Bentley Pharmaceuticals Receives Approval to Market Branded and Generic Versions of Citalopram in Spain Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall EXETER, N.H., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a technology-based specialty pharmaceutical and drug delivery company with a growing branded and generic product line in Europe, announced today that three of its Spanish subsidiaries (Laboratorios Belmac, Davur and Rimafar) have received approval to market 10mg, 20mg and 40mg branded and generic versions of citalopram in Spain. Citalopram belongs to a class of selective serotonin-uptake inhibitor, antidepressant products used in the treatment of depression. The product is marketed by Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the United States under the trade name Celexa(R). According to IMS, the market size of this class of antidepressants in Spain is approximately $532 million, of which citalopram accounts for approximately $70 million. The number of prescriptions written for citalopram has grown at a rate of approximately 10% over the past 12 months. James R. Murphy, Bentley's Chairman and CEO, commented, "Generic citalopram provides us with a perfect complement to our growing portfolio of antidepressants which already includes some of the best selling antidepressants on the market including paroxetine (equivalent to Paxil(R)), fluoxetine (equivalent to Prozac(R)), mirtazapine (equivalent of Remeron(R)) and sertraline (equivalent to Zoloft(R)) which was recently launched in Spain. We anticipate additional product approvals in Spain, the U.K. and other EU countries for other therapeutic applications in the near future." Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on advanced drug delivery technologies and pharmaceutical products. Bentley's proprietary drug technologies enhance or facilitate the absorption of pharmaceutical compounds across various membranes. Bentley also manufactures and markets a growing portfolio of generic and branded pharmaceuticals in Europe for the treatment of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infectious and neurological diseases through its subsidiaries, Laboratorios Belmac, Laboratorios Davur and Laboratorios Rimafar; and manufactures and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients through its subsidiary, Bentley API. Copies of Bentley Pharmaceuticals' press releases and other information may be obtained through Bentley's web site at http://www.bentleypharm.com/. Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward looking statements, including without limitation, statements regarding Bentley's planned release of branded and generic versions of citalopram in Spain and future market expectations of this product and other existing pharmaceutical products, the addition of products in the future and the growth of our business. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to risks associated with expanding generic and branded drug operations, changes in third-party reimbursement and government mandates which impact pharmaceutical pricing, development and commercialization of our products, the effects of economic conditions, risks associated with international operations, competition from other manufacturers of generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals and other uncertainties detailed in Bentley's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bentley cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this document, and Bentley undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements, except as may be required by law.