Toronto, Ontario - April 7, 2004 - Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. announced today it has entered into an agreement with ALTANA Pharma Inc. to collaborate on the promotion of Asacol®. This collaborative effort will combine manufacturing, R&D, marketing and sales expertise.

“We are pleased to partner with ALTANA because of their common values and principles and their proven leadership and expertise in the field of gastroenterology,” said Jeff Davis, P&G Pharmaceuticals General Manager. “We are confident this new partnership will provide an important service to the Canadian gastroenterology community.”

“ALTANA Pharma strives to find new ways to add value to our customers,” said John Suk, ALTANA Pharma President & CEO. “We are excited about the partnership with P&G because it allows us to offer two leading brands in our gastroenterology portfolio, and we know that Asacol as a leading product for ulcerative colitis is highly respected. ALTANA looks forward to a very strong relationship with Proctor & Gamble.”

Asacol® (5-Aminosalicylic Acid) is used for the treatment and for maintaining remission of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

P&G Pharmaceuticals will continue to provide customer service, ordering, and distribution of Asacol®. Product promotion, including office visits and continuing medical education will now be provided by ALTANA Pharma hospital sales representatives.

Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Crest®, Vicks®, Scope®, Pampers®, Tide®, Always®, Swiffer®, Pantene®, Iams®, and Olay®. P&G Pharmaceuticals is a division of P&G Health Care with products such as Actonel®, Didrocal®, Ascacol®, MacroBID®, and Dantrium®.

ALTANA Pharma Inc.

ALTANA Pharma, located in Oakville, Ontario, established its operations in 1997. In July 2002, it changed its name from Byk Canada to ALTANA Pharma Canada which is a division of ALTANA Pharma AG.

ALTANA Pharma, the pharmaceutical group of ALTANA AG, researches, develops, produces, and markets innovative and proved drugs. The international Group employs more than 7,700 people and operates through over 30 subsidiaries and affiliates in Europe, North and Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Asia. ALTANA Pharma focuses on innovative drugs in the following areas: therapeutics, imaging (contrast media) and over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Therapeutics, our strongest line of business, is geared primarily towards prescription drugs for gastrointestinal, respiratory and cardiovascular indications.

For more information:
Win Sakdinan
P&G Pharmaceuticals
416-730-4168

John Suk
ALTANA Pharma Inc.
905-469-9333

For any medical questions regarding Asacol, please contact:
P&G Pharmaceutical Medical Communications
1-800-565-0814