Organon and Prasco Sign a Generic Supply Agreement; Prasco Will Market Desogestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol 0.15 Mg/0.03 Mg Oral Contraceptive Tablets under the Name Solia.

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CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2004

Solia(TM) Will Be the Second Generic Oral Contraceptive to the AB-Rated Brands Desogen(R) and Ortho-Cept(R) and Will Compete Directly

with the First Generic, Apri(R)

Prasco Laboratories, a privately-held pharmaceutical company located in Cincinnati, Ohio, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Organon Ireland Ltd. for Solia(TM)(1) (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol 0.15 mg/0.03 mg) Tablets. Solia Tablets is a generic oral contraceptive to the AB-rated brands Desogen(R)(2) and Ortho-Cept(R)(3); however Prasco expects Solia to compete most directly with the generic desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol (0.15 mg/0.03 mg) product Apri(R)(4). For 2003, Apri had estimated sales of $121 million(5).

Product Lifecycle Extension Business Model

Solia, manufactured for Prasco under a commercial supply agreement with Organon Ireland Ltd., is an "authorized generic" version of Organon's Desogen. The agreement is one of many that Prasco expects from its lifecycle extension business model. Prasco's business model was developed to encourage more competition, which should ultimately serve consumers. This model calls for Prasco to leverage its expertise in the generic (multi-source) industry in a broad way, as the company has long-term plans to compete in a wide variety of products and dosage forms.

"We are a partner-centric organization, dedicated to multi-source marketing," said Prasco Chief Executive Officer E. Thomas Arington. "That is, partnering is not merely our business strategy: It's our business. We have experienced leadership in place to manage the pharmaceutical disciplines and functions necessary to support our superior sales and marketing team."

"We are very pleased to have established this marketing relationship with Organon, a leader in female healthcare. We feel that our agreement will be especially beneficial to the consuming public," Arington concluded.

About Prasco

Founded by Arington in 2002, Prasco's mission is to provide both quality products and significant cost-savings to the consumer by becoming the leading marketer of multi-source products through selective partnerships. The company utilizes a versatile, horizontally-integrated business approach, which calls for Prasco to combine its intellectual property with the special capabilities of selected partners. Prasco's partnering goal is to realize opportunities and provide measurable results by finding and filling unmet needs within the pharmaceutical marketplace.

Prasco's executive team has extensive experience working within both the brand and generic industries. A centerpiece of the company's corporate capabilities is its sales/marketing and business development teams. Prasco's product line is currently sold through the major distribution channels, including chains, wholesalers, and managed care providers.

The company operates from a 54,000 sq. ft. administrative office and warehouse facility and has complete control over product distribution management systems--including a DEA-approved vault for Schedule II-IV controlled substances.

About Organon

Organon - headquartered in Roseland, NJ, USA - creates and markets prescription medicines that improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of independent growth and business partnerships Organon strives to become or remain one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in each of its core therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, psychiatry and anesthesia. Organon products are sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary. Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel.

(1) Solia(TM) is a trademark of Prasco, LLC.

(2) Desogen(R) is a registered trademark of Organon USA Inc.

(3) Ortho-Cept(R) is a registered trademark of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.

(4) Apri(R) is a registered trademark of Barr Laboratories, Inc.

(5) According to IMS data as of 5/25/04 8:43 am. Data on file. Prasco, LLC.

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