Category: articles

COMPANY VIGOROUSLY DEFENDS ITS TUSSI-12^®D TABLETS AND TUSSI-12^®DS SUSPENSION

Somerset, NJ – November 22, 2004 – MedPointe Pharmaceuticals responded today to recent developments concerning its continued efforts to enforce its intellectual property rights covering its TUSSI-12^®D product line.

MedPointe’s TUSSI-12^®D brand products are covered by U.S. Patent No. 6,417,206 (“the ‘206 patent”). MedPointe has previously successfully enforced this patent against certain manufacturers to prevent infringement, obtaining consent orders and preliminary injunctions from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that prevent these parties from offering to sell or selling generic versions of MedPointe’s patented TUSSI- 12^®D products.

Although a panel of an appellate court on November 17, 2004 issued an opinion that the preliminary injunction against Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc., Amityville, NY, should be vacated, MedPointe believes that the preliminary injunction remains in full force and effect, unless and until the appellate court issues a mandate vacating it. Among other things, the preliminary injunction prevents Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. from shipping, manufacturing, having manufactured, offering to sell, selling, or importing into the U.S. Tannate 12 D S, a generic version of MedPointe’s TUSSI-12^®DS brand suspension product.

On November 19, 2004, Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. issued a press release stating that it “plans to begin shipments of its Tannate 12 D S cough and cold product in the near future” but that it “may still be subject to liability based on a claim of patent infringement for sales of Tannate 12 D S.” MedPointe believes that Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. remains bound by the preliminary injunction and may not ship, manufacture, have manufactured, offer to sell, sell, or import into the U.S. Tannate 12 D S, unless and until the District Court, acting on a mandate by the appellate court, lifts that injunction.

MedPointe believes that the panel opinion of the appellate court is in error, and agrees with the Chief Judge of the appellate court, who dissented from the panel opinion. MedPointe intends to petition for a rehearing to overturn the opinion and prevent the issuance of any mandate vacating the injunction.

MedPointe notes that even if the preliminary injunction is lifted, the panel of the appellate court stated that its decision “in no way resolves the ultimate question of validity” of MedPointe’s ‘206 patent.

MEDPOINTE PHARMACEUTICALS
MedPointe Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company located at 265 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey, 08873-4120; 732-564-2200. MedPointe specializes in respiratory, allergy, central nervous system, cough-cold, and pediatric products. The company maintains a manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois. For more information on MedPointe, visit www.medpointepharma.com.

Somerset, NJ – November 10, 2004 – The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) has recognized MedPointe’s ASTELIN Ready-Spray^TM with an AmeriStar Award for excellence in consumer product package design in the pharmaceutical/drug category. Ronald Jaketic, Manager of Engineering Projects for MedPointe, accepted the award on behalf of MedPointe at the PACK EXPO International Show 2004 on November 9 in Chicago, Ill.

The award recognizes the innovative new package design for the company’s leading prescription intranasal antihistamine, ASTELIN (azelastine hydrochloride) Nasal Spray, 137 mcg. Introduced in April, the redesigned package offers a new 30 mL bottle featuring a convenient, preassembled spray pump unit and a patented, V-shaped bottom to maximize utilization.

“This new ASTELIN package was designed to provide consumers with a more user-friendly product,” said Paul Edick, President of MedPointe. “We are honored that the IoPP has acknowledged our efforts to enhance patient benefit and increase the product’s ease-of-use.”

The Institute of Packaging Professionals is the leading North American Individual membership organization serving professionals in the packaging community. Each year the organization recognizes industry leaders for innovative and pioneering packaging design at its PACK EXPO International Show.

ABOUT ASTELIN READY-SPRAY, 30 ML

ASTELIN is the fastest-growing antihistamine in new prescriptions since April 2004. ASTELIN Nasal Spray is indicated for the treatment of the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (in patients five years of age and older) and nonallergic vasomotor rhinitis (in patients 12 years of age and older). According to the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, intranasal antihistamines such as ASTELIN are recommended as first-line treatment for allergic rhinitis. ASTELIN Nasal Spray is well tolerated and relieves a full range of rhinitis symptoms, including tough-to-treat nasal congestion. The most commonly reported adverse events in seasonal allergic rhinitis and nonallergic vasomotor rhinitis patients 12 years of age and older were bitter taste, headache, somnolence, and nasal burning. The adverse event profile in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients five to 11 years of age was similar to that in the adult population.

