Barr's Portia Generic Oral Contraceptive Approved and Launched in Canada

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: BRL) today (August 28) announced that its subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD) of Health Canada for its Abbreviated New Drug Submission (ANDS) for its Portia(R) generic oral contraceptive as a generic equivalent of Wyeth Laboratories' Min-Ovral(R) Tablets. This represents the first approval of a generic oral contraceptive for Canadian consumers.

Under the terms of an agreement with Apotex, Inc., Barr will manufacture the product and Apotex will market it in Canada. Apotex will record the Canadian sales of Portia and will pay Barr a royalty from those sales.

"This approval represents an historic first for Canadian consumers," said Bruce L. Downey, Barr's Chairman and CEO. "In partnership with Apotex, Canada's largest pharmaceutical company, we are pleased to bring the first generic oral contraceptive to this important, untapped North American marketplace. This approval and marketing agreement will enable our two companies to provide Canadian women with an additional, more affordable option in oral contraception."

"Canadian Provincial Drug Programs have been under a great deal of pressure due to increasing costs; this provides them with an alternative where none existed," stated Jack Kay, President and Chief Operating Officer.

Barr has marketed its Portia product in the United States since 2002, when it was approved as the generic equivalent of Nordette(R) oral contraceptive tablets. Nordette is currently marketed in the United States by Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Portia, Nordette and Min-Ovral are regimens of oral contraceptives that contain 0.15 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.03 mg of ethinyl estradiol and is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use this product as a method of contraception. Min-Ovral is supplied in 21-day and 28-day regimens in Canada and had annual sales of approximately $6 million for the twelve months ended June 2007, based on IMS sales data. -Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc.