Church & Dwight reports pharmaceutical research on a new drug for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and hypertension.

Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) said today that it has been developing a drug for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and hypertension.

The new agent, XOSTEN(TM), a controlled-release dosage form of potassium bicarbonate for oral administration, is presently undergoing Phase II/III clinical studies under Investigational New Drug applications filed with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The Company has invested approximately $20 million, all of which has been charged against income as incurred, and plans to continue to invest as appropriate. Various aspects of XOSTEN technology, and its uses, are the subject of issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents.

Church & Dwight stated that they are seeking alliances for further development and the global marketing of XOSTEN. As the first step, Church & Dwight has granted co-marketing rights in Europe and certain parts of Asia to Nycomed Pharma AS of Oslo, Norway, in return for conducting the clinical studies needed for registrations in those areas. Nycomed, a major European pharmaceutical company, is a subsidiary of Hafslund Nycomed, the leader in contrast agents for medical imaging.

Dwight C. Minton, Church & Dwight's Chairman, stated, "This program evolved out of our long-term interest in basic research on sodium bicarbonate and addressed widespread concerns about the role of dietary sodium in hypertension. Pioneering research at the University of California in San Francisco demonstrated that sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), unlike sodium chloride (table salt), does not induce hypertension. Further, it was demonstrated that potassium bicarbonate significantly lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients. More recent work relative to osteoporosis, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1994, describes the remarkable effects of potassium bicarbonate in conserving calcium and phosphorous in postmenopausal women."

Mr. Minton continued, "Of course, the success of this program cannot be guaranteed. Several more years of clinical studies are needed before XOSTEN can be registered and before it can demonstrate the medical and economic values needed to be competitive in the pharmaceutical markets of the future. However, we believe that XOSTEN will ultimately provide a vehicle for delivering an inherently safe, natural substance for effective long-term prevention and treatment of these two serious chronic diseases."

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. is the producer of ARM & HAMMER(R) brand household and personal products, and is the world's largest producer of U.S.P. sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate and related products.

CONTACT: Anthony P. Deasey

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

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