notes. By participating in the exchange offer, each holder will be deemed to have agreed, pursuant to the indenture governing the New Notes, to treat the exchange as not constituting a significant modification of the terms of the Old Notes.

If the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes does not constitute a significant modification of the terms of the Old Notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the New Notes will be treated as a continuation of the Old Notes with no U.S. federal income tax consequences to a holder who exchanges Old Notes for New Notes pursuant to the exchange offer, apart from the receipt of the exchange fee, which will be treated as ordinary income. Unless an exemption applies, we may withhold at a rate of 30% from the payment of the exchange fee to any Non-U.S. Holder (as defined herein) participating in the exchange offer. If, contrary to our Businessposition, the exchange of the Old Notes for the New Notes does constitute a significant modification to the terms of the Old Notes, the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you could materially differ. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

If you do not exchange your Old Notes, the Old Notes you retain may become less liquid as a result of the exchange offer.

If a significant number of Old Notes are exchanged in the exchange offer, the liquidity of the trading market for the Old Notes, if any, after the completion of the exchange offer may be substantially reduced. Any Old Notes exchanged will reduce the aggregate number of Old Notes outstanding. As a result, the Old Notes may trade at a discount to the price at which they would trade if the transactions contemplated by this prospectus were not consummated, subject to prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities and other factors. We cannot assure you that an active market in the Old Notes will exist or be maintained and we cannot assure you as to the prices at which the Old Notes may be traded.

Our Board of Directors has not made a recommendation with regard to whether or not you should tender your Old Notes in the exchange offer and we have not obtained a third-party determination that the exchange offer is fair to holders of the Old Notes.

We are not making a recommendation as to whether holders of the Old Notes should exchange them. We have not retained and do not intend to retain any unaffiliated representative to act solely on behalf of the holders of the Old Notes for purposes of negotiating the terms of the exchange offer and/or preparing a report concerning the fairness of the exchange offer. The value of the New Notes received in the exchange offer may not in the future equal or exceed the value of the Old Notes tendered and we do not take a position as to whether you ought to participate in the exchange offer.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Changes in federal, state, local and third-party payorpayer regulations or policies (or in the interpretation of current regulations or policies) may adversely affect governmental and third-party reimbursement for clinical laboratory testing.

Government payors,payers, such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as insurers, including managed care organizations, have increased their efforts to control the cost, utilization and delivery of health care services. From time to time, Congress has considered and implemented changes in the Medicare fee schedules in conjunction with certain budgetary legislation. Further reductions of reimbursement for Medicare services may be implemented from time to time. Reimbursement for the pathology services component of our business is also subject to statutory and regulatory reduction. Reductions in the reimbursement rates of other third-party payorspayers may occur as well. These measuresSuch changes in the past have resulted in reduced prices andas well as added costs and have decreased test utilization for the clinical laboratory industry by increasing complexity and adding often more complex new regulatory and administrative requirements.

In both 2001 and 2000, we derived approximately 16% of our net revenues from tests performed for beneficiaries of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. As a result of our acquisitions of Dynacare and DIANON, we expect our percentage of revenues derived from Medicare and Medicaid to increase in 2003. In addition, our private payor business depends significantly on continued participation in these programs because physicians and

hospitals often want a single laboratory to perform all of their testing services. Certain anatomic pathology services are reimbursed under the Medicare physician fee schedule rather than the Medicare laboratory fee schedule. The 2003 Medicare physician fee schedule decreased the Medicare reimbursement by 4.4% for some of the pathology services we offer. In addition, the 2003 Medicare fee schedule for clinical testing will increase only 1%. Because a significant portion of our costs are relatively fixed, Medicare payment reductions have a direct adverse effect on our net earnings and cash flows.

In 2001 and 2000, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs constituted approximately $50.3 million and $35.4 million, respectively, of DIANON’s 2001 and 2000 net revenues of $125.7 million and $95.7 million. Medicare reimbursed approximately $8.3 million in 2001 and $5.2 million in 2000 of DIANON’s net revenues from genetic testing services of $19.8 million in 2001 and $13.7 million in 2002. Clinical laboratory testing services reimbursed by Medicare in 2001 and 2000 were approximately $6.8 million and $4.1 million of DIANON’s net revenues from clinical chemistry testing services of $18.7 million and $13.3 million, respectively. Medicare reimbursement for anatomic pathology services constituted approximately $34.9 million and $26.1 million of DIANON’s net revenues from anatomic pathology testing services of $87.2 and $68.7 million in 2001 and 2000, respectively.

In 2001 and 2000, Medicare and Medicaid revenues accounted for approximately $56.2 million and $45.1 million of Dynacare’s total U.S. revenues of $297.3 million and $250.7 million, respectively, as prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP.

Further changes in federal, state, local and third-party payorpayer regulations or policies may have a material adverse impact on our business. For a more detailed discussion of reimbursement under Medicare and Medicaid, see “Business—Regulation and Reimbursement—Payment of Clinical Laboratory Services.”

We could face significant monetary damages and penalties and/or exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs if we violate healthcarehealth care anti-fraud and abuse laws.

We are subject to extensive government regulation at the federal, state and local levels. Our failure to meet governmental requirements under these regulations, including those relating to billing practices and relationships with physicians and hospitals, could lead to civil and criminal penalties, exclusion from participation in Medicare and Medicaid and possible prohibitions or restrictions on the use of our laboratories. Recently, DIANON settled a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into several of DIANON’s billing practices. As part of the settlement, DIANON entered into a voluntary corporate integrity program. DIANON previously recorded a non-recurring charge of $5.5 million in the third quarter of 2002 to cover the settlement payment to the government, as well as related legal costs. In addition, as part of DIANON’s acquisition of UroCor, Inc., DIANON assumed responsibility for, and liability relating to, an investigation of UroCor by the U.S. Department of Justice, including compliance with the UroCor corporate integrity agreement. WeWhile we believe we arehave structured our operations and relationships with care in material compliance with applicable regulations; however,an effort to meet all statutory and regulatory requirements, there is a risk that government authorities might take a contrary position. Such occurrences, regardless of their outcome, could damage our reputation and adversely affect important business relationships we have with third parties.

Our business would be harmed from the loss or suspension of a license or imposition of a fine or penalties under, or future changes in, the law or regulations of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1967, and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 or those of Medicare, Medicaid or other federal, state or local agencies.

The clinical laboratory testing industry is subject to extensive regulation, and many of these statutes and regulations have not been interpreted by the courts. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988, (“CLIA”)which we refer to as CLIA, extend federal oversight to virtually all clinical laboratories by requiring that they be certified by the federal government or by a federally-approved accreditation agency. The sanction for failure to comply with CLIA requirements may be suspension, revocation or limitation of a laboratory’s CLIA certificate, which is

necessary to conduct business, as well as significant fines and/or criminal penalties. In addition, we are subject to regulation under state law. State laws may require that laboratories and/or laboratory personnel meet certain qualifications, specify certain quality controls or require maintenance of certain records.

We cannot assure you that applicable statutes and regulations will not be interpreted or applied by a prosecutorial, regulatory or judicial authority in a manner that would adversely affect our business. Potential sanctions for violation of these statutes and regulations include significant fines and the suspension or loss of various licenses, certificates and authorizations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, compliance with future legislation could impose additional requirements on us which may be costly. For a more detailed discussion of the regulation of our business, see “Business—Regulation and Reimbursement.”

Failure to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirementsAct and the recently passed Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which may result in fines and penalties and loss of licensure, wouldand have a material adverse effect upon our business.

We are subject to licensing and regulation under federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and human health and safety, including laws and regulations relating to the handling, transportation and disposal of medical specimens, infectious and hazardous waste and radioactive materials as well

as to the safety and health of laboratory employees. All of our laboratories are subject to applicable federal and state laws and regulations relating to biohazard disposal of all laboratory specimens, and we utilize outside vendors for disposal of such specimens. In addition, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established extensive requirements relating to workplace safety for health care employers, including clinical laboratories, whose workers may be exposed to blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and the hepatitis B virus. These regulations,requirements, among other things, require work practice controls, protective clothing and equipment, training, medical follow-up, vaccinations and other measures designed to minimize exposure to, and transmission of, blood-borne pathogens. In addition, the federally-enacted Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act requires, among other things, that we include in our safety programs the evaluation and use of engineering controls such as safety needles if found to be effective at reducing the risk of needlestick injuries in the workplace.

Failure to comply with these federal, state and local laws and regulations could subject us to denial of the right to conduct business, fines, criminal penalties and/or other enforcement actions which would have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, compliance with future legislation could impose additional requirements on us which may be costly.

Failure to comply withRegulations requiring the final regulationsuse of “standard transactions” for health care services issued under HIPAA may negatively impact our profitability and cash flows.

Pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and AccountabilityAccounting Act of 1996, could result in civil and/or criminal penalties.

Regulations have been issued underwhich we refer to as HIPAA, the administrative simplification provisionsSecretary of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). These include the Transactions and Code Sets Rule, the Privacy Rule, and the National Standard Employer Identifier Rule, which requires the use of a unique employer identifier in connection with certain electronic transactions. These regulations apply to health plans, health care providers that conduct standard transactions electronically, and health care clearinghouses (“covered entities”). It is anticipated that an enforcement regulation and a security regulation will be issued and/or finalized in 2003.

The Transactions and Code Sets Rule standardizes the format and data content to be used in the most common electronic health care transactions, including, among others, health care claims, eligibility and health care claim status. The compliance date for this rule was October 16, 2002; however, under the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, covered entities (except small health plans) were permitted to file an extension plan with the Department of Health and Human Services, beforeor HHS, has issued final regulations designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system by facilitating the electronic exchange of information in certain financial and administrative transactions while protecting the privacy and security of the information exchanged.

HHS issued guidance on July 24, 2003 stating that it will not penalize a covered entity for post-implementation date transactions that are not fully compliant with the transactions standards, if the covered entity can demonstrate its good faith efforts to comply with the standards. HHS’ stated purpose for this flexible enforcement position was to “permit health plans to mitigate unintended adverse effects on covered entities’ cash flow and business operations during the transition to the standards, as well as on the availability and quality of patient care.” However, beginning October 16, 20021, 2005, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer processes incoming non-HIPAA-compliant electronic Medicare claims.

The HIPAA transaction standards are complex, and subject to extenddifferences in interpretation by payers. For instance, some payers may interpret the standards to require us to provide certain types of information, including demographic information not usually provided to us by physicians. As a result of inconsistent application of transaction standards by payers or our inability to obtain certain billing information not usually provided to us by physicians, we could face increased costs and complexity, a temporary disruption in receipts and ongoing reductions in reimbursements and net revenues. In addition, new requirements for additional standard transactions, such as claims attachments or use of a national provider identifier, could prove technically difficult, time-consuming or expensive to implement. We are working closely with our payers to establish acceptable protocols for claims submissions and with our trade association and an industry coalition to present issues and problems as they arise to the appropriate regulators and standards setting organizations.

Compliance with the HIPAA security regulations and privacy regulations may increase our costs.

The HIPAA privacy and security regulations, which became fully effective in April 2003 and April 2005 respectively, establish comprehensive federal standards with respect to the uses and disclosures of protected health information by health plans, healthcare providers and healthcare clearinghouses, in addition to setting standards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of protected health information. The regulations establish a complex regulatory framework on a variety of subjects, including:

the circumstances under which uses and disclosures of protected health information are permitted or required without a specific authorization by the patient, including but not limited to treatment purposes, activities to obtain payments for our services, and our healthcare operations activities;

a patient’s right to access, amend and receive an accounting of certain disclosures of protected health information;

the content of notices of privacy practices for protected health information; and

administrative, technical and physical safeguards required of entities that use or receive protected health information.

We have implemented policies and procedures related to compliance date to October 16, 2003.with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations, as required by law. The extension plan wasprivacy regulations establish a “floor” and do not supersede state laws that are more stringent. Therefore, we are required to describe howcomply with both federal privacy regulations and varying state privacy laws. In addition, for healthcare data transfers from other countries relating to citizens of those countries, we will come into compliancemust comply with the

Transactions laws of those other countries. The federal privacy regulations restrict our ability to use or disclose patient identifiable laboratory data, without patient authorization, for purposes other than payment, treatment or healthcare operations (as defined by HIPAA), except for disclosures for various public policy purposes and Code Sets Rule requirements byother permitted purposes outlined in the compliance date. Weprivacy regulations. The privacy and each of our operating subsidiaries have filed extension planssecurity regulations provide for significant fines and expect to meet the compliance date of October 16, 2003.

The Privacy Rule regulates theother penalties for wrongful use andor disclosure of protected health information, (“PHI”) by covered entities. Itincluding potential civil and criminal fines and penalties. Although the HIPAA statute and regulations do not expressly provide for a private right of damages, we also sets forth certain rights that an individual has with respectcould incur damages under state laws to his or her PHI maintained by a covered entity, such asprivate parties for the right to access or amend certain records containing PHI or to request restrictions on thewrongful use or disclosure of PHI. Additionally, it requires covered entities to implement certain administrative requirements, such as designating a privacy officer, drafting and implementing privacy policies and procedures and training workforce members. Health care providers governed by the Privacy Rule must come into compliance by April 14, 2003.

Our HIPAA project plans have two phases: (i) assessment of current systems, applications, processes and procedure testing and validation for HIPAA compliance and (ii) remediation of affected systems, applications, processes and procedure testing and validation for HIPAA compliance.

We have completed the assessment phase of the Transactions and Code Sets provision. Remediation is currently in progress and we expect to meet the October 16, 2003 compliance date. We have completed the assessment phase of the Privacy provision. We have made financial projections and initiated remedial measures designed to meet the April 14, 2003 compliance deadline. There are, however, many unresolved issues in both of these areas and future interpretations of HIPAA could impose significant costs on us.

In addition to the federal HIPAA regulations described above, there are a number of state laws regarding the confidentiality of medicalconfidential health information some of which apply to clinical laboratories. These laws vary widely, and new laws in this area are pending, but they most commonly restrict the use and disclosure of medicalor other private personal information. Failure to comply with the HIPAA regulations and state privacy laws could result in sanctions against a laboratory’s state licensure, as well as civil and/or criminal penalties, including significant fines and imprisonment of responsible personnel, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Increased competition, including price competition, could have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

The clinical laboratory business is intensely competitive both in terms of price and service. Pricing of laboratory testing services is one of the significant factors often used by health care providers and third-party payers in selecting a laboratory. As a result of the clinical laboratory industry undergoing significant consolidation, larger clinical laboratory providers are able to increase cost efficiencies afforded by large-scale automated testing. This consolidation results in greater price competition. We may be unable to increase cost efficiencies sufficiently, if at all, and as a result, our net earnings and cash flows could be negatively impacted by such price competition.

Additional competition, including price competition, could have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

If we failFailure to develop, or acquire, licenses for new or improved testing technologies, or if our customers useusing new technologies to perform their own tests, we may not be ablelimit our ability to successfully achieve our business strategy.

The clinical laboratory testing industry is subject to changing technology and new product introductions. Our success in maintaining a leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies will depend, in part, on our ability to license new and improved technologies for early diagnosis on favorable terms. We may not be able to negotiate acceptable licensing arrangements and we cannot be certain that such arrangements will yield commercially successful diagnostic tests. If we are unable to license these testing methods at competitive rates, our research and development costs may increase as a result. In addition, if we are unable to license new or improved technologies to expand our esoteric testing businesses, our testing methods

may become outdated when compared with our competition and our testing volume and revenue may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, advances in technology may lead to the development of more cost-effective point-of-care testing equipment that can be operated by physicians or other healthcare providers in their offices or by patients themselves without requiring the services of freestanding clinical laboratories. Development of such technology and its use by our customers would reduce the demand for our laboratory testing services and negatively impact our revenues.

Currently, most clinical laboratory testing is categorized as “high” or “moderate” complexity, and thereby is subject to extensive and costly regulation under CLIA. The cost of compliance with CLIA reduces the cost effectiveness for most physicians to operate clinical laboratories in their offices, and other laws limit the ability of physicians to have ownership in a laboratory and to refer tests to such a laboratory. However, manufacturers of laboratory equipment and test kits could seek to increase their sales by marketing point-of-care laboratory equipment to physicians and by selling test kits approved for home or physician office use to both physicians and patients. Over-the-counter diagnosticsDiagnostic tests approved for home use are automatically deemed to be “waived” tests under CLIA, which may then be performed in physician office laboratories as well as by patients in their homes with minimal regulatory oversight. TheOther tests meeting certain Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, criteria also may be classified as “waived” for CLIA purposes. The FDA has regulatory responsibility over instruments, test kits, reagents and other devices used by clinical laboratories and has taken responsibility from the Centers for Disease Control for test classification.classifying the complexity of tests for CLIA purposes. Increased approval of home“waived” test kits could lead to increased testing by physicians in their offices, which could affect our market for laboratory testing services and negatively impact our revenues.

Changes in payorpayer mix, including an increase in capitated managed-cost health care or new national or networking managed care purchasing models, could have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

Most testing services are billed to a party other than the physician or other authorized person that ordered the test. In addition, tests performedordered by a single physician may be billed to different payorspayers depending on the medical benefits of a particular patient. Increases in the percentage of services billed to government and managed care payorspayers could have an adverse impact on our net revenues. For the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2002,December 31, 2005, the percentage of accessions by payorpayer was:

 

private patients—2.9%,2.4%;

 

Medicare, Medicaid and other—18.2%,21.3%;

 

commercial clients—37.9%34.8%; and

 

managed care—41.0%41.5%.

Managed care providers typically contract with a limited number of clinical laboratories and then designate the laboratory or laboratories to be used for tests ordered by participating physicians. The majority of our managed care testing is negotiated on a fee-for-service basis at a discount from our patient prices. Such discounts have historically resulted in price erosion and have negatively impacted our operating margins. In addition, managed care organizations have used capitated payment contracts in an attempt to fix the cost of laboratory testing services for their enrollees. Under a capitated payment contract, the clinical laboratory and managed care organization agree to a per member, per month payment to cover all laboratory tests during the month, regardless of the number or cost of the tests actually performed. Such contracts shift the risk of additional testing beyond that covered by the capitated payment to the clinical laboratory. Pursuant to legislation passed in late 2003, the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare managed care plans is expected to increase. For the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2002,December 31, 2005, capitated contracts accounted for approximately $89.3$136.5 million, or 4.1%, of our net sales.

Recently, managed care companies have announced their intention to adopt new national or networking managed care laboratory services purchasing models. If we are unable to participate in these new models, it would have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

In addition, Medicare and Medicaid and private insurers have increased their efforts to control the cost, utilization and delivery of health care services, including clinical laboratory services. Measures to regulate health care delivery in general, and clinical laboratories in particular, have resulted in reduced prices, added costs and decreased test utilization for the clinical laboratory industry by increasing complexity and adding new regulatory

and administrative requirements. The reduction of the 2003 Medicare physician fee schedule will significantly reduce the Medicare reimbursement for pathology services we offer.

We expect efforts to impose reduced reimbursements and more stringent cost controls by government and other payers to continue. If we cannot offset additional reductions in the payments we receive for our services by reducing costs, increasing test volume and/or introducing new procedures, it would have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

OurA failure to obtain and retain new customers and alliance partners, or a reduction in tests ordered or specimens submitted by existing customers, could impact our ability to successfully grow our business.

To offset efforts by payorspayers to reduce the cost and utilization of clinical laboratory services, we need to obtain and retain new customers and alliance partners. In addition, a reduction in tests ordered or specimens submitted by existing customers, without offsetting growth in our customer base, could impact our ability to successfully grow our business and could have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability. We compete primarily on the basis of the quality of our testing, reporting and information systems, our reputation in the medical community, the pricing of our services and our ability to employ qualified personnel. Our failure to successfully compete on any of these factors could result in the loss of customers and a reduction in our ability to expand our customer base.

In addition, we rely on developing alliances with hospitals to expand our business through traditional and non-traditional business models. Reference agreements, or the traditional business model, provide a means for hospitals to outsource patient laboratory testing services that are esoteric or complex, or that are not time critical. A non-traditional business model is where we provide technical support services in a variety of health care settings. For a more detailed discussion of our alliances, see “Business—Affiliates and Alliances.” Our ability to expand the number of alliances with hospitals and maintain current alliances, many of which are terminable on short notice, could impact our ability to successfully grow our business.

OurA failure to integrate newly acquired or contracted businesses and the costs related to such integration could have a material adverse impact on our net revenues and profitability.

We are in the process of integrating into our company the operations of Dynacare and DIANON, which we acquired in July 2002 and January 2003, respectively. The integration includes the consolidation of redundant facilities and infrastructure, elimination of redundant administrative and other duplicative functions and standardization of information systems. The successful integration of Dynacare and DIANON and any business we may acquire in the future entails numerous risks, including, among others:

 

loss of key customers or employees;

 

difficulty in consolidating redundant facilities and infrastructure and in standardizing information and other systems;

 

failure to maintain the quality of services that such companies have historically provided;

 

coordination of geographically-separated facilities and workforces; and

 

diversion of management’s attention from the day-to-day business of our company.

We cannot assure you that current or future acquisitions or contracted businesses, if any, or any related integration efforts will be successful, or that our ability to repay the notesbusiness will not be adversely affected by any future acquisitions. Even if we are able to successfully integrate the operations of Dynacare and DIANON into us, or the operations of other companies or businesses we may acquire in the future, we may not be able to realize the benefits that we expect to result from such integration, including projected cost savings within the projected time frame or at all.

Adverse results in material litigation matters could have a material adverse effect upon our business.

Although we are not currently involved in any material legal actions, we may become subject in the ordinary course of business we may become subject to material legal action related to, among other things, intellectual property disputes, professional liability and employee-related matters, as well as inquiries from governmental agencies and Medicare or Medicaid carriers requesting comment on allegations of billing irregularities that are brought to their attention through billing audits or third parties. Such future legalLegal actions could result in substantial monetary damages as well as damage to our reputation with customers, which could have a material adverse effect upon our business.

Our abilityAn inability to attract and retain experienced and qualified personnel could adversely affect our business.

The loss of key management personnel or our inability to attract and retain experienced and qualified skilled employees at our clinical laboratories and research centers could adversely affect the business. Our success is dependent in part on the efforts of key members of our management team. Our success in maintaining our leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies will depend in part on our ability to attract and retain skilled research professionals. In addition, the success of our clinical laboratories also depends on employing and retaining qualified and experienced laboratory professionals, including specialists, who perform our clinical laboratory testing services. In the future, if competition for the services of these professionals increases, we may not be able to continue to attract and retain individuals in our markets. Our revenues and earnings could be adversely affected if a significant number of professionals terminate their relationship with us or become unable or unwilling to continue their employment.

Failure to maintain our days sales outstanding levels would have an adverse effect on our business.

Billing for laboratory services is a complex process. Laboratories must bill many different payorspayers such as doctors, patients, hundreds of different insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and employer groups, all of whomwhich have different billing requirements. We believe that a majority of our bad debt expense, which was 9.2%5.3% of our net revenues in 2001,at December 31, 2005, is the result of non-credit related issues which slow the billing process.process and patients who are unable or unwilling to pay. If we are unable to maintain our days sales outstanding level, (“DSO”),or DSO, which as of September 30, 2002 averaged 56December 31, 2005 was approximately 54 days, through efforts to reduce the number of requisitions that are missing certain billing information, our bad debt expense and DSO could increase, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

Failure in our information technology systems could significantly increase testing turn-around time or billing processes and otherwise disrupt our operations.

Our laboratory operations depend, in part, on the continued and uninterrupted performance of our information technology systems. Despite network security measures and other precautions we have taken, our information technology systems are potentially vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses and similar disruptive problems. In addition, we are in the process of integrating the information technology systems of our recently acquired subsidiaries, and we may experience system failures or interruptions as a result of this process. Sustained system failures or interruption of our systems in one or more of our laboratory operations could disrupt our ability to process laboratory requisitions, perform testing, provide test results in a timely manner and/or bill the appropriate party. Failure of our information technology systems could adversely affect our business, profitability and financial condition.

Operations may be disrupted and adversely impacted by the effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, or acts of terrorism or other criminal activities.

Our operations may be adversely impacted by the effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, or acts of terrorism or other criminal activities. Such events may result in a temporary decline in the number of patients who seek laboratory testing services. In addition, such events may temporarily interrupt our ability to transport specimens, our ability to utilize certain laboratories or to receive material from our suppliers.

Failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including Section 404 of that Act which requires management to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to and report on, our internal controls, could cause sanctions and investigations by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC.

If we are not able to continue to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, our independent auditors may not be able to certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. As a result, there could be an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements. In addition, we may be required to incur costs in connection with continued testing and strengthening of our internal control system.

CONSOLIDATED FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

We make in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus forward-looking statements concerning our operations, performance and financial condition, as well as our strategic objectives. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “seeks”, “approximately”, “intends”, “plans”, “estimates”, or “anticipates” or the negative of those words or other comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this prospectus, in the documents incorporated by referenced into this prospectus and in our other public filings, press releases and discussions with our management, including:

1. changes in federal, state, local and third party payer regulations or policies (or in the interpretation of current regulations) affecting governmental and third-party reimbursement for clinical laboratory testing;

2. adverse results from investigations of clinical laboratories by the government, which may include significant monetary damages and/or exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs;

3. loss or suspension of a license or imposition of a fine or penalties under, or future changes in, the law or regulations of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1967, and CLIA, or those of Medicare, Medicaid, the False Claims Act or other federal, state or local agencies;

4. failure to comply with the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements and the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which could result in penalties and loss of licensure;

5. failure to comply with HIPAA, which could result in significant fines;

6. failure of third party payers to complete testing with us, or accept or remit transactions in HIPAA-required standard transaction and code set format, which could result in an interruption in our cash flow;

7. increased competition, including price competition;

8. changes in payer mix, including an increase in capitated managed-cost health care or the impact of a shift to consumer-driven health plans;

9. failure to obtain and retain new customers and alliance partners, or a reduction in tests ordered or specimens submitted by existing customers;

10. failure to retain or attract managed care business as a result of changes in business models, including new risk based or network approaches, or other changes in strategy or business models by managed care companies;

11. failure to effectively manage the integration of newly acquired businesses and the cost related to such integration;

12. adverse results in litigation matters;

13. inability to attract and retain experienced and qualified personnel;

14. failure to maintain our days sales outstanding levels;

15. decrease in credit ratings by Standard & Poor’s and/or Moody’s;

16. failure to develop or acquire licenses for new or improved technologies, or the use of new technologies by customers to perform their own tests;

17. inability to commercialize newly licensed tests or technologies or to obtain appropriate reimbursement for such tests, which could result in impairment in the value of certain capitalized licensing costs;

18. inability to obtain and maintain adequate patent and other proprietary rights for protection of our products and services and successfully enforce our proprietary rights;

19. the scope, validity and enforceability of patents and other proprietary rights held by third parties that might have an impact on our ability to develop, perform, or market our tests or operate our business;

20. failure in our information technology systems resulting in an increase in testing turnaround time or a failure of billing processes or the failure to meet future regulatory or customer information technology and connectivity requirements;

21. failure of our existing and new financial information systems resulting in failure to meet required financial reporting deadlines;

22. failure of our disaster recovery plans to provide adequate protection against the interruption of business and/or the recovery of business operations;

23. business interruption or other impact on the business due to adverse weather (including hurricanes), fires and/or other natural disasters and terrorism or other criminal acts;

24. failure by us to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including Section 404 of that Act, which requires management to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to and report on, our internal controls; and

25. liabilities that result from any future inability to comply with new corporate governance requirements.

Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our consolidated ratiosratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods shown.indicated.

   

Years Ended

December 31,


  

Nine Months Ended September 30,


   

1997


  

1998


  

1999


  

2000


  

2001


  

2001


  

2002


Ratio of earnings to fixed charges

  

N/A

  

2.14

  

2.65

  

4.33

  

7.40

  

7.22

  

10.74

These computations include us and our consolidated subsidiaries. For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings consist of“earnings” represent income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed charges include“Fixed charges” represent interest expense on debt and one-thirdplus that portion of rentalrent expense which is deemed representativethat, in our opinion, approximates the interest factor included in rent expense. As of the interest factor.date of this prospectus, we have no preferred stock outstanding.

 

   Year Ended December 31,  

Six Months
Ended

June 30, 2006

   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges (unaudited)

  7.40  10.03  8.15  9.59  9.62  9.27

For

PRICE RANGE OF OUR COMMON STOCK

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LH.” As of September 21, 2006, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was$67.00. As of September 21, 2006, there were approximately 566 stockholders of record.

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

   High  Low

Year Ending on December 31, 2006

    

3rd Quarter (through September 21, 2006)

  $68.84  $61.94

2nd Quarter

   62.80   56.39

1st Quarter

   59.39   53.68

Year Ending on December 31, 2005

    

4th Quarter

  $55.00  $47.22

3rd Quarter

   51.95   46.60

2nd Quarter

   51.25   46.83

1st Quarter

   50.60   44.63

Year Ending on December 31, 2004

    

4th Quarter

  $50.00  $41.10

3rd Quarter

   43.75   36.80

2nd Quarter

   42.47   38.57

1st Quarter

   44.20   36.95

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not historically paid dividends, and we currently do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock in the future. The payment of dividends by us is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial position, capital requirements and liquidity, contractual and legal requirements, results of operations and other factors. In addition, our senior credit facilities place certain limits on the payment of dividends.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

You should read the selected consolidated financial data set forth below in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes, incorporated by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges by $161.3 million.

USE OF PROCEEDS

This exchange offer is intended to satisfy some of2005 and our obligations underQuarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the registration rights agreement. We will not receive any cash proceeds from the issuance of the exchange notes in this exchange offer. In exchange for issuing the exchange notes as described in this prospectus, we will receive an equal principal amount of original notes, which will be canceled.

period ended June 30, 2006. The net proceeds from the issuance and sale of the original notes, together with cash on hand, were used to repay all outstanding amounts under our $350 million DIANON bridge loan.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents, total debt and total capitalizationselected consolidated financial data as of September 30, 2002 on an actual basis and:

on a pro forma basis to give effect to our acquisition of DIANONDecember 31, 2004 and 2005 and for the financing related thereto; and

on a pro forma as adjusted basis to give effect to our acquisition of DIANON and the completion of the $350.0 million offering of original notes, including the application of the net proceeds as described in “Use of Proceeds.”

This table should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

   

September 30, 2002


 
   

Actual


  

Pro Forma


  

Pro Forma As Adjusted


 

Cash and cash equivalents

  

$

98.4

  

$

81.9

  

$

77.0

 

   

  

  


Debt (including current maturities):

             

DIANON bridge loan

  

$

—  

  

$

350.0

  

$

—  

 

Dynacare bridge loan

  

 

120.0

  

 

120.0

  

 

120.0

(a)

Existing senior credit facilities

  

 

—  

  

 

248.6

  

 

248.6

 

5 1/2% senior notes due 2013

  

 

—  

  

 

—  

  

 

350.0

 

Zero coupon subordinated notes

  

 

510.3

  

 

510.3

  

 

510.3

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

  

 

3.2

  

 

3.2

  

 

3.2

 

Capital lease obligations and other

  

 

6.8

  

 

6.8

  

 

6.8

 

   

  

  


Total debt

  

 

640.3

  

 

1,238.9

  

 

1,238.9

 

   

  

  


Total shareholders’ equity

  

 

1,575.2

  

 

1,575.2

  

 

1,575.2

 

   

  

  


Total capitalization

  

$

2,215.5

  

$

2,814.1

  

$

2,814.1

 

   

  

  



(a)On November 29, 2002, we repaid the outstanding balance of $120.0 million on the Dynacare bridge loan, with no additional borrowings under our senior credit facilities.

DESCRIPTION OF OTHER INDEBTEDNESS

Senior Credit Facilities

In February 2002, we entered into two senior credit facilities with Credit Suisse First Boston, acting through its New York Branch, acting as Administrative Agent, and a group of financial institutions totaling $300.0 million. The senior credit facilities consisted of a 364-day revolving credit facility in the principal amount of $100.0 million and a three-year revolving credit facility in the principal amount of $200.0 million.

On January 14, 2003, we entered into a new $150.0 million 364-day revolving credit facility with Credit Suisse First Boston, acting through its Cayman Islands Branch, acting as Administrative Agent, and a group of financial institutions to replace our existing $100.0 million 364-day revolving credit facility, which has been terminated. The new 364-day revolving credit facility expires on January 13, 2004. Our $200.0 million three-year revolving credit facility remains in place and expires on February 18, 2005.

As of September 30, 2002, we had no outstanding borrowings under our senior credit facilities. In connection with the DIANON acquisition, we borrowed $248.6 million under our senior credit facilities. The senior credit facilities bear interest at LIBOR plus 100 basis points and are available for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, funding of share repurchases and other payments and acquisitions.

Dynacare Bridge Loan

In conjunction with the acquisition of Dynacare, we borrowed $150.0 million under our Dynacare bridge loan agreement, which had an original maturity date of July 23, 2003. As of September 30, 2002, we had an outstanding balance of $120.0 million on the Dynacare bridge loan, with an interest rate of LIBOR plus 75 basis points. On November 29, 2002, we repaid all outstanding balances under the Dynacare bridge loan and as a result, the loan has been terminated.

Liquid Yield Option Notes

During 2001, we sold $744.0 million aggregate principal amount at maturity of our Liquid Yield Option Notes (the “LYONs”) in a private placement. The LYONs are zero coupon convertible subordinated notes due 2021. We received approximately $488.6 million in net proceeds from the offering and used a portion of these proceeds to repay $412.5 million of our term loan outstanding under our then existing credit agreement. The LYONs are subordinated to our senior credit facilities and to the notes being offered hereby.

Holders of the LYONs may require us to purchase all or a portion of their notes on September 11, 2004, 2006 and 2011 at prices ranging from $712.97 to $819.54 per $1,000 principal amount due at maturity. We may choose to pay the purchase price in cash or common stock or a combination of cash and common stock. If the holders elect to require us to purchase their notes, it is our current intention to purchase the notes with cash only. Should the holders put the notes to us on any of the dates above, we believe that we will be able to obtain alternate financing to satisfy this contingent cash obligation.

