Biovail Launches Glumetza to Canadian Physicians.

TORONTO -- Biovail Corporation (NYSE:BVF)(TSX:BVF) announced today that it has officially launched Glumetza(TM) in Canada.

Developed in partnership with Depomed, Inc. (NASDAQ:DEPO) of Menlo Park, California, Glumetza(TM) is the first once-daily, extended-release formulation of metformin on the Canadian market. Glumetza(TM) is being launched by Biovail Pharmaceuticals Canada (BPC), the Canadian sales and marketing division of Biovail Corporation. This launch further validates BPC's position as the number-one independent pharmaceutical commercial organization in the country.

"Hyperglycemia is a major cause of many of the complications for people who have diabetes, so keeping your blood sugar as close to normal as possible not only helps you to feel better, but will help to reduce the risk of long-term complications," said Doug Herman, Vice-President and General Manager of BPC. "Metformin is the most prescribed oral medication for the treatment of Type II diabetes. Providing Canadians with a once-daily metformin option to treat Type II diabetes is a great step toward enhanced patient adherence - and as a result, a great step forward toward helping to manage this disease."

Clinical data exists to show that reducing the frequency of daily dosing of oral diabetes medication can cause an improvement in patient compliance and metabolic control. Poor patient compliance to medications and dosing regimens represent a significant challenge to physicians in treating chronic disease - especially diabetes, due to the high number of medications that patients often have to take to control their disease. Glumetza(TM) offers a significant advantage to both physicians and patients by simplifying the dosage regimen of twice-a-day or three-times-a-day metformin to once a day.

In addition to physician calls to introduce Glumetza(TM), launch elements include sampling, marketing and other promotional activities.

About Glumetza(TM)

Glumetza(TM) is a once-daily extended-release formulation of metformin HCl and is intended to control diabetes mellitus - a condition characterized by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin activity or both. Glumetza(TM) is indicated for the control of hyperglycemia in metformin-responsive, stable, mild, non-ketosis prone maturity onset type of diabetes (Type II) which cannot be controlled by proper dietary management, exercise and weight reduction and when insulin therapy is not appropriate. Glumetza(TM) will be available in a 500mg extended-release tablet.

Safety Precautions

Patients are advised not to take Glumetza(TM) if they have kidney problems, heart failure that is treated with medicine, or have a condition called metabolic acidosis, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which should be treated with insulin.

Glumetza(TM) can cause a rare, but serious condition, called lactic acidosis. Patients should stop taking Glumetza(TM) and call their doctor right away if they feel very weak or tired, or have unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or feel cold - especially in their arms and legs - or if they feel dizzy or lightheaded, or have a slow or irregular heartbeat, or a medical condition suddenly changes.

The most common side effects of Glumetza(TM) include diarrhea, nausea, and upset stomach. In clinical trials, Glumetza(TM) has been shown to provide a similar tolerability profile to currently available metformin.

About Diabetes

Diabetes affects an estimated 2.25 million Canadians, and is increasing in epidemic proportions by approximately 60,000 new cases each year in Canada alone. Approximately 90% of diabetics suffer from Type II diabetes, the most common metabolic disease in the world and the seventh-deadliest disease in Canada. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, end-stage renal disease and non-traumatic loss of limb, and can also lead to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other serious conditions. In Canada, the public health cost of diabetes is estimated to be more than C$9 billion per year.

About Biovail Corporation

Biovail Corporation is a specialty pharmaceutical company, engaged in the formulation, clinical testing, registration, manufacture, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products utilizing advanced drug-delivery technologies. For more information about Biovail, visit the Company's Web site at www.biovail.com.

For further information, please contact Ken Howling at 905-286-3000 or send inquiries to [e-mail].

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To the extent any statements made in this release contain information that is not historical, these statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "will", "may" and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to, risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Canadian Therapeutic Products Directorate approvals, acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development and launch, reliance on key strategic alliances, tax rate assumptions, availability of raw materials and finished products, the regulatory environment, the outcome of legal proceedings, fluctuations in operating results and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission. Biovail undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.