MEDPOINTE PHARMACEUTICALS
MedPointe Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company located at 265 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey, 08873-4120; 732-564-2200. MedPointe specializes in respiratory, allergy, central nervous system, cough-cold, and pediatric products. The company maintains a manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois. For more information on MedPointe, visit www.medpointepharma.com.

For additional information and/or full prescribing information on ASTELIN® (azelastine hydrochloride) Ready-Spray^TM, please call 1-800-598-4856 or visit ASTELIN’s new web site at www.astelin.com.

Total Wallace Rx Promotional Efforts to Exceed 300 Sales Representatives; Innovex to Provide Sales Force Recruitment and Training

Cranbury, NJ and Parsippany, NJ – January 14, 2002 – MedPointe Inc. and its Wallace Pharmaceuticals Division announced today that they have hired Innovex, a unit of Quintiles Transnational Corp. (NASDAQ: QTRN), to recruit and provide training support for approximately 120 new sales representatives and managers to accelerate sales of several key MedPointe prescription pharmaceutical products. The addition of these 120 individuals to the promotional effort behind MedPointe’s prescription pharmaceutical line will increase MedPointe’s total US promotional field force to approximately 300 persons.

The agreement between MedPointe and Innovex includes the selling effort behind one of MedPointe’s flagship brands, ASTELIN®, its unique nasal spray to treat allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. The Innovex sales managers and representatives will work closely with sales management at MedPointe’s Wallace Pharmaceuticals Division in their commercialization efforts. Under the agreement, Innovex will provide proactive recruiting services based on a wide range of proprietary recruiting resources and methods. Also, as part of this agreement, Innovex will provide consulting services to accelerate Wallace Pharmaceuticals’ sales training programs in order to place qualified sales representatives in the field as quickly as possible.

“This represents an important step forward in our plans to enhance the commercial impact of our portfolio, especially our major respiratory therapeutic, ASTELIN®,” said James S. Burns, MedPointe’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Gary Evans, Vice President-Field Sales, said, “Our product line responds well to direct promotion by our field sales force. The Innovex arrangement allows us to achieve national coverage quickly in order to better support our growing ASTELIN® and RYNA/TUSSI® products.”

Richard Johnson, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Quintiles Commercialization North America, said: “Providing ‘in-house’ recruiting and training services to build new sales forces can sometimes impose delays on a customer company’s operations. At Innovex, we specialize in rapid deployment of new sales forces to help accelerate customers’ sales. Innovex’s leading capabilities in sales force recruiting puts us at the forefront of this $200 million-dollar industry.”

About MedPointe
MedPointe Inc. is a privately held company located at Half Acre Road, Cranbury, New Jersey, 08512; 609-655-6000. Its prescription pharmaceutical products division, Wallace Pharmaceuticals, specializes in respiratory, pediatric and central nervous system therapies and maintains manufacturing facilities in Cranbury, New Jersey and Decatur, Illinois. Wampole Laboratories, MedPointe’s diagnostics division, distributes a wide range of immunoassay-based diagnostic tests for use by hospitals, physicians and reference laboratories. For more information on MedPointe, Wallace Pharmaceuticals or Wampole Laboratories, visit www.medpointeinc.com.

About Innovex
Innovex, a unit of Quintiles, is the world’s leading commercial solutions provider and offers sales and marketing services designed to accelerate the success of pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device products. Since 1996, Innovex has created more than 94 contract sales forces in the United States, with more than 12,500 representatives who have launched more than 100 established products and 37 new products. For more information, visit www.innovex.com.

Quintiles Transnational Corp. is the world’s leading provider of information, technology and services to bring new medicines to patients faster and improve healthcare. Headquartered near Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Quintiles Transnational is a member of the S&P; 500 and Fortune 1000. For more information visit the company’s Web site at www.quintiles.com.

Backed by Investment Firms Carlyle and Cypress, Pharmaceutical Executives Set to Build Specialty Healthcare Products Company

Short Hills, NJ – May 8, 2001 – MedPointe Capital Partners, backed by private equity firms The Carlyle Group and The Cypress Group, announced this morning that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the healthcare business of Carter-Wallace, Inc. (NYSE:CAR) in a cash deal valued at approximately $408 million.

