Bentley Pharmaceuticals Receives Approval to Market Generic Versions of the Gastrointestinal Product, Lansoprazole, in Spain - Launch Planned for Second Half of 2004 - EXETER, N.H., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE:BNT), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on advanced drug- delivery technologies, which also manufactures and markets generic and branded products in Europe, announced today that three of its subsidiaries have been granted approval by the Spanish Ministry of Health to market generic equivalents of lansoprazole in Spain. Laboratorios Belmac, Laboratorios Davur and Laboratorios Rimafar have each received approval from the Ministry of Health to market 15-mg and 30-mg delayed-release dosage forms of lansoprazole in Spain. Laboratorios Belmac will market its generic equivalent under a branded trademark. The Company has made the decision to announce these approvals prior to receiving product pricing because the Spanish Ministry of Health has made this information publicly available on its website. Lansoprazole belongs to a class of gastrointestinal products used for treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders. The product is marketed by TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc. in the United States under the trade name Prevacid(R). According to IMS data, the market size of this class of gastrointestinal products in Spain is approximately $415 million and growing at an annual rate of 7%. In the Spanish market, lansoprazole accounts for approximately $87 million and has grown 20% over the past twelve months. James R. Murphy, Bentley's President and CEO, commented, "This is one of the most significant product approvals that we and our licensees have received over the past four years and will be complementary to our gastrointestinal product line, which already includes a generic version of omeprazole (equivalent to Prilosec(R)). We expect lansoprazole to quickly emerge as one of our strongest selling products and we plan to launch it during the second half of 2004." Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on advanced drug delivery technologies and pharmaceutical products. Bentley's proprietary drug technologies enhance or facilitate the absorption of pharmaceutical compounds across various membranes. Bentley also manufactures and markets a growing portfolio of generic and branded pharmaceuticals in Europe for the treatment of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infectious and neurological diseases through its subsidiaries, Laboratorios Belmac, Laboratorios Davur and Laboratorios Rimafar; and manufactures and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients through its subsidiary, Bentley API. Copies of Bentley Pharmaceuticals' press releases and other information may be obtained through Bentley's web site at http://www.bentleypharm.com/ . Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward looking statements, including without limitation, statements regarding planned product releases which assume favorable pricing not yet approved by government agencies, future market expectations of existing pharmaceutical products, future product approvals and the growth of our business. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to risks associated with expanding generic and branded drug operations, changes in third-party reimbursement and government mandates which impact pharmaceutical pricing, development and commercialization of our products, the effects of economic conditions, risks associated with international operations, competition from other manufacturers of generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals and other uncertainties detailed in Bentley's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bentley cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this document, and Bentley undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements, except as may be required by law. DATASOURCE: Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Michael D. Price, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-603-658-6100; or Investors - Jonathan Birt or Lanie Marcus, or Media - Sean Leous, all of Financial Dynamics, +1-212-850-5600, for Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Web site: http://www.bentleypharm.com/

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