Bentley's European Subsidiaries Receive New Marketing Approvals; Laboratorios Davur Acquires Right to Market Pravastatin; Laboratorios Davur and Rimafar Receive Approvals to Market Branded and Generic Versions of Ciprofloxacin.

EXETER, N.H. -- Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BNT), a technology-based specialty pharmaceutical and drug delivery company with a growing branded and generic product line in Europe, today announced that Laboratorios Davur has acquired the rights to market 10mg, 20mg, 40mg and 80mg dosage levels of pravastatin in Spain. Additionally, two of its Spanish subsidiaries (Davur and Rimafar) have each received approvals to market 250mg, 500mg and 750mg branded and generic versions of ciprofloxacin in Spain.

Pravastatin belongs to a class of cholesterol reducing agents and is marketed under the tradename of Pravachol(R) by Bristol Myers Squibb. According to IMS, the market size of this class of statin products over the trailing twelve months in Spain is approximately $580 million, of which pravastatin accounts for approximately $119 million.

Ciprofloxacin belongs to a class of anti-infective products used in the treatment of a wide range of bacterial infections. The product is marketed by Bayer in the United States under the trade name Cipro(R). According to IMS, the market size of this class of fluoroquinolone anti-infectives over the trailing twelve months in Spain is approximately $77 million, of which ciprofloxacin accounts for approximately $21 million.

James R. Murphy, Bentley's Chairman and CEO, commented, "The acquisition of pravastatin and the additional approvals of ciprofloxacin are a welcome complement to our existing cardiovascular and anti-infective product lines."

Murphy continued, "We plan to launch our pravastatin products at the end of this year or in early 2006. Our pravastatin product line will be promoted along with our growing simvastatin line within in our current portfolio. Ciprofloxacin will be promoted along with our existing anti-infective products. Additional marketing approvals in Spain, the UK and other EU countries for other therapeutic applications are anticipated in the near future, subject to regulatory action."

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 markets 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 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 our new pravastatin and ciprofloxacin products and for other new product approvals expected in the UK, Spain and the rest of Europe. 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 the timing and nature of regulatory approvals, changes in third party reimbursement and government mandates which impact pharmaceutical pricing, 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.