Women First HealthCare Renews Agreement with Express Scripts.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2003

Women First HealthCare Inc. (Nasdaq: WFHC) announced today that it has renewed its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) agreement with St. Louis-based Express Scripts Inc., the country's third largest PBM. Since March, 2002, Esclim(TM) (estradiol transdermal system), ORTHO-EST(R) Tablets (estropipate), and Midrin(R) (isomethepene mucate, USP, dichloralphenazone, USP and acetaminophen, USP), have been on Express Scripts' recommended formularies.

Under terms of the agreement, all five doses of Esclim(TM) remain on the formularies Express Scripts recommends to its clients to make prescription drugs more affordable. Before any drug is considered for addition to a recommended Express Scripts formulary, it is approved by an independent pharmacy and therapeutics committee of physicians. The committee's review is based solely on clinical considerations.

"We are proud to continue our relationship with Express Scripts, one of the nation's largest PBMs," said Saundra L. Pelletier, Women First vice president -- pharmaceuticals, "We believe in the benefits of Esclim, which have made it the fastest growing estrogen patch in the marketplace."

Via its agreements with the major PBMs, Women First has access to approximately 150 million members, and Esclim(TM) has formulary status with four of the country's largest PBMs.

About Esclim(TM) and ORTHO-EST(R) Tablets

Women First markets Esclim(TM) (estradiol transdermal system) exclusively in the U.S. under a distribution and licensing agreement with Laboratoires Fournier SA of France. Its active ingredient is estradiol, the principal form of estrogen produced naturally by a woman's ovaries during the reproductive years. The Esclim(TM) transdermal patch system offers maximum dosing flexibility with five dosage options (0.025, 0.0375, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 mg/day) and is applied twice weekly. Esclim(TM) provides a unique ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) matrix system with flexible foam backing to assure suppleness that follows the movements of a woman's skin.

Both Esclim(TM) and ORTHO-EST(R) Tablets (estropipate) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of vasomotor menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. ORTHO-EST(R) Tablets are additionally approved by the FDA for postmenopausal women for the prevention of osteoporosis, estimated to impact the lives of 30 million American women age 50 and older.

The most commonly reported side effects of Esclim(TM) and ORTHO-EST(R) Tablets are those typical of estrogen replenishment therapy: breast tenderness, headache, nausea and abdominal pain. Estrogens have been reported to increase the risk of endometrial carcinoma in postmenopausal women. Estrogens are contraindicated in patients with known or suspected pregnancy, undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding, known or suspected breast cancer, known or suspected estrogen-dependent neoplasia, or active thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorders.

About Midrin(R)

Midrin(R) (isometheptene mucate, USP, dichloralphenazone, USP and acetaminophen, USP) is indicated for relief of tension and vascular headaches. Both tension and vascular (which include migraine) headaches are more common in women.

Midrin(R) is contraindicated in glaucoma and/or severe cases of renal disease, hypertension, organic heart disease, hepatic disease, and in those patients who are on monoamine-oxidase (MAO) inhibitor therapy. Caution should be observed in hypertension, peripheral vascular disease and after recent cardiovascular attacks. Adverse reactions can include transient dizziness and skin rash in hypersensitive patients, which can usually be eliminated by reducing dosage.

For more information about these products or to see the package insert, visit www.womenfirst.com, Rx Products area.

About Women First HealthCare Inc.

Founded in 1996, its mission is to help midlife women make informed choices regarding their health care and to provide pharmaceutical products -- the company's primary emphasis -- and lifestyle products to meet their needs. Women First HealthCare is specifically targeted to women age 40+ and their clinicians. Further information about Women First HealthCare can be found online at www.womenfirst.com, About Us and Investor Relations.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan" and "would." Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, and Women First HealthCare Inc. cautions you that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. Women First HealthCare Inc. disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including (i) we may not maintain compliance with the new covenant levels established with respect to the senior secured notes; (ii) we have incurred significant losses since we were founded in November 1996, and if midlife women do not use, and their clinicians do not recommend, the products we offer, we will experience losses in the future; (iii) there is a limited market awareness of our company and the products and services we offer; (iv) we may not be able to identify appropriate acquisition, licensing, or co-promotion candidates in the future or to take advantage of the opportunities we identify; (v) we and our products face significant competition; (vi) our products may not achieve or maintain market acceptance for a variety of reasons, including as a result of recent research published by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health concerning estrogen replenishment therapy and combination estrogen/progestin hormonal replenishment therapy in healthy menopausal women, respectively; (vii) if we do not successfully manage any growth we experience, we may experience increased expenses without corresponding revenue increases; (viii) we are dependent on single sources of supply for all of the products we offer; (ix) reduced consumer confidence could adversely affect sales by our Consumer Business Division; (x) our third party suppliers and licensors may terminate their agreements with us earlier than we expect, and as a result we may be unable to continue to market and sell the related pharmaceutical products on an exclusive basis or at all; (xi) if we overestimate demand for our products, we may be required to write off inventories and/or increase our reserves in future periods, (xii) we have incurred significant debt obligations which will require us to make debt service payments in the future; and (xiii) additional factors set forth in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended Dec. 31, 2002 and its Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2003.