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

On July 25, 2002, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Dynacare in a combination cash and stock transaction, with a combined value of approximately $495.3 million, including transaction costs. We also converted approximately 553,958 unvested Dynacare stock options into 297,049 unvested options to acquire shares of our common stock at terms comparable to those under the predecessor Dynacare plan. This conversion of outstanding unvested options increased the non-cash consideration of the transaction by approximately $5.0 million and resulted in the recording of initial deferred compensation of approximately $2.5 million. In conjunction with this acquisition, we repaid Dynacare’s existing $204.4 million of senior subordinated unsecured notes, including a call premium of approximately $7.0 million. The transaction was financed by issuing approximately 4.9 million shares of our common stock, valued at approximately $245.6 million, $260.0 million in available cash, a $150.0 million bridge loan and borrowings of $50.0 million under our senior credit facilities.

On January 17, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of DIANON in a cash transaction with a total value of approximately $624.0 million, including transaction costs. The transaction was financed by using approximately $25.4 million in available cash, our $350.0 million DIANON bridge loan and borrowings under our senior credit facilities.

The following unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements have been prepared to illustrate the effects of the following transactions:

our purchase of all of Dynacare’s outstanding stock, the financing of the purchase and the related transactions costs associated with the Dynacare acquisition, and the repayment of Dynacare’s senior subordinated unsecured notes and related accrued interest with cash on-hand and borrowings under a bridge loan and our senior credit facilities.

our purchase of all of DIANON’s outstanding common stock, the financing of the all cash purchase price and related transaction costs associated with the DIANON acquisition with cash on-hand and borrowings under our DIANON bridge loan facility and our senior credit facilities. We expect to refinance the bridge loan facility with the proceeds of this offering. These unaudited pro forma combined financial statements assume that the notes offered are hereby outstanding for all periods presented.

The Dynacare acquisition and the DIANON acquisition are collectively referred to by us as the Acquisitions. The borrowings under our existing senior credit facilities and the notes offered hereby are collectively referred to by us as the Borrowings.

The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2002 gives effect to the acquisition of DIANON and the related borrowings as if they had occurred on September 30, 2002. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations assume the Acquisitions, the repayment of Dynacare’s senior subordinated unsecured notes and the Borrowings were effected on January 1, 2001. The acquisition of DIANON was accounted for under the purchase method. As such, the cost to acquire DIANON was allocated to the respective assets and liabilities acquired based on their fair values at the closing of that acquisition. The initial allocation of the costs to acquire Dynacare is already reflected in our historical balance sheet as of September 30, 2002. Initial allocations of the costs to acquire DIANON have been made to the assets and liabilities of DIANON in the accompanying unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements based on estimates. The final allocations may be different from the amounts reflected in the accompanying unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements.

The estimated costs associated with severance and other integration-related activities for 2002,years ended December 31, 2003, 2004 and 2005 includingare derived from audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the eliminationyear ended December 31, 2005 and incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The selected consolidated financial data as of duplicative facilitiesDecember 31, 2001, 2002 and excess capacity, operational realignment2003 and related workforce reductions,for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002 are derived from our audited financial statements not included or incorporated by reference in the accompanying unaudited pro formathis prospectus. The selected consolidated financial

statements. To data as of June 30, 2006 and for the extent that these costs relate to actions that impact employeesix months ended June 30, 2005 and other related activities of Dynacare or DIANON, such costs will be accounted2006, are derived from unaudited financial statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for as a cost of the Acquisitions. To the extent that these costs relate to actions that impact our employee and related activities, such costs will be accounted for as a charge to earnings in the periods that the integration plans are approved and communicated. During the quarter ended SeptemberJune 30, 2002, we recorded approximately $14.6 million2006 and incorporated by reference in accrued transaction costs relating to our acquisition of Dynacare. We expect to finalizethis prospectus, and record the costs associatedhave been prepared in accordance with the acquisition of DIANONaccounting principles generally accepted in the first halfUnited States for interim financial information, and in our opinion, reflect all adjustments (consisting of 2003.

The unaudited pro forma combined statementsnormal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations also do not includeand financial position. The results of operations for the estimated annual synergies that we expect to be realized upon completion of the integration of the Acquisitions in 2005.

The pro forma adjustments, and the assumptions on which they are based, are described in the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements.

The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements are presented for illustrative purposes only to aid you in your analysis of the impact on us of the Acquisitions and the Borrowings. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statementssix months ended June 30, 2006 are not necessarily indicative of the combined financial position or results of operations that would have been realized hadto be expected for the company, Dynacare and DIANON been a single entity during the periods presented. In addition, the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of thefull year or any future results that we will experience after the Acquisitions. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with our historical financial statements and those of Dynacare and DIANON.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and Subsidiariesperiod.

 

Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2002

(Dollars in millions)

   Year Ended December 31,  

Six Months Ended

June 30,

   2005(a)  2004  2003(b)  2002(c)(d)  2001(e)  2006(f)  2005
                  (Unaudited)
   (In millions, except per share amounts)

Statement of Operations Data:

              

Net Sales

  $3,327.6  $3,084.8  $2,939.4  $2,507.7  $2,199.8  $1,782.2  $1,652.4

Gross profit

   1,390.3   1,289.3   1,224.6   1,061.8   925.6   765.5   703.2

Operating income

   618.1   598.4   533.7   435.0   367.6   358.4   330.7

Net Earnings

   386.2   363.0   321.0   254.6   179.5   218.3   202.6

Basic earnings per common share

  $2.89  $2.60  $2.23  $1.78  $1.29  $1.75  $1.51

Diluted earnings per common share(g)

  $2.71  $2.45  $2.11  $1.69  $1.26  $1.62  $1.41

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding

   133.5   139.4   144.0   142.8   138.8   124.4   134.4

Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding

   144.9   150.7   154.7   154.2   144.1   136.6   145.6

 

   

Historical


   

Pro Forma Adjustments


     

Pro Forma Consolidated


 
   

LabCorp


   

DIANON


       

ASSETS

                      

Current assets:

                      

Cash and cash equivalents

  

$

98.4

 

  

$

8.9

 

  

$

(25.4

)(2)

    

$

81.9

 

Available for sale securities

  

 

—  

 

  

 

51.2

 

         

 

51.2

 

Accounts receivable, net

  

 

418.7

 

  

 

38.1

 

         

 

456.8

 

Inventories

  

 

44.0

 

  

 

2.2

 

         

 

46.2

 

Prepaid expenses and other

  

 

23.1

 

  

 

5.9

 

         

 

29.0

 

Deferred income taxes

  

 

53.5

 

  

 

5.9

 

         

 

59.4

 

   


  


  


    


Total current assets

  

 

637.7

 

  

 

112.2

 

  

 

(25.4

)

    

 

724.5

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

  

 

355.3

 

  

 

10.5

 

         

 

365.8

 

Goodwill

  

 

935.9

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

398.4

(1)(3)

    

 

1,334.3

 

Identifiable intangible assets, net

  

 

305.1

 

  

 

182.6

 

  

 

27.0

(1)(3)

    

 

514.7

 

Investments in equity affiliates

  

 

390.6

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

390.6

 

Other assets, net

  

 

29.0

 

  

 

0.8

 

         

 

29.8

 

   


  


  


    


   

$

2,653.6

 

  

$

306.1

 

  

$

400.0

 

    

$

3,359.7

 

   


  


  


    


LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                      

Current liabilities:

                      

Accounts payable

  

$

90.0

 

  

$

1.9

 

  

$

 

 

    

$

91.9

 

Accrued expenses and other

  

 

194.9

 

  

 

20.6

 

         

 

215.5

 

Current portion of long-term debt

  

 

120.5

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

120.5

 

   


  


  


    


Total current liabilities

  

 

405.4

 

  

 

22.5

 

  

 

—  

 

    

 

427.9

 

Revolving credit facility

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

248.6

(2)

    

 

248.6

 

DIANON bridge loan

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

350.0

(2)

    

 

350.0

 

Zero coupon—subordinated notes

  

 

510.3

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

510.3

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

  

 

3.2

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

3.2

 

Capital lease obligations

  

 

6.3

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

6.3

 

Other liabilities

  

 

153.2

 

  

 

1.2

 

  

 

83.8

(1)

    

 

238.2

 

Shareholder’s equity:

                      

Preferred stock

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

         

 

—  

 

Common stock

  

 

14.8

 

  

 

0.1

 

  

 

(0.1

)(4)

    

 

14.8

 

Additional paid-in capital

  

 

1,406.2

 

  

 

256.5

 

  

 

(256.5

)(4)

    

 

1,406.2

 

Retained earnings

  

 

213.1

 

  

 

35.1

 

  

 

(35.1

)(4)

    

 

213.1

 

Treasury stock

  

 

(4.4

)

  

 

(10.1

)

  

 

10.1

 (4)

    

 

(4.4

)

Unearned restricted stock compensation

  

 

(46.1

)

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

    

 

(46.1

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  

 

(8.4

)

  

 

0.8

 

  

 

(0.8

)(4)

    

 

(8.4

)

   


  


  


    


Total shareholders’ equity

  

 

1,575.2

 

  

 

282.4

 

  

 

(282.4

)

    

 

1,575.2

 

   


  


  


    


   

$

2,653.6

 

  

$

306.1

 

  

$

400.0

 

    

$

3,359.7

 

   


  


  


    


See the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2002

(Dollars in millions, except where indicated and for per share data)

(1)

  

The estimated acquisition costs related to the purchase, and related allocation to fair market value of the net assets acquired is as follows:

     
   

Total Acquisition Costs

     
   

Net cash paid by LabCorp to DIANON security holders

  

$

598.6

 

   

Transaction costs, consisting primarily of investment banking and legal fees

  

 

25.4

 

      


      

$

624.0

 

      


   

Preliminary Allocation of Acquisition Costs

     
   

Net assets of DIANON per historical balance sheet as of September 30, 2002

  

$

282.4

 

   

Adjustments to net assets of DIANON:

     
   

Eliminate historical DIANON intangibles

  

 

(182.6

)

      


   

Adjusted historical net assets of DIANON

  

 

99.8

 

   

Adjustments to record net assets acquired, based on estimates of fair values:

     
   

Goodwill

  

 

398.4

 

   

Identifiable intangible assets

  

 

209.6

 

   

Other liabilities, primarily deferred tax liabilities

  

 

(83.8

)

      


   

Total acquisition costs

  

$

624.0

 

      


(2)

  

To record financing of the acquisition by LabCorp as follows:

     
   

Reduction of LabCorp cash on hand

  

$

25.4

 

   

Borrowings under LabCorp’s senior credit facilities

  

 

248.6

 

   

Borrowings under the DIANON bridge loan

  

 

350.0

 

      


      

$

624.0

 

      


   

Borrowings under the senior credit facilities and the DIANON bridge loan will bear interest rates calculated quarterly on LIBOR plus 100 basis points and LIBOR plus 137.5 basis points, respectively. A 0.125% change in LIBOR would produce a $0.4 change in annual net earnings. For the purpose of these unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statements, the LIBOR rate was assumed to be 2.0%. The permanent financing that will replace the DIANON bridge loan is assumed to bear an interest rate of 6.0%. Accordingly, the higher rate has been used to calculate pro forma interest expense related to the portion of the DIANON consideration financed with the DIANON bridge loan in the accompanying unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations.

     

(3)

  

To eliminate historical DIANON intangibles of $182.6 and setup estimated intangibles relating to the acquisition as follows:

     
   

Goodwill

  

$

398.4

 

   

Identifiable intangibles (predominantly customer lists and proprietary software)

  

 

209.6

 

      


      

$

608.0

 

      


   

The identifiable intangibles have an assumed life of 15 years in the accompanying unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed statements of operations. It is LabCorp’s intention to obtain detailed valuation studies of the net assets acquired during the first half of 2003. Accordingly, the final allocation of cost and the related useful lives may be different from the estimated amounts presented above. A portion of the estimated increase in intangible assets will be allocated to fixed assets upon completion of the valuations.

     

(4)

  

To eliminate historical DIANON shareholders’ equity amounts as follows:

     
   

Common stock

  

$

0.1

 

   

Additional paid-in capital

  

 

256.5

 

   

Retained earnings

  

 

35.1

 

   

Treasury stock

  

 

(10.1

)

   

Accumulated other comprehensive income

  

 

0.8

 

      


      

$

282.4

 

      


LabCorp

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002

(In millions, except share and per share data)

   

Historical
LabCorp


   

Pro Forma
Dynacare(1)


   

Pro Forma
DIANON(2)


   

Pro Forma
Combined


 

Net sales

  

$

1,857.6

 

  

$

169.5

 

  

$

141.0

 

  

$

2,168.1

 

Cost of sales

  

 

1,049.7

 

  

 

109.8

 

  

 

70.3

 

  

 

1,229.8

 

   


  


  


  


Gross profit

  

 

807.9

 

  

 

59.7

 

  

 

70.7

 

  

 

938.3

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

427.3

 

  

 

63.1

 

  

 

41.4

 

  

 

531.8

 

Restructuring and other special charges

  

 

17.5

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

4.8

 

  

 

22.3

 

Amortization

  

 

16.4

 

  

 

2.1

 

  

 

10.5

 

  

 

29.0

 

   


  


  


  


Operating income (loss)

  

 

346.7

 

  

 

(5.5

)

  

 

14.0

 

  

 

355.2

 

Other income (expense):

                    

Income from equity investments

  

 

6.2

 

  

 

22.7

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

28.9

 

Loss on sale of assets

  

 

(0.4

)

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

(0.4

)

Net investment income

  

 

2.9

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

1.2

 

  

 

4.1

 

Termination of interest rate swap agreement

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

Interest expense

  

 

(13.7

)

  

 

(8.0

)

  

 

(21.3

)

  

 

(43.0

)

   


  


  


  


Earnings before income tax and extraordinary loss

  

 

341.7

 

  

 

9.2

 

  

 

(6.1

)

  

 

344.8

 

Provision for income taxes

  

 

140.1

 

  

 

3.8

 

  

 

(2.5

)

  

 

141.4

 

   


  


  


  


Earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

201.6

 

  

$

5.4

 

  

$

(3.6

)

  

$

203.4

 

   


  


  


  


Diluted earnings per common share before extraordinary loss

  

$

1.40

 

            

$

1.38

 

   


            


Diluted shares O/S

  

 

143,694,108

 

  

 

3,987,974

 

       

 

147,682,082

 

   


  


       


See the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations.

LabCorp

Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2001

(In millions, except share and per share data)

   

Historical
LabCorp


   

Pro Forma
Dynacare(1)


   

Pro Forma
DIANON(2)


   

Pro Forma
Combined


 

Net sales

  

$

2,199.8

 

  

$

254.8

 

  

$

125.7

 

  

$

2,580.3

 

Cost of sales

  

 

1,274.2

 

  

 

162.7

 

  

 

69.1

 

  

 

1,506.0

 

   


  


  


  


Gross profit

  

 

925.6

 

  

 

92.1

 

  

 

56.6

 

  

 

1,074.3

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

516.5

 

  

 

87.0

 

  

 

38.5

 

  

 

642.0

 

Restructuring and other special charges

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

7.0

 

  

 

7.0

 

Amortization

  

 

41.5

 

  

 

3.6

 

  

 

14.0

 

  

 

59.1

 

   


  


  


  


Operating income (loss)

  

 

367.6

 

  

 

1.5

 

  

 

(2.9

)

  

 

366.2

 

Other income (expense):

                    

Income from equity investments

  

 

—  

 

  

 

29.4

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

29.4

 

Loss on sale of assets

  

 

(1.8

)

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

(1.8

)

Net investment income

  

 

2.4

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

0.7

 

  

 

3.1

 

Termination of interest rate swap agreement

  

 

(8.9

)

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

Interest expense

  

 

(27.0

)

  

 

(13.0

)

  

 

(28.5

)

  

 

(68.5

)

   


  


  


  


Earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

  

 

332.3

 

  

 

17.9

 

  

 

(30.7

)

  

 

319.5

 

Provision for income taxes

  

 

149.6

 

  

 

7.5

 

  

 

(12.8

)

  

 

144.3

 

   


  


  


  


Earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

182.7

 

  

$

10.4

 

  

$

(17.9

)

  

$

175.2

 

   


  


  


  


Diluted earnings per common share before extraordinary loss

  

$

1.29

 

            

$

1.20

 

   


            


Diluted shares O/S

  

 

141,077,443

 

  

 

5,090,662

 

       

 

146,168,105

 

   


  


       


See the accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma combined statement of operations.

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and Subsidiaries

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Statement of Operations

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002 and the Year Ended December 31, 2001

(Dollars in millions, except where indicated and for per share data)

The following footnotes summarize the significant pro forma adjustments that have been recorded in the accompanying unaudited pro forma combined Statements of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2002 and for the year ended December 31, 2001.

(1)    Relating to the Dynacare Acquisition

The unaudited pro forma combined Statement of Operations reflects the stand-alone operations of Dynacare for the year ended December 31, 2001 and for the period ended July 25, 2002 as adjusted to reflect the impact of the acquisition as set forth below. Subsequent to July 25, 2002, the date of the Dynacare acquisition, the results of operations of Dynacare are included in the LabCorp historical results of operations.

   

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002


   

Year Ended December 31, 2001


 
   

Historical Dynacare


     

Adjustments


     

Pro Forma Dynacare


   

Historical Dynacare


     

Adjustments


     

Pro Forma Dynacare


 

Net sales

  

$

158.9

 

    

$

10.6

(a)

    

$

169.5

 

  

$

237.9

 

    

$

16.9

(a)

    

$

254.8

 

Cost of sales

  

 

102.2

 

    

 

7.6

(a)

    

 

109.8

 

  

 

151.1

 

    

 

11.6

(a)

    

 

162.7

 

   


    


    


  


    


    


Gross profit

  

 

56.7

 

    

 

3.0

 

    

 

59.7

 

  

 

86.8

 

    

 

5.3

 

    

 

92.1

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

58.9

 

    

 

4.2

(a),(d)

    

 

63.1

 

  

 

80.7

 

    

 

6.3

(a),(d)

    

 

87.0

 

Restructuring and other special charges

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

Amortization

  

 

0.4

 

    

 

1.7

(b)

    

 

2.1

 

  

 

2.7

 

    

 

0.9

(b)

    

 

3.6

 

   


    


    


  


    


    


Operating income

  

 

(2.6

)

    

 

(2.9

)

    

 

(5.5

)

  

 

3.4

 

    

 

(1.9

)

    

 

1.5

 

Other income (expense):

                                      

Income from equity investments

  

 

15.2

 

    

 

7.5

(a)

    

 

22.7

 

  

 

30.7

 

    

 

(1.3

)(a)

    

 

29.4

 

Loss on sale of assets

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

Net investment income

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

Termination of interest rate swap

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

           

 

—  

 

Interest expense

  

 

(9.7

)

    

 

1.7

(c)

    

 

(8.0

)

  

 

(19.9

)

    

 

6.9

(c)

    

 

(13.0

)

   


    


    


  


    


    


Earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

  

 

2.9

 

    

 

6.3

 

    

 

9.2

 

  

 

14.2

 

    

 

3.7

 

    

 

17.9

 

Income taxes

  

 

1.4

 

    

 

2.4

(e)

    

 

3.8

 

  

 

(3.1

)

    

 

10.6

(e)

    

 

7.5

 

   


    


    


  


    


    


Earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

1.5

 

    

$

3.9

 

    

$

5.4

 

  

$

17.3

 

    

$

(6.9

)

    

$

10.4

 

   


    


    


  


    


    


   As of December 31,  As of
June 30,
   2005(a)  2004  2003(b)  2002(c)(d)  2001(e)  2006
                  (Unaudited)
   (In millions)

Balance Sheet Data:

            

Cash and cash equivalents, and short-term investments

  $63.1  $206.8  $123.0  $56.4  $149.2  $202.3

Goodwill and Intangible assets, net

   2,122.7   1,857.4   1,857.3   1,217.5   968.5   2,098.1

Total assets

   3,875.8   3,626.1   3,414.9   2,580.4   1,929.6   4,048.7

Long-term obligations(g)

   1,148.9   889.3   879.5   516.0   503.1   1,153.2

Total shareholders equity

   1,885.7   1,999.3   1,895.9   1,611.7   1,085.4   2,010.1


(a)As a condition

During the third and fourth quarters of 2005, we began to closing the Dynacare acquisition, Dynacare terminated its joint ventures in New York and Pennsylvania. In addition, Dynacare’s ownership percentage of its Tennessee partnership was increased dueimplement our plan related to the contributionintegration of LabCorp business in the Tennessee territory. This change in ownership triggered consolidation accounting for LabCorp for this partnership. Pro forma adjustments to show the effect of these changes as if they had all occurred as of January 1, 2001 are as follows:Esoterix, Inc. and US Pathology Labs, Inc. operations into our service delivery network. The plan is directed

     

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002


    

Year Ended December 31, 2001


 

Increase (decrease):

             

Net sales

    

$

10.6

    

$

16.9

 

Cost of sales

    

 

7.6

    

 

11.6

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

    

 

3.6

    

 

4.9

 

Income from equity investments

    

 

7.5

    

 

(1.3

)

Interest expense

    

 

0.1

    

 

0.2

 

     

    


Net increase (decrease) to earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

    

$

6.8

    

$

(1.1

)

     

    


        

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002


     

Year Ended December 31, 2001


 

(b)

  

Adjustments to amortization expense are as follows:

              
   

Eliminate historical intangible amortization

    

$

0.4

 

    

$

2.7

 

   

Add amortization of customer relationship intangibles

    

 

(2.1

)

    

 

(3.6

)

        


    


   

Net decrease to earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

    

$

(1.7

)

    

$

(0.9

)

        


    


(c)

  

Adjustments to interest expense are as follows:

              
   

Eliminate historical interest expense

    

$

9.7

 

    

$

19.9

 

   

Record pro forma interest expense

    

 

(8.0

)

    

 

(13.0

)

        


    


   

Net increase to earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

    

$

1.7

 

    

$

6.9

 

        


    


(d)

  

Adjustments to record deferred compensation expense on unvested stock options revalued at July 25, 2002 (net decrease to earnings before income taxes)

    

$

(0.6

)

    

$

(1.4

)

        


    


(e)

  

Adjustment to provision for income taxes, to increase income tax expense to the LabCorp statutory rate of 41.5%, adjusted for the impact of Canadian taxes (decrease to earnings before extraordinary loss)

    

$

(2.4

)

    

$

(10.6

)

        


    


(2)    Relating to the DIANON Acquisition

The unaudited pro forma combined Statement of Operations reflect the historical results of operations of DIANON for the year ended December 31, 2001 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2002 as adjusted to reflect the impact of the acquisition as set forth below.

   

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002


   

Year Ended December 31, 2001


 
   

Historical
DIANON


  

Adjustments


     

Pro Forma
DIANON


   

Historical
DIANON


  

Adjustments


     

Pro Forma
DIANON


 

Net sales

  

$

141.0

  

$

 

 

    

$

141.0

 

  

$

125.7

  

$

 

 

    

$

125.7

 

Cost of sales

  

 

70.3

         

 

70.3

 

  

 

69.1

         

 

69.1

 

   

  


    


  

  


    


Gross profit

  

 

70.7

  

 

—  

 

    

 

70.7

 

  

 

56.6

         

 

56.6

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

41.4

         

 

41.4

 

  

 

38.5

         

 

38.5

 

Restructuring and other special charges

  

 

4.8

         

 

4.8

 

  

 

7.0

         

 

7.0

 

Amortization

  

 

1.5

  

 

9.0

 (a)

    

 

10.5

 

  

 

1.4

  

 

12.6

 (a)

    

 

14.0

 

   

  


    


  

  


    


Operating income

  

 

23.0

  

 

(9.0

)

    

 

14.0

 

  

 

9.7

  

 

(12.6

)

    

 

(2.9

)

Other income (expense):

                                

Income from equity investments

  

 

—  

         

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

         

 

—  

 

Loss on sale of assets

  

 

—  

         

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

         

 

—  

 

Net investment income

  

 

1.2

         

 

1.2

 

  

 

0.7

         

 

0.7

 

Termination of interest rate swap

  

 

—  

              

 

—  

         

 

—  

 

Interest expense

  

 

—  

  

 

(21.3

)(b)

    

 

(21.3

)

  

 

—  

  

 

(28.5

)(b)

    

 

(28.5

)

   

  


    


  

  


    


Earnings before income tax and extraordinary loss

  

 

24.2

  

 

(30.3

)

    

 

(6.1

)

  

 

10.4

  

 

(41.1

)

    

 

(30.7

)

Income taxes

  

 

11.7

  

 

(14.2

)(c)

    

 

(2.5

)

  

 

4.2

  

 

(17.1

)(c)

    

 

(12.8

)

   

  


    


  

  


    


Earnings before extraordinary loss

  

$

12.5

  

$

(16.1

)

    

$

(3.6

)

  

$

6.2

  

$

(24.0

)

    

$

(17.9

)

   

  


    


  

  


    


     

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002


     

Year Ended December 31, 2001


 

Increase (decrease):

              

(a)

  

Adjustments to amortization expense are as follows:

              
   

Eliminate historical intangible amortization

    

$

1.5

 

    

$

1.4

 

   

Add amortization of customer relationship intangibles

    

 

(10.5

)

    

 

(14.0

)

        


    


   

Net decrease to earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss

    

$

(9.0

)

    

$

(12.6

)

        


    


(b)

  

Adjustment to record interest on the Borrowings (net decrease to earnings before income taxes and extraordinary loss)

    

$

(21.3

)

    

$

(28.5

)

        


    


(c)

  

To record income tax benefit on the pro forma adjustments (increase to earnings before extraordinary loss)

    

$

14.2

 

    

$

17.1

 

        


    


BUSINESS

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (the “Company”) is the second largest independent clinical laboratory company in the United States, based on net revenues. Through a national network of laboratories, the Company offers more than 4,000 different clinical laboratory tests which are used by the medical profession in routine testing, patient diagnosis and in the monitoring and treatment of disease. In addition, the Company has developed specialty and niche businesses based on certain types of specialized testing capabilities and client requirements, such as oncology testing, HIV genotyping and phenotyping, diagnostic genetics and clinical research trials. The Company has expanded significantly its routine and specialty testing businesses through its acquisitions of Dynacare Inc. and DIANONSystems, Inc. Since the Company’s founding in 1971, it has grown into a national network of 47 primary laboratories (including our recent acquisition of DIANON) and over 1,200 service sites, consisting of branches, patient service centers and stat laboratories, which are laboratories that have the ability to perform certain routine tests quickly and report the results to the physician immediately.

On July 25, 2002, the Company completed its acquisition of Dynacare, a provider of clinical laboratory testing services in 21 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada. The acquisition of Dynacare has enabled the Company to expand its national testing network and it expects to realize significant operational synergies from the acquisition. Dynacare had 2001 revenues of approximately $238.0 million and had approximately 6,300 employees at the closing date of the acquisition. On January 17, 2003, the Company completed its acquisition of DIANON, a leading national provider of anatomic pathology and genetic testing services with a primary focus on advanced oncology testing. DIANON had 2001 revenues of approximately $125.7 million and had approximately 1,100 employees at the closing date of the acquisition. DIANON significantly enhances the Company’s oncology testing capabilities and positions it to more effectively market and distribute the advanced testing technologies that the Company has developed internally or has licensed from its technology partners, such as Myriad Genetics, Inc., EXACT Sciences Corporation, Celera Diagnostics and Correlogic Systems, Inc.

With over 24,000 employees, the Company processes tests on more than 300,000 patient specimens daily and provides clinical laboratory testing services to clients in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and two provinces in Canada. Its clients include physicians, hospitals, HMOs and other managed care organizations, governmental agencies, large employers, and other independent clinical laboratories that do not have the breadth of its testing capabilities. Several hundred of the Company’s 4,000 tests are frequently used in general patient care by physicians to establish or support a diagnosis, to monitor treatment or to search for an otherwise undiagnosed condition. The most frequently-requested of these routine tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, Pap smears, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. The Company performs this core group of routine tests in each of its major laboratories using sophisticated and computerized instruments, with most results reported within 24 hours.

The Clinical Laboratory Testing Industry

Laboratory tests and procedures are used generally by hospitals, physicians and other health care providers and commercial clients to assist in the diagnosis, evaluation, detection, monitoring and treatment of diseases and other medical conditions through the examination of substances in the blood, tissues and other specimens. Clinical laboratory testing is generally categorized as either clinical testing, which is performed on body fluids including blood and urine, or anatomical pathology testing, which is performed on cytologic samples, tissue and other samples, including human cells. Clinical and anatomical pathology procedures are frequently ordered as part of regular physician office visits and hospital admissions in connection with the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. Certain of these tests and procedures are used principally as tools in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS, endocrine disorders, cardiac disorders and genetic disease. The most frequently requested tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, Pap smears, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests.

The clinical laboratory industry consists primarily of three types of providers: hospital-based laboratories, physician-office laboratories and independent clinical laboratories, such as those operated by the Company. The Company believes that in 2001 approximately 49% of the clinical testing revenues in the United States were derived by hospital-based laboratories, approximately 12% were derived by physicians in their offices and laboratories, and approximately 39% were derived by independent clinical laboratories. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has estimated that in 2001 there were approximately 5,000 independent clinical laboratories in the United States.

Effect of Market Changes on the Clinical Laboratory Business

Many market-based changes in the clinical laboratory business have occurred over the past ten years, primarily as a result of the shift away from traditional, fee-for-service medicine to managed-cost health care. The growth of the managed care sector presents various challenges to the Company and other independent clinical laboratories. Managed care organizations typically contract with a limited number of clinical laboratories and negotiate discounts to the fees charged by such laboratories in an effort to control costs. Such discounts have historically resulted in price erosion and have negatively impacted the Company’s operating margins. In addition, managed care organizations have used capitated payment contracts in an attempt to fix the cost of laboratory testing services for their enrollees. Under a capitated payment contract, the clinical laboratory and the managed care organization agree to a per member, per month payment to cover all laboratory tests during the month, regardless of the number or cost of the tests actually performed. The Company makes significant efforts to ensure that esoteric tests are excluded from capitated arrangements and therefore paid for separately by the managed care organization and rarely enters into such contracts without such exclusions. Capitated payment contracts shift the risks of additional testing beyond that covered by the capitated payment to the clinical laboratory. For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, such capitated contracts accounted for approximately $89.3 million of the Company’s net sales. The increase in managed care and insurance companies’ attempts to control utilization of medical services overall has also resulted in declines in the utilization of laboratory testing services.

In addition, Medicare (which principally serves patients 65 and older), Medicaid (which principally serves indigent patients) and insurers have increased their efforts to control the cost, utilization and delivery of health care services. Measures to regulate health care delivery in general and clinical laboratories in particular have resulted in reduced prices, added costs and decreased test utilization for the clinical laboratory industry by increasing complexity and adding new regulatory and administrative requirements. From time to time, Congress has also considered changes to the Medicare fee schedules in conjunction with certain budgetary bills. The Company believes that reductions in reimbursement for Medicare services will continue to be implemented from time to time. Reductions in the reimbursement rates of other third-party payors may occur as well.

Despite the market changes discussed above, the Company believes that the volume of clinical laboratory testing will be positively influenced by several factors, including: the expanded base of genomics knowledge, which has led to an enhanced appreciation of the value of gene-based diagnostic assays for guiding both the development and stratification of patient-related data for new therapeutics, as well as an increased awareness by physicians that clinical laboratory testing is a cost-effective means of prevention, early detection of disease and monitoring of treatment. In an effort to better offer new technology as medical needs and standards of care develop, the Company recently announced partnerships with Myriad Genetics to make its predictive medicine products broadly available to primary care physicians throughout the United States and with EXACT Sciences to exclusively license its proprietary technologies for the detection of colorectal cancer. Additional factors which may lead to future volume growth include an increase in the number and types of tests which are readily available (due to advances in technology and increased cost efficiencies) for testing of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and the general aging of the population in the United States. The impact of these factors is expected to be partially offset by declines in volume as a result of increased controls over the utilization of laboratory services by Medicare and other third-party payors, particularly managed care organizations.

Laboratory Testing Operations and Services

The Company has 47 primary testing facilities, and over 1,200 service sites consisting of branches, patient service centers and stat laboratories. A “branch” is a central office which collects specimens in a region for shipment to one of the Company’s laboratories for testing. Test results can be printed at a branch and conveniently delivered to the client. A branch also is used as a base for sales staff. Generally, a “patient service center” is a facility maintained by the Company to serve the physicians in a medical professional building or other strategic location. The patient service center collects the specimens as requested by the physician. The specimens are sent, principally through the Company’s in-house courier system (and, to a lesser extent, through independent couriers), to one of the Company’s major laboratories for testing. Some of the Company’s patient service centers also function as “stat labs,” which are laboratories that have the ability to perform certain routine tests quickly and report results to the physician immediately. The Company processed an average of approximately 300,000 patient specimens per day in 2002. Patient specimens are delivered to the Company accompanied by a test request form. These forms, which are completed by the client, indicate the tests to be performed and provide the necessary billing information.

Each specimen and related request form is checked for completeness and then given a unique identification number. The unique identification number assigned to each specimen helps to assure that the results are attributed to the correct patient. The test request forms are sent to a data entry terminal where a file is established for each patient and the necessary testing and billing information is entered. Once this information is entered into the computer system, the tests are performed and the results are entered through computer interface or manually, depending upon the tests and the type of equipment involved. Most of the Company’s computerized testing equipment is directly linked with the Company’s information systems. Most routine testing is completed by early the next morning and test results are printed and prepared for distribution by service representatives that day. Some clients have local printing capability and have reports printed out directly in their offices. Clients who request that they be called with a result are so notified in the morning. It is Company policy to notify the client immediately if a life-threatening result is found at any point during the course of the testing process.

Company Strategy

The Company believes that it has differentiated itself from its competitors and positioned itself for continued strong growth by building a leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies. This leadership position enables the Company to provide a broad menu of testing services for the infectious disease and cancer markets, which it believes represent two of the most significant areas of future growth in the clinical laboratory industry. The Company’s primary strategic objective is to expand its leadership position in genomic and other advanced testing technologies and leverage its national core testing infrastructure to deliver outstanding and innovative clinical testing services to patients and physicians nationwide.

