8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549



                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


       Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 25, 2002





                          QUINTILES TRANSNATIONAL CORP.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


       NORTH CAROLINA              000-23520                 56-1714315
      (State or other        (Commission File No.)        (I.R.S. Employer
       jurisdiction                                    Identification Number)
     of incorporation)



             4709 CREEKSTONE DRIVE, RIVERBIRCH BUILDING, SUITE 200,
                       DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27703-8411
                    (Address of principal executive offices)



                                 (919) 998-2000
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


                                       N/A
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)







ITEM 7.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.*

         (c)      Exhibits

Exhibit Number           Description of Exhibit
- --------------           ----------------------

99.01                    Press Release, dated October 25, 2002, of Quintiles
                         Transnational Corp.


ITEM 9.  REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.*

         On October 25, 2002, Quintiles Transnational Corp. (the "Company")
issued a press release updating the activities of the special committee of its
Board of Directors and identifying the members of the special committee. A copy
of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.01 and incorporated by
reference herein.





* The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the exhibits, is
furnished pursuant to Item 9 and shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the
purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or
otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Furthermore, the information
in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the exhibits, shall not be deemed
to be incorporated by reference into the filings of the Company under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.





                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                                QUINTILES TRANSNATIONAL CORP.



                                                By: /s/ John S. Russell
                                                    ----------------------------
Dated: October 28, 2002                             John S. Russell
                                                    Executive Vice President and
                                                    General Counsel








EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit Number      Description of Exhibit
- --------------      ----------------------
99.01               Press Release, dated October 25, 2002, of Quintiles
                    Transnational Corp.

EX-99.01

                                                                   EXHIBIT 99.01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Pat Grebe, Media Relations
(media.info@quintiles.com)
Greg Connors, Investor Relations
(invest@quintiles.com)
919 998 2000

QUINTILES TRANSNATIONAL CORP. UPDATES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - October 25, 2002 - Quintiles Transnational Corp.
(Nasdaq: QTRN) today announced that the recently constituted special committee
of its Board of Directors has engaged Morgan Stanley to act as its financial
advisor. Members of the special committee are Robert C. Bishop, Ph.D., Vaughn D.
Bryson and Virginia V. Weldon, M.D. The special committee also has engaged
Willkie Farr & Gallagher as its legal counsel. As previously announced, the
special committee of independent directors was formed following Quintiles'
receipt of a non-binding proposal by Pharma Services Company, a company wholly
owned by Dennis B. Gillings, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board and Founder of
Quintiles, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Quintiles for a cash
price of $11.25 per share. The special committee was established to act on
behalf of Quintiles regarding the proposal or alternatives in the context of
evaluating what is in the best interest of Quintiles and its shareholders. The
special committee is in the beginning stages of its deliberations and will
proceed in a timely and orderly manner.

Separately, Pharma Services Company has informed Quintiles that it has received
an equity commitment of $298 million from One Equity Partners LLC, the private
equity arm of Bank One Corporation, and debt commitments totaling $620 million
from Citicorp North America, Inc. and Salomon Smith Barney Inc. in support of
Pharma Services Company's non-binding proposal. Pharma Services Company also has
informed Quintiles that, together with shares to be contributed by Dr. Gillings
and cash on hand at Quintiles, it has financing commitments in place which will
allow it to consummate the proposed transaction. The commitments are subject to
a number of conditions, including the negotiation of definitive documentation
between Pharma Services Company and its financing sources. Pharma Services
Company also reiterated that it has engaged Salomon Smith Barney as its
financial advisor.

Quintiles Transnational helps improve healthcare worldwide by providing a broad
range of professional services, information and partnering solutions to the
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries. Headquartered near
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Quintiles is a member of the S&P 500 and
Fortune 1000. For more information visit Quintiles' Web site at
www.quintiles.com.

Information in this press release contains "forward-looking statements" about
Quintiles. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially, including without limitation, the
possibility that neither the proposed transaction nor any other transaction will
be approved or completed, the possibility that Quintiles might not prevail in
pending litigation regarding the proposal and other uncertainties arising in
connection with the proposal. Additional factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially are discussed in Quintiles' recent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited






to its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Form 8-Ks and its other periodic reports,
including Form 10-Qs.