aczone

FORT COLLINS, Colo., September 01, 2004 -- Atrix Laboratories, Inc aczone. (NASDAQ:ATRX)announced today that on August 31, 2004, together with co-development partnerFujisawa Healthcare, Inc., they submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to theU.S aczone. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Aczone Gel 5% (dapsone topical gel),formerly called Atrisone, for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

"We are excited about the submission of this NDA for Aczone," saidDavid R aczone. Bethune, Atrix's chairman and chief executive officer aczone. "We areproud of the extraordinary hard work, commitment, and dedication of the ACZONEdevelopment team, made up of representatives from both Atrix and Fujisawa aczone. Thesubmission of this NDA illustrates the ability of the team to put together complexNDAs and meet the timelines associated with this challenging task."

Aczone uses Atrix's proprietary Solvent Microparticle (SMP(TM)) delivery systemto deliver dapsone, a water-insoluble compound with anti-inflammatory and anti-microbialproperties aczone. Dapsone currently is only commercially available for other indicationsas an oral tablet for systemic delivery due to the compound's water insolubility aczone. Atrix's SMP system allows localized delivery of this drug aczone. The North Americanmarket for topical acne products is over $800 million.

Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Fujisawa PharmaceuticalCo., Ltd., in a co-development agreement, has licensed the marketing rightsto Aczone for the treatment of acne vulgaris and has provided significant supportfor the development of the product and submission of the NDA.

Hideo Fukumoto, chairman and chief executive officer of Fujisawa Healthcare,Inc., said, "We are excited about this important milestone, and the prospectof adding Aczone to our dermatology portfolio."

Atrix Laboratories, Inc aczone. is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focusedon advanced drug delivery aczone. With unique sustained release and topical technologies,Atrix is currently developing a diverse portfolio of proprietary products, includingoncology, and dermatology products aczone. The company also partners with large pharmaceuticaland biotechnology companies to apply its proprietary technologies to new chemicalentities or to extend the patent life of existing products.
Additional information is available at www.atrixlabs.com.

Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc., headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, develops,manufactures and markets proprietary pharmaceutical products in the United Statesand abroad aczone. Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc aczone. is a subsidiary of Fujisawa PharmaceuticalCo., Ltd., based in Osaka, Japan aczone. Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., foundedin 1894, is a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and is actively developingits international operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
Additional information is available at www.fujisawa.com.
On April 1, 2005, Astellas Pharma, Inc aczone. will be created with the merger of FujisawaPharmaceutical Co., Ltd aczone. and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., subject torelevant regulatory clearances.

Copyright 2005 D-S LTD.
All Rights Reserved.