Develop and Be First to Market with New Tests.    Advances in medicine have begun fundamentally to change diagnostic testing, and new tests are allowing clinical laboratories to provide unprecedented amounts of health-related information to physicians and patients. Significant new tests introduced over the past several years include a gene-based test for human papilloma virus, Myriad Genetics’ predictive test for breast cancer and tests for HIV phenotyping and cystic fibrosis. As science continues to advance, the Company expects new testing technologies to emerge; therefore, it intends to continue to invest in advanced testing capabilities so that it can remain on the cutting edge of clinical laboratory testing. The Company has added, and expects to continue to add, new testing technologies and capabilities through a combination of internal development initiatives, technology licensing and partnership transactions and selected acquisitions. Through its national sales force, the Company rapidly introduces new testing technologies to physician customers. For example, last year the Company entered into an exclusive sales and distribution partnership with Myriad Genetics under which it now offers certain of Myriad Genetics’ products, including a predictive test for breast cancer, to physicians throughout the United States, creating an immediate distribution pipeline into the primary care physician market for these products.

Capitalize on Unique Opportunities with Partnered Technologies.    The Company has announced a number of significant licensing and partnership agreements which provide it with access to exciting new testing technologies that it expects will have an increasing impact on diagnostic testing. For example, in June 2002, the creation of an exclusive, long-term strategic partnership with EXACT Sciences to commercialize PreGen-Plus, EXACT Sciences’ proprietary, non-invasive technology for the early detection of colorectal cancer in the average-risk population, was announced. The Company currently plans to launch this gene-based test, which represents a significant new tool for the early detection of colorectal cancer, in the first half of 2003. The Company is collaborating with Celera Diagnostics to determine the clinical utility of laboratory tests based on novel diagnostic markers for Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer and will have exclusive access to any related markers found to have clinical utility. In addition, the Company recently signed a co-exclusive licensing agreement with Correlogic Systems to commercialize its ovarian cancer protein pattern blood test, which offers the prospect of accurate and early detection of ovarian cancer. With its exclusive sales and distribution partnership with Myriad Genetics, physicians now have the convenience of sending patients to one of the Company’s patient service centers for Myriad Genetics’ predisposition testing for breast, ovarian, colon, uterine and melanoma skin cancers, as well as hypertension. The Company’s relationship with Myriad Genetics makes it one of the few clinical laboratories in the United States to provide the entire care continuum from predisposition to surveillance testing, including screening, evaluation, diagnosis and monitoring options.

Enhance the Company’s Oncology Testing Business by Leveraging DIANON’s Unique Capabilities.    DIANON is a national provider of oncology testing services and significantly enhances the Company’s oncology testing capabilities. DIANON is recognized by physicians, managed care companies and other customers as a leading provider of a wide range of anatomic pathology testing services, with particular strength in uropathology, dermatopathology, GI pathology and hematopathology. DIANON’s strengths in anatomic pathology complement the Company’s strengths in other areas of cancer testing, particularly cytology. The Company expects that DIANON’s extremely effective specialized sales force, scientific expertise, efficient operating model and proprietary CarePath clinical reporting system will allow it to enhance its cancer testing business. The Company intends to apply DIANON’s best practices to its existing anatomic pathology operations, through which it expects to realize significant operational efficiencies. The Company believes that DIANON’s sophisticated sales and marketing organization will enhance the value of its strategic cancer initiatives with Myriad Genetics, EXACT Sciences, Celera Diagnostics, Correlogic Systems and its other technology partners as well as increase its sales potential by offering a wider range of testing services with the addition of the Company’s broader cancer testing menu to DIANON’s existing test menu.

Leverage National Infrastructure.    The Company’s national presence provides it a number of significant benefits and it intends to maintain and continue to build its national presence. The Company’s national network of 47 primary laboratories and over 1,200 service sites, including branches, patient service centers and stat laboratories, enables it to provide high-quality services to physicians, hospitals, managed care organizations and other customers across the United States and Canada. Recent agreements with Premier, as well as the Company’s managed care contracts with United Healthcare, Aetna, MAMSI and others, demonstrate the importance of being able to deliver services on a nationwide basis. Furthermore, the Company’s scale provides it with significant cost structure advantages, particularly related to supply and other operating costs.

Expand Hospital Alliances.    Another of the Company’s primary growth strategies is to develop an increasing number of hospital and other provider alliances. These alliances can take several different forms, including laboratory technical support (management) contracts, reference agreements and cooperative testing arrangements. The Company has focused and will continue to focus on developing cooperative testing relationships that capitalize on hospitals’ ability to perform rapid response testing and our ability to provide high quality routine and esoteric testing.

Testing Services

Routine Testing

The Company currently offers approximately 4,000 different clinical laboratory tests or procedures. Several hundred of these are frequently used in general patient care by physicians to establish or support a diagnosis, to monitor treatment or medication or to search for an otherwise undiagnosed condition. The most frequently requested tests include blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, Pap smears, HIV tests, microbiology cultures and procedures and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests. These routine procedures are most often used by practicing physicians in their outpatient office practices. Physicians may elect to send such procedures to an independent laboratory or they may choose to establish an in-house laboratory to perform some of the tests.

The Company performs this core group of routine tests in each of its 47 primary testing facilities, which constitutes a majority of the testing performed by the Company. In July 2002, the Company acquired Dynacare, which enabled the Company to expand its national testing network. The Company generally performs and reports most routine procedures within 24 hours, utilizing a variety of sophisticated and computerized laboratory testing instruments.

Specialty and Niche Testing

While the information provided by many routine tests may be used by nearly all physicians, regardless of specialty, many other procedures are more specialized in nature. One of the primary growth strategies of the Company is the continued expansion of its specialty and niche businesses, which involve certain types of unique testing capabilities and/or client requirements. In general, the specialty and niche businesses are designed to serve two market segments: (i) markets which are not served by the routine clinical testing laboratory and therefore are subject to less stringent regulatory and reimbursement constraints; and (ii) markets which are served by the routine testing laboratory and offer the possibility of adding related services from the same supplier. The Company’s research and development group continually seeks new and improved technologies for early diagnosis. For example, the Company’s Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology (“CMBP”) is a leader in molecular diagnostics and polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) technologies which are often able to provide earlier and more reliable information regarding HIV, genetic diseases, cancer and many other viral and bacterial diseases. In August 2000, the Company acquired Los Angeles-based National Genetics Institute, Inc. (“NGI”), a leader in the development of PCR assays for hepatitis C (“HCV”). In June 2001, the Company acquired Minneapolis-based Viro-Med Laboratories, Inc., which offers molecular microbial testing using real time PCR platforms. On January 17, 2003, the Company acquired DIANON, a leading provider of anatomic pathology and genetic testing services with a primary focus on advanced oncology testing. Management believes these technologies may represent a significant savings to managed care organizations by increasing the detection of early stage (treatable) diseases. The following are specialty and niche businesses in which the Company offers testing and related services:

Infectious Disease.    The Company provides complete viral load testing as well as HIV genotyping and phenotyping. In 2000, the Company added HIV GenoSureTM to its portfolio of HIV resistance testing services. The Company’s use of this leading-edge technology puts it in the forefront of HIV drug resistance testing – one of the most important issues surrounding the treatment of HIV. Additionally, the Company provides comprehensive testing for HCV including both PCR testing and genotyping at CMBP, NGI and Viro-Med.

Allergy Testing.    The Company offers an extensive range of allergen testing services as well as computerized analysis and a treatment program that enables primary care physicians to diagnose and treat many kinds of allergic disorders.

Clinical Research Testing.    The Company regularly performs clinical laboratory testing for pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research trials on new drugs. This testing often involves periodic testing of patients participating in the trial over several years.

Diagnostic Genetics.    The Company offers cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic, biochemical and molecular genetic tests.

Identity Testing.    The Company provides forensic identity testing used in connection with criminal proceedings and parentage evaluation services which are used to assist in the resolution of disputed parentage in child support litigation. Parentage testing involves the evaluation of immunological and genetic markers in specimens obtained from the child, the mother and the alleged father. Management believes it is now the largest provider of identity testing services in the United States.

Oncology Testing.    The Company offers an extensive series of testing technologies that aid in diagnosing and monitoring certain cancers and predicting the outcome of certain treatments. At NGI, the Company’s scientists have novel assays for melanoma and breast cancer in varying stages of clinical development. During 2001, the Company began offering PreGen-26, a DNA-based colorectal cancer test. PreGen-26 is intended to detect certain rare forms of colorectal cancer earlier, when treatment is most effective. In the first half of 2003, the Company currently plans to offer PreGen-Plus, a non-invasive technology for the early detection of more common forms of colorectal cancer in the average-risk population, reaching a broader population than PreGen-26. Both PreGen-26 and PreGen-Plus utilize EXACT Sciences’ proprietary genomics-based technology.

Occupational Testing Services.    The Company provides urine and hair testing for the detection of drug abuse for private and government customers, and also provides blood testing services for the detection of drug abuse and alcohol. These testing services are designed to produce “forensic” quality test results that satisfy the rigorous requirements for admissibility as evidence in legal proceedings. The Company also provides other analytical testing and a variety of management support services.

The specialized or niche testing services noted above, as well as other complex procedures, are sent to designated facilities where the Company has concentrated the people, instruments and related resources for performing such procedures so that quality and efficiency can be most effectively monitored. CMBP, NGI and Viro-Med also specialize in new test development and education and training related thereto.

Clients

The Company provides testing services to a broad range of health care providers. During the year ended December 31, 2001, no client or group of clients under the same contract accounted for more than four percent of the Company’s net sales. The primary client groups serviced by the Company include:

Independent Physicians and Physician Groups

Physicians requiring testing for their patients who are unaffiliated with a managed care plan are one of the Company’s primary sources of testing services. Fees for clinical laboratory testing services rendered for these physicians are billed either to the physician, to the patient or the patient’s third party payor such as insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid. Billings are typically on a fee-for-service basis. If the billings are to the physician, they are based on the wholesale or customer fee schedule and subject to negotiation. Otherwise, the patient is billed at the laboratory’s retail or patient fee schedule and subject to third party payor limitations and negotiation by physicians on behalf of their patients. Medicare and Medicaid payments are based on government-set fee schedules.

Hospitals

The Company provides hospitals with services ranging from routine and specialty testing to contract management services. Hospitals generally maintain an on-site laboratory to perform immediately needed testing on patients receiving care. However, they also refer less time sensitive procedures, less frequently needed procedures and highly specialized procedures to outside facilities, including independent clinical laboratories and

larger medical centers. The Company typically charges hospitals for any such tests on a fee-for-service basis which is derived from the Company’s customer fee schedule. Fees for management services are billed monthly at contractually agreed rates.

HMOs and Other Managed Care Groups

The Company serves HMOs and other managed care organizations. These medical service providers typically contract with a limited number of clinical laboratories and then designate the laboratory or laboratories to be used for tests ordered by participating physicians. The majority of the Company’s managed care testing is negotiated on a fee-for-service basis. Testing is sometimes reimbursed on a capitated basis for managed care organizations. Under a capitated payment contract, the Company agrees to cover certain laboratory tests during a given month for which the managed care organization agrees to pay a flat monthly fee for each covered member. The tests covered under agreements of this type are negotiated for each contract, but usually include routine tests and exclude highly specialized tests. Many of the national and large regional managed care organizations prefer to use large independent clinical labs such as the Company because they can monitor service and performance on a national basis.

Other Institutions

The Company serves other institutions, including governmental agencies, large employers and other independent clinical laboratories that do not have the breadth of the Company’s testing capabilities. The institutions typically pay on a negotiated fee-for-service basis.

Payors

Most testing services are billed to a party other than the physician or other authorized person who ordered the test. In addition, tests performed by a single physician may be billed to different payors depending on the medical benefits of a particular patient. Payors other than the direct patient include, among others, insurance companies, managed care organizations, Medicare and Medicaid. For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, accessions (based on the total volume of accessions) and revenue per accession by payor are as follows:

     

Accession Volume as a % of Total


  

Revenue per Accession


Private Patients

    

2.9%

  

$

119.00

Medicare, Medicaid and Other

    

18.2%

  

$

32.49

Commercial Clients

    

37.9%

  

$

25.99

Managed Care

    

41.0%

  

$

30.52

Affiliations and Alliances

The Company continues to develop its relationships with hospitals through traditional and non-traditional business models. The Company has increased its focus on the traditional business model with a hospital, whereby the Company enters into a reference service agreement and establishes a Hospital Territory Manager role. The addition of this sales/service position sets the Company at an advantage with specialized and targeted attention for the Company’s hospital customers. In the non-traditional business model, the Company has seen strong growth due to laboratory technical support (management) contracts and shared services agreements.

In 2001, the Company added a number of new traditional and non-traditional relationships with hospitals.

Reference agreements, the Company’s traditional business model, provide a means for hospitals to outsource patient laboratory testing services that are not time critical (e.g., test results reported within 24 hours of drawing the specimen as opposed to those requiring 2 to 4 hour turnaround). These agreements allow the hospital

to maintain its own stat/emergency lab on-site, while eliminating certain costs of maintaining a full-service lab on its premises.

One example of a non-traditional business model is where the Company provides technical support services or laboratory management in a variety of health care settings. In these relationships, the Company may supply the laboratory manager and/or provide other laboratory personnel, as well as testing equipment and supplies, in the management of a laboratory that is owned by a hospital, managed care organization or other health care provider. Under the typical laboratory technical support agreement, the laboratory manager is employed by or under contract with the Company. In such laboratory management arrangements, the Company generally bills the hospital a monthly contractually-determined management fee in addition to different fixed on-site and off-site fees per test. Highly esoteric tests are generally billed under a separate fee schedule. A pathologist is designated by the laboratory owner to serve as medical director for the laboratory, and all billing, licensure and permits also remain the obligation of the owner of the laboratory.

In another example of a non-traditional business model, the Company develops a cooperative testing relationship with a hospital that has an outreach program within its community. The parties combine efforts to support the needs of a specific community. These relationships center around capitalizing on such hospital’s excess capacity and ability to perform rapid response testing and the Company’s ability to provide lower cost, high quality esoteric testing. These arrangements provide communities with synergistic, high quality testing services within a single infrastructure.

An important advantage the Company offers to its clients is the flexibility of the Company’s information systems for creating single or double bi-directional interfaces to support such cooperative testing arrangements. Such bi-directional interfaces allow each party’s system to efficiently and effectively communicate with the other party’s system.

The Company’s laboratory management and technical support agreements typically have initial terms between 3 and 5 years. However, most agreements contain a clause that permits termination for cause prior to the expiration date of the initial term. There are additional termination clauses that generally fall into one of the following categories: (i) termination without cause by either party during the additional term, after written notice 60 to 120 days prior to termination; (ii) termination by the hospital if there are uncorrected deficiencies in the Company’s performance after 30 days written notice; (iii) termination if there is a loss of accreditation or licensure held by the Company which accreditation or licensure is not reinstated within 60 days of the loss; or (iv) termination should the Company fail to meet anticipated profitability. While the Company believes that it will maintain and renew its existing contracts, there can be no assurance of such maintenance or renewal.

The Company has developed several different pricing formulas under its non-traditional business contracts. The Company generally bills the hospital a monthly contractually-determined management fee in addition to different fixed on-site and off-site fees per test. Highly esoteric tests are generally billed under a separate fee schedule. In certain cases, profitability may depend on the Company’s ability to accurately predict test volumes, patient encounters or the number of admissions.

Sales and Marketing and Client Service

The Company offers its services through a combination of direct sales generalists and specialists. Sales generalists market the mainstream or traditional routine laboratory services primarily to physicians, while specialists concentrate on individual market segments, such as hospitals or managed care organizations, or on testing niches, such as identity testing or genetic testing. Specialist positions are established when an in-depth level of expertise is necessary to effectively offer the specialized services. When the need arises, specialists and generalists work cooperatively to address specific opportunities. At December 31, 2001, the Company employed 235 generalists and 114 specialists. The Company’s sales generalists and specialists are compensated through a combination of salaries, commissions and bonuses, at levels commensurate with each individual’s qualifications

and responsibilities. Commissions are primarily based upon the individual’s productivity in generating new business for the Company.

The Company also employs regional service managers and account managers (“AMs”) to interact with clients on an ongoing basis. AMs monitor the status of the services being provided to clients, act as problem-solvers, provide information on new testing developments and serve as the client’s regular point of contact with the Company. At December 31, 2001, the Company employed 290 AMs. AMs are compensated through a combination of salaries and bonuses commensurate with each individual’s qualifications and responsibilities.

The Company believes that the clinical laboratory service business is shifting away from the traditional direct sales structure to one in which the purchasing decisions for laboratory services are increasingly being made by managed care organizations, insurance plans, employers and even by patients themselves. In view of these changes, the Company has adapted its sales and marketing structure to more appropriately address the opportunities presented by this shift.

The Company competes primarily on the basis of the quality of its testing, reporting and information systems, its reputation in the medical community, the pricing of its services and its ability to employ qualified personnel. During 2001, one of the Company’s goals has been to improve client service. An important factor in improving client service includes the Company’s initiatives to improve its billing process. See “—Billing.”

Information Systems

The Company has developed and implemented management information systems to monitor operations and control costs. All financial functions are centralized in Burlington, North Carolina, including purchasing and accounting. Management believes this provides greater control over spending as well as increased supervision and monitoring of results of operations.

The Company believes that the health care provider’s need for data will continue to place high demands on the Company’s information systems staff. The Company operates several systems to handle laboratory, billing and financial data and transactions. The Company believes that the efficient handling of information involving clients, patients, payors and other parties will be a critical factor in the Company’s future success. The Company’s Corporate Information Systems Division manages its information resources and programs on a consolidated basis in order to achieve greater efficiency and economies of scale. The Company employs a Chief Information Officer, whose responsibility is to integrate, manage and develop the Company’s information systems.

Billing

Billing for laboratory services is a complex process. Laboratories must bill many different payors such as doctors, patients, hundreds of different insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and employer groups, all of whom have different billing requirements. The Company believes that a majority of its bad debt expense is the result of non-credit related issues which slow the billing process. A primary cause of bad debt expense is missing or incorrect billing information on requisitions. The Company believes that this experience is similar to that of its primary competitors. The Company generally performs the requested tests and returns the test results regardless of whether billing information has been provided at all or has been provided incorrectly. The Company subsequently attempts to obtain any missing information or rectify any incorrect billing information received from the health care provider. Among the many other factors complicating the billing process are more intricate billing arrangements due to contracts with third-party administrators, disputes between payors as to the party responsible for payment of the bill and auditing for specific compliance issues.

At September 30, 2002, the Company’s days sales outstanding (“DSO”) were reduced 2 days from December 31, 2001 levels to 56 days as a result of Company-wide efforts to increase cash collections from all

payors, as well as on-going improvements to its claim submission processes. The Company is continuing to take the steps necessary to improve DSO and cash collections by:

conversion of decentralized billing locations, including former Dynacare locations, to a centralized billing system. During 2002, billing activity in Denver, Phoenix, Seattle and certain Dynacare locations were converted to the centralized billing system. Conversion activities in 2003 and 2004 will concentrate on the remaining Dynacare locations; and

implementation of, beginning in the first quarter of 2000, an initiative to reduce the number of requisitions received that are missing certain billing information. This initiative involves measuring the number of clinical requisitions received from an ordering client, as well as what specific information was not provided. The Company then identifies root causes of why the information was missing and takes steps to ensure that information is provided in the future. These steps include re-educating clients as to what information is needed in order for the Company to bill and collect for the test. During 2001, the percentage of requisitions received which were missing billing information was 6%.

Although there can be no assurance of success, the Company has developed a number of initiatives to address the complexity of the billing process and to improve collection rates. These initiatives include: (i) installation of personal computer based products in client offices and Company locations to help with the accuracy and completeness of billing information captured on the front-end; (ii) establishment of a project group to focus on improvements in order entry; and (iii) development and implementation of enhanced eligibility checking to compare information to payor records before billing. Additionally, the Company believes that it can benefit from the conversion of its multiple billing systems into a centralized system.

Quality Assurance

The Company considers the quality of its tests to be of critical importance, and it has established a comprehensive quality assurance program for all of its laboratories and other facilities, designed to help assure accurate and timely test results. In addition to the compulsory external inspections and proficiency programs demanded by CMS and other regulatory agencies, Company-wide systems and procedures are in place to emphasize and monitor quality assurance. All of the Company’s regional laboratories are subject to on-site evaluations, the College of American Pathologists (“CAP”) proficiency testing program, state surveys and the Company’s own internal quality control programs.

External Proficiency/Accreditations.    The Company participates in numerous externally-administered, blind quality surveillance programs, including the CAP program. The blind programs supplement all other quality assurance procedures and give Company management the opportunity to review its technical and service performance from the client’s perspective.

Internal Quality Control.    The Company regularly performs internal quality control testing by running quality control samples with known values at the same time as patient samples submitted for testing. All quality control sample test results are entered into the Company’s national laboratory computer, which connects the Company’s facilities nationwide to a common on-line quality control database. This system helps technologists and technicians check quality control values and requires further prompt verification if any quality control value is out of range. The Company has an extensive, internally administered program of blind sample proficiency testing (i.e. the testing laboratory does not know the sample being tested is a quality control sample), as part of which the Company’s locations receive specimens from the Company’s Quality Assurance and Corporate Technical Services departments for analysis.

The CAP accreditation program involves both on-site inspections of the laboratory and participation in the CAP’s proficiency testing program for all categories in which the laboratory is accredited by the CAP. The CAP is an independent non-governmental organization of board-certified pathologists which offers an accreditation program to which laboratories can voluntarily subscribe. The CAP has been accredited by CMS to inspect

clinical laboratories to determine adherence to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1967, and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 standards. A laboratory’s receipt of accreditation by the CAP satisfies the Medicare requirement for participation in proficiency testing programs administered by an external source. All of the Company’s major laboratories are accredited by the CAP.

The Company’s forensic crime laboratory, located at CMBP, is accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, Laboratory Accreditation Board (“ASCLD/LAB”) in the category of DNA testing. Under the Crime Laboratory Accreditation Program managed by the ASCLD/LAB, a crime laboratory undergoes a comprehensive and in-depth inspection to demonstrate that its management, operations, employees, procedures and instruments, physical plant and security, and personnel safety procedures meet stringent quality standards. The Company is one of 223 ASCLD accredited crime laboratories worldwide, and is one of only six private crime laboratories holding the accreditation. Accreditation is granted for a period of five years provided that a laboratory continues to meet the standards during that period.

Competition

The clinical laboratory business is intensely competitive both in terms of price and service. The Company believes that in 2001 the entire U.S. clinical laboratory testing industry had revenues exceeding $34 billion and that approximately 49% of such revenues were attributable to hospital-affiliated laboratories, approximately 39% were attributable to independent clinical laboratories and approximately 12% were attributable to physicians in their offices and laboratories. There are presently two national independent clinical laboratories: the Company and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, which had approximately $3.6 billion in revenues from clinical laboratory testing in 2001.

In addition to the other national clinical laboratory, the Company competes on a regional basis with many smaller independent clinical laboratories as well as laboratories owned by hospitals and physicians. The Company believes that the following factors, among others, are often used by health care providers in selecting a laboratory: (i) pricing of the laboratory’s test services; (ii) accuracy, timeliness and consistency in reporting test results; (iii) number and type of tests performed; (iv) service capability and convenience offered by the laboratory; and (v) its reputation in the medical community. The Company believes that it competes favorably with its principal competitors in each of these areas and is currently implementing strategies to improve its competitive position.

The Company believes that consolidation will continue in the clinical laboratory testing business. In addition, the Company believes that it and the other large independent clinical laboratory testing companies will be able to increase their share of the overall clinical laboratory testing market due to a number of external factors including cost efficiencies afforded by large-scale automated testing, Medicare reimbursement reductions and the growth of managed health care entities which require low-cost testing services and large service networks. In addition, legal restrictions on physician referrals and the ownership of laboratories as well as increased regulation of laboratories are expected to contribute to the continuing consolidation of the industry.

Employees

At September 30, 2002, the Company had approximately 23,000 full-time equivalent employees. Subsidiaries of the Company have four collective bargaining agreements which cover approximately 700 employees. Two of the contracts have expired and the parties are presently continuing to abide by their key terms. One subsidiary has a bargaining unit of 75 employees that has begun negotiations on an initial contract. The Company believes that its overall relations with its employees are good.

Regulation and Reimbursement

General

The clinical laboratory industry is subject to significant governmental regulation at the federal, state and sometimes local levels. As described below, these regulations concern licensure and operation of clinical

laboratories, payment for laboratory services, health care fraud and abuse, security and confidentiality of health information, and environmental and occupational safety.

Regulation of Clinical Laboratories

CLIA extends federal oversight to virtually all clinical laboratories by requiring that they be certified by the federal government or by a federally-approved accreditation agency. Pursuant to CLIA, clinical laboratories must meet quality assurance, quality control and personnel standards. Laboratories also must undergo proficiency testing and are subject to inspections.

Standards for testing under CLIA are based on the complexity of the tests performed by the laboratory, with all tests classified as either high complexity, moderate complexity or waived. Laboratories performing high complexity testing are required to meet more stringent requirements than moderate complexity laboratories. Labs performing only waived tests, which are tests determined by the Food and Drug Administration to have a low potential for error and requiring little or no oversight, may apply for a certificate of waiver indicating that they need not comply with most of the requirements of CLIA. All major and many smaller Company facilities hold CLIA certificates to perform high complexity testing. The Company’s remaining smaller testing sites hold CLIA certificates to perform moderate complexity testing or have a certificate of waiver.

The sanction for failure to comply with CLIA requirements may be suspension, revocation or limitation of a laboratory’s CLIA certificate, which is necessary to conduct business, as well as significant fines and/or criminal penalties. The loss or suspension of a license, imposition of a fine or other penalties, or future changes in the CLIA law or regulations (or interpretation of the law or regulations) could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

The Company also is subject to state regulation. CLIA provides that a state may adopt regulations different from or more stringent than those under federal law, and a number of states have implemented their own laboratory regulatory schemes. State laws may require that laboratory personnel meet certain qualifications, specify certain quality controls, or require maintenance of certain records. For example, some of the Company’s laboratories are subject to the State of New York’s clinical laboratory regulations, which contain provisions that are more stringent than those under federal law.

The Company believes that it is in compliance with federal and state laboratory requirements, and the Company’s laboratories have continuing programs to ensure that their operations meet all applicable regulatory requirements, but no assurances can be given that the Company’s laboratories will pass all future licensure or certification inspections.

Payment of Clinical Laboratory Services

In both 2001 and 2000, the Company derived approximately 16% of its net sales from tests performed for beneficiaries of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In addition, the Company’s other business depends significantly on continued participation in these programs because clients often want a single laboratory to perform all of their testing services. Both governmental and private sector payors have made efforts to contain or reduce health care costs, including payment for clinical laboratory services, in recent years.

In 1984, Congress established a Medicare fee schedule for clinical laboratory services performed for patients covered under Part B of the Medicare program. Subsequently, Congress imposed a national ceiling on the amount that can be paid under the fee schedule. Laboratories bill the program directly and must accept the scheduled amount as payment in full for covered tests performed on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. In addition, state Medicaid programs are prohibited from paying more than the Medicare fee schedule limitation for clinical laboratory services furnished to Medicaid recipients.

Since 1984, Congress has periodically reduced the ceilings on Medicare payment to clinical laboratories from previously authorized levels. In 1993, pursuant to provisions in the Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1993 (“OBRA ‘93”), Congress reduced, effective January 1, 1994, the Medicare national limitations from 88% of the 1984 national median to 76% of the 1984 national median, which reductions were implemented on a phased-in basis from 1994 through 1996 (to 84% in 1994, 80% in 1995 and 76% in 1996). The 1996 reduction to 76% was implemented as scheduled on January 1, 1996. OBRA ‘93 also eliminated the provision for annual fee schedule increases based upon the Consumer Price Index for 1994 and 1995. These reductions were partially offset, however, by annual Consumer Price Index fee schedule increases of 3.2% and 2.7% in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

In August 1997, Congress passed and the President signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (“BBA”), which included a provision that reduced, effective January 1, 1998, the Medicare national limitation from 76% of the 1984 national median to 74% of the 1984 national median. An additional provision in the BBA froze the Consumer Price Index update for five years. This provision has recently expired and in 2003, there will be a 1.19% increase in the fee schedule based on the Consumer Price Index.

For services reimbursed under the Medicare physician fee schedule, the conversion factor and relative value units may be subject to adjustment on an annual basis. Unless Congressional action occurs, the conversion factor for anatomic pathology testing will decrease by 4.4% in March 2003.

Because a significant portion of the Company’s costs are relatively fixed, Medicare payment reductions have a direct adverse effect on the Company’s net earnings and cash flows. The Company cannot predict whether additional Medicare reductions will be implemented.

On April 1, 1997, Medicare’s policy for billing of automated chemistry profiles went into effect. The policy, which was developed by the Health Care Financing Administration, now known as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working with the American Medical Association, eliminated the old commonly used “19-22 test” automated chemistry profile, sometimes referred to as a “SMAC” and replaced it with four new panels of “clinically relevant” automated tests (each containing from four to twelve chemistry tests). As a result of this policy, all major laboratory companies, including the Company, were required to eliminate the old chemistry profiles from their standard test requisition forms and standard test offerings by July 1, 1998. The Company developed and implemented a new “universal” test requisition and “standard test offerings” which successfully incorporated all required changes by the July 1, 1998 deadline.

The automated chemistry profile billing policy is intended to reduce the number of non-Medicare covered “screening tests” which Medicare believes have in the past been inappropriately billed to Medicare. The BBA also required HHS to adopt uniform coverage, administration and payment policies for lab tests using a negotiated rulemaking process. Consensus was reached by the negotiated rulemaking committee which, among other things, established policies limiting Medicare coverage for certain tests to patients with specified medical conditions or diagnoses. These uniform policies will replace local Medicare coverage policies. The final rules were published on November 23, 2001 and generally became effective on November 25, 2002. Due to the variety of new rules (including limited coverage rules) which have been adopted or proposed recently, and the short time that the final rule has been in effect, the Company does not believe a meaningful estimate of the potential revenue impact of these developments can be made at this time. The Company will continue to monitor this issue going forward.

Future changes in federal, state and local regulations (or in the interpretation of current regulations) affecting government payment for clinical laboratory testing could have a material adverse effect on the Company. However, based on currently available information, the Company is unable to predict what type of legislation, if any, will be enacted into law.

Security and Confidentiality of Health Information

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) was designed to address issues related to the portability of health insurance. A section on administrative simplification was added to the law in an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system by facilitating the electronic exchange of information in certain financial and administrative transactions, while protecting the privacy and security of the information exchanged. Three regulations promulgated under the administrative simplification provisions of HIPAA have been finalized and include the Transactions and Code Sets Rule, the Privacy Rule, and the National Standard Employer Identifier Rule, which requires the use of a unique employer identifier in connection with certain electronic transactions. These regulations apply to health plans, health care providers that conduct standard transactions electronically, or health care clearinghouses (“covered entities”). It is anticipated that an enforcement regulation and a security regulation will be issued and/or finalized in 2003.

The Transactions and Code Sets Rule standardizes the format and data content to be used in the most common electronic health care transactions, including, among others, health care claims, eligibility, and health care claim status. Its purpose is to encourage the use of electronic exchanges while reducing the administrative burden associated with using different formats. The compliance date for this rule was October 16, 2002; however, under the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, covered entities (except small health plans) were permitted to file an extension plan with the Department of Health and Human Services before October 16, 2002 to extend the compliance date to October 16, 2003. The extension plan described how the entity will come into compliance with the Transactions and Code Sets Rule requirements by the compliance date. We and our subsidiaries have filed extension plans and expect to meet the compliance date of October 16, 2003.

The Privacy Rule regulates the use and disclosure of protected health information (“PHI”) by covered entities. It also sets forth certain rights that an individual has with respect to his or her PHI maintained by a covered entity, such as the right to access or amend certain records containing PHI or to request restrictions on the use or disclosure of PHI. Additionally, it requires covered entities to implement certain administrative requirements, such as designating a privacy officer, drafting and implementing privacy policies and procedures, and training workforce members. Health care providers governed by the Privacy Rule must come into compliance by April 14, 2003.

The Company’s HIPAA project plans have two phases: (i) assessment of current systems, applications, processes and procedure testing and validation for HIPAA compliance and (ii) remediation of affected systems, applications, processes and procedure testing and validation for HIPAA compliance.

We have completed the assessment phase of the Transactions and Code Sets provision. Remediation is currently in progress and we expect to meet the October 16, 2003 compliance date. We have completed the assessment phase of the Privacy provision. We have made financial projections and initiated remedial measures designed to meet the April 14, 2003 compliance deadline. The total cost associated with the requirements of HIPAA is not expected to be material to the Company’s operations or cash flows. There are, however, many unresolved issues in both of these areas and future interpretations of HIPAA could impose significant costs on us.

In addition to the federal HIPAA regulations provisions described above, there are a number of state laws regarding the confidentiality of medical information, some of which apply to clinical laboratories. These laws vary widely, and new laws in this area are pending, but they most commonly restrict the use and disclosure of medical information. Penalties for violation of these laws include sanctions against a laboratory’s state licensure, as well as civil and/or criminal penalties. Violations of the HIPAA provisions after the applicable compliance dates could result in civil and/or criminal penalties, including significant fines and up to 10 years in prison.

Fraud and Abuse Regulations

Existing federal laws governing Medicare and Medicaid, as well as similar state laws, impose a variety of broadly described fraud and abuse prohibitions on healthcare providers, including clinical laboratories. These

laws are interpreted liberally and enforced aggressively by multiple government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”), and the states. The federal government’s enforcement efforts have been increasing, in part as a result of the enactment of HIPAA, which, among other things, provided for the establishment of a program to coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement programs, and to conduct investigations, audits and inspections relating to payment for healthcare, and for the establishment of a federal anti-fraud and abuse account for enforcement efforts, funded through collection of penalties and fines for violations of the healthcare anti-fraud and abuse laws. Moreover, over the last several years, the clinical laboratory industry has been the focus of major governmental enforcement initiatives.

The Medicare and Medicaid anti-kickback laws prohibit intentionally providing anything of value to induce the referral of Medicare and Medicaid business. HHS has published safe harbor regulations which specify certain business activities that, although literally covered by the laws, will not violate the Medicare/Medicaid anti-kickback laws if all conditions of the safe harbor are met. Failure to fall within a safe harbor does not constitute a violation of the anti-kickback laws; rather, the arrangement would remain subject to scrutiny by HHS. Most states have their own Medicaid anti-kickback laws, and several states also have anti-kickback laws that apply to attempts to gain referral of patients covered by private insurance as well as federal programs.

