Albany Molecular Research, Inc. Announces Management Changes At Its Bothell Research Center.

Business Editors

ALBANY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2001

Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRI) today announced management changes at its Bothell Research Center, formerly known as New Chemical Entities, Inc. (NCE), located near Seattle, WA. AMRI acquired its Bothell Research Center on January 25, 2001.

Former NCE Chief Executive Officer Barry A. Berkowitz, Ph.D. has been named corporate vice president, reporting to AMRI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas E. D'Ambra, Ph.D. In addition, Sam G. Deliganis has announced his retirement, effective April 30, 2001, as chief operating officer at the Bothell Research Center. Concurrent with the retirement of Mr. Deliganis, Dwight Baker, Ph.D., senior director for natural products discovery, has been promoted to the additional position of head of operations in Bothell.

Dr. Berkowitz has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including his role as chairman and chief executive officer of NCE before its purchase by AMRI. Previously, he was the founder, president and chief executive officer of ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Myco Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) until its acquisition by Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MLNM) in 1997. Before that, he co-founded Magainin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Magainin Sciences, Inc. and now known as Genaera Corporation NASDAQ: GENR). Additionally, Dr. Berkowitz has held senior executive research and development positions at SmithKline & French and senior research responsibilities at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. He received his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of California, San Francisco. In his new role, Dr. Berkowitz will contribute to AMRI's efforts in drug discovery technologies, with a focus on business development and new technologies.

Mr. Deliganis served as chief operating officer, director, and president of the Thetagen Division of New Chemical Entities, Inc. (NCE) since 1999, prior to NCE's acquisition by Albany Molecular Research, Inc. In this role, he was responsible for general business and financial operations. He was also secretary of the NCE board of directors. Mr. Deliganis intends to return to the position of president of Northwest Pharmaceutical Research Network (N-PRN), which he founded in 1994. N-PRN is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the education of health care professionals on disease management, adverse drug reaction prevention, and conducts outcome research on pre-approved drug therapies. Mr. Deliganis will also serve as a consultant to AMRI.

Dr. Baker directed natural product microbiology at MDS Panlabs for seven years before joining NCE in 1999. Prior to joining MDS Panlabs, he managed international research projects in the area of biodiversity on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dr. Baker received his Ph.D. in biological sciences from Harvard University and has held academic positions at Middlebury College and Yale University, as well as research positions at the Charles F. Kettering Research Laboratory (Ohio) and the Battelle Memorial Institute. As senior director and head of operations, Dr. Baker will be responsible for AMRI's natural products, microbiology and drug discovery genomics efforts, and will take over day-to-day operational responsibilities at the Bothell Research Center.

AMRI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas D'Ambra, Ph.D. said, "On behalf of AMRI, I want to thank Sam Deliganis for his efforts in helping to ensure a smooth integration of our Bothell Research Center with the rest of AMRI's operations. This event marks the end of a chapter for Sam, and the beginning of a new one, in what has so far already been a successful and accomplished career. It has been a pleasure to know and work with Sam, and we want to wish him well and extend our best wishes for his future efforts." D'Ambra continued, "It also gives me great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Dwight Baker on his new responsibilities, as he assumes an important role within AMRI and takes a new step in his career. I look forward to working with Dwight, and also extend to him our best wishes in this new position. We are also excited that Barry Berkowitz will continue to provide AMRI with support drawn from his many years of experience in drug discovery. With the new responsibilities for Drs. Berkowitz and Baker, along with the ongoing technology and drug discovery contributions of the Bothell Research Center, I believe AMRI continues its progress to build value for our shareholders and better serve our clients and strategic alliance partners."

AMRI is a leading chemistry research, drug discovery and development company focusing on applications for the life sciences industries. The company performs comprehensive chemistry research for many of the leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and for its own internal research and development.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. The company's actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to attract and retain experienced scientists, trends in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies outsourcing chemical research and development, sales of Allegra(R) (including any deviations in estimates provided by Aventis) and the company's receipt of significant royalties from the Allegra license agreement, the company's ability to enforce its intellectual property and technology, the company's ability to take advantage of proprietary technology and expand the scientific tools available to it, the ability of the company's strategic investments and acquisitions, including its Bothell Research Center, to perform as expected, the company's ability to successfully complete its ongoing expansion projects on schedule and integrate acquired companies, and the company's ability to effectively manage its growth, as well as those discussed in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 2001 and the company's other SEC filings.