In a separate transaction, Carter-Wallace has agreed to sell the assets of its consumer products business for approximately $739 million to Armkel, a partnership of consumer goods company Church & Dwight and the private equity group Kelso & Company. Both transactions must be approved by Carter-Wallace shareholders and receive clearance from various regulatory agencies. CPI Development Corporation, a private holding company that controls approximately 83 percent of the voting power of Carter-Wallace, has entered into an agreement to vote in favor of the transactions, subject to certain limited exceptions. The transactions are expected to be completed in late summer 2001.

In the deal, MedPointe is acquiring Wallace Laboratories, Carter-Wallace’s pharmaceutical arm, and Wampole Laboratories, its diagnostics unit, as well as the rights to the Carter-Wallace name. MedPointe, Carlyle and Cypress, which will collectively invest approximately $275 million in the transaction, were advised in the transaction by Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. has also provided a commitment for up to $225 million of senior bank debt.

“Carter-Wallace is a healthcare products company with a long history and strong assets,” said Anthony H. Wild, Ph.D., MedPointe’s Chairman and CEO. “The job now is to capitalize on those assets through increased emphasis on sales and marketing, product development and licensing. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are confident that the Carter-Wallace healthcare business provides an excellent platform for growth.”

MedPointe’s executives – who have spent most of their careers in the healthcare products industry – will assume senior operating positions at the company once the deal closes. Dr. Wild, who will become Chairman and CEO of the new company, is the former President of the Global Pharmaceutical Sector of Warner-Lambert, where he had worldwide responsibility for the company’s pharmaceutical operations, including research and development. During Dr. Wild’s tenure, he managed sales growth from $2.1 billion to $10 billion, the formation of the Sankyo/Parke-Davis joint venture, the global partnership with Pfizer to market the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor®, and the acquisitions of Jouveinal, Agouron, Hickson and gene/Networks.

The other three MedPointe executives will serve as Executive Vice Presidents in the new company, responsible for operations, administration and finance. The senior executive team includes James S. Burns, former Group President at Becton Dickinson and Vice Chairman of HealthCare Ventures; John T.W. Hawkins, former head of the Global Healthcare Sector at executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates; and Paul S. Herendeen, former Executive Vice President and CFO of Warner Chilcott, a specialty pharmaceutical company recently merged with Galen Holdings, an Irish specialty pharmaceutical company.

MedPointe (www.medpointecapital.com), which is currently headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, was founded last year with the intention of building a specialty healthcare products company. “The scale of the large pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies today means that a great deal of emphasis is placed on ‘blockbuster’ products,” explained Dr. Wild. “As a result, there are many excellent mid-level products that don’t receive the support they should. These products may not make strategic sense to a ‘big pharma’ company, but we see a lot of opportunity in them.” After the closing of the sale, MedPointe will be headquartered in the current Carter-Wallace facility in Cranbury, New Jersey.

Dr. Wild and the MedPointe team were attracted to Wallace and Wampole Laboratories because they have a solid foundation of products, including the allergy medicine Astelin®, the muscle relaxant Soma®, the Rynatan/Tussi® cough-cold line and a range of professional laboratory and physician office diagnostic tests. The MedPointe strategy following completion of the deal calls for increased investment in product sales, increased emphasis on new product formulation, and further product acquisitions to accelerate the company’s growth.

The Carlyle Group is a global diversified private equity firm that originates, structures, and acts as an equity investor in management buyouts, corporate partnerships, platform consolidations, private placements and growth investments. Carlyle currently manages approximately $12 billion of capital across twelve institutional funds, including a $3.9 billion domestic leveraged buyout fund. Carlyle has completed approximately 215 transactions, investing over $5.8 billion of equity and purchasing more than $16.4 billion of assets.

The Cypress Group is a private equity investment fund whose objective is to achieve long-term capital appreciation through growth-oriented, privately negotiated equity investments. The Cypress Group currently manages over $3.5 billion of equity capital on behalf of major pension funds, university endowments and other leading financial institutions. To date, The Cypress Group has invested over $1.5 billion in nine transactions. As principals, The Cypress Group has invested a total of approximately $2.3 billion in 21 businesses with an aggregate transaction value of approximately $13.5 billion.