In October 1994, the OIG of HHS issued a Special Fraud Alert, which set forth a number of practices allegedly engaged in by clinical laboratories and health care providers that the OIG believes violate the federal anti-kickback laws. These practices include providing employees to collect patient samples at physician offices if the employees perform additional services for physicians that are typically the responsibility of the physicians’ staff; selling laboratory services to renal dialysis centers at prices that are below fair market value in return for referrals of Medicare tests which are billed to Medicare at higher rates; providing free testing to a physician’s HMO patients in situations where the referring physicians benefit from such reduced laboratory utilizations; providing free pick-up and disposal of bio-hazardous waste for physicians for items unrelated to a laboratory’s testing services; providing facsimile machines or computers to physicians that are not exclusively used in connection with the laboratory services performed; and providing free testing for health care providers, their families and their employees (professional courtesy testing). The OIG stressed in the Special Fraud Alert that when one purpose of the arrangements is to induce referral of program-reimbursed laboratory testing, both the clinical laboratory and the health care provider or physician may be liable under the anti-kickback laws, and may be subject to criminal prosecution and exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Recently, the OIG has provided additional guidance regarding arrangements that may violate the anti-kickback laws. In a 1999 Advisory Opinion, the OIG concluded that a proposed arrangement whereby a laboratory would offer physicians significant discounts on laboratory tests billed to the physician might violate the anti-kickback act. The OIG reasoned that if the discounts were greater than could otherwise be justified, the proposed arrangement could be viewed as the laboratory providing discounts to the physician in exchange for referral by the physician of non-discounted Medicare program business. Similarly, in 1999 correspondence, the OIG stated that if any direct or indirect link exists between a price discount that a laboratory offers to a skilled nursing facility (“SNF”) for Prospective Payment System (“PPS”)-covered services and referrals of Medicare Part B business, the anti-kickback statute would be implicated. Moreover, the OIG stated that it is continuing to monitor the situation regarding potentially unlawful contracts between SNFs and service providers, including laboratories.

Under another federal provision, known as the “Stark” law or “self-referral” prohibition, physicians who have an investment or compensation relationship with a clinical laboratory may not, unless a statutory exception applies, refer Medicare or Medicaid patients for testing to the laboratory, regardless of the intent of the parties.

Similarly, laboratories may not bill Medicare or Medicaid or any other party for services furnished pursuant to a prohibited referral. There are federal Stark law exceptions for fair market value compensation to a physician for reasonable and necessary services, and for discounts to physicians purchasing laboratory services. There is

also an exception for physician investment in a laboratory company so long as the company’s stock is traded on a public exchange, the company has stockholder equity exceeding $75 million, and the physician’s shares may be purchased on terms generally available to the public. State self-referral laws exist as well, which apply to all patient referrals, not just Medicare and Medicaid.

There are a variety of other types of federal and state anti-fraud and abuse laws, including laws prohibiting submission of false or otherwise improper claims to federal healthcare programs, and laws limiting the extent of any differences between the Company’s charges to Medicare and Medicaid and its charges to other parties. The Company seeks to conduct its business in compliance with the federal and state anti-fraud and abuse laws. However, the Company is unable to predict how these laws will be applied in the future, and no assurances can be given that its arrangements will not be subject to scrutiny under them. Sanctions for violations of these laws may include exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, significant criminal and civil fines and penalties, and loss of licensure. Any exclusion from participation in a federal healthcare program, or any loss of licensure, arising from any action by any federal or state regulatory or enforcement authority would have a material adverse affect on the Company’s business. In addition, any significant criminal or civil penalty resulting from such proceedings could have a material adverse affect on the Company’s business.

Environmental, Health and Safety

The Company is subject to licensing and regulation under federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and human health and safety, including laws and regulations relating to the handling, transportation and disposal of medical specimens, infectious and hazardous waste and radioactive materials as well as to the safety and health of laboratory employees. All Company laboratories are subject to applicable federal and state laws and regulations relating to biohazard disposal of all laboratory specimens and the Company utilizes outside vendors for disposal of such specimens. In addition, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established extensive requirements relating to workplace safety for health care employers, including clinical laboratories, whose workers may be exposed to blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and the hepatitis B virus. These regulations, among other things, require work practice controls, protective clothing and equipment, training, medical follow-up, vaccinations and other measures designed to minimize exposure to, and transmission of, blood-borne pathogens.

On November 6, 2000, Congress passed the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act which required, among other things, that companies include in their safety programs the evaluation and use of engineering controls such as safety needles if found to be effective at reducing the risk of needlestick injuries in the workplace. During 2001, the Company voluntarily implemented the use of safety needles at all of its service locations at a cost of over $6.0 million.

Although the Company is not aware of any current material non-compliance with such federal, state and local laws and regulations, failure to comply could subject the Company to denial of the right to conduct business, fines, criminal penalties and/or other enforcement actions.

Drug Testing

Drug testing for public sector employees is regulated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMSHA”) (formerly the National Institute on Drug Abuse), which has established detailed performance and quality standards that laboratories must meet to be approved to perform drug testing on employees of federal government contractors and certain other entities. To the extent that the Company’s laboratories perform such testing, each must be certified as meeting SAMSHA standards. The Company’s Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Raritan, New Jersey; Houston, Texas; San Diego, California and Southaven, Mississippi laboratories are SAMSHA certified.

Controlled Substances

The use of controlled substances in testing for drugs of abuse is regulated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Compliance Program

Because of evolving interpretations of regulations and the national debate over health care fraud and abuse, compliance with all Medicare, Medicaid and other government-established rules and regulations has become a significant factor throughout the clinical laboratory industry. The Company has implemented a comprehensive company-wide compliance program. The objective of the Company’s compliance program is to develop, implement, and update compliance safeguards as necessary. Emphasis is placed on developing compliance policies and guidelines, personnel training programs and various monitoring and audit procedures to attempt to achieve implementation of all applicable rules and regulations.

Recently, DIANON settled a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into several of DIANON’s billing practices. As part of the settlement, DIANON entered into a voluntary corporate integrity program. As part of DIANON’s acquisition of UroCor, DIANON assumed responsibility and liability for compliance with the UroCor corporate integrity agreement.

The Company seeks to conduct its business in compliance with all statutes, regulations, and other requirements applicable to its clinical laboratory operations. The clinical laboratory testing industry is, however, subject to extensive regulation, and many of these statutes and regulations have not been interpreted by the courts. There can be no assurance therefore that applicable statutes and regulations might not be interpreted or applied by a prosecutorial, regulatory or judicial authority in a manner that would adversely affect the Company. Potential sanctions for violation of these statutes and regulations include significant fines and the loss of various licenses, certificates, and authorizations, which could have a material adverse affect on the Company’s business.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is involved in litigation purporting to be a nationwide class action involving the alleged overbilling of patients who are covered by private insurance. The Company has reached a settlement with the class that will not exceed the existing reserves or have a material adverse effect on the Company. On January 9, 2002, the Company was served with a complaint in North Carolina which purports to be a class action and makes claims similar to the case referred to above. The claim has been stayed and the plaintiffs’ counsel has agreed to dismiss the case, with prejudice. The Company believes that the likelihood of an adverse result in the North Carolina case is remote.

The Company is involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. These matters include, but are not limited to, intellectual property disputes, professional liability, employee related matters, and inquiries from governmental agencies and Medicare or Medicaid carriers requesting comment on allegations of billing irregularities that are brought to their attention through billing audits or third parties. In the opinion of management, based upon the advice of counsel and consideration of all facts available at this time, the ultimate disposition of these matters is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations or liquidity of the Company.

MANAGEMENT

Board of Directors and Executive Officers

Our current executive officers and directors and their positions are as follows:

Name


 

Position


Thomas P. Mac Mahon

Chairmanat reducing redundant facilities, while maintaining the goal of providing excellent customer service. In connection with the integration plan, we recorded $11.9 million of costs associated with the execution of the Board, Presidentplan. The majority of these integration costs related to employee severance and Chief Executive Officer

Wesley R. Elingburg

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officercontractual obligations associated with leased facilities and Treasurer

Myla P. Lai-Goldman, M.D.

Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officerequipment. Of this amount, $10.1 million related to employee severance benefits for approximately 700 employees, with the remainder primarily related to contractual obligations associated with leased facilities. Employee groups being affected as a result of this plan included those involved in the collection and Medical Director

Richard L. Novak

Executive Vice Presidenttesting of specimens, as well as administrative and Chief Operating Officer

Bradford T. Smith

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officerother support functions. We also recorded a special charge of $5.0 million related to forgiveness of amounts owed by patients and Secretary

Stevan R. Stark

Executive Vice Presidentclients as well as other costs associated with the areas of Salesthe Gulf Coast severely impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Marketing

Jean-Luc Belingard

Director

Wendy E. Lane

Director

Robert E. Mittelstaedt, Jr.

Director

James B. Powell, M.D.

Director

Andrew G. Wallace, M.D.

DirectorRita.

Set forth below is certain information with respect to each of the foregoing executive officers and directors:

Thomas P. Mac Mahon has served as Chairman of the Board and a director since April 28, 1996. Prior to such date and since April 28, 1995, the date of the merger of Roche Biomedical Laboratories (“RBL”) and the Company (the “Merger”), he served as Vice Chairman and a director. Mr. Mac Mahon has been President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company since January 1997. Mr. Mac Mahon was Senior Vice President of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. from 1993 to January 1997 and President of Roche Diagnostics Group and a director and member of the Executive Committee of Hoffmann-La Roche from 1988 to January 1997. Mr. Mac Mahon was also a director of HLR Holdings Inc. until December 1996. As Senior Vice President of Hoffmann-La Roche and President of Roche Diagnostics Group, Mr. Mac Mahon was responsible for the management of all United States operations of the diagnostic business of Hoffmann-La Roche. Mr. Mac Mahon is a director of Express Scripts, Inc. and was formerly a director of AutoCyte, Inc. (now known as TriPath Imaging, Inc.).

Wesley R. Elingburghas served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer since October 1996. Mr. Elingburg is a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company. Prior to October 1996, and since the Merger on April 28, 1995, Mr. Elingburg was Senior Vice President-Finance. Mr. Elingburg is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the finance function of the Company, including billing and treasury functions. Previously, Mr. Elingburg served as Senior Vice President-Finance and Treasurer of RBL from 1988 through April 1995 and Assistant Vice President of Hoffmann-La Roche from 1989 until the Merger.

Myla P. Lai-Goldman, M.D.was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer, and Medical Director in April 1998. Dr. Lai-Goldman manages the Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology at the Company’s Research Triangle Park, NC facility; National Genetics Institute, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA; and Viro-Med, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Lai-Goldman is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and serves as a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company. Dr. Lai-Goldman, who holds a medical degree from Columbia University, was named Senior Vice President of the Company in 1997 and has held the position of Medical Director for the Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology since 1991 (with RBL and subsequently the Company). Dr. Lai-Goldman joined RBL in 1990.

Richard L. Novakhas served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company since January 1999. Prior to this date and since his hire in March 1997, Mr. Novak served as Executive Vice President and oversaw the Company’s Eastern Operations which included the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, South, Florida, and

South Atlantic Divisions. Mr. Novak is a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Novak was employed by SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories serving in a variety of senior management positions including Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations and President, International.

Bradford T. Smithhas served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary since September 2001 and previously as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary since the Merger. He served as Compliance Officer from August 1996 through September 2001. Mr. Smith also oversees the Company’s Public Affairs, Human Resources and Law operations. Mr. Smith is a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company. Previously, Mr. Smith served as Assistant General Counsel of Hoffmann-La Roche, Division Counsel of RBL and Assistant Secretary and member of RBL’s Senior Management Committee from 1988 until April 1995. Mr. Smith served as Assistant Secretary of Hoffmann-La Roche from 1989 until the Merger and as an Assistant Vice President of Hoffmann-La Roche during 1992 and 1993. He has served as a director of Gensys Software, Inc. since August 2000.

Stevan R. Starkhas served as Executive Vice President since October 1996 and was Senior Vice President, New York Division, Cranford Division, and Alliance/Hospital Division since the Merger on April 28, 1995. Mr. Stark oversees the Company’s sales and marketing operations including business alliances, managed care, and new business development. Mr. Stark is a member of the Executive and Management Committees of the Company. Previously, Mr. Stark was a Vice President and Division Manager from 1991 to 1995 and a Division Manager from 1986 to 1991. Mr. Stark served as a director for Universal Standard Healthcare; the directorship ended on March 30, 1999.

Jean-Luc Belingardhas served as a director of the Company since the Merger, April 28, 1995. Mr. Belingard is Chief Executive Officer of Beaufour Ipsen SA, a diversified French health care holding company. Prior to this position, Mr. Belingard was Chief Executive Officer from 1999 to 2001 of bioMerieux-Pierre Fabre, a diversified French health care holding company, where his responsibilities included the management of the company’s worldwide pharmaceutical, cosmetic and communication business. Prior to bioMerieux-Pierre Fabre, Mr. Belingard joined F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland, a subsidiary of Roche in 1982 where he held various positions, including Director General of the Diagnostics Division and was a member of the Executive Committee. Mr. Belingard is also a director of Applera Corporation, Norwalk, Connecticut, a director of ExonHit, a member of the Advisory Board of Chugai, Japan, and a Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Government.

Wendy E. Lanehas been a director of the Company since November 1996. Ms. Lane has been Chairman of Lane Holdings, Inc., an investment firm, since 1992. Prior to forming Lane Holdings, Inc., Ms. Lane was a Principal and Managing Director of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, an investment banking firm, serving in these and other positions from 1980 to 1992. Ms. Lane is also a director of Tyco International, Ltd.

Robert E. Mittelstaedt, Jr.has been a director of the Company since November 1996. Mr. Mittelstaedt is Vice Dean, Executive Education of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Aresty Institute of Executive Education. Mr. Mittelstaedt has served with The Wharton School since 1973, with the exception of the period from 1985 to 1989 when he founded, served as President and Chief Executive Officer, and sold Intellego, Inc., a company engaged in practice management, systems development, and service bureau billing operations in the medical industry. Mr. Mittelstaedt also serves as a director of Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. and HIP Foundation, Inc. and was formerly a director of A.G. Simpson Automotive, Inc.

James B. Powell, M.D.has served as a director of the Company since the Merger, April 28, 1995. From the Merger to January 1997, Dr. Powell served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Previously, Dr. Powell was President of RBL from 1982 until the Merger. Dr. Powell was President and Chief Executive Officer of TriPath Imaging, Inc., a developer of analytical systems for cytology and pathology, from

January 1997 to June 2000. He is a medical doctor and became certified in anatomic and clinical pathology in 1969. Dr. Powell serves as a director of Warren Land Co., Carolina Doctors Care, U.S. Trust Co. of N.C., Mid-Carolina Bank, Green Cap Finance, Mercury MD, and Pathology Partners.

Andrew G. Wallace, M.D.has served as a director of the Company since the Merger, April 28, 1995. Dr. Wallace has served as both the Dean of Dartmouth Medical School and Vice President for Health Affairs at Dartmouth College from 1990 to 1998. He was the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University and the Chief Executive Officer of Duke Hospital from 1981 to 1990. Dr. Wallace also serves as a director for Welch Allyn, Inc., Dorothy Rider Poole Trust and The Durham Health Partners.

(b)On January 17, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of DIANON Systems, Inc. for $47.50 per share in cash, or approximately $595.6 million including transaction fees and expenses. We recorded net restructuring and other special charges of $1.5 million for 2003 in connection with the integrations of its recent acquisitions.
(c)On July 25, 2002, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Dynacare Inc. in a combination cash and stock transaction with a combined value of approximately $496.4 million, including transaction costs. During the third quarter of 2002, we recorded restructuring and other special charges totaling $17.5 million. These charges included a special bad debt provision of approximately $15.0 million related to the acquired Dynacare accounts receivable balance and restructuring expense of approximately $2.5 million relating to Dynacare integration costs of actions that impact our existing employees and operations.
(d)Effective January 1, 2002, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”. This Standard requires that goodwill and other intangibles that are acquired in business combinations and that have indefinite useful lives are not to be amortized.
(e)During the third quarter of 2001, we recorded a loss of $5.5 million relating to the write-off of unamortized bank fees associated with our term debt, which was repaid in September of 2001. We also recorded a charge of $8.9 million as a result of a payment made to a bank to terminate an interest rate swap agreement tied to our term loan.
(f)Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (“SFAS 123(R)”), which requires us to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for all equity awards granted, based on the fair market value of the award as of the grant date. We have adopted SFAS 123(R) using the modified prospective application method of adoption which requires us to record compensation cost related to unvested stock awards as of December 31, 2005 by recognizing the unamortized grant date fair value of these awards over the remaining service periods of those awards with no change in historical reported earnings. As a result of adopting SFAS 123(R), our net earnings were reduced by $6.7 for the six months ended June 30, 2006. The impact on basic and diluted earnings per share for the six months ended June 30, 2006 was $0.05 and $0.05 per share, respectively.
(g)Long-term obligations primarily includes the Old Notes, the 5 1/2% senior notes due 2013, the 5 5/8% senior notes due 2015 and other long-term obligations. The accreted balance of the Old Notes was $544.4 million, $533.7 million, $523.2 million, $512.9 million, and $502.8 million, at December 31, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively, and $549.9 million at June 30, 2006. The balance of the 5 1/2% senior notes, including principal and unamortized portion of a deferred gain on an interest rate swap agreement, was $353.0 million, $353.4 million, $353.8 million, $0, and $0, at December 31, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively, and $352.8 at June 30, 2006. The principal balance of the 5 5/8% senior notes was $250.0 million at December 31, 2005 and $0 for all other years presented, and $250.0 at June 30, 2006. The remainder of other long-term obligations consisted primarily of mortgages payable with balances of $1.5 million, $2.2 million, $2.5 million, $3.1 million, and $0.3 million, at December 31, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively, and $0.5 million at June 30, 2006. Long-term obligations exclude amounts due to affiliates.

THE EXCHANGE OFFER

As used in this section, the words “we,” “us,” “our” or “LabCorp” refer only to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and do not include any current or future subsidiary of LabCorp.

Purpose ofReasons for the Exchange Offer

The original notes were initially issued and sold on January 31, 2003. Those sales were not registered under the Securities Act in reliance upon the exemption provided by Section 4(2)purpose of the Securities Act and Rule 144A under the Securities Act. We and the initial purchasers entered into a registration rights agreement prior to the issuance of the original notes. Under the registration rights agreement, we agreed to file and cause to become effective with the SEC the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part to permit the exchange of original notes for exchange notes.

The sole purpose of this exchange offer is to fulfillexchange the Old Notes for the New Notes with certain different terms, including a net share settlement feature on conversion, which we believe will reduce the likelihood and extent of dilution to our obligationsstockholders. We include the impact of the assumed conversion of our Old Notes into our common stock under the registration rights agreement.

“if-converted” method when computing our diluted earnings per share when it has the effect of decreasing diluted earnings per share. We believe the terms of the New Notes will allow the number of shares used in computing our diluted earnings per share to be less than the amount included under the terms of the Old Notes. For a more detailed description of these changes, see “Summary—Material Differences Between the Old Notes and the New Notes.”

ConditionsSecurities Subject to the Exchange Offer

CompletionWe are offering, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus, to exchange $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes and an exchange fee of $2.50 for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of validly tendered and accepted Old Notes. We are offering to exchange all of the Old Notes. However, the exchange offer is subject to the conditions thatdescribed in this prospectus.

Deciding Whether to Participate in the exchange offerExchange Offer

Neither our directors nor officers make any recommendation to the holders of Old Notes as to whether or not violateto tender all or any applicable law or interpretationportion of the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC and that no injunction, order or decree has been issued which would prohibit, prevent or materially impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer. The exchange offer is also subject to various procedural requirements discussed below with which holders must comply. We reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to waive compliance with these requirements subject to applicable law.

your Old Notes. In addition, we willhave not accept for exchange any original notes tendered, and no exchange notes will be issued in exchange forauthorized anyone to make any such original notes,recommendation. You should make your own decision whether to tender your Old Notes and, if at such time any stop order shall be threatened or in effect with respectso, the amount of Old Notes to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

tender.

Terms of the Exchange Offer

We are offering to exchange, uponUpon the terms and subject to the conditions describedset forth in this prospectus, we will accept any and all Old Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the accompanying letter of transmittal,expiration date, or another date and time to which we extend the offer. We will issue $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes and an exchange notesfee of $2.50 in exchange for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of original notes. Based on the position of the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC as statedoutstanding Old Notes accepted in certain interpretive letters issued to third parties in other transactions, we believe that the exchange notes will generally be freely transferable by holders thereof. See “Planoffer. Holders may tender some or all of Distribution.” Holders oftheir Old Notes pursuant to the exchange notes will not be entitled to registration rights under the registration rights agreement except under certain limited circumstances. See “Originaloffer. However, Old Notes Registration Rights.” Otherwise, the terms of the exchange notes are identical in all respects to the terms of the original notes for which they may be exchanged pursuant to this exchange offer. The exchange notes will evidence the same debt as the original notes and will be entitled to the benefitstendered only in integral multiples of the indenture. See “Description of Exchange Notes.”$1,000 in principal amount at maturity.

Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for the original notes, where such original notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. See “Plan of Distribution.”

If you are an affiliate of ours or if you intend to participateHolders who tender Old Notes in the exchange offer will not be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees or transfer taxes with respect to the exchange of Old Notes in the exchange offer. We will pay all charges and expenses, other than some applicable taxes, applicable to the exchange offer. See “—Fees and Expenses.”

As of the date of this prospectus, there was $743,966,000 principal amount at maturity of Old Notes outstanding and there was one registered holder, a nominee of The Depository Trust Company, or DTC. This prospectus is being sent to that registered holder and to others believed to have beneficial interests in the Old Notes. We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated under the Exchange Act.

We will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered Old Notes when, as, and if we have given oral or written notice thereof to the exchange agent. The exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the purpose of distributingreceiving the New Notes and the applicable exchange notes, or if you are a broker-dealer that purchased original notesfee from us to resell pursuant to Rule 144A or any other available exemption under the Securities Act, you will not be permitted or entitled to tender those original notes in the exchange offer and must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any sale or transfer of those original notes unless that sale is made pursuant to an exemption from such requirements. See “Plan of Distribution.”

The exchange offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of original notes being tendered or accepted for exchange.

Holders of original notes do not have any appraisal or dissenters’ rights in connection with this exchange offer.

We do not make any recommendation to you as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of your original notes in this exchange offer. In addition, no one has been authorized to make any recommendation as to whether you should tender notes in this exchange offer. You must make your own decision whether to tender original notes in the exchange offer and, if so, the aggregate amount of original notes to tender based on your own financial position and requirements.

us. If any tendered original notesOld Notes are not accepted for exchange because of an invalid tender, global securities for any such unaccepted original notesthe occurrence of other events set forth under the heading “—Conditions to the Exchange Offer” or otherwise, Old Notes will be returned, without expense, to the tendering holder of those Old Notes promptly after completion of this exchange offer.

We will pay all charges and expenses in connection with this exchange offer. Holders participating in any underwritten offering shall be responsible for any underwriting discounts, commissions and fees and disbursements of counsel to the selling holders toexpiration date, unless the extent not required to be paid by us. See “—Fees and Expenses.” Subject to the instructions in the letter of transmittal, holders who tender original notes in connection with this exchange offer will not be required to pay transfer taxes with respect to the exchange of original notes in connection with this exchange offer.is extended.

Expiration Date; Extensions; Termination; Amendments

The exchange offerexpiration date will expire atbe 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on , 2003October 23, 2006, unless we, in our sole discretion, extend the period duringexchange offer, in which case the expiration date will mean the latest date and time to which the exchange offer is open by giving written noticeextended. In order to extend the exchange offer, we will notify the exchange agent and each registered holder of any extension by timely public announcement communicated no later thanoral or written notice, and announce the extension by press release or other permitted means, prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day followingafter the date forpreviously scheduled expiration unless otherwise required by applicable law or regulation, by making a press release. date.

We will notreserve the right, in our sole discretion:

to delay accepting any Old Notes, to extend the exchange offer beyond                     , 2003. Duringor, if any extension of the exchange offer, all original notes previously tendered pursuantconditions set forth under “—Conditions to the exchange offer will remain subjectExchange Offer” have not been satisfied, to the exchange offer.

We expressly reserve the right to:

terminate the exchange offer, and not accept for exchange any original notes if we determine, in our sole discretion, thatby giving oral or written notice of the conditionsdelay, extension or termination to the exchange offer have not been satisfied, andagent; or

 

to amend the terms of the exchange offer in any manner permitted by applicable law, whether before or after any tender of original notes.manner.

Procedures for Exchange

If any such terminationyou are a DTC participant that has Old Notes that are credited to your DTC account and that are held of record by DTC’s nominee, you may directly tender your Old Notes by book-entry transfer as if you were the record holder. Because of this, references herein to registered or amendment occurs, we will notifyrecord holders include DTC participants with Old Notes credited to their accounts. If you are not a DTC participant, you may tender your Old Notes by book-entry transfer by contacting your broker or opening an account with a DTC participant.

A holder who wishes to exchange Old Notes in the exchange offer must cause to be transmitted to the exchange agent in writing and will either issue a press release or give written notice to the holders of original notes as promptly as practicable. Unless we terminatean agent’s message, which agent’s message must be received by the exchange offeragent prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of expiration we will exchangedate. In addition, the exchange notesagent must receive a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of the Old Notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC through ATOP under the procedure for original notesbook-entry transfers described herein along with a properly transmitted agent’s message, on the first business day followingor before the expiration date.

If we waive any material conditionThe term “agent’s message” means a message, transmitted by DTC to, and received by, the exchange offer, or amend the exchange offer in any other material respect, we will promptly disclose such waiver or amendment by means ofagent, and forming a prospectus supplement that will be distributed to the holderspart of the original notes,book-entry confirmation, that states that DTC has received an express acknowledgement from the tendering participant stating that the participant has received and if at the time that such prospectus supplement is first sent or givenagrees to holders of original notes, the exchange offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the expiration of a period ending on the fifth business day from, and including, the date that such prospectus supplement is first so sent or given, then the exchange offer will be extended until the expiration of such period of five business days.

We will mail this prospectus and the related letter of transmittal and other relevant materials to record holders of original notes and to brokers, banks and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on the lists of holders for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of original notes.

Exchange Offer Procedures

Your tender to us of original notes pursuant to one of the procedures set forth below will constitute an agreement between you and us in accordance withbound by the terms and subject to the conditions stated belowset forth in this prospectus and inthat we may enforce the letter of transmittal.

General Procedures

You may tender your original note by:

properly completing and signingagreement against the letter of transmittal and delivering it, together with the certificate or certificates representing the original notes being tendered and any required signature guarantees (or a timelyparticipant. To receive confirmation of valid tender of Old Notes, a book-entry transfer pursuant to the procedure described below), toholder should contact the exchange agent at its address set forth below on orthe telephone number listed under “—Exchange Agent.”

Any valid tender of Old Notes that is not withdrawn prior to the expiration date will constitute a binding agreement between the tendering holder and us upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus. Only a registered holder of Old Notes may tender the Old Notes in the exchange offer expires, or

complying with the guaranteed delivery procedures described below.

Each broker-dealeroffer. If you wish to tender Old Notes that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for original notes, where those original notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of those exchange notes. See “Plan of Distribution.”

If tendered original notes are registered in the name of the signer of the letter of transmittal and the exchange notes to be issued in exchange for those original notes are to be issued (and any untendered original notes are to be reissued) in the name of the registered holder, the signature of such signer need not be guaranteed. In any other case, the tendered original notes must be endorsed or accompanied by written instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to us and duly executed by the registered holder and the signature on the endorsement or instrument of transfer must be guaranteed by a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association, clearing agency or other institution that is a member of a recognized signature guarantee medallion program within the meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). If the exchange notes and/or original notes not exchanged are to be delivered to an address other than that of the registered holder appearing on the note register for the original notes, the signature on the letter of transmittal must be guaranteed by one of the institutions just described.

If your original notes are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, and you wish to tender those original notes, you should contact that holder promptly and instruct thatthe registered holder to tender those original notes on your behalf. If you wish to tender those original notes yourself, you must, prior to completing and executing the letter of transmittal and delivering those original notes, make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of those original notes

We will determine in your name and follow the procedures described in the immediately preceding paragraph. The transfer of record ownership may take considerable time.

Book-Entry Transfer

The exchange agent will make a request to establish an account with respect to the original notes at The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for purposes of the exchange offer within two business days after receipt of this prospectus, and any financial institution that is a participant in DTC’s system may make book-entry delivery of original notes by causing DTC to transfer such original notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC in accordance with DTC’s procedures for transfer. Although delivery of original notes may be effected through book-entry transfer at DTC, you must send the letter of transmittal, with any required signature guarantees and

any other required documents, to the exchange agent at the address specified below and it must be received by the exchange agent on or prior to the date the exchange offer expires or you must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described below.

The exchange agent and DTC have confirmed that any financial institution that is a participant in DTC’s system may use the Automated Tender Offer Program procedures to tender original notes.

Any participant in DTC’s system may make book-entry delivery of original notes by causing DTC to transfer such original notes into the exchange agent’s account in accordance with the Automated Tender Offer Program procedures for transfer. However, the exchange for original notes so tendered will be made only after a book-entry confirmation of such book-entry transfer of original notes into the exchange agent’s account, and timely receipt by the exchange agent of an agent’s message and any other documents required by the letter of transmittal. An agent’s message is a message, transmitted by DTC and received by the exchange agent and forming part of a book-entry confirmation, that states that DTC has received an express acknowledgment from a participant tendering original notes that are the subject of such book-entry confirmation that such participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal, and that we may enforce that agreement against that participant.

THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF ORIGINAL NOTES AND ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING DELIVERY THROUGH DTC AND ANY ACCEPTANCE OF AN AGENT’S MESSAGE THROUGH THE AUTOMATED TENDER OFFER PROGRAM, IS AT YOUR ELECTION AND RISK. IF YOU SEND THESE DOCUMENTS BY MAIL, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE REGISTERED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, THAT YOU OBTAIN PROPER INSURANCE, AND THAT YOU MAIL THOSE DOCUMENTS SUFFICIENTLY IN ADVANCE OF THE DATE ON WHICH THE EXCHANGE OFFER EXPIRES TO PERMIT DELIVERY TO THE EXCHANGE AGENT ON OR BEFORE SUCH DATE.

Guaranteed Delivery Procedures

If you wish to accept the exchange offer and time will not permit a letter of transmittal or original notes to reach the exchange agent before the date on which the exchange offer expires, you must deliver to the exchange agent a letter, telegram or facsimile transmission from a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association, clearing agency or other institution that is a member of a recognized guarantee medallion program within the meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Exchange Act, stating:

the name and address of the tendering holder;

the principal amount of the original notes being tendered;

the names in which the original notes are registered;

if possible, the certificate numbers of the original notes to be tendered; and

that the tender is being made thereby and guaranteeing that within three New York Stock Exchange trading days after the date of execution of such letter, telegram or facsimile transmission by the appropriate submitting institution, the original notes, in proper form for transfer, will be delivered by such appropriate submitting institution together with a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal (and any other required documents).

Such a tender will be effective only if such notice is received by the exchange agent before the exchange offer expires.

Unless original notes being tendered by the above-described method (or a timely book-entry confirmation) are deposited with the exchange agent within the time period set forth above (accompanied or preceded by a properly completed letter of transmittal and any other required documents), we may, at our option, reject the

tender. Copies of a notice of guaranteed delivery which may be used by appropriate submitting institutions for the purposes described in the paragraphs above are available from the exchange agent.

A tender will be deemed to have been received as of the date when your properly completed and duly signed letter of transmittal or agent’s message accompanied by the original notes (or a timely book-entry confirmation) is received by the exchange agent. Issuances of exchange notes in exchange for original notes tendered pursuant to a notice of guaranteed delivery or letter, telegram or facsimile transmission to similar effect (as provided above) by an appropriate submitting institution will be made only against deposit of the letter of transmittal (and any other required documents) and the tendered original notes (or a timely book-entry confirmation).

Allsole discretion all questions as to the validity, form, eligibility, (includingincluding time of receipt)receipt, and acceptance of Old Notes tendered for exchange of any tender of original notes will be determined by us, which determination will be final and binding.exchange. We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all tenders of Old Notes not in proper formproperly tendered or the acceptances for exchangeOld Notes our acceptance of which may,might, in the opinionjudgment of our counsel, be unlawful. We also reserve the absolute right to waive any defects, irregularities or conditions of tender as to any particular Old Notes. However, to the extent we waive any conditions of tender with respect to one tender of Old Notes, we will waive that condition for all tenders as well. Our interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange offer orwill be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any defectdefects or irregularities in connection with tenders of any particular holder whether or not similar defects or irregularities are waived inOld Notes must be cured within the case of other holders.time period we determine. Neither we, the exchange agent, the information agent nor any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defects or irregularities in tenders or shall incur any liability for failure to give you notification of defects or irregularities with respect to tenders of your Old Notes.

Tenders of Old Notes involving any irregularities will not be deemed to have been made until such notification. Our interpretation ofirregularities have been cured or waived. Old Notes received by the termsexchange agent in connection with the exchange offer that are not validly tendered and conditionsas to which the irregularities have not been cured within the time period we determine or waived will be returned by the exchange agent to the DTC participant who delivered such Old Notes by crediting an account maintained at DTC designated by such DTC participant promptly after the expiration date of the exchange offer (includingor the letter of transmittal and the instructions thereto) will be final and binding.

Terms and Conditions of the Letter of Transmittal

The letter of transmittal contains, among other things, the following terms and conditions, which are partwithdrawal or termination of the exchange offer.

In addition, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to purchase or make offers for any Old Notes that remain outstanding after the expiration date or, as set forth under “—Conditions to the Exchange Offer,” to terminate the exchange offer and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, purchase Old Notes in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise. The terms of any of these purchases or offers could differ from the terms of the exchange offer.

