ALTANA AG: Annual General Meeting 2005: Ninth Consecutive Successful Business Year and Dividend Increase; Dividend increases by 14 % to EUR 0.95.

FRANKFURT & BAD HOMBURG, Germany -- Shareholders of ALTANA AG (NYSE:AAA, FSE:ALT) approved all proposals made by the Management and Supervisory Boards at today's Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt. These include the payment of a dividend of EUR 0.95 per share, a 14 % increase on the prior year (EUR 0.83). This brings the total dividend amount to EUR 133 million (prior year: EUR 117 million).

"With the ninth consecutive dividend increase and a dividend sum that has increased fivefold in this time period, coming close to the share capital, our shareholders have participated for years in the company's success," said Dr. Nikolaus Schweickart, Chairman of the Management Board of ALTANA AG.

In his speech, Dr. Nikolaus Schweickart reported to the shareholders on a successful business year in 2004, in which a sales volume of nearly EUR 3 billion was achieved and worldwide earnings exceeded the EUR 600 million mark for the first time. Investments and research expenditure amounted to EUR 670 million, which was also a new company record. In the next three years, from 2005 to 2007, ALTANA plans to continue the pace of innovation and investment. In this period, the company plans to invest some EUR 750 million, whilst the research budget will amount to about EUR 1.5 billion. In addition, ALTANA intends to create more jobs in Germany and abroad.

With harsh words the Chairman of the Management Board condemned the current defamation campaign against entrepreneurs and international investors: "To pillory an entire system and vilify entrepreneurs and managers as ice-cold executors of capital and profit interests for tactical election reasons is a dangerous language that one must clearly oppose. Those who initiated this defamation campaign should ask our employees whether they feel we are locusts sucking them dry. Yet warrants for the arrest of a slew of companies and people are being issued. The effects of this unspeakable debate abroad are devastating. Investments from other countries are not being steered to Germany in this way, jobs are not being created, the climate is being poisoned. A few 'black sheep' do not determine the image of the herd. But to hype this as being prototypical of an allegedly excessive power is simply untrustworthy."

In reference to Germany's future prospects, Dr. Nikolaus Schweickart added: "The same politicians who are responsible for the innovation-inimical climate in health care and biotechnology, key industries of the 21st century, are now attacking international investors."

This press release contains forward-looking statements, i.e., current estimates or expectations of future events or future results. The forward-looking statements appearing in this press release include ALTANA's plans to accelerate the pace of innovation and investment over the next few years and the projections for future investments in assets and its future research budget. These statements are based on beliefs of ALTANA's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to ALTANA. Many factors that ALTANA is unable to predict with accuracy could cause ALTANA's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include ALTANA's ability to develop and launch new and innovative pharmaceutical and chemical products, price regulations for pharmaceuticals and budgeting decisions of local governments and health care providers, the level of ALTANA's investment in pharmaceuticals related R&D, the sales and marketing methods used by ALTANA to distribute its pharmaceuticals, the composition of ALTANA's pharmaceuticals portfolio, ALTANA's ability to maintain close ties with its chemicals customers, the business cycles experienced by ALTANA's chemicals customers and the prices of the raw materials used in ALTANA's chemicals business.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. ALTANA does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements to reflect facts, circumstances or events that have occurred or changed after such statements have been made.

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