Backed by Investment Firms Carlyle and Cypress, Pharmaceutical Executives Create MedPointe Inc. and Complete the Acquisition of Carter-Wallace and its Healthcare Business

Cranbury, NJ – October 1, 2001 – A group of healthcare executives, backed by two leading private equity firms, announced today that it has completed the $408-million acquisition of the Healthcare Business and corporate stock of Carter-Wallace, Inc. (formerly NYSE:CAR). Carter-Wallace, Inc. has changed its name to MedPointe Inc.

This acquisition was led by a syndicate of private equity firms headed by The Carlyle Group and The Cypress Group. The syndicate also included Frazier & Company and Ferrer Freeman Thompson & Co. Through this transaction, the investor group acquired Carter-Wallace, Inc. and its two principal Healthcare Businesses, Wallace Pharmaceuticals, a prescription pharmaceutical division, and Wampole Laboratories, its medical diagnostics division.

The acquisition was funded with more than $500 million in equity and debt commitments, including more than $280 million from the equity investors. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., which underwrote the initial debt financing commitment, acted as Lead Arranger and Lehman Brothers acted as Co-Arranger for the syndication of $225 million of Senior Secured Credit Facilities in connection with the acquisition. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. also advised the equity investors.

“The successful completion of this acquisition concludes nearly a year of hard work by our management team, our investors and our employees and marks the birth of a new company,” said Anthony H. Wild, Ph.D., MedPointe Inc.’s Chairman and CEO. “The healthcare businesses of Carter-Wallace have provided MedPointe with strong operating management, an excellent foundation of products and two highly skilled sales forces. Through this acquisition, we have a wonderful starting point towards fulfilling the promise of MedPointe’s core mission: ‘making medicine better.'” MedPointe plans to pursue a variety of business development initiatives including product acquisitions, line extensions, licensing, co-promotion arrangements and reformulations.

The Wallace Pharmaceuticals product line includes the allergy medicine Astelin®, the only prescription antihistamine approved by the FDA for both seasonal allergic rhinitis and non-allergic (vasomotor) rhinitis. The Wallace line also includes the Rynatan/Tussi® cough-cold line, the muscle relaxant Soma® and the anticonvulsant Felbatol®. The Wampole product line includes a range of professional laboratory and physician office diagnostic products. “We believe that specialty products – marketed and managed effectively – offer substantial opportunities that MedPointe can bring to fruition,” explained Dr. Wild. “Not every product needs to be a ‘blockbuster’ drug in order to be a successful part of the healthcare products market.”

On a pro forma basis, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2001, MedPointe Inc. had consolidated net sales of approximately $220 million. As of October 1, 2001, MedPointe Inc. has approximately 525 full-time employees, including 275 in field sales and sales management.

The management team roster of MedPointe Inc. is comprised of senior, seasoned healthcare executives:

• Dr. Anthony H. Wild, Chairman and CEO of the new company, is the former President of the Global Pharmaceutical Sector of Warner-Lambert, where he had worldwide responsibility for the company’s pharmaceutical operations, including research and development. During Dr. Wild’s tenure, he managed Warner-Lambert’s pharmaceutical sales growth from $2.1 billion to $10 billion. In addition, he was responsible for the formation of the Sankyo/Parke-Davis joint venture, the global partnership with Pfizer to market the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor® and the acquisitions of Jouveinal, Agouron, Hickson and gene/Networks. He is a Founding Partner and CEO of MedPointe Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity capital partnership whose goal was to create a leading company in the specialty pharmaceutical arena.
• James S. Burns will serve as President and Chief Operating Officer of MedPointe Inc. He was a former Group President at Becton Dickinson, a founding Vice Chairman of HealthCare Ventures and a Partner at Booz Allen & Hamilton. He is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of MedPointe Capital Partners, LLC.
• John T.W. Hawkins will serve as MedPointe Inc.’s Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and External Affairs. Mr. Hawkins was the former Head of the Global Healthcare Sector at executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, and previously, an investment banker at Alex. Brown & Sons. He is also a Founding Partner and Managing Director of MedPointe Capital Partners, LLC.
• Paul S. Herendeen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and healthcare industries, most recently as Executive Vice President and Board Member of Galen plc, a public U.K.-based pharmaceutical company.
• Bernardo L. Tafur will serve as MedPointe Inc.’s Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Administration. He was formerly the Senior Vice President, Human Resources of Pfizer Inc.’s Pharmaceuticals Group.
• Beth P. Hecht, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, has more than 14 years of corporate legal experience, having worked as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Warner Chilcott plc, Alpharma Inc. and ChiRex, Inc.
• Thomas G. Gerstmyer will continue as President of Wallace Pharmaceuticals, the flagship pharmaceutical division of MedPointe Inc.
• John Bridgen, Ph.D., will continue as President of Wampole Laboratories, MedPointe Inc.’s medical diagnostics division.
• Gerald L. Messerschmidt, M.D., FACP, will serve as MedPointe Inc.’s Senior Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs. Prior to joining MedPointe Inc., he held senior executive positions at C.R. Bard, Inc., DNX Corporation and Ciba-Geigy Corporation.
• Bruce C. Friedman will serve as Corporate Vice President, Supply Chain Management. He previously served as Carter-Wallace Inc.’s Vice President, Operations for the Manufacturing Division.
• Timothy G. Henner will serve as Vice President and Corporate Controller of MedPointe Inc. Previously, he served as Carter-Wallace, Inc.’s Vice President and Controller, Manufacturing and Quality Control.
• Michael A. Tropiano will serve as Vice President and Corporate Treasurer of MedPointe Inc. He served previously as Carter-Wallace, Inc.’s Assistant Treasurer.

MedPointe Inc. has gathered a group of distinguished senior executives to constitute its Board of Directors. Dr. Wild will serve as Chairman of the newly formed board. MedPointe Inc. Board Members will also include Richard U. DeSchutter, retired Chairman and CEO of GD Searle and former Chairman & CEO of DuPont Pharmaceuticals; Ernest J. Larini, former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Warner-Lambert Company; W. Robert Dahl, a Managing Director and Head of Healthcare investing at The Carlyle Group; Kenneth S. Abramowitz, a Managing Director at The Carlyle Group and former healthcare analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. where he covered the medical-supply, hospital-management and HMO industries; and William L. Spiegel, a Managing Director at The Cypress Group who leads the firm’s efforts in the healthcare and financial services sectors. Later this month, it is anticipated that The Cypress Group will nominate another Director for appointment to the Board.

MedPointe Inc. is a privately held company located at Half Acre Road, Cranbury, New Jersey, 08512; 609-655-6000. MedPointe expects to relocate to new corporate offices in Bridgewater, New Jersey in the second quarter of 2002. Its prescription pharmaceutical products division, Wallace Pharmaceuticals, specializes in respiratory, pediatric and central nervous system therapies and maintains manufacturing facilities in Cranbury, New Jersey and Decatur, Illinois. Wampole Laboratories, MedPointe’s diagnostics division, distributes a wide range of immunoassay-based diagnostic tests for use by hospitals, physicians and reference laboratories. For more information on MedPointe, Wallace Pharmaceuticals or Wampole Laboratories, visit www.medpointeinc.com.

Clinical Data Published in Leading Medical Journal as Fall Allergy Season Begins

Somerset, NJ – August 16, 2004 – ASTELIN^® Nasal Spray provided effective symptom relief for patients with moderate-to-severe seasonal allergic rhinitis who had an unsatisfactory response to treatment with Allegra^® (fexofenadine hydrochloride), according to a clinical study published in the August issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

“Our findings show that ASTELIN is an effective treatment option for patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis who do not respond well to fexofenadine,” reported Craig LaForce, MD, study investigator and Medical Director, North Carolina Clinical Research. “In fact, ASTELIN is an excellent alternative for patients who find themselves using multiple oral antihistamines or frequently switching antihistamines to find satisfactory relief.”

A similar study, published in the August 2003 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, showed ASTELIN to be an effective option for patients who had experienced unsatisfactory relief of moderate-to-severe allergic rhinitis symptoms with Claritin^® (loratadine).

“Given the growing body of clinical data that reinforces the efficacy of azelastine nasal spray in treating allergic rhinitis, ASTELIN should be considered an excellent option for first-line treatment,” commented Dr. LaForce.