By tendering your original notesSubject to and effective upon the acceptance for exchange you therebyand exchange of New Notes and payment of the applicable exchange fee for Old Notes tendered by a holder of Old Notes causing an agent’s message to be transmitted to the exchange agent, a tendering holder of Old Notes will be deemed to:

have agreed to irrevocably sell, assign and transfer to or upon the original notesorder of LabCorp all right, title and interest in and to, and all claims in respect of or arising or having arisen as a result of the holder’s status as a holder of, the Old Notes tendered thereby;

have released and discharged us, and irrevocably constitute and appoint the exchange agent as your agent and attorney-in-fact to cause the original notes to be assigned, transferred and exchanged. You will be required to represent and warrant that you have full power and authority to tender, exchange, assign and transfer the original notes and to acquire exchange notes issuable upon the exchange of those tendered original notes, and that, when the same are accepted for exchange, we will acquire good and unencumbered titletrustee with respect to the Old Notes, from any and all claims such holder may have, now or in the future, arising out of or related to the Old Notes, including, without limitation, any claims that such holder is entitled to participate in any redemption of the Old Notes, but excluding any claims arising now or in the future under federal securities laws;

have represented and warranted that the Old Notes tendered original notes,were owned as of the date of tender, free and clear of all liens, charges, claims, encumbrances, interests and restrictions charges and encumbrances and not subject toof any adverse claim or proxy. You will also warrant that you will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemedkind, other than restrictions imposed by us to be necessary or desirable to complete the exchange, assignment and transfer of tendered original notes by us, and the issuance of exchange notes in exchange for those notes shall constitute performance in full by us of our obligations under the registration rights agreement and that we will have no further obligations or liabilities under that agreement (except in certain limited circumstances). All authority conferred by you will survive your death or incapacity, and all of your obligations will be binding upon your heirs, legal representatives, successors, assigns, executors and administrators.

By tendering original notes and executing the letter of transmittal, or transmitting an agent’s message, as the case may be, you represent that:

you are not an affiliate of ours as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act;

you are not a broker-dealer that owns original notes acquired directly from us or from an affiliate of ours;

you are acquiring the exchange notes offered hereby in the ordinary course of business;applicable securities laws; and

 

you have not agreed with anyone to distribute the exchange notes.

If you are a broker-dealer that purchased original notes for your own account as part of market-making or other trading activities, you represent that you have not agreed with us or our affiliates to distribute the exchange

notes and agree to deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of the exchange notes; and you may exclude the representation in the last bullet point above.

Withdrawal Rights

You may withdraw any original notes you have tendered pursuant to the exchange offer at any time prior to the date on which the exchange offer expires.

For a withdrawal to be effective, a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal must be timely received byirrevocably appointed the exchange agent at its address set forth belowthe true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact of the holder with respect to any tendered Old Notes, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest) to cause the Old Notes tendered to be assigned, transferred and exchanged in the “—Exchange Agent” section prior to the date on which the exchange offer expires. Any such notice of withdrawal must state:

the person named in the letter of transmittal as having tendered original notes to be withdrawn;offer.

if possible, the certificate numbers of original notes to be withdrawn;

the principal amount of original notes to be withdrawn;

a statement that such holder is withdrawing its election to have those original notes exchanged; and

the name of the registered holder of those original notes.

The withdrawal notice must be signed by the holder in the same manner as the original signature on the letter of transmittal (including any required signature guarantees) or be accompanied by evidence satisfactory to us that the person withdrawing the tender has succeeded to the beneficial ownership of the original notes being withdrawn.

The exchange agent will return the properly withdrawn original notes promptly following receipt of the notice of withdrawal. We will determine all questions as to the validity of notices of withdrawal, including time of receipt, and such determinations will be final and binding on all persons.

Acceptance of OriginalOld Notes for Exchange Delivery of Exchange Notes

Upon the terms and subjectsatisfaction of all conditions to the conditions of the exchange offer, we will chooseaccept, promptly after the expiration date, all Old Notes properly tendered and notifywill issue the New Notes and pay the exchange agentfee promptly after acceptance of the date on which the acceptance for exchange of original notes validly tendered and not withdrawn and the issuance of the exchange notes will be made. Old Notes.

For the purposes of the exchange offer, we will be deemed to have accepted validly tendered Old Notes for exchange validly tendered original notes when, as and if we have given oral or written notice thereofof that acceptance to the exchange agent. For each Old Note accepted for exchange, you will receive a New Note having a principal amount at maturity equal to that of the surrendered Old Note and the applicable exchange fee.

TheIn all cases, we will issue New Notes for Old Notes that we have accepted for exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders of original notes for the purposes of receiving exchange notes from us and causing the original notes to be assigned, transferred and exchanged. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions ofunder the exchange offer delivery of the exchange notes to be issued in exchange for accepted original notes will be made byonly after the exchange agent promptly after acceptancetimely receives:

timely confirmation of the tendered original notes. Original notes not accepted for exchange by us will be returned without expense to the tendering holders (or in the casebook-entry transfer of original notes tendered by book-entry transferyour Old Notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC pursuantDTC; and

a properly transmitted agent’s message.

If we do not accept any tendered Old Notes for any reason set forth in the terms of the exchange offer, we will credit the non-exchanged Old Notes to your account maintained with DTC.

Withdrawal Rights

You may withdraw your tender of Old Notes at any time before the exchange offer expires and, if not accepted for payment, after the expiration of 40 business days from the commencement of the exchange offer.

For a withdrawal to be effective, the holder must cause to be transmitted to the proceduresexchange agent an agent’s message, which agent’s message must be received by the exchange agent prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date. In addition, the exchange agent must receive a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of the Old Notes out of the exchange agent’s account at DTC under the procedure for book-entry transfers described above, such non-exchanged original notesherein along with a properly transmitted agent’s message on or before the expiration date.

We will determine in our sole discretion all questions as to the validity, form and eligibility, including time of receipt, of notices of withdrawal. Our determination will be final and binding on all parties. Any Old Notes so withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for purposes of the exchange offer. The Old Notes will be credited to an account maintained with DTC) promptlyDTC for the Old Notes. You may retender properly withdrawn Old Notes by following the procedures described under “—Procedures for Tendering” at any time on or before the expiration date.

Transfer Taxes

We will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the transfer and exchange of Old Notes to us in the exchange offer. If transfer taxes are imposed for any other reason, the amount of those transfer taxes, whether imposed on the registered holder or any other persons, will be payable by the tendering holder.

Conditions to the Exchange Offer

Notwithstanding any other provision of the exchange offer, we are not required to accept for exchange, or to issue New Notes or pay the applicable exchange fee in exchange for, any Old Notes and may terminate or amend the exchange offer if:

a minimum of $371,983,000 of aggregate principal amount at maturity of Old Notes have not been tendered for exchange prior to the expiration of the exchange offer;

the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and any post-effective amendment to the registration statement is not effective under the Securities Act; or

at any time before the expiration of the exchange offer, we determine that the exchange offer violates applicable law, any applicable interpretation of the staff of the SEC or any order of any governmental agency or court of competent jurisdiction.

The foregoing conditions are for our sole benefit and may be asserted by us regardless of the circumstances giving rise to any of these conditions or may be waived by us in whole or in part at any time and from time to time in our sole discretion. Our failure to exercise any of the foregoing rights at any time is not a waiver of any of these rights and each of these rights will be an ongoing right which may be asserted at any time and from time to time.

In addition, we will not accept for exchange any Old Notes tendered, and no New Notes will be issued in exchange for those Old Notes, if at the time any stop order is threatened or in effect with respect to the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part or the qualification of the indenture governing the New Notes under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. In any of those events, we will use every reasonable effort to obtain the withdrawal of any stop order at the earliest possible time.

We may not accept Old Notes for exchange and may take the actions listed below if, prior to the expiration date, any of the following events occur:

any action, proceeding or litigation seeking to enjoin, make illegal or delay completion of the exchange offer or otherwise relating in any manner to the exchange offer is instituted or threatened;

any order, stay, judgment or decree is issued by any court, government, governmental authority or other regulatory or administrative authority and is in effect, or any statute, rule, regulation, governmental order or injunction shall have been proposed, enacted, enforced or deemed applicable to the exchange offer, any of which would or might restrain, prohibit or delay completion of the exchange offer or impair the contemplated benefits of the exchange offer to us;

any of the following occurs and the adverse effect of such occurrence shall, in our reasonable judgment, be continuing:

any general suspension of trading in, or limitation on prices for, securities on any national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market in the United States;

any extraordinary or material adverse change in United States financial markets generally;

a declaration of a banking moratorium or any suspension of payments in respect of banks in the United States;

any limitation, whether or not mandatory, by any governmental entity on, or any other event that would reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect, the extension of credit by banks or other lending institutions; or

a commencement of a war, act of terrorism or other national or international calamity directly or indirectly involving the United States, which would reasonably be expected to affect materially and adversely, or to delay materially, the completion of the exchange offer;

any of the situations described above existed at the time of commencement of the exchange offer and that situation deteriorates materially after commencement of the exchange offer;

any tender or exchange offer, other than this exchange offer by us, with respect to some or all of our outstanding common stock or any merger, acquisition or other business combination proposal involving us shall have been proposed, announced or made by any person or entity; or

any event or events occur that have resulted or may result, in our reasonable judgment, in an actual or threatened change in the business condition, income, operations, stock ownership or prospects of us and our subsidiaries, taken as a whole that, in our reasonable judgment, would have a material adverse effect on us.

If any of the above events occur, we may:

terminate the exchange offer and promptly return all tendered Old Notes to tendering noteholders;

extend the exchange offer, subject to the withdrawal rights described in “The Exchange Offer—Withdrawal Rights” herein, and retain all tendered Old Notes until the extended exchange offer expires;

amend the terms of the exchange offer, which may result in an extension of the period of time for which the exchange offer expires,is kept open; or if we terminate

waive the exchange offer priorunsatisfied condition, subject to such date, promptly afterany requirement to extend the period of time during which the exchange offer is so terminated.

Accrued Interest on Exchange Notes

You will not receive accrued but unpaid interest on original notes at the time you tender them. Rather, that interest will be payable onopen, complete the exchange notes delivered in exchange for the original notes on the first interest payment date afteroffer.

Exchange Agent

We have retained The Bank of New York to act as the exchange date.

Accounting Treatment

The exchange notes will be recorded at the same carrying value as the original notes for which they are exchanged, which is the aggregate principal amount of the original notes, as reflected in our accounting records on the date of exchange. Accordingly, no gain or loss for accounting purposes will be recognizedagent in connection with the exchange offer. The costexchange agent may contact holders of Old Notes by mail, telephone, facsimile transmission and personal interviews and may request brokers, dealers and other nominee holders to forward materials relating to

the exchange offer will be amortized over the term of the exchange notes.

Exchange Agent

Wachovia Bank, National Association has been appointed as the exchange agent for the exchange offer. You should direct questions and requests for assistance and requests for additional copies of this prospectus or of the letter of transmittal to the exchange agent as follows:

By Mail, Hand or Overnight Delivery:

Wachovia Bank, National Association

1 Penn Plaza

Suite 1414

New York, New York 10119

Telephone:

(704) 590-7413

By Fax (for eligible institutions only):

(704) 590-7628

Delivery to an address other than as stated above, or transmissions of instructions to a facsimile number other than the one stated above, will not constitute a valid delivery.

Fees and Expenses

beneficial owners. We have not retained any dealer-manager or similar agent in connection with the exchange offer and will not make any paymentsagreed to brokers, dealers or others for soliciting acceptances of the exchange offer. We will, however, pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services, and will reimburse it for its reasonable out-of-pocket expensesexpenses. In addition, the exchange agent will be indemnified against liabilities in connection with its services. services, including liabilities under the federal securities laws. You should direct any questions and requests for assistance and requests for additional copies of this prospectus to the exchange agent at the address set forth on the back cover page of this prospectus.

Information Agent

D.F. King & Co., Inc. has been appointed the information agent for the exchange offer, and will receive customary compensation for its expenses. Questions concerning tender procedures and requests for additional copies of this prospectus should be directed to the information agent at the address set forth on the back cover page of this prospectus. Holders of Old Notes may also contact their custodian bank, depositary, broker, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the exchange offer.

Neither the information agent nor the exchange agent has been retained to make solicitations or recommendations. The fees they receive will not be based on the principal amount of Old Notes tendered under the exchange offer.

Dealer Manager

Lehman Brothers Inc. is acting as the dealer manager in connection with the exchange offer and will receive a fee for its services as dealer manager. Lehman Brothers Inc. will also be reimbursed for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the exchange offers (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel), whether or not the exchange offer is completed. Lehman Brother Inc.’s fees will be payable upon expiration or termination of the exchange offer.

We have agreed to indemnify Lehman Brothers Inc. against specified liabilities relating to or arising out of the exchange offer, including civil liabilities under the federal securities laws, and to contribute to payments which it may be required to make in respect thereof. Lehman Brothers Inc. may from time to time hold Old Notes and our common stock in their proprietary accounts, and to the extent it owns Old Notes in these accounts at the time of the exchange offer, Lehman Brothers Inc. may tender these Old Notes. In addition, Lehman Brothers Inc. may hold and trade New Notes in its proprietary accounts following the exchange offer.

From time to time, Lehman Brothers Inc. and its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, investment, lending and commercial banking and financial advisory services to us or our affiliates for customary compensation.

Other Fees and Expenses

We will alsonot pay brokerage housesany fees or commissions to any broker or dealer, or any other person, other than Lehman Brothers Inc. for soliciting tenders of Old Notes under the exchange offer. Brokers, dealers, commercial banks and other custodians, nomineestrust companies will, upon request, be reimbursed by us for reasonable and fiduciaries the reasonable out-of-pocketnecessary costs and expenses incurred by them in forwarding tenders formaterials to their customers. We will pay

The principal solicitation is being made by mail. However, additional solicitations may be made by facsimile transmission, telephone or in person by the expensesdealer manager and the information agent, as well as by officers and other employees of LabCorp.

The total expense expected to be incurred in connection with the exchange offer, assuming all of the Old Notes are exchanged for New Notes, is estimated to be approximately$3.2 million, including the fees and expensesexchange fee of the exchange agent, printing,$2.50 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes.

Accounting Treatment

For accounting and legal fees.

Holders who tender their original notes for exchange notespurposes, we will not be obligated to payrecognize any transfer taxes in connection with the exchange. If, however, exchange notes are to be delivered to,gain or are to be issued in the name of, any person other than the registered holder of the original notes tendered, or if a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other thanloss upon the exchange of the original notesNew Notes for Old Notes. We will amortize the exchange fee paid to holders of the New Notes over the term of the New Notes. All other costs incurred in connection with the exchange will be expensed as incurred.

Effect of Tender

Any valid tender by a holder of Old Notes that is not validly withdrawn prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer thenwill constitute a binding agreement between that holder and us upon the amountterms and subject to the conditions of the exchange offer set forth in this prospectus. The acceptance of the exchange offer by a tendering holder of Old Notes will constitute the agreement by that holder to deliver good and marketable title to the tendered Old Notes, free and clear of all liens, charges, claims, encumbrances, interests and restrictions of any such transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holderkind.

Absence of Dissenters’ Rights

Holders of Old Notes do not have any appraisal or any other person) will be payable by the tendering holder. If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption from such taxes is not submitted with the letter of transmittal, the amount of such taxes will be billed directly to such tendering holder.

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representationsdissenters’ rights under applicable law in connection with the exchange offer other than those contained in this prospectus. If given or made, such information or representations should not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any exchange made hereunder shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in our business since the respective dates as of which information is given herein. We are not making the exchange offer to (nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of) holders of original notes in any jurisdiction in which the making of the exchange offer or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. However, we may, at our discretion, take such action as we may deem necessary to make the exchange offer in any such jurisdiction and extend the exchange offer to holders of original notes in such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction the securities laws or blue sky laws of which require the exchange offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the exchange offer may be made on our behalf by one or more registered brokers or dealers which are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.offer.

DESCRIPTION OF EXCHANGETHE NEW NOTES

We will issue the New Notes under an indenture between us and The termsBank of the exchange notes will be the same as the original notes, except that the exchange notes will not contain language restricting their transfer, and holders of the exchange notes generally will not be entitled to further registration rights under the registration rights agreement. The exchange notes will evidence the same debt as the outstanding original notes for which they were exchanged, and the exchange notes will replace such outstanding original notes. Both the original notes and the exchange notes are governed by the same indenture with Wachovia Bank, National Association,New York, as trustee. The termsfollowing summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified by reference to, all of the exchange notes include those stated in the indenture and those made partprovisions of the indenture, by referencewhich we urge you to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.

Some of the termsread because they define your rights as a New Notes holder. As used in this description are definedof New Notes, the words “we,” “us,” “our” or “LabCorp” refer only to Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and do not include any current or future subsidiary of LabCorp.

General

The New Notes will be limited to $743,966,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity. The New Notes will mature on September 11, 2021. Each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes (a “New Note”) will have an initial principal amount upon issuance of $741.92, which is equal to the original issue price of $671.65 for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of Old Notes on September 11, 2001 plus accrued original issue discount of $70.27 to September 11, 2006. When used herein, principal amount at maturity means $1,000 per New Note. The New Notes will be payable at the principal corporate trust office of the paying agent, which initially will be an office or agency of the trustee, or an office or agency maintained by us for such purpose, in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York.

Each New Note will be offered at a substantial discount from its principal amount at maturity. Except as described below under “—Contingent Cash Interest,” we will not make periodic payments of interest on the subheading “—Certain Definitions.”New Notes. The following description is onlyNew Notes will accrue original issue discount while they remain outstanding. Original issue discount will accrue at the rate of 2.0% per year, calculated on a summarysemi-annual bond equivalent basis using a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months. Original issue discount will begin to accrue on the New Notes from September 11, 2006. The principal amount of the material provisionsNew Notes will accrete on March 11 and September 11 of each year, beginning March 11, 2007.

We intend to treat the New Notes as debt instruments subject to the Treasury regulations that provide special rules for contingent payment debt instruments. Holders of the indenture. We urge youNew Notes will continue to readaccrue original issue discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes. You agree in the indenture in its entirety because it,to treat your New Notes as contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes and not this description, defines your rights as holdersto be bound by our application of the exchange notes. You may request copiesTreasury regulations that govern contingent payment debt instruments, including our determination of the indenturerate at which interest, also referred to herein as tax original issue discount, will be considered to accrue for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under the contingent payment debt regulations, even if we do not pay any contingent cash interest on the New Notes, holders will be required to include accrued tax original issue discount in their gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The rate at which the tax original issue discount will accrue will exceed the stated yield to maturity. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Original issue discount and contingent cash interest, if any, will cease to accrue on a New Note upon its maturity, conversion, purchase by contacting us at the address shown under “Where You Can Find More Information.”option of a holder or redemption. We may not reissue a New Note that has matured or been converted, purchased by us at your option, redeemed or otherwise cancelled, except for registration of transfer, exchange or replacement of such New Note.

Brief DescriptionNew Notes may be presented for conversion at the office of Exchange Notes

the conversion agent and for exchange or registration of transfer at the office of the registrar. The exchange notes:

conversion agent and the registrar shall initially be the trustee. No service charge will be unsecured senior obligationsmade for any registration of ours;
transfer or exchange of New Notes. However, we may require the holder to pay any tax, assessment or other governmental charge payable as a result of such transfer or exchange.

Subordination

Payment on the New Notes will, rank equalto the extent provided in the indenture, be subordinated in right of payment withto the prior payment in full of all of our existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness;indebtedness. Payment on the New Notes will also effectively be subordinated to all of our subsidiaries’ existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables.

Upon any payment or distribution of assets of LabCorp to its creditors upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceedings, the holders of all senior indebtedness will first be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due thereon, or payment of such amounts will have been provided for, before the holders of the New Notes will be entitled to receive any payment or distribution with respect to any New Notes.

By reason of this subordination, in the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or reorganization, holders of senior indebtedness may receive more, ratably, and holders of the New Notes may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors.

In addition, no payment of the principal amount at the maturity of the New Notes, initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance, accrued original issue discount, cash due upon conversion, redemption price, purchase price and contingent cash interest, if any, with respect to any New Notes may be made by us, nor may we pay cash with respect to the purchase price of any New Notes (other than for fractional shares) or acquire any New Notes for cash or property (except as set forth in the indenture) if:

(1)any payment default on any senior indebtedness has occurred and is continuing beyond any applicable grace period; or

(2)any default, other than a payment default with respect to senior indebtedness, occurs and is continuing that permits the acceleration of the maturity thereof and such default is either the subject of judicial proceedings or we receive a written notice of such default from the holders of such senior indebtedness.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the payment blockage period will end and we may resume payments with respect to the New Notes and may acquire New Notes:

when the default with respect to the senior indebtedness is cured or waived; or

 

willin the case of a default described in (2) above, 179 or more days pass after we receive notice of the default, provided that the terms of the indenture otherwise permit the payment or acquisition of the New Notes at that time.

No new period of payment blockage may be commenced pursuant to a similar notice relating to the same default on the same issue of senior indebtedness unless nine months have elapsed since we received the notice of default as provided above.

In addition, no payment may be made on the New Notes if any New Notes are declared due and payable prior to their stated maturity by reason of the occurrence of an event of default until the earlier of 120 days after the date of such acceleration or the payment in full of all senior indebtedness, but only if such payment is then otherwise permitted under the terms of the indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the expiration of any payment blockage period described above, holders of the New Notes are required to pay over any amounts collected by such holders to the holders of senior indebtedness to the extent necessary to pay all holders of senior indebtedness in full.

The term “senior indebtedness” of LabCorp means the principal, premium (if any) and unpaid interest on all present and future:

(1)indebtedness of LabCorp for borrowed money;

(2)obligations of LabCorp evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments;

(3)obligations of LabCorp under (a) interest rate swaps, caps, collars, options, and similar arrangements, (b) any foreign exchange contract, currency swap contract, futures contract, currency option contract, or other foreign currency hedge, and (c) credit swaps, caps, floors, collars and similar arrangements;

(4)indebtedness incurred, assumed or guaranteed by LabCorp in connection with the acquisition by it or a subsidiary of LabCorp of any business, properties or assets (except purchase money indebtedness classified as accounts payable under generally accepted accounting principles);

(5)all obligations and liabilities, contingent or otherwise, in respect of leases of LabCorp required, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, to be accounted for as capitalized lease obligations on the balance sheet of LabCorp and all obligations and liabilities, contingent or otherwise, under any lease or related document, including a purchase agreement, in connection with the lease of real property which provides that LabCorp is contractually obligated to purchase or cause a third party to purchase the leased property and thereby guarantee a minimum residual value of the leased property to the lessor and the obligations of LabCorp under such lease or related document to purchase or to cause a third party to purchase such leased property;

(6)reimbursement obligations of LabCorp in respect of letters of credit relating to indebtedness or other obligations of LabCorp that qualify as indebtedness or obligations of the kind referred to in clauses (1) through (5) above; and

(7)obligations of LabCorp under direct or indirect guaranties in respect of, and obligations (contingent or otherwise) to purchase or otherwise acquire, or otherwise to assure a creditor against loss in respect of, indebtedness or obligations of others of the kinds referred to in clauses (1) through (6) above,

in each case unless in the instrument creating or evidencing the indebtedness or obligation or pursuant to which the same is outstanding it is provided that such indebtedness or obligation is not senior in right of payment to the New Notes or that such indebtedness or obligation is subordinated to any other indebtedness or obligation of LabCorp, unless such indebtedness or obligation expressly provides that such indebtedness or obligations are to be senior in right of payment to allthe New Notes. At June 30, 2006, we had approximately $603.3 million of our existing and any future subordinated indebtedness.

Principal, Maturity and Interest

senior indebtedness outstanding. The exchange notes are offered in the principal amount of $350.0 million. We will issue the exchange notes in denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple thereof. The exchange notes will mature on February 1, 2013. We may, without consent of the holders, increase the principal amount of the exchange notes in the future on the same terms and conditions and with the same CUSIP number as the exchange notes being offered hereby. The exchange notes and any additional notes will be treated as a single class for all purposes under the indenture including waivers, amendments and offers to purchase. Unless the context otherwise requires, for all purposes of the indenture and this “Description of Exchange Notes,” references to the exchange notes include any additional notes actually issued.

Interest on the exchange notes will accrue at the rate of 5 1/2% per annum and will be payable semiannually on February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2003. We will make each interest payment to holders of record on the immediately preceding January 15 and July 15. Interest on the exchange notes will accrue from the date of original issuance. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months. Additional interest may accrue on the exchange notes in certain circumstances under the registration rights agreement. See “Original Notes Registration Rights” below.

Optional Redemption

We may redeem all or part of the exchange notes at any time at our option at a redemption price equal to the greater of:

(1)  100% of the principal amount of the exchange notes being redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date or

(2)  the Make-Whole Amount for the exchange notes being redeemed.

As used in this prospectus:

“Make Whole Amount” means the sum, as determined by a Quotation Agent, of the present values of the principal amount of the exchange notes to be redeemed, together with scheduled payments of interest (exclusive

of interest to the redemption date) from the redemption date to the maturity date of the exchange notes being redeemed, in each case discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual basis, assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months, at the Adjusted Treasury Rate, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the exchange notes being redeemed to the redemption date.

“Adjusted Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date:

(1)  the yield, under the heading which represents the average for the immediately preceding week, appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated “H.15(519)” or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” for the maturity corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue (if no maturity is within three months before or after the remaining term of the exchange notes of the series being redeemed, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue shall be determined and the Adjusted Treasury Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight line basis, rounding to the nearest month) or

(2)  if such release (or any successor release) is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not contain such yields, the rate per year equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such redemption date, in each case calculated on the third business day preceding the redemption date, plus 0.25%.restrict LabCorp from incurring additional indebtedness, including senior indebtedness.

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term from the redemption date to the maturity date of the exchange notes being redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the exchange notes.

“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date, if clause (2) of the Adjusted Treasury Rate is applicable, the average of three, or such lesser number as is obtained by the trustee, Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such redemption date.

“Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer selected by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means any of Credit Suisse First Boston LLC and its successors and assigns, and two other nationally recognized investment banking firms selected by us that are primary U.S. Government securities dealers.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the trustee, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue, expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount, quoted in writing to the trustee by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

Selection and Notice of Redemption

If we redeem less than all the exchange notes at any time, the trustee will select exchange notes to be redeemed using a method it considers fair and appropriate.

We will redeem exchange notes in increments of $1,000 and will cause notices of redemption to be mailed by first class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of exchange notes to be redeemed at its registered address. However, we will not know the exact redemption price until three

business days before the redemption date. Therefore, the notice of redemption will only describe how the redemption price will be calculated.

If any exchange notes are to be redeemed only in part, the notice of redemption will state the portion of the principal amount of the exchange note to be redeemed. Upon cancellation of the exchange note surrendered for redemption, we will issue a new exchange note in principal amount in increments of $1,000 equal to the unredeemed portion of the surrendered exchange note in the name of the holder thereof. Exchange notes called for redemption will become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on exchange notes or portions of them called for redemption.

Sinking Fund

The exchange notes will not be entitled to any sinking fund. We may at any time and from time to time purchase exchange notes in the open market or otherwise.

Ranking

The exchange notes will rank equal in right of payment with our other general unsecured indebtedness that is not otherwise made expressly subordinate in right of payment to the exchange notes, including indebtedness from time to time outstanding to banks and other lenders. The exchange notes will be effectively subordinated to any and all of our existing and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the related collateral.

In addition, becauseBecause we are a holding company whose operations are conducted through operating subsidiaries, the exchange notesNew Notes will be structurally subordinated to any and all existing and future indebtedness, whether or not secured, and other liabilities and claims of holders of preferred stock of any of our subsidiaries. After giving effectAny right of LabCorp to participate in any distribution of the assets of any of its subsidiaries upon the liquidation, reorganization or insolvency of such subsidiary (and the consequent right of the holders of the New Notes to participate in those assets) will be subject to the saleclaims of the original notescreditors (including trade creditors) of such subsidiary, except to the extent that claims of LabCorp itself as a creditor of such subsidiary may be recognized, in which case the claims of LabCorp would still be subordinate to any security interest in the assets of such subsidiary and the application of the net proceeds therefrom, at September 30, 2002, we and our consolidated subsidiaries would have had approximately $378.6 million of senior indebtedness other than the exchange notes, approximately $10.0 million of which was secured. Of the $378.6 million, approximately $9.8 million would have representedany indebtedness of subsidiariessuch subsidiary senior to which the exchange notes would have been structurally subordinated.that held by LabCorp. The indenture does not prohibit usrestrict LabCorp’s subsidiaries from issuingincurring additional indebtednessliabilities that ranks equally in right of paymentrank senior to the exchange notes. New Notes.

Conversion Rights

Holders may surrender New Notes for conversion into cash and shares of our common stock, if any, only if at least one of the conditions described below is satisfied. In addition, a New Note for which a holder has delivered a purchase notice requiring us to purchase the New Notes may be surrendered for conversion only if such notice is withdrawn in accordance with the indenture.

The indenture restricts ininitial conversion rate is 13.4108 shares of common stock per New Note, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain circumstances, but does notevents described below. A holder of a New Note otherwise prohibit, our subsidiaries from issuing additional indebtedness or preferred stock that would be structurally senior in right of paymententitled to a fractional share will receive cash equal to the exchange notes.applicable portion of the then current sale price of our common stock on the trading day immediately preceding the conversion date.

The ability to surrender New Notes for conversion will expire at the close of business on September 11, 2021.

Certificated ExchangeThe conversion agent will, on our behalf, determine if the New Notes are convertible and notify the trustee and us accordingly. If one or more of the conditions to the conversion of the New Notes has been satisfied, we will promptly notify the holders of the New Notes thereof and use our reasonable best efforts to post this information on our website or otherwise publicly disclose this information.

Subject to certain conditions,Conversion Based on Common Stock Price.    Holders may surrender New Notes for conversion in any calendar quarter commencing after September 30, 2006, if the exchange notes representedsale price (as defined below) of our common stock for at least 20 trading days in a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the preceding calendar quarter is more than a specified percentage, beginning at 117.5642% and declining 0.1282% per calendar quarter thereafter until it reaches approximately 110% for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2021, of the accreted conversion price per share of common stock on the last day of such preceding calendar quarter. The accreted conversion price per share as of any day will equal the initial principal amount of a New Note upon issuance plus the accrued original issue discount as of such day, divided by the global note are exchangeable for certificated exchange notesconversion rate in definitive form of like tenor in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof if:

DTC notifies useffect on that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositaryday, provided that, for the global notecalendar quarter ended September 30, 2006, the accreted conversion price per share as of September 30, 2006 shall be $55.38.

The “sale price” of our common stock on any date means the closing per share sale price (or if no closing sale price is reported, the average of the bid and ask prices or, DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and,if more than one in either case, the average of the average bid and the average ask prices) on such date as reported in composite transactions for the principal United States securities exchange on which the common stock is traded or, if the common stock is not listed on a United States national or regional securities exchange, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System or by Pink Sheets, LLC. In the absence of a quotation, we are unable to locate a qualified successor within 90 days;

will determine the sale price on the basis of such quotations as we consider appropriate.

The table below shows the conversion trigger price per share of our common stock in respect of each of the first 20 calendar quarters following issuance of the New Notes. These conversion trigger prices reflect the accreted conversion price per share of common stock multiplied by the applicable percentage for the respective calendar quarter. Thereafter, the accreted conversion price per share of common stock increases each calendar quarter by the accreted original issue discount for the calendar quarter and the applicable percentage declines by 0.1282% per calendar quarter. The conversion trigger price for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2021 is $81.71.

 

we, in our discretion,

Quarter*

  (1)
Accreted
Conversion
Price Per Share
  (2)
Applicable
Percentage
  (3)
Conversion
Trigger Price
(1) x (2)

2006

     

Fourth Quarter

  $55.38  117.5642% $65.11

2007

     

First Quarter

  $55.66  117.4360% $65.36

Second Quarter

  $55.94  117.3078% $65.62

Third Quarter

  $56.22  117.1796% $65.87

Fourth Quarter

  $56.50  117.0514% $66.13

2008

     

First Quarter

  $56.78  116.9232% $66.39

Second Quarter

  $57.06  116.7950% $66.65

Third Quarter

  $57.35  116.6668% $66.90

Fourth Quarter

  $57.63  116.5386% $67.16

2009

     

First Quarter

  $57.92  116.4104% $67.42

Second Quarter

  $58.21  116.2822% $67.69

Third Quarter

  $58.50  116.1540% $67.95

Fourth Quarter

  $58.79  116.0258% $68.21

2010

     

First Quarter

  $59.08  115.8976% $68.48

Second Quarter

  $59.38  115.7694% $68.74

Third Quarter

  $59.68  115.6412% $69.01

Fourth Quarter

  $59.97  115.5130% $69.28

Quarter*

  (1)
Accreted
Conversion
Price Per Share
  (2)
Applicable
Percentage
  (3)
Conversion
Trigger Price
(1) x (2)

2011

     

First Quarter

  $60.27  115.3848% $69.54

Second Quarter

  $60.57  115.2566% $69.81

Third Quarter

  $60.87  115.1284% $70.08


*This table assumes no events have occurred that would require an adjustment to the conversion rate.

Conversion Based on Credit Rating Downgrade.    Holders may also surrender a New Note for conversion during any period that the rating assigned to the New Notes by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is BB– or lower.

Conversion Based upon Notice of Redemption.    A holder may surrender for conversion a New Note called for redemption at any time determineprior to the close of business on the second business day immediately preceding the redemption date, even if it is not otherwise convertible at such time. A New Note for which a holder has delivered a purchase notice, as described below, requiring us to havepurchase such New Note, may be surrendered for conversion only if such notice is withdrawn in accordance with the indenture.

A “business day” is any weekday that is not a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York are required or authorized to close. A “trading day” is a day during which trading in securities generally occurs on the NYSE or, if our common stock is not listed on the NYSE, on the principal other national or regional securities exchange on which our common stock is then listed or, if our common stock is not listed on a national or regional securities exchange, on the principal other market on which our common stock is then traded.

Conversion Upon Occurrence of Certain Corporate Transactions.

Certain Distributions on Our Common Stock.    If we make:

a distribution to all holders of our common stock of certain rights to purchase our common stock for a period expiring within 60 days at less than the exchange notes represented by the global note;then current sale price; or

 

a default entitlingdistribution to the holders of the exchange notes to accelerate the maturity thereof has occurred and is continuing.

Any exchange note is exchangeable for certificated exchange notes issuable in authorized denominations and registered in such names as DTC shall direct. Subject to the foregoing, the global exchange note is not exchangeable, except for a global exchange noteour common stock of the same aggregate denomination to be registered in the name of DTC or its nominee.

Same-Day Payment

The indenture requires us to make payments in respect of the exchange notes, including principal, premium and interest, by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the U.S. dollar accounts with banks in the United States specified by the holders thereof or, if no such account is specified, by mailing a check to each holder’s registered address.

