CHIR Chiron (MM)

NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's will make the following changes to the S&P 500 and S&P MidCap 400 after the close of trading on Wednesday, April 19, 2006: * S&P MidCap 400 constituent SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) will replace Chiron Corp. (NASDAQ:CHIR) in the S&P 500. Chiron is being acquired by S&P Global 100 constituent Novartis AG in a deal that is pending final approval. Scientific Games Corp. (NASDAQ:SGMS) will replace SanDisk in the S&P MidCap 400. Standard & Poor's will monitor this transaction, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. SanDisk makes and markets flash memory storage products used in a wide variety of electronic systems. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Computer Storage & Peripherals Sub-Industry index. Scientific Games provides services, systems and products to both the pari-mutuel gaming systems and instant ticket lottery industries. Headquartered in New York, NY, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Casinos & Gaming Sub-Industry index. Following is a summary of the changes: S&P 500 INDEX - April 19, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED SanDisk Information Technology Computer Storage & Peripherals DELETED Chiron Health Care Biotechnology S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - April 19, 2006 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Scientific Games Consumer Discretionary Casinos & Gaming DELETED SanDisk Information Technology Computer Storage & Peripherals Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned. About Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 6,300 employees located in 20 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. About The McGraw-Hill Companies Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee 212 438-3907 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/ http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

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