Mid-August marks the beginning of the ragweed (fall allergy) season in much of the United States, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

THE STUDY
This was a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of 335 patients who had experienced unsatisfactory results with a seven-day course of fexofenadine monotherapy. Patients who had an inadequate response to fexofenadine were divided into three treatment groups: 1) ASTELIN Nasal spray and oral placebo; 2) ASTELIN Nasal Spray and fexofenadine; or 3) placebo nasal spray and oral placebo for a two-week treatment period. The TNSS – defined as the sum of individual symptom severity scores for runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, and nasal congestion – determined drug efficacy.

After two weeks of treatment, the mean improvement from baseline in TNSS with ASTELIN Nasal Spray was significantly greater than with placebo. Further, the combination of ASTELIN and fexofenadine showed no additional clinical benefit compared to ASTELIN monotherapy.

ALLERGIC RHINITIS
Allergic rhinitis is the fifth most prevalent chronic disease in the United States, affecting up to 40 million adults and children each year. Allergic rhinitis costs the nation approximately $5.3 billion in direct and indirect costs (including time lost from work and school) and accounts for about 10,000 absences on a typical school day. It also can lead to complications, including sinusitis, Eustachian-tube dysfunction, ear infections, asthma, and sleep disturbances.

Current prescription and over-the-counter treatments include oral and intranasal antihistamines, oral and intranasal decongestants, intranasal corticosteroids, mast-cell stabilizers, and leukotriene- receptor antagonists. If the physician determines that allergen avoidance and pharmacotherapy do not provide sufficient relief, and if symptoms are sufficiently severe, he/she may suggest desensitization (immunotherapy).

ASTELIN® (AZELASTINE HYDROCHLORIDE) NASAL SPRAY, 137 MCG
ASTELIN Nasal Spray is indicated for the treatment of the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (patients five years of age and older) and nonallergic vasomotor rhinitis (patients 12 years of age and older). According to the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, an intranasal antihistamine, such as ASTELIN, is recommended as first-line treatment for allergic rhinitis. ASTELIN is the only antihistamine approved for rhinitis patients with nasal congestion.

The most commonly reported adverse events in seasonal allergic rhinitis and nonallergic vasomotor rhinitis patients 12 years of age and older were bitter taste, headache, somnolence, and nasal burning. The adverse event profile in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients five to 11 years of age was similar to that in the adult population. Discontinuation rates due to adverse events in patients taking ASTELIN in the seasonal allergic rhinitis and nonallergic vasomotor rhinitis clinical trials were no different than those for placebo.

Please see full Prescribing Information, available at www.astelin.com.

MEDPOINTE PHARMACEUTICALS
MedPointe Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company with headquarters at 265 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey, 08873-4120; 732-564-2200. MedPointe, which specializes in allergy, respiratory, central nervous system, cough-cold, and pediatric products, has a manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois. For more information about the company, please visit www.medpointepharma.com.

For additional information and/or full Prescribing Information on ASTELIN Nasal Spray, please call 1-800-598-4856 or visit www.astelin.com.

Somerset, NJ and Rochester, NY – December 7, 2004 – MedPointe Pharmaceuticals announced today that its expanded sales force will now have sole responsibility for promoting MedPointe’s OPTIVAR^® (azelastine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 0.05%) to the ophthalmic/eye-care community starting January 1, 2005. Bausch & Lomb, a global leader in eye health, had provided sales support for OPTIVAR after MedPointe acquired the medication in the second quarter of 2003. Since then, MedPointe has doubled its overall sales force in Primary Care and, most recently, expanded its Allergy Specialty sales force by 33 percent.

OPTIVAR is a sterile ophthalmic solution indicated for the treatment of itching of the eye associated with allergic conjunctivitis.

“While Bausch & Lomb has provided MedPointe with support in promoting OPTIVAR to eye-care specialists, we now have the resources and the capability to cover this important physician segment with the recent expansions of our Specialty Allergy and Primary Care field forces,” said Paul Edick, president of MedPointe. “We are committed to calling on selected ophthalmologists who treat allergic conjunctivitis patients, as well as the allergy, primary care, and ear, nose and throat specialists whom we normally see. The expansion of our allergy sales force to cover more eye-care physicians reaffirms our belief that OPTIVAR has great market potential, given its ability to target both the early- and late-phase allergic response in the eye.”