Certain Covenants

Limitation on Liens

The indenture provides that so long as any notes are outstanding, we will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any Principal Property orour assets (including shares of capital stock of a subsidiary) or Indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiarydebt securities or certain rights to secure any Indebtedness, without effectively providing that the outstanding notes shall (so long as such other Indebtedness shall be so secured) be equally and ratably secured.

Under the terms of the indenture, the foregoing limitation does not apply to:

(1)  Liens for taxes not yet due or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, provided that adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained onpurchase our books or the books of our Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, in conformity with GAAP;

(2)  carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’ssecurities (excluding cash dividends or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business securing obligations that are not overdue for a period of more than 90 dayscash distributions from current or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;

(3)  pledges or deposits in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation and deposits securing liability to insurance carriers under insurance or self-insurance arrangements;

(4)  deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts (other than for borrowed money), leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(5)  easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances incurred in the ordinary course of business that, in the aggregate, are not substantial in amount and that do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of our business or of such Restricted Subsidiary;

(6)  Liens in existence on the original date of issuance of the original notes;

(7)  Liens arising in connection with trade letters of credit issued for our account or the account of a Restricted Subsidiary securing the reimbursement obligations in respect of such letters of credit, provided, that such Liens encumber only the property being acquired through payments made under such letters of credit or the documents of title and shipping and insurance documents relating to such property;

(8)  Liens on intellectual property acquired by us or a Restricted Subsidiary (such as software) securing our obligation or the obligation of such Restricted Subsidiary to make royalty or similar payments to the seller of such intellectual property, provided, that such Liens encumber only the intellectual property to which such payments relate;

(9)  any Lien upon any property or assets created at the time of the acquisition, purchase, lease, improvement or development of property or assets used or held by us or any Restricted Subsidiary or within one year after such time to secure all or a portion of the purchase price or lease for, or the costs of improvement or development of, such property or assets;

(10)  any Lien upon any property or assets existing thereon at the time of the acquisition thereof (provided such Lien was not incurred in anticipation of such acquisition) by us or any Restricted Subsidiary (whether or not the obligations secured thereby are assumed by us or any Restricted Subsidiary);

(11)  any Lien in favor of us or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(12)  Liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default;

(13)  Liens to secure any extension, renewal, refinancing or refunding (or successive extensions, renewals, refinancings or refundings), in whole or in part, of any Indebtedness secured by Liens referred to in the foregoing clauses (6) through (12) or Liens created in connection with any amendment, consent or waiver relating to such Indebtedness, so long as such Lien does not extend to any other property and the Indebtedness so secured does not exceed the fair market value (as determined by our board of directors) of the assets subject to such Liens at the time of such extension, renewal, refinancing or refunding, or such amendment, consent or waiver, as the case may be; or

(14)  any Lien securing any Indebtedness in an amount which, together with, without duplication, (x) all other Indebtedness secured by a Lien that is not otherwise permitted by the foregoing provisions, (y) any Sale and Leaseback Transaction permitted only under clause (5) under “—Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions,” and (z) any Indebtedness incurred by a Subsidiary of ours pursuant to clause (x) or (y) under “—Limitation on Subsidiary Indebtedness and Preferred Stock,” does not at the time of the incurrence of the Indebtedness so secured exceed 5% of our Consolidated Total Assets.

Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions

The indenture provides that so long as any notes are outstanding, we will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale and Leaseback Transaction with respect to any Principal Property unless:

(1)  the Sale and Leaseback Transaction involves a lease for a term of not more than five years;

(2)  the Sale and Leaseback Transaction is between us and a Subsidiary Guarantor or between Subsidiary Guarantors;

(3)  we or a Restricted Subsidiary would be entitled to incur Indebtedness secured by a Lien on such property or assets involved in such Sale and Leaseback Transaction without equally and ratably securing the exchange notes pursuant to the covenant described under “—Limitation on Liens”;

(4)  the cash proceeds of such Sale and Leaseback Transaction are at least equal to the fair market value thereof or the debt attributable thereto and we apply an amount equal to the greater of the net proceeds of such sale or the Attributable Debt with respect to such Sale and Leaseback Transaction within 270 days of such sale to either (or a combination) of (x) the retirement (other than the mandatory retirement, mandatory prepayment or sinking fund payment or by payment at maturity) of our long-term debt or the long-term debt of a Restricted Subsidiary (other than long-term debt that is subordinated to the notes) or (y) the acquisition, purchase, improvement or development of other comparable property, including the acquisition of other businesses; or

(5)  the Sale and Leaseback Transaction is in an amount which, together with, without duplication, (x) all of our Attributable Debt and that of our Restricted Subsidiaries under this clause (5), (y) all other Indebtedness secured by a Lien that is not otherwise permitted by the provisions of clauses (1) through (13) under “—Limitation on Liens” above, and (z) any Indebtedness incurred by a Subsidiary of ours pursuant to clause (x) or (y) under “—Limitation on Subsidiary Indebtedness and Preferred Stock,” does not at the time of such transaction exceed 5% of our Consolidated Total Assets.

Limitation on Subsidiary Indebtedness and Preferred Stock

The indenture provides that so long as any notes are outstanding, we will not cause or permit our direct or indirect Subsidiaries to incur, create, issue, assume or permit to exist any Indebtedness or Preferred Stock (other

than Permitted Indebtedness)retained earnings, unless the amount thereof, together with all other cash dividends paid in the preceding 12 month period, per share exceeds the sum of (i) 5% of the sale price of our common stock on the day preceding the date of declaration of such Indebtednessdividend or Preferred Stock, when taken together with, without duplication, (1) all other Indebtedness (other than Permitted Indebtedness) incurred pursuant to this covenant, (2) all other Indebtedness secured bydistribution and (ii) the quotient of the amount of any contingent interest paid on a Lien that is not otherwise permittedNew Note during such period divided by the provisions of clause (1) through (13) under “—Limitationconversion rate in effect on Liens” above, and (3) any Sale Leaseback Transactions permitted only under clause (5) under “—Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions,” does not at the timecontingent interest payment date) with a per share value equal to more than 15% of the incurrence exceed the greater of (x) $170.0 million and (y) 5%sale price of our Consolidated Total Assets.

shares of common stock on the day preceding the declaration date for such distribution,

we will be required to give notice to the holders of New Notes at least 20 days prior to the ex-dividend date for such distribution and, upon the giving of such notice, the New Notes may be surrendered for conversion at any time until the close of business on the business day prior to the ex-dividend date or until we announce that such distribution will not take place.

Limitation onConsolidations, Mergers and ConsolidationsCertain Other Corporate Transactions

The indenture provides that.    If we will not consolidateare party to a consolidation, merger or merge withbinding share exchange or into any Person, or sell, lease, convey or otherwise disposea transfer of all or substantially all of our assets pursuant to which our common stock would be converted into cash, securities or assignother property of LabCorp or another person, a New Note may be surrendered for conversion at any time from and after the date which is 15 days prior to the anticipated effective date of the transaction until 15 days after the actual effective date of such transaction, and at the effective date, the right to convert each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes into cash and

shares of our common stock, if any, will be changed into a right to convert it into the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets of LabCorp or another person which the holder would have received if the holder had converted each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the holder’s New Notes immediately prior to the transaction into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the then applicable conversion rate, subject to the adjustments discussed under “—Conversion Right Adjustment upon Business Combinations and Asset Sales.”

Payment upon Conversion.    We will satisfy in cash our obligation with respect to the accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, with the remaining amount, if any, to be satisfied in shares of our common stock, in each case as described below.

The settlement amount will be computed as follows:

a cash amount equal to the lesser of (i) the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted on the conversion date and (ii) the conversion value (as defined below) of the New Notes to be converted; and

if the conversion value exceeds the aggregate accreted principal amount of the New Notes to be converted, a number of shares of our common stock equal to the greater of (i) zero and (ii) the sum of, for each trading day of the cash settlement averaging period (as defined below), the quotient of (A) 10% of the difference between (1) the product of the conversion rate then in effect and the sale price of our common stock for such day and (2) the accreted principal amount of a New Note on the conversion date, divided by (B) the sale price of our common stock for such day.

The “accreted principal amount” with respect to any New Note means, at any date of determination, the sum of (1) the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance and (2) the accrued original issue discount that has been accreted to the principal amount of the New Note.

The “conversion value” with respect to any New Note means, on any date of determination, the product of (1) the conversion rate then in effect and (2) the average of the sale prices of our common stock for each trading day in the cash settlement averaging period.

The “cash settlement averaging period” with respect to any New Note means the ten consecutive trading days beginning on the second trading day after the conversion date (as defined below) for those New Notes.

To convert a New Note represented by a global security, a holder must convert by book-entry transfer to the conversion agent (who will initially be the trustee) through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, or DTC.

To convert a New Note that is represented by a certificated security, a holder must:

complete and manually sign the conversion notice on the back of the New Note (or a facsimile thereof) and deliver the completed conversion notice to the conversion agent;

surrender the New Note to the conversion agent;

if required by the conversion agent, LabCorp or the trustee, furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents; and

if required, pay all transfer or similar taxes.

The “conversion date” will be the date on which all of the foregoing requirements have been satisfied.

We will settle our obligation to deliver cash and shares of our common stock, if any, arising from any conversion on the third trading day following the final trading day of the relevant cash settlement averaging period.

On conversion of a New Note, a holder will not receive any cash payment representing contingent cash interest, if any, except as described below. Delivery to the holder of the cash and the full number of shares of common stock, if any, into which the New Note is convertible, together with any cash payment of such holder’s fractional shares, will be deemed:

to satisfy our obligation to pay the principal amount at maturity of the New Note; and

to satisfy our obligation to pay accrued original issue discount attributable to the period from the issue date through the conversion date.

As a result, accrued original issue discount is deemed paid in full rather than cancelled, extinguished or forfeited.

We and each holder of a New Note also agree that delivery to the holder of the cash and the full number of shares of common stock, if any, into which the New Note is convertible, together with any cash payment of such holder’s fractional shares, will be treated as a payment (in an amount equal to the sum of the then fair market value of such shares and such cash payment) on the New Note for purposes of the Treasury regulations applicable to debt instruments with contingent payments. See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

If contingent cash interest is payable to holders of New Notes during any particular six-month period, and such New Notes are converted after the applicable record date therefor and prior to the next succeeding interest payment date, holders of such New Notes at the close of business on the record date will receive the contingent cash interest payable on such New Notes on the corresponding interest payment date notwithstanding the conversion. Such New Notes, upon surrender for conversion, must be accompanied by funds equal to the amount of contingent cash interest payable on the New Notes so converted, unless such New Notes have been called for redemption, in which case no such payment shall be required.

The conversion rate will not be adjusted for accrued original issue discount or any contingent cash interest.

For a discussion of the tax treatment of a holder receiving shares of our common stock upon surrendering New Notes for conversion, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Classification of the New Notes—U.S. Holders—Sale, Exchange, Conversion or Redemption of the New Notes.”

Conversion Right Adjustment upon Business Combinations and Asset Sales.    If we are a party to a consolidation, merger or a sale of all or substantially all of our assets in which we are not the continuing corporation, or we are a party to a merger or binding share exchange which reclassifies or changes our outstanding common stock, the right to convert each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes will be changed into a right to convert it into the securities, cash or other assets (the “reference property”) that the holder of the New Notes would have received if the holder had converted each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of New Notes immediately before the effective date of the transaction into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the then applicable conversion rate. However, at and after the effective time of the transaction, the cash portion of the payment upon conversion will continue to be payable in cash (instead of reference property), but the conversion value will be calculated based on the sale prices of the reference property during the cash settlement averaging period instead of our common stock. In determining the amount of reference property to be received by the holder of a New Note in connection with a consolidation, merger, sale or binding share exchange in which our shareholders may elect the form of consideration, the holders of the New Notes will be assumed to have elected to receive the same consideration elected by a majority of the holders of our common stock.

Conversion Adjustments.    We will adjust the conversion rate for:

dividends or distributions on our common stock payable in our common stock or our other capital stock;

subdivisions, combinations or certain reclassifications of our common stock;

distributions to all holders of our common stock of certain rights to purchase our common stock for a period expiring within 60 days at less than the then current sale price; and

distributions to the holders of our common stock of our assets (including shares of capital stock of a subsidiary) or debt securities or certain rights to purchase our securities (excluding cash dividends or other cash distributions from current or retained earnings, unless the amount thereof, together with all other cash dividends paid in the preceding 12 month period, per share exceeds the sum of (i) 5% of the sale price of our common stock on the day preceding the date of declaration of such dividend or other distribution and (ii) the quotient of the amount of any contingent interest paid on a New Note during such period divided by the conversion rate in effect on the contingent interest payment date).

In the event that we pay a dividend or make a distribution on shares of our common stock consisting of capital stock of, or similar equity interests in, a subsidiary or other business unit of ours, the conversion rate will be adjusted in accordance with the indenture based on the market value of the securities so distributed relative to the market value of our common stock, in each case based on the average closing prices (of if no closing sale price is reported, the average of the bid and ask prices or if more than one in either case, the average of the average bid and the average ask prices) of those securities for the 10 trading days commencing on and including the fifth trading day after the date on which “ex-dividend trading” commences for such dividend or distribution on the NYSE or such other national or regional securities exchange or market on which the securities are then listed or quoted.

No adjustment to the conversion rate need be made if holders of the New Notes may participate in the transaction or in certain other cases.

If we were to implement a stockholders’ rights plan providing that, upon conversion of the New Notes, the holders of such New Notes will receive, in addition to the cash and shares of common stock, if any, issuable upon such conversion, the rights related to such common stock, there shall not be any adjustment to the conversion privilege or conversion rate as a result of:

the issuance of the rights;

the distribution of separate certificates representing the rights;

the exercise or redemption of such rights in accordance with any rights agreement; or

the termination or invalidation of the rights.

The indenture permits us to increase the conversion rate from time to time. We are not required to adjust the conversion rate until adjustments greater than 1% have occurred.

Holders of the New Notes may, in certain circumstances, be deemed to have received a distribution subject to federal income tax as a dividend upon:

a taxable distribution to holders of common stock which results in an adjustment of the conversion rate;

an increase in the conversion rate at our discretion; or

failure to adjust the conversion rate in some instances.

See “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Classification of the New Notes—U.S. Holders—Constructive Dividends.”

Contingent Cash Interest

Subject to the record date provisions described below, we will pay contingent cash interest to the holders of New Notes during any six-month period from September 12 to March 11 and from March 12 to September 11, with the initial six-month period commencing on September 12, 2006, if the average market price of a New Note for the five trading days ending on the third trading day immediately preceding the first day of the applicable six-month period equals 120% or more of the sum of the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance

and accrued original issue discount for the New Note as of the day immediately preceding the first day of the applicable six-month period. See “—Redemption of New Notes at the Option of LabCorp” for some of these values. Notwithstanding the above, if we declare a dividend for which the record date falls prior to the first day of a six-month period but the payment date falls within such six-month period, then the five trading day period for determining the average market price of a New Note will be the five trading days ending on the third trading day immediately preceding such record date.

During any period when contingent cash interest shall be payable, the contingent cash interest payable per New Note in respect of any quarterly period will equal the greater of 0.0625% of the average market price of a New Note for the five trading day measurement period or any regular cash dividends paid by us per share on our common stock during that quarterly period multiplied by the then applicable conversion rate, provided that if we do not pay cash dividends during a semi-annual period, we will pay contingent cash interest semi-annually at a rate of 0.125% of the average market price of a New Note for the measurement period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, contingent cash interest shall be payable on the New Notes for the six-month period from September 12, 2006 to March 11, 2007, and solely for the purpose of determining the amount of contingent cash interest payable during this six-month period, the average market price for the applicable measurement period will be determined by reference to the average market price of the Old Notes.

Contingent cash interest, if any, will accrue and be payable to holders of New Notes as of the record date, which shall be the 15th day preceding the last day of the relevant six-month period, or, if we pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during a quarter within the relevant six-month period, to holders of New Notes as of the record date for the related common stock dividend. If we only pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during one quarter within the relevant six-month period, the remaining contingent cash interest, if any, will accrue and be payable as of the 15th day preceding the last day of the relevant six-month period. We will make contingent cash interest payments on the last day of the relevant six-month period or, if we pay a regular cash dividend on our common stock during the relevant six-month period, on the payment date for the related common stock dividend. The payment of contingent cash interest will not affect the accrual of original issue discount.

Regular cash dividends mean quarterly or other periodic cash dividends on our common stock as declared by our Board of Directors as part of its cash dividend payment practices and that are not designated by it as extraordinary or special or other nonrecurring dividends.

The market price of a New Note on any date of determination means the average of the secondary market bid quotations per New Note obtained by the bid solicitation agent for $10 million principal amount at maturity of New Notes at approximately 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on such determination date from three independent nationally recognized securities dealers we select, provided that if:

at least three such bids are not obtained by the bid solicitation agent; or

in our reasonable judgment, the bid quotations are not indicative of the secondary market value of the New Notes;

then the market price of a New Note will equal (a) the then applicable conversion rate of the New Notes multiplied by (b) the average sale price of our common stock on the five trading days ending on such determination date, appropriately adjusted.

The bid solicitation agent will initially be The Bank of New York. We may change the bid solicitation agent, but the bid solicitation agent will not be our affiliate. The bid solicitation agent will solicit bids from securities dealers that are believed by us to be willing to bid for the New Notes.

Upon determination that New Note holders will be entitled to receive contingent cash interest during a relevant six-month period, we will issue a press release and publish such information on our Web site or through such other public medium as we may use at that time as soon as practicable.

Redemption of New Notes at the Option of LabCorp

No sinking fund is provided for the New Notes. We may redeem the New Notes for cash, as a whole at any time or from time to time in part. We will give not less than 30 days’ or more than 60 days’ notice of redemption by mail to holders of New Notes.

If redeemed at our option, the New Notes will be redeemed at a price equal to the sum of the initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance plus accrued original issue discount on such New Notes as of the applicable redemption date. The table below shows the redemption prices of a New Note on October 24, 2006 (the assumed issue date of the New Notes), on each September 11 thereafter prior to maturity and at maturity on September 11, 2021. In addition, the redemption price of a New Note that is redeemed between the dates listed below would include an amount reflecting the additional accrued original issue discount that has accrued on such New Note since the immediately preceding date in the table below.

Redemption Date

  (1)
Initial Principal
Amount of
New Note*
  (2)
Accrued
Original Issue
Discount
  (3)
Redemption
Price
(1) + (2)

October 24, 2006

  $741.92  $1.77  $743.69

September 11, 2007

   741.92   14.91   756.83

September 11, 2008

   741.92   30.13   772.05

September 11, 2009

   741.92   45.64   787.56

September 11, 2010

   741.92   61.47   803.39

September 11, 2011

   741.92   77.62   819.54

September 11, 2012

   741.92   94.10   836.02

September 11, 2013

   741.92   110.90   852.82

September 11, 2014

   741.92   128.04   869.96

September 11, 2015

   741.92   145.53   887.45

September 11, 2016

   741.92   163.37   905.29

September 11, 2017

   741.92   181.56   923.48

September 11, 2018

   741.92   200.12   942.04

September 11, 2019

   741.92   219.06   960.98

September 11, 2020

   741.92   238.38   980.30

At stated maturity

  $741.92  $258.08  $1,000.00

*For purposes of this table, we have assumed that the New Notes will be issued on October 24, 2006.

If less than all of the outstanding New Notes are to be redeemed, the trustee will select the New Notes to be redeemed in principal amounts at maturity of $1,000 or integral multiples of $1,000. In this case, the trustee may select the New Notes by lot, pro rata or by any other method the trustee considers fair and appropriate. If a portion of a holder’s New Notes is selected for partial redemption and the holder converts a portion of the New Notes, the converted portion will be deemed to be the portion selected for redemption.

Purchase of New Notes by LabCorp at the Option of the Holder

On September 11, 2011 (which we refer to as the purchase date), we may, at the option of the holder, be required to purchase any outstanding New Note for which a written purchase notice has been properly delivered by the holder and not withdrawn, subject to certain additional conditions. Holders may submit their New Notes for purchase to the paying agent at any time from the opening of business on the date that is 20 business days prior to such purchase date until the close of business on the first business day immediately preceding the purchase date.

The purchase price of a New Note on September 11, 2011 will be $819.54 in cash. This purchase price reflects a price equal to the sum of the initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance and accrued

original issue discount on the New Notes as of the purchase date. For a discussion of the tax treatment of a holder receiving cash upon such purchase, see “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Classification of the New Notes—U.S. Holders—Sale, Exchange, Conversion or Redemption of the New Notes.”

We will be required to give notice on a date not less than 20 business days prior to the purchase date to all holders at their addresses shown in the register of the registrar, and to beneficial owners as required by applicable law, stating among other things:

the amount of the purchase price; and

the procedures that holders must follow to require us to purchase their New Notes.

The purchase notice given by each holder electing to require us to purchase New Notes shall state:

if certificated New Notes have been issued, the certificate numbers of the holder’s New Notes to be delivered for purchase;

the portion of the principal amount at maturity of New Notes to be purchased, which must be $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000; and

that the New Notes are to be purchased by us pursuant to the applicable provisions of the New Notes.

Any purchase notice may be withdrawn by the holder by a written notice of withdrawal delivered to the paying agent prior to the close of business on the first business day immediately preceding the purchase date.

The notice of withdrawal shall state:

the principal amount at maturity being withdrawn;

if certificated New Notes have been issued, the certificate numbers of the New Notes being withdrawn, or if not certificated, such notice must comply with appropriate DTC procedures; and

the principal amount at maturity, if any, of the New Notes that remains subject to the purchase notice.

In connection with any purchase offer, we will:

comply with the provisions of Rule 13e-4, Rule 14e-1 and any other tender offer rules under the Exchange Act which may then be applicable; and

file Schedule TO or any other required schedule under the Exchange Act.

Payment of the purchase price for a New Note for which a purchase notice has been delivered and not validly withdrawn is conditioned upon delivery of the New Note, together with necessary endorsements, to the paying agent at any time after delivery of the purchase notice. Payment of the purchase price for the New Note will be made as soon as practicable following the later of the purchase date or the time of delivery of the New Note.

If the paying agent holds money sufficient to pay the purchase price of the New Note on the business day following the purchase date in accordance with the terms of the indenture, then, immediately after the purchase date, the New Note will cease to be outstanding and accrued original issue discount on such New Note will cease to accrue, whether or not the New Note is delivered to the paying agent. Thereafter, all other rights of the holder shall terminate, other than the right to receive the purchase price upon delivery of the New Note.

No New Notes may be purchased for cash at the option of holders if there has occurred and is continuing an event of default with respect to the New Notes, other than a default in the payment of the purchase price with respect to such New Notes.

Events of Default and Acceleration

The following are events of default under the indenture:

default in the payment of any principal amount at maturity, initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance plus accrued original issue discount, cash due upon conversion, redemption price and purchase price, if any, with respect to the New Notes, whether or not such payment is prohibited by the provisions of the indenture;

default in payment of any contingent cash interest, which default continues for 30 days;

our failure to comply with any of our obligations underother agreements in the New Notes or the indenture upon our receipt of notice of such default from the trustee or from holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount at maturity of the New Notes, and our failure to cure (or obtain a waiver of) such default within 60 days after we receive such notice; or

(A) our failure to make any payment by the end of any applicable grace period after maturity of indebtedness, which term as used in the indenture means obligations (other than nonrecourse obligations) of LabCorp for borrowed money or evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments in an aggregate principal amount in excess of $25 million (“Indebtedness”) and continuance of such failure, or (B) the acceleration of Indebtedness because of a default with respect to such Indebtedness without such Indebtedness having been discharged or such acceleration having been cured, waived, rescinded or annulled in case of (A) above, for a period of 30 days after written notice to us by the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount at maturity of the New Notes then outstanding. However, if such failure or acceleration referred to in (A) or (B) above shall cease or be cured, waived, rescinded or annulled, then the event of default by reason thereof shall be deemed not to have occurred; or

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization affecting LabCorp or our significant subsidiaries.

If an event of default shall have occurred and be continuing, either the trustee or the notes,holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount at maturity of the New Notes then outstanding may declare the initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance plus the original issue discount on the New Notes accrued through the date of such declaration, and any accrued and unpaid contingent cash interest through the date of such declaration, to be immediately due and payable. In the case of certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency of LabCorp, the initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance plus the original issue discount and any Person,contingent cash interest through the occurrence of such event shall automatically become and be immediately due and payable.

Mergers and Sales of Assets

The indenture provides that we may not consolidate with or merge into any person or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to another person, unless:

 

(1)  

the Person formed byresulting, surviving or surviving such consolidation or merger (if other than us), or to which such sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition or arrangement shall be made (collectively, the “Successor”),transferee person is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, or any Statestate thereof or the District of Columbia and the Successorsuch corporation (if other than us) assumes by supplemental indenture in a form reasonably satisfactory to the trustee all of our obligations under the indentureNew Notes and the indenture; and

we or such successor corporation shall not immediately thereafter be in default under the exchange notes;

indenture.

(2)  immediately after giving effectUpon the assumption of our obligations by such corporation in such circumstances, subject to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; and

(3)certain exceptions, we shall have delivered tobe discharged from all obligations under the trustee an officers’ certificateNew Notes and an opinion of counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger or transfer and such supplemental indenture (if any) comply with the indenture.

The Successor shall be the successor to us and shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, us under the indenture, and we (except in the case of a lease) shall be released from the obligation to pay the principal of and interest on the notes.

DefaultsModification

Each of the following is an Event of Default:

(1)  failure to pay interest on the notes when due, which failure continues for 30 days;

(2)  failure to pay principal of the notes when due;

(3)  failure to comply with “—Limitation on MergersWe and Consolidations”;

(4)  failure to observe or perform any other covenant of ours set forth in the indenture for the notes, which failure continues for 60 days after notice as provided in the indenture;

(5)  certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization with respect to us (the “bankruptcy provision”);

(6)  any default or event of default under any Indebtedness of ours or any of our Subsidiaries (other than any indebtedness of ours or any Subsidiary to the seller of a business or asset incurred in connection with the purchase thereof) which default or event of default results in at least $50 million of aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness being declared due and payable prior to maturity (the “cross acceleration provision”); and

(7)  failure by us or any of our Subsidiaries to pay at maturity or otherwise when due (after giving effect to any applicable grace period) at least $50 million aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness at any one time.

Within 60 days after the occurrence of an Event of Default known to the trustee, the trustee is required to transmit notice thereof to the holders of the notes. Except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of

or interest on the notes, the trustee may withhold such notice if and so long asmodify or amend the trustee, in good faith, determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the holders of the notes. If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the trusteeindenture or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes may declare the principal of and accrued but unpaid interest on all the notes immediately due and payable. However, if prior to the entry of any judgment or decree for the accelerated amount, we shall pay or depositNew Notes with the trustee all principal and interest in arrears,consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount at maturity of the notes shall have the right to waive all defaults and the consequences of having all principal payments due. This waiver will not, however, be operative as against nor impair any rights arising as a result of any subsequent Event of Default. The trustee will not be charged with knowledge of any Event of Default other than our failure to make principal and interest payments unless actual written notice thereof is received by the trustee.

The indenture contains provisions regarding limitations on the right to institute legal proceedings. No holder of notes shall have the right to institute an action or proceeding for rights arising under the indenture unless:

(1)  such holder has given written notice of default to the trustee;

(2)  the holders of not less than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of notes outstanding shall have made a written request to the trustee to institute an action and offered the trustee such indemnification satisfactory to it;

(3)  the trustee shall have not commenced such action within 60 days of receipt of such notice and indemnification offer; and

(4)  no direction inconsistent with such request has been given to the trustee by the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding notes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to applicable law, nothing shall prevent the holders of notes from enforcing payment of the principal of or interest on their notes.

The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee. The trustee, however, may refuse to follow such direction if the trustee determines that the action so directed may not lawfully be taken, or that the action so directed would be unduly prejudicial to the holders of the notes not taking part in such action or that such action would involve the trustee in personal liability.

The indenture provides that, in case an Event of Default shall occur (which shall not have been cured or waived), the trustee will be required to use the degree of care a prudent person would use in the conduct of their own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the notes unless they shall have offered the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it.

We will be required to furnish to the trustee annually a statement as to the fulfillment by us of all our obligations under the indenture.

Amendments and Waivers

Subject to certain exceptions, the indenture may be amended withNew Notes then outstanding. However, the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amounteach outstanding New Note would be required to:

alter the manner of the notes then outstanding (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offercalculation or exchange for the notes) andrate of accrual of original issue discount or contingent cash interest on any past default or compliance with any provisions may also be waived with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the notes then outstanding. However, without the consent of each holder of an outstanding note affected thereby, an amendment or waiver may not, among other things:

(1)  reduce the amount of notes whose holders must consent to an amendment;

(2)  reduce the rate ofNew Note or extend the time for payment of interest on any note;

payment;

 

(3)  reduce the principal of or extend the Stated Maturity of any note;

(4)  

make any noteNew Note payable in money or securities other than that stated in the note;

New Note;

 

change the stated maturity of any New Note;

(5)  

reduce the amount of principal payable upon acceleration of maturity of the New Notes following a default;

make any change that adversely affects the rights of a holder to convert any New Note;

make any change that adversely affects the right to require us to purchase a New Note;

impair the right of any holder of the notes to receive payment of principal of and interest on such holder’s notes on or after the due dates therefore or to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to, such holder’s notes;

or conversion of, the New Notes; and

 

(6)  make any

change the provisions in the amendment provisions which require each holder’s consentindenture that relate to modifying or inamending the waiver provisions; or

indenture.

(7)  make any change in the ranking or priority of any note that would adversely affect the holders of the notes.

Notwithstanding the preceding, withoutWithout the consent of any holder of the notes,New Notes, we and the trustee may amendenter into supplemental indentures for any of the indenture:following purposes:

 

(1)  

to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency;

(2)evidence a successor to provide forus and the assumption by athat successor Person of our obligations under the indenture;

indenture and the New Notes;

 

(3)  to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or in place of certificated notes (provided that the uncertificated notes are issued in registered form for purposes of Section 163(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, or in a manner such that the uncertificated notes are described in Section 163(f)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code);

(4)  to add guarantees with respect to the notes, or to secure the notes;

(5)  

to add to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of the notesNew Notes or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us;

 

to secure our obligations in respect of the New Notes;

(6)  

to make any changes or modifications to the indenture to comply with the Trust Indenture Act , or to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualifications of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

to cure any ambiguity or inconsistency in the indenture; provided that such amendment does not materially adversely affect the rights of any holder of the New Notes; or

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of the notes; or

(7)New Notes, provided that any change made solely to comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

The consent of the holders of the notes is not necessary underconform the indenture to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substancedescription of the proposed amendment. After an amendment under the indenture becomes effective, we are required to mail to holders of the notes a notice briefly describing the amendment. However, the failure to give such notice to all holders of the notes, or any defect therein,New Notes contained in this prospectus will not impair orbe deemed to adversely affect the validity of the amendment.

Transfer

The exchange notes will be issued in registered form and will be transferable only upon the surrender of the exchange notes being transferred for registration of transfer. We may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, assessment or other governmental charge payable in connection with certain transfers and exchanges.

Defeasance

At any time, we may terminate all of our obligations under the notes and the indenture, or “legal defeasance,” except for certain obligations, including those respecting the defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of the notes, to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes and to maintain a registrar and paying agent in respect of the notes.

In addition, at any time we may terminate our and our Subsidiaries’ obligations under the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants” (other than “—Limitation on Mergers and Consolidations”), the operation of the cross acceleration provision, the bankruptcy provision (but only with respect to a Subsidiary) and the other Indebtedness default provision described under “—Defaults” above, or “covenant defeasance.”

We may exercise our legal defeasance option notwithstanding the prior exercise of our covenant defeasance option. If we exercise our legal defeasance option, payment of the notes may not be accelerated because of an Event of Default with respect thereto. If we exercise our covenant defeasance option, payment of the notes may not be accelerated because of an Event of Default specified in clauses (5) (but only with respect to a Subsidiary), (6) and (7) under “—Defaults” above.

In order to exercise either of our defeasance options, we must irrevocably deposit in trust (the “defeasance trust”) with the trustee money or U.S. Government Obligations sufficient to pay all remaining principal and interest on the notes, and must comply with certain other conditions, including delivery to the trustee of an opinion of counsel to the effect that holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and defeasance had not occurred (and, in the case of legal defeasance only, such opinion of counsel must be based on a ruling of the Internal Revenue Service or other change in applicable Federal income tax law).

Concerning the Trustee

Wachovia Bank, National Association, a creditor to us, is to be the trustee under the indenture and has been appointed by us as registrar and paying agent with regard to the notes under the indenture.

The indenture, by incorporation of certain provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, contains certain limitations on the rights of the trustee, should it be or become a creditor of ours at the time of or during the continuance of a default under the indenture, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions with us; provided, however, if it acquires any conflicting interest, within the meaningholder of the Trust Indenture Act, to that of the holders of the notes, it must either eliminate such conflict within 90 days, resign, or apply to the SEC for permission to continue to serve as trustee.

New Notes.

The holders of a majority in principal amount at maturity of the outstanding notes will haveNew Notes may, on behalf of all the rightholders of all New Notes:

waive compliance by us with restrictive provisions of the indenture, as detailed in the indenture; and

waive any past default under the indenture and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal amount at maturity, initial principal amount of the New Notes upon issuance, accrued and unpaid interest, accrued original issue discount, redemption price or purchase price or obligation to directdeliver cash and common stock, if any, upon conversion with respect to any New Notes or in respect of any provision which under the time, methodindenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding New Note affected.

Discharge of the Indenture

We may satisfy and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy availabledischarge our obligations under the indenture by delivering to the trustee subject to certain exceptions. If an Event of Default occurs (and is not cured),for cancellation all outstanding New Notes or by depositing with the trustee, will be required, in the exercisepaying agent or the conversion agent, if applicable, after the New Notes have become due and payable, whether at stated maturity or any redemption date, or any purchase date or upon conversion or otherwise, cash or shares of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent man in the conduct of his own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will becommon stock (as applicable under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any holder of notes, unless such holder shall have offered to the trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense and then only to the extent required by the terms of the indenture) sufficient to pay all of the outstanding New Notes and paying all other sums payable under the indenture.