Paul G. Howes, Bausch & Lomb senior vice president and president of the Americas Region, said, “With the anticipated approval of new products in our own portfolio and a strategic review of our marketing priorities, Bausch & Lomb will focus on our own products. We wish MedPointe continued success with OPTIVAR.”

ABOUT OPTIVAR
OPTIVAR (azelastine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution, 0.05%) is a sterile ophthalmic solution indicated for the treatment of itching of the eye associated with allergic conjunctivitis in patients as young as 3 years of age. In controlled, multidose studies, the most frequently reported adverse events were transient eye burning/stinging, headache, and bitter taste. Discontinuation due to these adverse events was less than 1 percent. OPTIVAR is contraindicated in persons with known hypersensitivity to any of its components.

MEDPOINTE PHARMACEUTICALS
MedPointe Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company located at 265 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey, 08873-4120; 732-564-2200. MedPointe specializes in respiratory, allergy, central nervous system, cough-cold, and pediatric products. The company maintains a manufacturing facility in Decatur, Illinois. For more information on MedPointe, visit www.medpointepharma.com

For additional information and/or full Prescribing Information for OPTIVAR^®, please call 1-800-598-4856.

BAUSCH & LOMB
Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world. Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical, and pharmaceutical products. The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world. Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York. Bausch & Lomb’s 2003 revenues were $2 billion; it employs approximately 11,500 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com. Copyright Bausch & Lomb.

Purchase Strengthens MedPointe’s Allergy Franchise, Leverages Its Sales Force

Somerset, NJ – April 29, 2003 – MedPointe Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of all U.S. and Canadian rights to Optivar^® (azelastine hydrochloride), a prescription-only treatment for itching of the eye associated with allergic conjunctivitis in adults and children ages three and older. Comprised of the same active ingredient, Optiva^® is complementary to MedPointe’s flagship product, Astelin^®, and a significant addition to the Company’s growing allergy/respiratory franchise.

Optivar^® will be detailed in a co-primary position with Astelin^® by MedPointe’s 304-territory U.S. sales force and promoted to more than 50,000 primary care physicians, allergists and ear, nose and throat specialists. In connection with the acquisition, MedPointe assumed a co-promotion agreement with Bausch & Lomb, which will continue to co-promote the product to the ophthalmic/eye care community. Launched in 2000 with exclusivity until 2010, Optivar^® generated net sales in 2002 of $13 million and is experiencing year-over-year annual prescription growth in excess of 30 percent.

“We are extremely pleased to announce this strategically important acquisition for MedPointe,” said Anthony H. Wild, Ph.D., MedPointe’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Optivar is a young product with strong growth prospects that extends our presence in the allergy category and provides our sales force with another high-growth niche product to promote just as the allergy season is upon us. We have pursued this acquisition for a number of months, and its successful completion reaffirms our commitment to building a substantial specialty pharmaceuticals company.”

Allergic conjunctivitis is the most common ocular allergy, affecting 25 percent of the general population and 60 percent of people with nasal allergies, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). The symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis – itching, burning and redness of the eyes – are highly seasonal and are triggered by the action of histamines in response to airborne allergens such as pollen, mold and dust. While sufferers would benefit from a prescribed treatment, few seek a physician’s care and most self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs. The US market for ocular allergy treatments is estimated at approximately $280 million.

Under the terms of the sale, MedPointe acquired Optivar^®, including all commercial and intellectual property rights in the United States and Canada, from Viatris, Inc., Viatris GmbH & Co. KG, and Muro Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The purchase price was not disclosed.

MedPointe Inc. is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company located at 265 Davidson Avenue, Suite 300, Somerset, New Jersey, 08873-4120; 732-564-2200. MedPointe specializes in respiratory, allergy, central nervous system, cough/cold and pediatric products. The company maintains a manufacturing facility in Decatur, Ill. For more information on MedPointe, visit www.medpointepharma.com.

For further information, contact:

John Hawkins
Executive Vice President
MedPointe, Inc.
732-564-2233
[email protected]
www.medpointepharma.com