Calculations in Respect of New Notes

We will be responsible for making all calculations called for under the New Notes. These calculations include, but are not limited to, determination of the market prices of the New Notes and the amount of contingent cash interest, if any, payable on the New Notes. We will make all these calculations in good faith and, absent manifest error, our calculations will be final and binding on holders of New Notes. We will provide a schedule of our calculations to the trustee, and the trustee is entitled to rely upon the accuracy of our calculations without independent verification.

Limitations of Claims in Bankruptcy

If a bankruptcy proceeding is commenced in respect of LabCorp, the claim of the holder of a New Note is, under Title 11 of the United States Code, limited to the initial principal amount of the New Note upon issuance plus the portion of the accrued original issue discount and any contingent cash interest that has accrued from the date of issue to the commencement of the proceeding. In addition, the holders of the New Notes will be subordinated in right of payment to senior indebtedness and effectively subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.

Governing Law

The indenture and the notes areNew Notes will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Information Concerning the Trustee

The Bank of New York is the trustee, registrar, paying agent and conversion agent under the indenture for the New Notes.

Certain DefinitionsBook-Entry System

“Acquired Indebtedness” means IndebtednessThe New Notes will only be issued in the form of a Person (1) existing atglobal securities held in book-entry form. DTC or its nominee will be the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary or (2) assumed in connection with the acquisition of assets by such Person, in each case, other than Indebtedness incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such Person becoming a Subsidiary or such acquisition, as the case may be. For purposessole registered holder of the covenant “—LimitationNew Notes for all purposes under the indenture. Owners of beneficial interests in the New Notes represented by the global securities will hold their interests pursuant to the procedures and practices of DTC. As a result, beneficial interests in any such securities will be shown on, Subsidiary Indebtedness and Preferred Stock,”may only be transferred through, records maintained by DTC and its direct and indirect participants and any Acquired Indebtedness shallsuch interest may not be deemed to have been incurred until 270 days from the date (x) the Person obligated on such Acquired Indebtedness becomes a Subsidiaryexchanged for certificated securities, except in limited circumstances. Owners of ours or (y) the acquisition of assets, in connection with which such Acquired Indebtedness was assumed, is consummated.

“Attributable Debt” means, with respect to a Sale and Leaseback Transaction, an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) the fair market value of the property (as determined in good faith by our board of directors); and (2) the

present value of the total net amount of rent payments to be made under the lease during its remaining term, discounted at the rate of interest set forth or implicit in the terms of the lease, compounded semi-annually. The calculation of the present value of the total net amount of rent payments is subject to adjustments specified in the indenture.

“Capital Stock”meansbeneficial interests must exercise any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock of a corporation, any and all equivalent ownership interests in a Person (other than a corporation) and any and all warrants or options to purchase any of the foregoing.

“Capitalized Lease”means any obligation of a Person to pay rent or other amounts incurred with respect to real property or equipment acquired or leased by such Person and used in its business that is required to be recorded as a capital lease in accordance with GAAP.

“Consolidated Total Assets”means, with respect to any Person as of any date, the amount of total assets as shown on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person for the most recent fiscal quarter for which financial statements have been filed with the SEC, prepared in accordance with GAAP.

“Control” shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, and the term“Controlled” shall have the meaning correlative thereto.

“GAAP”means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America in effect from time to time, including those set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other statements by such other entity as are approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession.

“Indebtedness”of any Person means, without duplication (1) any obligation of such Person for money borrowed, (2) any obligation of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments, (3) any reimbursement obligation of such Personrights in respect of letterstheir interests, including any right to convert or require purchase of credit or other similar instruments which support financial obligations which would otherwise become Indebtedness, and (4) any obligation of such Person under Capitalized Leases; provided, however, that “Indebtedness” of such Person shall not include any obligation of such Person to any Subsidiary of such Person or to any Person with respect to which such Person is a Subsidiary.

“Lien”means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, lien or other security interest.

“Permitted Acquired Indebtedness” means any Acquired Indebtedness that remains outstanding following the expiration of a good faith offer by us or our Subsidiary obligated under such Acquired Indebtedness to acquire such Acquired Indebtedness, including, without limitation, an offer to exchange such Acquired Indebtedness for our debt securities, on terms, whichtheir interests in the opinion of an independent investment banking firm of national reputation and standing, are consistent with market practices in existence at the time for offers of a similar nature; provided that the initial expiration date of any such offer shall be not later than the expiration of the 270-day period referred to in the definition of “Acquired Indebtedness”; provided further, that the amount of Acquired Indebtedness that shall constitute “Permitted Acquired Indebtedness” shall only be equal to the amount of Acquired Indebtedness that we or such Subsidiary have made an offer to acquireNew Notes, in accordance with the foregoing.procedures and practices of DTC. Beneficial owners will not be holders and will not be entitled to any rights under the global securities or the indenture. LabCorp and the trustee, and any of their respective agents, may treat DTC as the sole holder and registered owner of the global securities.

Exchange of Global Securities

New Notes represented by a global security will be exchangeable for certificated securities with the same terms only if:

 

“Permitted Indebtedness” means:

(1)  Indebtedness outstanding on the date of the indenture;

(2)  intercompany Indebtedness

DTC is unwilling or Preferred Stockunable to the extent owing tocontinue as depositary or held by us or another Subsidiary;

(3)  any Permitted Acquired Indebtedness;

(4)  Indebtedness under performance bonds or with respect to workers’ compensation claims, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business; and

(5)  Indebtedness of any Subsidiary Guarantor; provided that if such Subsidiary shall ceaseDTC ceases to be a Subsidiary Guarantor, such Indebtedness will be treated as incurred at that timeclearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and will no longer constitute Permitted Indebtedness pursuant to this clause (5).

“Person”means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

“Preferred Stock”means, with respect to any Person, any and all shares of preferred stock (however designated) issued by such Person, thata successor depositary is entitled to preference or priority over one or more series or classes of capital stock issued by such Person upon any distribution of such Person’s property and assets, whether by dividend or on liquidation, whether now outstanding, or issued after the date that the notes are issued.

“Principal Property”means any real property and any related buildings, fixtures or other improvements located in the United States ownednot appointed by us or our Subsidiaries (1)within 90 days;

we decide to discontinue use of the system of book-entry transfer through DTC (or any successor depositary), subject to DTC’s (or such successor depositary’s) procedures (DTC has advised that, is an operating property included in the list of principal properties in Item 2under its current practices, it would notify its participants of our Form 10-K filed withrequest, but will only withdraw beneficial interests from the SEC forglobal security at the most recently ended fiscal year,request of each DTC participant.); or is

an operating property acquired subsequent to such filing that would have been included in such Item 2 if it had been owned prior to such filing or (2) the net book valueevent of which, as of the end of the last fiscal quarter ending immediately prior to the date of determination, exceeds 1% of our Consolidated Total Assets as of the same date. As of the date of this registration statement, seven of our principal operating facilities and of our Subsidiaries and our administrative office located in Burlington, North Carolina are “Principal Properties”default under the above definition.

“Restricted Subsidiary”means any Subsidiary of ours that owns a Principal Property.

“Saleindenture occurs and Leaseback Transaction”means any arrangement with any Person providing for the leasing by us or any Restricted Subsidiary of real or personal property that is to be sold or transferred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary to such Person or to any other Person to whom funds have been or are to be advanced by such Person on the security of such property or rental obligations of ours or such Restricted Subsidiary.

“Stated Maturity”means, with respect to any note, the date specified in such note as the fixed date on which the final payment of principal of such note is due and payable.

“Subsidiary”shall mean, with respect to any person (herein referred to as the“parent”), any corporation, partnership, association or other business entity (1) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, at the time any determination is being made, owned, controlled or held, or (2) that is, at the time any determination is being made, otherwise Controlled, by the parent or one or more subsidiaries of the parent or by the parent and one or more subsidiaries of the parent.

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Subsidiary of ours if and so long as such Subsidiary provides a guarantee of the notes substantially on the terms provided for in the indenture. As of the initial issue date of the notes, there will be no Subsidiary Guarantors.

“U.S. Government Obligations”means direct obligations (or certificates representing an ownership interest in such obligations) of the United States of America (including any agency or instrumentality thereof) for the payment of which the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged and which are not callable at the issuer’s option.

BOOK ENTRY; DELIVERY AND FORM

We will initially issue the exchange notes in the form of one or more global notes. Each global note will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC and registered in the name of DTC or its nominee. Except as described below, a global note may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to DTC or another nominee of DTC. You may hold your beneficial interests in any global note directly through DTC if you have an account with DTC or indirectly through organizations which have accounts with DTC.

continuing.

DTC has advised us as follows:

it DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York

it is Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System,

is a “clearing corporation”“banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and

it is “a clearing a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

It was created to hold securities of institutions that have accounts with it (“participants”) and to facilitate DTC facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among its participants in such securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, of the participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DirectDTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, which may include the initial purchasers,including banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. DTC is owned by a numberorganizations, some of its participants and by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., the American Stock Exchange LLC and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.whom and/or whose representatives, own DTC. Access to DTC’s book-entry system is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, whethereither directly or indirectly.

CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The rulesfollowing discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exchange offer and the ownership and disposition of the New Notes to holders of the Old Notes who participate in the exchange and who hold the Old Notes and the New Notes as capital assets. The discussion is general in nature, and does not discuss all aspects of the U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to a particular holder in light of the holder’s particular circumstances (including, for example, the potential application of the alternative minimum tax), or to certain types of holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws (such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, financial institutions, brokers, persons holding the securities as part of a straddle, hedging or conversion transaction, persons whose functional currency is not the dollar and dealers in securities). In addition, the discussion does not consider the effect of any foreign, state, local, or other tax laws, or any U.S. tax considerations (e.g., estate or gift tax) other than U.S. federal income tax considerations, that may be applicable to DTC and its participants are on file withparticular holders. We have not sought any rulings from the SEC.

We expect that, pursuant to procedures established by DTC, upon the deposit of a global note with DTC, DTC will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the principal amount of notes represented by the global note to the accounts of participants. The accounts to be credited will be designated by the initial purchasers. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global note will be limited to participants or persons that may hold interests through participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global note will be shown on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC, with respect to participants’ interests, or by DTC’s direct and indirect participants,Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with respect to the ownersstatements made and the conclusions reached in this discussion, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with such statements and conclusions. This summary does not deal with persons that acquire New Notes subsequent to the exchange offer.

For purposes of beneficial interests in the global note other than participants. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. These limits and laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledgediscussion herein, a “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial interests in the global note.

So long as DTC, or its nominee, is the registered holder and owner of the global note, DTCan Old Note or its nominee,a New Note, as the case may be, willwho is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (i) a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a domestic corporation, (iii) an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source or (iv) a trust if (1) it validly elects to be consideredtreated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (2) a U.S. court can exercise primary supervision over the sole legal ownertrust’s administration and holderone or more U.S. persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of any notes evidenced by the global note for alltrust.

For purposes of the notes and the indenture. DTC has no knowledge of the actualdiscussion herein, a “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owners of the notes; DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the participants to whose accounts such notes are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants and indirect participants will remain responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers. Except as set forth below, as an owner of an Old Note or a beneficial interest in the global note, you will not be entitled to have the notes represented by the global note registered in your name, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated notes and will not be considered to be the owner or holder of any notes under the global note. We understand that under existing industry practice, in the event an owner of a beneficial interest in the global note desires to take any action that DTC, as the holder of the global note, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the participants to

take the action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through the participants to take the action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through those participants and indirect participants.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to participants, by participants to indirect participants, and by participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Beneficial owners of the notes may wish to take certain steps to augment transmission to them of notices of significant events with respect to the notes, such as redemptions, tenders, defaults and proposed amendments to the security documents. Beneficial owners of the notes may wish to ascertain that the nominee holding the notes for their benefit has agreed to obtain and transmit notices to beneficial owners, or in the alternative, beneficial owners may wish to provide their names and addresses to the registrar and request that copies of the notices be provided directly to them.

Redemption notices shall be sent to DTC. If less than all of the notes within an issue are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each participant in such issue to be redeemed.

We will make payments of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on notes represented by the global note registered in the name of and held by DTC or its nominee to DTC or its nominee,New Note, as the case may be, other than a partnership (including for this purpose any entity treated as the registered owner and holder of the global note.

We expect that DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the global note will credit participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of the global note as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. We also expect that payments by participants or indirect participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global note held through direct and indirect participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices and will be the responsibility of the participants. We will not have any responsibility or liabilitya partnership for any aspect of the records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership interests in the global note for any note or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and its direct or indirect participants or the relationship between those participants and the owners of beneficial interests in the global note owning through those participants.

Although DTC has agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of interests in the global note among participants in DTC, it is under no obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures, and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor securities depository is not obtained, note certificates are required to be printed and delivered as described under “Description of Exchange Notes.” Neither the trustee nor we will have any responsibility or liability for the performance by DTC or its participants or indirect participants of their respective obligations under the rules and procedures governing their operations.

The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy thereof.

MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following summary describes the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences to youpurposes) who is not a U.S. Holder for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If a partnership (including for this purpose any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of participationan Old Note or a New Note, the treatment of a partner in the exchange offer andpartnership will generally depend upon the status of the ownershippartner and dispositionupon the activities of exchange notes. The informationthe partnership. A holder of an Old Note or a New Note that is a partnership and partners in this sectionsuch partnership should consult their tax advisors.

This summary is based on current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), current, temporaryexisting and proposed Treasury Regulations, promulgated thereunder,administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions, each as available and in effect on the legislative historydate hereof. All of the Code and current administrative and judicialforegoing are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or differing interpretations thereof.

Legislation, judicial decisions, or administrative changes may be forthcoming that could affect the accuracytax consequences described herein.

EACH HOLDER IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO ITS PARTICULAR SITUATION AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXCHANGE OFFER AND THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE NEW SECURITIES AND OUR COMMON STOCK ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX RULES OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, FOREIGN OR OTHER TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY, AND ARISING AS A RESULT OF CHANGES IN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS OR THE TAX LAWS OF SUCH OTHER JURISDICTIONS.

Exchange of Old Notes for New Notes

U.S. Holders

Characterization of the statements included in this summary, possibly on a retroactive basis. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, any rulings from the Internal Revenue Service concerning our tax treatment ofExchange

Under current Treasury Regulations, the exchange offer and of theOld Notes for New Notes will be treated as a taxable exchange notes discussed in this prospectus. The statements in this prospectus are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or any court. Thus, we can provide no assurance that the statements contained in this prospectus will not be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service, or that they would be sustained by a court if they were so challenged.

You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the specific tax consequences to you of participating in the exchange offer and of ownership and sale or other disposition of the exchange notes, including the federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequences, and of any potential changes in the tax laws.

Scope of Discussion.    This general discussion of certainfor U.S. federal income tax consequences appliespurposes (referred to youin this discussion as a “Tax Exchange”) only if, you acquiredtaking into account the original notes at original issue fordifferences between the issue price for cash and hold the original notes and will hold the exchange notes as “capital assets,” as defined in section 1221terms of the Internal Revenue Code (generally, for investment). This summary, however, does not consider state, local or foreign tax laws. In addition, it does not include allOld Notes and the New Notes, there is deemed to be a “significant modification” of the rulesOld Notes.

In general, these Treasury Regulations provide that a modification of a debt instrument is a significant modification if the legal rights or obligations that are altered and the degree to which may affectthey are altered are economically significant. We intend to take the United States tax treatment of your participation inposition that the exchange offer or of your ownership or disposition of the exchange notes. For example, special rules not discussed here may apply to you if you are:

a broker-dealer or a dealer in securities or currencies;

an S corporation;

a bank, thrift or other financial institution;

a regulated investment company or a real estate investment trust;

an insurance company;

a tax-exempt organization;

subjectmodifications to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code;

holding the notes as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion or other risk reduction or constructive sale transaction;

holding the notes through a partnership or similar pass-through entity;

a person with a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar; or

a U.S. expatriate.

If a partnership or any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. tax purposes holds notes, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A partner of a partnership holding notes should consult its tax advisor.

Exchange of OriginalOld Notes for Exchange Notes

The exchange of original notes for exchange notes pursuant toresulting from the exchange offer will not constitute a taxable event. Rather,significant modification of the Old Notes. By participating in the exchange notesoffer, each holder will be deemed to have agreed, pursuant to the indenture governing the New Notes, to treat the exchange as not constituting a significant modification of the terms of the Old Notes. This position, however, is subject to substantial uncertainty because of the absence of authoritative guidance as to when modifications such as those present here will be considered to be “economically significant.” Accordingly, the IRS or the courts could disagree with our position.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Treatment If No Tax Exchange

If, consistent with our position, the exchange of Old Notes for New Notes does not constitute a significant modification of the Old Notes, the New Notes will be treated as a continuation of the original notesOld Notes. In that case, apart from the income realized in respect of the amount of the exchange fee (discussed below), there will be no U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. Holder who exchanges Old Notes for New Notes pursuant to the exchange offer, and any such holder will have the same adjusted tax basis and holding period in the New Notes as it had in the Old Notes immediately before the exchange. In addition, any such holder will continue to be subject to the same rules governing the treatment of contingent payment debt instruments as were applicable to the Old Notes. These rules and certain other U.S. federal income

tax considerations relating to the holding and disposition of the New Notes are summarized below.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Treatment If Tax Exchange

There can be no assurance that the IRS will agree that the exchange does not constitute a Tax Exchange. U.S. Holders and their tax advisors should consider whether such a Tax Exchange would constitute a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consequently,Whether such a Tax Exchange qualifies as a recapitalization depends on, among other things, whether the Old Notes and the New Notes constitute “securities” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We believe that the Old Notes and the New Notes would constitute securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, the rules for determining whether debt instruments such as the Old Notes and the New Notes are securities are complex and unclear. The determination of whether a debt instrument is a security requires an overall evaluation of the nature of the debt instrument, with the term of the instrument usually regarded as one of the most significant factors. Although a debt instrument with a term of more than ten years is generally considered to be a security, no authority clearly addresses the impact of put and call features of the type included in the Old and New Notes on the analysis of whether a debt instrument is a security. If both the Old Notes and the New Notes constitute securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the exchange would qualify as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The proper application of the recapitalization rules to a debt instrument subject to the Treasury Regulations relating to contingent payment debt instruments is unclear. If the exchange of the Old Notes for New Notes is treated as a Tax Exchange, and if the Tax Exchange is treated as a recapitalization, we believe that, except to the extent of the amount of the exchange fee (discussed below), a U.S. Holder generally should not recognize any gain or loss will be recognized byas a holder upon receipt of an exchange note, the holding periodresult of the exchange, note will includeand generally should have the same tax basis and holding period in the New Notes as such U.S. Holder had in the Old Notes prior to the exchange.

If, contrary to our position, the exchange of the outstanding note,New Notes for the Old Notes is considered a Tax Exchange and, further, such Tax Exchange is not treated as a recapitalization, such Tax Exchange would be a fully taxable transaction, and an exchanging U.S. Holder would be required to recognize gain, if any, in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the initialU.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Old Notes surrendered. The amount realized would generally be the fair market value of the New Notes. Any gain generally would be treated as ordinary interest income. In addition, in such a case, a U.S. Holder’s holding period in the New Notes would begin the day after the exchange, and such U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the New Notes generally would equal the fair market value of the New Notes. Even if the exchange is not a recapitalization, a U.S. Holder may not be able to recognize a loss, if any, under the U.S. federal income tax rules relating to “wash sales.”

In addition, if the exchange of the New Notes for the Existing Notes is considered a Tax Exchange (whether as a recapitalization or a taxable exchange), a U.S. Holder may be required to accrue interest income at a significantly different rate and on a significantly different schedule than is applicable to the Old Notes, may have significantly different treatment upon conversion of the New Notes, and may have a significantly different basis in their common stock acquired upon conversion of the New Notes.

HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE OWNERSHIP, SALE, EXCHANGE, CONVERSION OR REDEMPTION OF NEW SECURITIES IF THE EXCHANGE IS TREATED AS A TAX EXCHANGE.

Non-U.S. Holders

If, consistent with our position, the New Notes are treated as a continuation of the Old Notes, there will be no U.S. federal income tax consequences to a Non-U.S. Holder who participates in the exchange, except with respect to the receipt of the exchange notefee. If, contrary to our position, the exchange of the Old Notes for New Notes constitutes a significant modification for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any gain realized by a Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to, or eligible for exemption from, U.S. federal income or withholding tax to the same extent as would be the case for gain realized upon any sale or exchange of the Old Notes.

Exchange Fee

Although the U.S. tax treatment is unclear under current law, we intend to treat payment of the exchange fee as consideration to holders for participating in the exchange offer. In that case, such payment would result in ordinary income to holders participating in the exchange offer and we will report such payments to holders and the IRS for information purposes in accordance with such treatment. In addition, because we intend to treat the payment of the exchange fee as ordinary income, any exchange fee paid to a Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless the Non-U.S. Holder provides to a withholding agent either an IRS Form W-8ECI certifying that such payment is effectively connected with such holder’s conduct of a United States trade or business, or an IRS Form W-8BEN certifying that such payment is subject to a reduced rate of withholding under an applicable United States income tax treaty.

Tax Consequences of Holding the New Notes

Pursuant to the terms of the indenture, we and each holder of the New Notes agree, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat the New Notes as indebtedness that is subject to the regulations governing contingent payment debt instruments, and the remainder of this discussion assumes that the New Notes will be so treated. However, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not assert that the New Notes should be treated differently. Such treatment could affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss in respect of an investment in the New Notes.

U.S. Holders

Under the rules governing contingent payment debt obligations, you will be required to accrue interest income on the New Notes, in the amounts described below, regardless of whether you use the cash or accrual method of tax accounting. Accordingly, you would likely be required to include interest in taxable income in each year in excess of the accruals on the New Notes for non-tax purposes and in excess of any interest payments actually received in that year.

In general, you must accrue an amount of ordinary income for United States federal income tax purposes, for each accrual period prior to and including the maturity date of a New Note that equals:

the product of (i) the adjusted issue price of the New Note as of the beginning of the accrual period; and (ii) the comparable yield to maturity (as defined below) of the New Note, adjusted for the length of the accrual period;

divided by the number of days in the accrual period; and

multiplied by the number of days during the accrual period that you held the New Note.

Assuming that, as discussed above, the New Notes are regarded as a continuation of the Old Notes, the issue price of a New Note will be the first price at which a substantial amount of the Old Notes was sold to the public, excluding bond houses, brokers or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. The adjusted issue price of a New Note is its issue price increased by any interest income previously accrued, determined without regard to any adjustments to interest accruals described below and decreased by the projected amounts of any payments previously made.

The term “comparable yield” means the annual yield that an issuer of a contingent payment debt obligation would pay, as of the initial issue date, on a fixed rate nonconvertible debt security with no contingent payments, but with terms and conditions otherwise comparable to those of the instrument.

We are required to provide to you, solely for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a schedule of the projected amounts of payments on the New Notes (which, assuming that there is no Tax Exchange, would be the same as the basisschedule prepared in connection with the Old Notes). This schedule must produce a yield to maturity that equals the comparable yield. The projected payment schedule includes estimates for payments of contingent interest and an estimate for a payment at maturity taking into account the exchange feature. The comparable yield and projected payment schedule are available from the Company by telephoning Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Office of the original note immediately before the exchange.

United States Holders

If you areCorporate Secretary, at (336) 229-1127 or submitting a “United States Holder,” as defined below, this section applies to you. Otherwise, the next section, “Non-United States Holders,” applies to you.

Definitionwritten request for such information to: Laboratory Corporation of United States Holder.    You are a “United States Holder” if you hold notes and you are:

a citizen or resident alien individualAmerica Holdings, Office of the United States;
Corporate Secretary, 358 South Main Street, Burlington, North Carolina 27215.

a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, unless, in the case of a partnership, Treasury Regulations provide otherwise;

an estate, the income of which is subject toFor U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source;

a trust, if a United States court can exercise primary supervision overpurposes, you must use the administrationcomparable yield and projected payment schedule in determining your interest accruals, and the adjustments thereto described below, in respect of the trustNew Notes, unless you timely disclose and onejustify the use of other estimates to the IRS. If you determine your own comparable yield or more United States persons haveprojected payment schedule, you must also establish that our comparable yield or projected payment schedule is unreasonable.

THE COMPARABLE YIELD AND PROJECTED PAYMENT SCHEDULE ARE NOT DETERMINED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN FOR THE DETERMINATION OF YOUR INTEREST ACCRUALS AND ADJUSTMENTS THEREOF IN RESPECT OF THE NEW NOTES FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE A PROJECTION OR REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE ACTUAL AMOUNTS PAYABLE TO HOLDERS OF THE NEW NOTES.

Adjustments to Interest Accruals on the authorityNew Notes

If you receive actual payments with respect to control all substantial decisionsa New Note in a taxable year that in the aggregate exceed the total amount of projected payments for that taxable year, you would incur a “net positive adjustment” equal to the amount of such excess. You would treat the “net positive adjustment” as additional interest income for the taxable year. For this purpose, the payments in a taxable year include the fair market value of property received in that year.

If you receive actual payments with respect to a New Note in a taxable year that in the aggregate were less than the amount of the trust,projected payments for that taxable year, you would incur a “net negative adjustment” equal to the amount of such deficit. This adjustment will (a) reduce your interest income on the New Notes for that taxable year, and (b) to the extent of any excess after the application of (a), give rise to an ordinary loss to the extent of your interest income on the New Note and the Old Note during prior taxable years, reduced to the extent such interest was offset by prior net negative adjustments. Any net negative adjustment in excess of the amounts described in (a) and (b) will be carried forward as a negative adjustment to offset future interest income with respect to the New Notes or ifto reduce the trust wasamount realized on a sale, exchange, conversion, redemption or repurchase of the New Notes. A net negative adjustment is not subject to the two percent floor limitation on miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Sale, Exchange, Conversion or Redemption of the New Notes

Generally, the sale, exchange, conversion or redemption of a New Note will result in existence on August 20, 1996taxable gain or loss to you. As described above, our calculation of the comparable yield and has electedthe projected payment schedule for the New Notes includes the receipt of stock upon exchange as a contingent payment with respect to continue tothe New Notes. Accordingly, the receipt of our common stock by you upon the exchange or conversion of a New Note will be treated as a United States person; or

otherwise subject to U.S. federal income tax on your worldwide income on a net income basis.

Taxation of Stated Interest.    Youcontingent payment. As described above, you are generally must include interest on the exchange notes in your federal taxable income as ordinary income:

when it accrues, if you use the accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes; or

when you receive it, if you use the cash method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The exchange notes will not give rise to “original issue discount” income.

Sale, Redemption or Other Taxable Dispositionbound by our determination of the Exchange Notes.    Unless a nonrecognition provision applies, you must recognizecomparable yield and projected payment schedule. Under this treatment, an exchange or conversion will also result in taxable gain or loss on the sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of an exchange note.to you. The amount of your gain or loss equalson a taxable sale, exchange, conversion or redemption will be equal to the difference between (a) the amount you receive forof cash plus the exchange note in cash or other property, valued at fair market value lessof any other property received by you, including the amount attributable to accrued interest on the exchange note, lessfair market value of any common stock received, and (b) your adjusted tax basis in the exchange note.New Note. Your initialadjusted tax basis in ana New Note will generally be equal to your original purchase price for the Old Note, increased by any interest income previously accrued by you with respect to the Old Note and the New Note (determined without regard to any adjustments to interest accruals described above), decreased by the amount of any projected payments previously made on the Old Note and the New Note to you. Gain recognized upon a sale, exchange, noteconversion or redemption of a New Note will generally be treated as ordinary interest income; any loss will be ordinary loss to the price you paid for the exchange note.

Your gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if at the time the exchange note is disposedextent of your holding period is more than one year. Otherwise, it will be a short-term capital gain or loss. Payments attributable to accrued interest which you have not yetpreviously included in income, will be taxed as ordinary interest income. In the case of a holder other than a corporation, the maximum rate of tax on long termand thereafter, capital gain on most capital assets is 20%.loss. The deductibility of net capital losses by individuals and corporations is subject to limitations.

Your tax basis in our common stock received upon conversion of a New Note will equal the then current fair market value of such common stock. Your holding period for the common stock received will commence on the day immediately following the date of conversion.

Redemption Premium.Constructive Dividends    We intend

If at any time we make a distribution of property to takeour stockholders that would be taxable to the position that any premium payable uponstockholders as a redemptiondividend for federal income tax purposes and, in accordance with the anti-dilution provisions of the exchange notes,New Notes, the conversion rate of the New Notes is increased, such as a redemption atincrease may be deemed to be the optionpayment of a holder upon a change of control, will be includabletaxable dividend to you.

For example, an increase in the taxable gain recognizedconversion rate in the event of distribution of our evidence of indebtedness or our assets or an increase in the event of an extraordinary cash dividend will generally result in deemed dividend treatment to you, but generally an increase in the event of stock dividends or the distribution of rights to subscribe for common stock will not.

Non-U.S. Holders

Payments Made With Respect to the New Notes

We are treating payments of contingent interest made to Non-U.S. Holders (other than (1) the receipt of common stock upon conversion or repurchase of a New Note and (2) any payment of contingent cash interest made in any period where the payment is based on the average market price of the New Note) as subject to U.S. federal withholding tax. Therefore, you are subject to withholding on these payments of contingent interest at a rate of 30%, subject to reduction by an applicable treaty or upon the holder upon such redemption. The IRS, however, may takereceipt of a different position, which could affectForm W-8ECI from you claiming that the timingpayments are effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business. If you are subject to withholding tax, we urge you to consult your own tax advisors as to whether you can obtain a refund for all or a portion of the withholding tax.

Assuming that the common stock and the New Notes continue to be actively traded and that, as discussed below, we are not considered to be or to have been a United States Holder’s income.real property holding corporation, all other payments on the New Notes made to you, including a payment in our common stock in a conversion or repurchase, and any gain realized on a sale or exchange of the New Notes (other than gain attributable to accrued

contingent interest payments), should be exempt from U.S. federal income or withholding tax, provided that: (1) you do not own, actually or constructively, 10 percent or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock entitled to vote, you are not a controlled foreign corporation related, directly or indirectly, to us through stock ownership and you are not a bank receiving certain types of interest, (2) the certification requirement described below has been fulfilled with respect to you and (3) the payments and gain are not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States. However, if you are deemed to have received a constructive dividend (see “Dividends on Common Stock and Constructive Dividends,” below), you will generally be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate, subject to a reduction by an applicable treaty, on the taxable amount of the dividend. In addition, withholding tax may apply with respect to the exchange fee (see “Exchange Fee,” above).

The certification requirement referred to in the preceding paragraph will generally be fulfilled if the beneficial owner of a New Note certifies on IRS Form W-8BEN, under penalties of perjury, that it is not a U.S. person, provides its name and address and otherwise satisfies applicable documentation requirements.

If you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States, and if payments on the New Note are effectively connected with the conduct of this trade or business, then although exempt from the withholding tax discussed above, you will generally be taxed in the same manner as a United States Holder (see “Tax Consequences to United States Holders” above), except that you will be required to provide to us or our paying agent a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI in order to claim an exemption from withholding tax. We urge you to consult your own tax advisors with respect to other U.S. tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of New Notes including the possible imposition of a 30% branch profits tax.

Information ReportingActual and Backup WithholdingConstructive Dividends on Common Stock.    Backup

Dividends paid to you in respect of our common stock generally will be subject to withholding tax at a current30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty. Moreover, if you are a Non-U.S. Holder of a New Note and you receive a constructive dividend as a result of a change in the conversion rate of upyour New Note, we and other payors may withhold on other amounts payable to 30% (currently scheduledyou if the relevant payor has control over, or custody, of money or property owned by you and knowledge of the facts that give rise to the withholding. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding with respect to such actual or constructive dividends, you will be reducedrequired to 28% by 2006) may apply when you receive interest payments onprovide an exchange note or proceeds upon the saleIRS Form W-8BEN certifying your entitlement to benefits under a treaty. In addition, where dividends are paid to a partnership or other disposition ofpass-through entity, persons holding an exchange note. Certain holders including,

interest in the entity may need to provide the certification.

among others, corporations, financial institutions and certain tax-exempt organizations, are generally not subject to backup withholding. In addition, backupThe withholding willtax does not apply to dividends paid to you if you provide your social security or other taxpayer identification number in the prescribed manner unless:

the Internal Revenue Service notifies us or our agenta Form W-8ECI, certifying that the taxpayer identification number you provided is incorrect;

you fail to report interest and dividend payments that you receive on your tax return and the Internal Revenue Service notifies us or our agent that backup withholding is required; or

you fail to certify under penalty of perjury that backup withholding does not apply to you.

If backup withholding does apply to you, you may use the amounts withheld as a refund or credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability as long as you provide the required information to the IRS. United States Holders should consult their tax advisors as to their qualification for exemption from backup withholding and the procedures for obtaining the exemption.

We will be required to furnish annually to the IRS and to holders of notes information relating to the amount of interest paid on the exchange notes, and that information reporting may also apply to payments of proceeds from the sale of the exchange notes to those holders. Some holders, including corporations, financial institutions and certain tax-exempt organizations,dividends are generally not subject to information reporting.

Non-United States Holders

The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of a beneficial owner of notes that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a Non-United States Holder are complex, and no attempt will be made herein to provide more than a summary of those rules. Non-United States Holders should consult their own tax advisors to determine the effect of federal, state, local and foreign income tax laws, as well as treaties, with regard to participation in the exchange offer and ownership and sale or other disposition of the exchange notes, including any reporting requirements.

Payments of Interest.    If you are a Non-United States Holder of exchange notes, interest paid to you will qualify for the “portfolio interest” exemption and therefor will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes or withholding tax if the interest is not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States, provided that you:

do not actually or constructively own a 10% or greater interest in us;

are not a controlled foreign corporation related to us through stock ownership withinStates. Instead, the meaning of Section 864(d)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code;

are not a bank receiving interest described in section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code; and

provide the appropriate certification as to your foreign status.

You can generally meet this certification requirement by providing a properly executed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or appropriate substitute form to us, or our paying agent. If you hold the exchange notes through a financial institution or other agent acting on your behalf, you may be required to provide appropriate documentation to your agent. Your agenteffectively connected dividends will then generally be required to provide appropriate certifications to us or our paying agent, either directly or through other intermediaries. Special certification rules apply to foreign partnerships, estates and trusts, and in certain circumstances certifications as to foreign status of partners, trust owners or beneficiaries may have to be provided to us or our paying agent.

If you do not qualify for an exemption under these rules, interest income from the exchange notes may be subject to withholdingregular U.S. income tax at the rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) at the time it is paid. The payment of interestas if you were a U.S. resident. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business, however, would not be subject to a 30%

withholding tax so long as you provide us or our agent an adequate certification (currently on Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI), but such interest would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the rates applicable to United States persons generally. In addition, if you are a foreign corporation and the payment of interest is effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business, youdividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower applicable treaty rate) branch profitson an earnings amount that is net of the regular tax. To claim the benefit of a tax treaty, you must provide a properly-executed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN before the payment of interest and you may be required to obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and provide documentary evidence issued by foreign governmental authorities to prove residence in the foreign country.

Sales, Redemptions, ExchangesSale or Other Taxable Dispositionsother Disposition of Exchange Notesour Common Stock.    If you are a Non-United States Holder, you

You generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any amount which constitutes capital gain upon retirementrealized on a sale or other disposition of an exchange note, unless any of the following is true:our common stock unless:

 

your investment in the exchange notesgain is effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business;business in the United States,

 

if you are a Non-United States Holder who is a nonresidentnon-resident alien individual, holding the exchange note as a capital asset, you are present in the United States for 183 or more days in the taxable year within which sale, redemption or other disposition takes place, and certain other requirements are met; or

you are subject to provisions of U.S. tax laws applicable to certain U.S. expatriates.

If you have a U.S. trade or business and the investment in the exchange notes is effectively connected with that trade or business, the payment of the sales proceeds with respect to the exchange notes would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the rate applicable to United States persons generally. In addition, foreign corporations may be subject to a 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) branch profits tax if the investment in the exchange note is effectively connected with the foreign corporation’s U.S. trade or business.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax.    The exchange notes will not be included in the estate of a deceased individual Non-United States Holder for U.S. federal estate tax purposes if (i) interest on the exchange notes is exempt from withholding of U.S. federal income tax under the portfolio interest exemption (without regard to the certification requirement), and (ii) the interest on the exchange notes was not effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business of the Non-United States Holder.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting.    No backup withholding will generally be required with respect to interest paid to Non-United States Holders of exchange notes if the beneficial owner of the exchange note provides the certification described above in “Non-United States Holders—Payment of Interest” or is an exempt recipient and, in each case, the payor does not have actual knowledge that the beneficial owner is a United States person. Information reporting, as required by Internal Revenue Service Form 1042-S, may still apply with respect to payments of interest on the exchange notes.

Information reporting requirements and backup withholding generally will not apply to any payments of the proceeds of the sale of an exchange note effected outside the United States by a foreign office or a foreign broker (as defined in applicable Treasury Regulations). However, unless such broker has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a Non-United States Holderdisposition and certain other conditions are met, or

we are or have been a United States real property holding corporation at any time within the beneficial owner otherwise establishes an exemption, information reporting but not backup withholding will apply to any paymentfive-year period preceding the disposition or your holding period, whichever period is shorter.

A corporation is a United States real property holding corporation if, in general, the fair market value of the proceedsU.S. real property interests it holds equals or exceeds 50% of the salefair market value of an exchange note effectedthe sum of: (i) its U.S. real property interests, (ii) its interests in real property located outside the United States, by such a broker if it:

is a United States person, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code;

derives 50% or moreand (iii) any other of its gross incomeassets which are used or held for certain periods from the conduct ofuse in a trade or business in the United States;

isbusiness. We believe that we are not and have not been, a controlled foreignU.S. real property holding corporation for U.S.United States federal income tax purposes;purposes, although we have not sought or
obtained an opinion of legal counsel on this point.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

isPayments of principal, the exchange fee, interest (including original issue discount and a foreign partnership that, at any time during its taxable year, has 50% or morepayment in common stock pursuant to a conversion of its income or capital interests owned by United States persons or is engaged in the conduct of a U.S. trade or business.

Payment ofNew Notes) and constructive dividends on, and the proceeds of any saledispositions of, an exchange note effected bythe New Notes, as well as dividends on common stock, may be subject to U.S. federal backup withholding tax if the U.S. office ofHolder thereof fails to supply an accurate taxpayer identification number or otherwise fails to comply with applicable U.S. certification requirements. In addition, a broker willU.S. Holder may also be subject to information reporting andwith respect to income on the New Notes unless such holder provides proof of an applicable exemption from the information reporting rules. A Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to U.S. federal backup withholding requirements,tax on payments on the New Notes and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of the New Notes, as well as dividends on common stock, unless the beneficial owner ofNon-U.S. Holder complies with certification procedures to establish that it is not a U.S. person. In addition, information returns may be filed with the exchange note providesIRS in connection with payments on the certification described above in “Non-United States Holders—Payment of Interest”New Notes to a Non-U.S. Holder, proceeds from their sale or otherwise establishes an exemption from back-up withholdingother disposition and the broker does not have actual knowledge that the holder is a United States person.

If you are a Non-United States Holder of exchange notes, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding in your particular situation, the availability of an exemption therefrom, and the procedure for obtaining the exemption, if available.dividends. Any amounts withheld from payments to you under theas backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against youra holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle a holder to a refund, provided that the required information isreturns are timely furnished to the IRS.

ORIGINAL NOTES REGISTRATION RIGHTSDESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

We and the initial purchasers entered into a registration rights agreement prior to the issuance of the original notes. The following description of our capital stock is based on our certificate of incorporation, bylaws, shareholder rights plan and applicable provisions of the registration rights agreement is a summary only, doesGeneral Corporation Law of Delaware. This information may not purport to be complete in all respects and is qualified in its entiretyby referenced to the provisions our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and shareholder rights plan that are filed as exhibits to our reports incorporated by reference to all provisions of the registration rights agreement, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to our current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 3, 2003 and incorporated herein by reference. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Exchange Offer Registration Statement

We agreed, pursuant to the registration rights agreement and subject to limited exceptions, to:

within 90 days after the date on which the original notes were originally issued, file a registration statement with the SEC with respect to a registered offer to exchange the original notes for exchange notes having terms substantially identical in all material respects to the notes, except that the exchange notes will not contain terms with respect to transfer restrictions (this prospectus is part ofinto the registration statement that includes this prospectus and the General Corporation Law of Delaware. For more information on how to obtain copies of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and shareholder rights plan, see “Additional Information.”

Common Stock

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we have filedauthority to fulfill this obligation);

useissue 265.0 million shares of our reasonable best effortscommon stock, par value $0.10 per share. At June 30, 2006, there were 125.1 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding (net of shares held in treasury). In addition, as of that date, 5.5 million shares of common stock were issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, and approximately 10.0 million shares of common stock were issuable upon the conversion of outstanding convertible securities. The outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Voting Rights

Each holder of common stock is entitled to cause the registration statement relating to the exchange offer to be declared effective under the Securities Act within 180 days after the date on which the original notes are originally issued (it became effective on                     2003);

as soon as practicable after the effectivenessattend all special and annual meetings of the registration statement relatingstockholders and to vote upon any matter, including, without limitation, the exchange offer, offer the exchange notes in exchange for surrenderelection of the original notes; and

keep the exchange offer open for not less than 30 days or longer if required by applicable law, after the date noticedirectors. Holders of the exchange offer is mailedcommon stock are entitled to the holders of the original notes.

For each original note tendered to us pursuant to the exchange offer, we agreed to issue to the holder of that note an exchange note having a principal amount equal to that of the surrendered note.

Under the registration rights agreement, we are required to allow participating broker-dealers and other persons, if any, with similar prospectus delivery requirements to use the prospectus contained in the registration statement relating to the exchange offer in connection with the resale of exchange notes for 180 days following the effective date of the registration statement, or such shorter period during which participating broker-dealers are required by law to deliver a prospectus.

one vote per share.

Resale Shelf Registration StatementLiquidation Rights

In the event that:

(1)  applicable interpretations of any dissolution, liquidation or winding up of us, whether voluntary or involuntary, the staffholders of the SEC do not permit us to effect a registered exchange offer;

(2)  for any other reason we do not consummate the exchange offer within 210 days after the date on which the original notes are originally issued;

(3)  an initial purchaser notifies us following consummation of the exchange offer that original notes held by it are not eligible to be exchanged for exchange notes in the exchange offer; or

(4)  holders are prohibited by law or policies of the SEC from participating in the exchange offer or may not resell the exchange notes acquired by them in the exchange offer to the public without delivering a prospectus,

then, we will, subject to limited exceptions,

(x)  promptly file a shelf registration statement with the SEC covering resales of the original notes or the exchange notes, as the case may be;

(y)  (A) in the case of clause (1) above, use our reasonable best efforts to cause the shelf registration statement to be declared effective under the Securities Act on or prior to the 210th day after the date on which the original notes are originally issued and (B) in the case of clause (2), (3) or (4) above, use our reasonable best efforts to cause the shelf registration statement to be declared effective under the Securities Act on or prior to the 60th day after the date on which the shelf registration statement is required to be filed; and

(z)  keep the shelf registration statement effective until the earliest of (A) the time when the notes covered by the shelf registration statement can be sold pursuant to Rule 144 without any limitations under clauses (c), (e), (f) and (h) of Rule 144, (B) two years from the effective date of the shelf registration statement and (C) the date on which all notes registered thereunder are disposed of in accordance therewith.

We agreed, in the event a shelf registration statement is filed, among other things, to provide to each holder for whom the shelf registration statement was filed copies of the prospectus which is a part of the shelf registration statement, notify each such holder when the shelf registration statement has become effective and take certain other actions as are required to permit unrestricted resales of the original notes or the exchange notes, as the case may be. A holder selling original notes or exchange notes pursuant to the shelf registration statement generally would be required to be named as a selling security holder in the related prospectus and to deliver a prospectus to purchasers,common stock will be subject to certain of the civil liability provisions under the Securities Act in connection with those sales, and will be bound by the provisions of the registration rights agreement that are applicable to that holder, including certain indemnification obligations.

Additional Interest

We agreed to pay additional cash interest on the applicable original notes and exchange notes, subject to limited exceptions,

(1)  if we failed to file a registration statement relating to the exchange offer with the SEC on or prior to the 90th day after the date on which the original notes are originally issued,

(2)  if the registration statement relating to the exchange offer was not declared effective by the SEC on or prior to the 180th day after the date on which the original notes are originally issued or, if obligated to file a shelf registration statement pursuant to clause (y)(A) above, a shelf registration statement is not declared effective by the SEC on or prior to the 210th day after the date on which the original notes are originally issued,

(3)  if the exchange offer is not consummated on or before the 210th day after the date on which the original notes are originally issued,

(4)  if obligated to file a shelf registration statement, we fail to file the shelf registration statement with the SEC on or prior to the 60th day after the date on which the obligation to file the shelf registration statement arises,

(5)  if obligated to file a shelf registration statement pursuant to clause (y)(B) above, the shelf registration statement is not declared effective on or prior to the 60th day after date on which the shelf registration statement was required to be filed, or

(6)  if after the registration statement relating to the exchange offer or the shelf registration statement, as the case may be, is declared effective, the registration statement thereafter ceases to be effective or usable, subject to limited exceptions,

from and including the date on which any of the foregoing events, each a registration default, shall occur to but excluding the date on which all registration defaults have been cured.

The rate of the additional interest will be 0.50% per annum for the first 90-day period immediately following the occurrence of a registration default, with the rate increasing by an additional 0.50% per annum

with respect to each subsequent 90-day period until all registration defaults have been cured, up to a maximum additional interest rate of 2.0% per annum. We agreed to pay additional interest, if any, on regular interest payment dates. Additional interest will be in addition to any other interest payable from time to time with respect to the original notes and the exchange notes.

All references in the indenture, in any context, to any interest or other amount payable on or with respect to the notes include any additional interest pursuant to the registration rights agreement.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Under existing interpretations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the exchange notes will be freely transferable by holders, other than by holders that are affiliates of ours, after this exchange offer without further registration under the Securities Act if the holder of the exchange notes represents to us that it is acquiring the exchange notes in the ordinary course of its business, that it has no arrangement or understanding with any personentitled to participate in the distribution of any assets remaining after we have paid all of our debts and liabilities and have paid, or set aside for payment, to the exchange notesholders of any class of stock having preference over the common stock in the event of dissolution, liquidation or winding up, the full preferential amounts, if any, to which they are entitled.

Dividends

Dividends may be paid on the common stock and that it is not an affiliateon any class or series of ours,stock entitled to participate therewith when and as those terms are interpreteddeclared by the SEC; provided, however, that broker-dealers receiving exchange notesboard. We have not historically paid dividends on our common stock. In addition, our credit facilities in the exchange offer will have a prospectus delivery requirement with respect to resales of the exchange notes they receive. The SEC has taken the position that participating broker-dealers may fulfill their prospectus delivery requirements with respect to exchange notes, other than a resale of an unsold allotment from the original sale of the notes, with this prospectus. We did not, and do not intend to, request an interpretation from the SEC with respect to resales of the exchange notes, and we cannot be sure that the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC would make a similar determination with respect to the resale of the exchange notes as it did in those interpretative letters to third-parties.

Any holder that is an “affiliate” of ours or a broker-dealer that acquired original notes directly from us or that otherwise cannot rely upon such interpretations must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in order to resell the original notes and will not be permitted or entitled to exchange original notes in the exchange offer.

Based on the existing interpretations of the SEC referred to above, we believe that broker-dealers who acquired original notes for their own accounts, as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, may fulfill their prospectus delivery requirements with respect to the exchange notes received upon exchange of such original notes (other than original notes which represent an unsold allotment from the original sale of the original notes) with a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act, which may be the prospectus prepared for an exchange offer so long as it contains a description of the plan of distribution with respect to the resale of such exchange notes. Accordingly, this prospectus, as it may be amended or supplementedeffect from time to time may place certain limits on the payment of dividends.

Other Rights and Restrictions

The holders of common stock have no preemptive or subscription rights to purchase additional securities issued by us, nor any rights to convert their common stock into other of our securities or to have their shares of common stock redeemed by us. Our common stock is not subject to redemption by us. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not restrict the ability of a holder of common stock to transfer his or her shares of common stock. When we issue shares of common stock upon conversion of the New Notes under this prospectus, the shares will be usedfully paid and non-assessable.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LH.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer and Trust Company.

Limitations of Director Liability

Delaware law authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breach of directors’ fiduciary duty of care. Although Delaware law does not change directors’ duty of care, it enables corporations to limit available relief to equitable remedies such as injunction or rescission. Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of directors to us and our stockholders to the full extent permitted by Delaware law. Specifically, directors are not personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breach of the director’s fiduciary duty as a broker-dealerdirector, except for liability for:

any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

acts or omissions not in connection with resalesgood faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of exchange notes received in exchangelaw;

unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions; and

any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our certificate of incorporation provides for original notes where those original notes were acquiredmandatory indemnification of directors and officers against any expense, liability or loss to which they may become subject, or which they may incur as a result of market-making activitiesbeing or other trading activities. However,having been a broker-dealer who intends to use this prospectusdirector or officer. In addition, we must advance or reimburse directors and officers for expenses they incur in connection with indemnifiable claims. We also maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance.

Shareholder Rights Plan

We adopted a stockholder rights plan effective as of December 13, 2001 that provides that each share of common stock outstanding has one right attached. Each right entitles the resaleholder to purchase from us one-hundredth of exchange notes receiveda share of a new series of participating preferred stock at an initial purchase price of four hundred dollars. These rights will become exercisable and will detach from our common stock if any person becomes the beneficial owner of 15% or more of our common stock. In that event, each right will entitle the holder, other than the acquiring person, to purchase, for the initial purchase price, shares of our common stock having a value of twice the initial purchase price. The rights will expire on December 13, 2011, unless earlier exchanged or redeemed.

Preferred Stock

We are authorized to issue 30,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.10 per share, of which none are issued and outstanding. The Board of Directors has the authority, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, to issue preferred stock in exchange for original notes pursuantone or more series and to this exchange offer, must notify us or cause us to be notified, on or priorfix the number of shares, designations, relative rights (including voting rights), preferences and limitations of such series to the expirationfull extent now or hereafter permitted by Delaware law.

Our board is authorized to issue the preferred stock in one or more series and to fix and designate the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of this exchange offer,the preferred stock, including:

dividend rights;

conversion rights;

voting rights;

redemption rights and terms of redemption; and

liquidation preferences.

Our board may fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designations of these series.

The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series will be fixed by a certificate of designations relating to each series that it is a broker-dealer. Such noticewill specify the terms of the preferred stock, including:

the maximum number of shares in the series and the distinctive designation;

the terms on which dividends will be paid, if any;

the terms on which the shares may be givenredeemed, if at all;

the liquidation preference, if any;

the terms of any retirement or sinking fund for the purchase or redemption of the shares of the series;

the terms and conditions, if any, on which the shares of the series will be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes of capital stock;

the voting rights, if any, on the shares of the series; and

any or all other preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights or qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares.

Voting Rights

The General Corporation Law of Delaware provides that the holders of preferred stock will have the right to vote separately as a class on any proposal involving fundamental changes in the spacerights of holders of that preferred stock. This right is in addition to any voting rights that may be provided for in the letterapplicable certificate of transmittal or may be delivered to the exchange agent. Further, each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resaledesignations.

No shares of such exchange notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection with resales of exchange notes received in exchange for original notes where such original notes were acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the expiration of the exchange offer, we will make this prospectus, as amended or supplemented, available to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. In addition, until                     , 2003, all dealers effecting transactions in the exchange notes may be required to deliver a prospectus.

We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of exchange notes by broker-dealers. Exchange notes received by broker-dealers for their own account pursuant to the exchange offer may be sold from time to time in one or more transactions in the over-the-counter market, in negotiated transactions, through the writing of options on the exchange notes or a combination of such methods of resale, at market prices prevailing at the time of resale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Any such resale may be made directly to purchasers or to or through brokers or dealers who may receive compensation in the form of commissions or concessions from any broker-dealer or the purchasers of any such exchange notes. Any broker-dealer that resells exchange notes that were received by it for its own account pursuant to the exchange offerour preferred stock are currently issued and any broker or dealer that participates in a distribution of such exchange notes may be deemed to be an

“underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any profit on any such resale of exchange notes and any commissions or concessions received by any such persons may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under the Securities Act. The letter of transmittal states that, by acknowledging that it will deliver and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

For a period of 180 days after the expiration of the exchange offer we will promptly send additional copies of this prospectus and any amendment or supplement to this prospectus to any broker-dealer that requests such documents in the letter of transmittal. We have agreed to pay all expenses incident to the exchange offer (including the expenses of one counsel for the holders of the notes) other than commissions or concessions of any brokers or dealers and will indemnify the holders of the notes (including any broker-dealers) against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

outstanding.

LEGAL OPINIONSVALIDITY OF SECURITIES

Bradford T. Smith, our Executive Vice President, Chief Legal OfficerThe validity of the New Notes and Secretary, hasthe shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the New Notes are being passed upon the legalityfor Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings by Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., Baltimore, Maryland. The validity of the exchange notes offered hereby.

New Notes will be passed upon for the dealer manager by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to ourthe Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20012005 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent certifiedregistered public accountants,accounting firm, included therein and incorporated by reference herein, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

The consolidated financial statements of DIANONSystems, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2001 incorporated in this prospectus by reference to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 3, 2003 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Arthur Andersen LLP. Arthur Andersen LLP has not consented to the inclusion of their report in this registration statement, and in reliance upon Rule 437a of the Securities Act, we have not therefore filed their consent. Because Arthur Andersen LLP has not consented to the inclusion of their report in the registration statement, it may become more difficult for you to seek remedies against Arthur Andersen LLP in connection with any material misstatement or omission that may be contained in our consolidated financial statements and schedules for such periods. In particular, and without limitation, you will not be able to recover against Arthur Andersen LLP under Section 11 of the Securities Act for any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the financial statements audited by Arthur Andersen LLP or any omission of a material fact required to be stated in those financial statements.

The consolidated financial statements of Dynacare Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2001, appearing in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 18, 2003, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their report dated March 20, 2002, thereon and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MOREADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We are required to file annual, quarterly and specialcurrent reports, proxy statements, any amendments to those reports and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act.SEC. You may read and copy this informationany documents filed by us at the following location of the SEC:

Public Reference Room

450 FifthSEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.W.

Room 1024

N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549

You may obtain20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by callingpublic reference room. Our filings with the SEC are also available to the public through the SEC’s Internet site at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain copies ofhttp://www.sec.gov and through the information by mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Room 1024, Washington, DC 20549, at prescribed rates. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like LabCorp, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site is www.sec.gov.

You can also inspect reports, proxy statements and other information about us at the offices of The New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.10005, on which our common stock is listed.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we fileWe have filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC whichrelating to the securities covered by this prospectus. This prospectus is a part of the registration statement and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or other document of LabCorp, please be aware that the reference is only a summary and that you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement for a copy of the contract or other document. You may review a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C., as well as through the SEC’s website.

The SEC’s rules allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Theanother document. Any information incorporated by referencereferred to in this way is considered to be part of this prospectus and later information thatfrom the date we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information.that document. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we makereports filed by us with the SEC underpursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act:Act of 1934 (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules) after the date of this prospectus and before the date that the exchange offer is terminated which will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the following documents or information previously filed with the SEC:

 

(a)  

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 as filed March 18, 2002;

2005;

 

(b)  Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A as filed April 15, 2002;

(c)  

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quartersperiod ended September 30, 2002 as filed November 14, 2002,March 31, 2006 and the period ended June 30, 2002 as filed August 13, 2002 and March 31, 2002 as filed May 2, 2002; and

2006;

 

(d)  

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K dated March 1, 2006 and July 21, 2006; and

The description of our common stock, filed in our Registration Statement on Form 8-B filed on May 9 (asJuly 1, 1994, as amended May 9), June 5, June 7, June 20, Juneby Amendment No. 1 thereto dated April 27, July 15, July 19, July 26, August 7, October 2, October 22,1995, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and November 12, 2002the description of the related stock purchase rights in the Registration Statement filed on Form 8-A filed on December 21, 2001, including amendments thereto, and January 17, February 3, February 3, February 18 and February 18, 2003.

any report filed for the purpose of updating such descriptions.

You may alsoWe will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon his or her written or oral request, a copy of these filings at no cost by writingany or calling us at the following addressall documents referred to above which have been or telephone number:

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

358 South Main Street

Burlington, North Carolina 27215

(336) 229-1127

Corporate Communications Department

Attention: Corporate Secretary

All documents we file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from the date of this prospectus to the expiration of the exchange offer shall alsomay be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference and will automatically update information in this prospectus. We do not incorporate by reference into this prospectus any portion of any document that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuantexcluding exhibits to Item 9 of Form 8-K.

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however,those documents unless those exhibits have beenthey are specifically incorporated by reference in this document.into those documents. You can request those documents from Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Office of the Corporate Secretary, 358 South Main Street, Burlington, North Carolina 27215, telephone (336) 229-1127.

The exchange agent for the exchange offer is:

The Bank of New York

 

By Facsimile (Eligible Institutions only):

(212) 298-1915

By Telephone:

(212) 815-3738

By Mail, Hand or Overnight Delivery:

The Bank of New York

Corporate Trust Operations

Reorganization Unit

101 Barclay Street—Floor 7E

New York, NY 10286

Attention: Evangeline Gonzalez

Whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC, so long as any notes are outstanding, we have agreed to furnish to the Trustee, within 15 days after we are or would have been required to file with the SEC, and to furnish to the holders of the notes thereafter:

(i)  all quarterly and annual financial information that would be required to be contained in a filing with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if we were required to file such Forms, including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and, with respect to the annual information only, a report thereon by our certified independent accountants and

(ii)  all current reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K if we were required to file such reports.

In addition, we have agreed that,Questions, requests for as long as any notes remain outstanding, we will furnish to the holders and to securities analysts and prospective investors, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act. Any such requestassistance and requests for the agreements summarized herein shouldadditional copies of this prospectus may be directed to the address referred to above.information agent or the dealer manager at each of their addresses set forth below:

The information agent for the exchange offer is:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street

New York, New York 10005

Banks and brokers call: (212) 269-5550 (collect)

All others: (800) 859-8508 (U.S. toll free)

The dealer manager for the exchange offer is:

LEHMAN BROTHERS

745 Seventh Avenue, 5th Floor

New York, New York 10019

Attention: Convertible Origination Group

(212) 526-0111 (collect)

(800) 443-0892 (U.S. toll free)

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

 

Item 20.    Indemnification of Officers and Directors.

Item 20.Indemnification of Directors and Officers

As authorized by Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“Delaware Corporation Law”), weeach director and officer of the Registrant may indemnify our directors and officersbe indemnified by the Registrant against expenses (including attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of any threatened, pending, or completed legal proceedings in which he/she is involved by reason of the fact that he/she is or was onea director or officer of our directors or officers;the Registrant; provided that he/she acted in good faith and in a manner that he/she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to ourthe best interest;interest of the Registrant; and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, that he/she had no reasonable cause to believe that his/her conduct was unlawful. If the legal proceeding, however, is by us or in ourthe right of the Registrant, the director or officer may not be indemnified in respect of any claim, issue, or matter as to which he/shehe shall have adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his/herhis duty to usthe Registrant unless a court determines otherwise.

Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware Corporation Law provides that a corporation may eliminate or limit the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for willful or negligent conduct in paying dividends or repurchasing stock out of other than lawfully available funds, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. No such provision shall eliminate or limit the liability of a director for any act or omission occurring prior to the date when such provision becomes effective.

Article Six of our Amended and Restatedthe Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant provides that no director of the Registrant shall be personally liable to usthe Registrant or ourits stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of his/herhis fiduciary duty as director; provided, however, that such clause shall not apply to any liability of a director (i) for any breach of such director’s duty of loyalty to usthe Registrant or ourits stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware Corporation Law or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. In addition, the provisions of Article SevenVII of our By-Lawsthe Registrant’s By-laws provide that wethe Registrant shall indemnify persons entitled to be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Corporation Law.

We maintainThe Registrant maintains policies directors’of officers’ and officers’directors’ liability insurance in respect of acts or omissions of our current and former officers and directors and officers, ourof the Registrant, its subsidiaries, and “constituent” companies that have been merged with us.the Registrant.

 

Item 21.    Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

Item 21.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

Exhibit No.


   

Description


3.1

(1)

  

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company dated May 24, 2001.

3.2

(2)

  

Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company dated April 28, 1995.

4.1

(1)

  

Indenture dated as of September 11, 2001 between the Company and Bank of New York, as trustee, including form of Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021.

4.2

(3)

  

Indenture dated as of January 31, 2003 between the Company and Wachovia Bank, National Association, as trustee, including form of 5 ½% Senior Note due February 1, 2013.

4.3

(3)

  

Registration Rights Agreement dated as of January 28, 2003 among the Company, Credit Suisse First Boston LLC, Banc of America Securities LLC, UBS Warburg LLC, Wachovia Securities, Inc., SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.

Exhibit No.


    1.1*  

Description


Form of Dealer Manager Agreement.

4.4

    4.1
  

Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form of Exchange Note.

10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, File No. 001-11353).

5.1

    4.2
  

OpinionAmended and Restated Certificate of Counsel regarding the validityIncorporation of the exchange notes being registered.

12.1

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

23.1

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

23.2

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

23.3

Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial filing of this Registration Statement).

25.1

Statement of Eligibility of Trustee on Form T-1.

99.1

Form of Letter of Transmittal.

99.2

Form of Exchange Agent Agreement.

99.3

Form of Instruction to Registered Holder and/or The Depository Trust Company Participant from Beneficial Owner.


(1)IncorporatedRegistrant dated May 24, 2001 (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’sRegistrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed with the Commission on October 19, 2001.2001, File No. 333-71896).
(2)
    4.3  IncorporatedAmended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant dated April 28, 1995 (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’sRegistrant’s report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 12, 1995.1995, File No. 001-11353)).

II-1


(3)
      4.4  IncorporatedRights Agreement dated December 13, 2001 between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights Agent (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’s reportRegistrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-K8-A, filed with the Commission on February 3, 2003.December 21, 2001, File No. 001-11353)
      4.5Indenture related to the Old Notes, dated as of September 11, 2001, between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 19, 2001, File No. 333-71896).
      4.6*Form of Indenture relating to the New Notes between Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and The Bank of New York, as Trustee thereunder.
      4.7Form of Liquid Yield Option Note relating to the Old Notes (included in Exhibit 4.5).
      4.8*Form of Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Note relating to the New Notes (included in Exhibit 4.6).
      5.1*Opinion of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
      8.1*Tax Opinion of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
    12.1Statement re Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2006, File No. 001-11353).
    23.1*Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
    23.2*Consents of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1).
    24.1*Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereof).
    25.1*Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended on Form T-1.

*Filed herewith.

Item 22.    (a) The undersigned registrant (the “Registrant”) hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initialUndertakings.bona fide offering thereof.

(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons controllingof the registrantRegistrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrantRegistrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrantRegistrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrantRegistrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrantRegistrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

The undersigned registrantRegistrant hereby undertakes to respond to requests for information that is incorporated by reference into the prospectus pursuant to Item 4, 10(b), 11 or 13 of this form within one business day of receipt of such request, and to send the incorporated documents by first class mail or other equally prompt means. This includes information contained in documents filed subsequent to the effective date of the registration statementRegistration Statement through the date of responding to the request.

(d) The undersigned registrantRegistrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered withsupply by means of a post-effective amendment all information concerning this transaction that was not the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by

referencesubject of and included in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X are not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.Registration Statement when it became effective.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:II-2

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrantRegistrant has duly caused this registration statementRegistration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the cityCity of Burlington, stateState of North Carolina, on February 18, 2003.the 22nd day of September, 2006.

 

LABORATORY CORPORATIONOF AMERICA HOLDINGS

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

By:

 

/s/S/    BRADFORD T. SMITH        


 

Bradford T. Smith

Executive Vice President,

Chief Legal Officer Corporate Affairs and Secretary

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all men by these presents,KNOWN ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individualthe individuals whose signature appearssignatures appear below constituteshereby constitute and appointsappoint Bradford T. Smith and William B. Hayes, or each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) relating to a registration of shares of common stock on Form S-4 and to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to thethis Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any applicable securities exchange or securities self-regulatory body, granting unto said attorneys-in-factattorney-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-factattorney-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their, his or hisher substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement on Form S-4Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the date indicated above.indicated:

 

Signature

Title

Date

/s/S/    THOMAS P. MAC MAHON        


Chairman of the Board President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
September 22, 2006

Thomas P. Mac Mahon

President, Chief Executive Officer and

Chairman of the Board

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/    WESLEY R. ELINGBURG        


Wesley R. Elingburg

  

/S/    WILLIAM B. HAYES        Executive Vice President, Chief Financial

Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer

(Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)

September 22, 2006

Jean-Luc BelingardWilliam B. Hayes

  

Director

/s/S/    KERRII B. ANDERSON        

DirectorSeptember 22, 2006
Kerrii B. Anderson

/S/    JEAN-LUC BELINGARD        

DirectorSeptember 20, 2006
Jean-Luc Belingard

/S/    WENDY E. LANE        


DirectorSeptember 22, 2006
Wendy E. Lane

  

Director

/s/S/    ROBERT E. MITTELSTAEDT, JR.        


DirectorSeptember 20, 2006
Robert E. Mittelstaedt, Jr.

II-3


Signature

  

DirectorTitle

Date

/s/    JAMESS/    ARTHUR B. PH. ROWELLUBENSTEIN        , M.D.        


James B. Powell, M.D.

  

Director

September 20, 2006
Arthur H. Rubenstein

/s/S/    ANDREW G. WALLACE, M.D.        


DirectorSeptember 20, 2006
Andrew G. Wallace, M.D.

/S/    M. KEITH WEIKEL        

  

Director

September 22, 2006
M. Keith Weikel

II-4


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.


     

Description


3.1

(1)

    

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company dated May 24, 2001.

3.2

(2)

    

Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Company dated April 28, 1995.

4.1

(1)

    

Indenture dated as of September 11, 2001 between the Company and Bank of New York, as trustee, including form of Liquid Yield Option Notes due 2021.

4.2

(3)

    

Indenture dated as of January 31, 2003 between the Company and Wachovia Bank, National Association, as trustee, including form of 5 ½% Senior Note due February 1, 2013.

4.3

(3)

    

Registration Rights Agreement dated as of January 28, 2003 among the Company, Credit Suisse First Boston LLC, Banc of America Securities LLC, UBS Warburg LLC, Wachovia Securities, Inc., SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.

4.4

 

    

Form of Exchange Note.

5.1

 

    

Opinion of Counsel regarding the validity of the exchange notes being registered.

12.1

 

    

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.

23.1

 

    

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

23.2

 

    

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

23.3

 

    

Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

 

    

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial filing of this Registration Statement).

25.1

 

    

Statement of Eligibility of Trustee on Form T-1.

99.1

 

    

Form of Letter of Transmittal.

99.2

 

    

Form of Exchange Agent Agreement.

99.3

 

    

Form of Instruction to Registered Holder and/or The Depository Trust Company Participant from Beneficial Owner.


(1)
  1.1*  IncorporatedForm of Dealer Manager Agreement.
  4.1Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’sRegistrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, File No. 001-11353).
  4.2Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant dated May 24, 2001 (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed with the Commission on October 19, 2001.2001, File No. 333-71896).
(2)
  4.3 IncorporatedAmended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant dated April 28, 1995 (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’sRegistrant’s report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 12, 1995.1995, File No. 001-11353)).
(3)
  4.4 IncorporatedRights Agreement dated December 13, 2001 between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights Agent (incorporated herein by reference fromto the Company’s reportRegistrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-K8-A, filed with the Commission on February 3, 2003.December 21, 2001, File No. 001-11353)
  4.5Indenture related to the Old Notes, dated as of September 11, 2001, between the Registrant and The Bank of New York, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 19, 2001, File No. 333-71896).
  4.6*Form of Indenture relating to the New Notes between Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings and The Bank of New York, as Trustee thereunder.
  4.7Form of Liquid Yield Option™ Note relating to the Old Notes (included in Exhibit 4.5).
  4.8*Form of Zero Coupon Convertible Subordinated Note relating to the New Notes (included in Exhibit 4.6).
  5.1*Opinion of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
  8.1*Tax Opinion of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
12.1Statement re Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2006, File No. 001-11353).
23.1*Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
23.2*Consents of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1).
24.1*Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereof).
25.1*Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended on Form T-1.


*Filed herewith.

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