Dragon Strengthens its European Presence and Management Team to Focus on Capturing European Business Opportunities VANCOUVER, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. (TSX: DDD; OTC BB: DRUG) is pleased to announce that the Company has strengthened its European presence by appointing an additional key executive in the newly established European office to focus on capturing European business opportunities through the execution of the Company's European strategy. The Company has appointed Dr. Rene A. Fricker as the Director of Dragon's European Office in Basel, Switzerland. With his extensive European experience in the Chemical industry, Dr. Fricker will work closely with Dr. Alexander Wick, our President, to provide leadership in the European business development for Dragon especially for the Company's Biotech division's EPO and other chemical and intermediate products, such as Clavulanic Acid and 7-ACA, from the Chemical Division. Dr. Fricker holds a doctorate degree in business administration from the University of Basel and joins Dragon with over 30 years of experience in business and market development practised in different European chemical companies. Prior to joining Dragon, Dr. Fricker was with Rohner AG, a subsidiary of the Dynamit Nobel AG Group of Germany from 1992 and most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board. Dr. Fricker took a leading role in restructuring RohnerAG from a traditional dyestuff supplier to a fine chemical producer for exclusive custom synthesis for chemical intermediates and active bulk ingredients for the Pharmaceutical industry. During this restructuring process Dr. Fricker completed the acquisition of Sylachim S.A., a fine chemical company from Sanofi-Synthelabo (now Sanofi-Aventis). Dr. Fricker was also a member of the Board of Lurgi Engineering AG in Bubendorf, Switzerland in 2001. "We choose to expand our team and presence in Europe at this critical moment because the European market is of high strategic importance to us as it presents a huge market potential for our products. We see two specific industry trends that are extremely favorable to our company. Firstly, we see a global industry trend of relocating the production base of chemical and intermediates from a traditional pharmaceutical base such as Europe to cost-competitive countries such as China and India. The competitiveness of the production in China is evidenced with the fact that producers in China already dominate the production and supply of certain chemicals and intermediates, such as penicillin and beta-lactam antibiotics in the world market. Our newly established Chemical division is already in operations and starts supplying products to fulfil the demand from the Chinese and Indian markets. We believe that our cost competitive advantage will allow us to capture additional business opportunities from Europe as a result of this favourable industry trend," said, Mr. Yanlin Han, Chief Executive Officer of Dragon. "Secondly, the approximately US$4 billion current market size in Europe for the innovators' EPO products combined with the expiry of key patents for most of the European markets for EPO in 2004, have made Europe the largest potential biogeneric market available for our new EPO products to compete in. Our new EPO products, which are based on a new cell line and production technology, will be produced in Europe specifically for the European market and novel indication segment. While we already have extensive experience in commercializing the generic version of EPO in 9 countries, we are confident that the EPO potential in Europe will be one of the key growth drivers for the Company upon the approval of the products by the European regulatory authority." About Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. On January 12, 2005, Dragon completed the acquisition of Oriental Wave Holding Limited. As a result of the acquisition, Dragon has transformed itself into a diversified and growth oriented generic pharmaceutical company with three key business units: (1) Pharma division for 44 generic prescription, over-the-counter and sterilized bulk drugs; (2) Chemical division for bulk pharmaceutical chemicals and intermediates (Clavulanic Acid and 7-ACA, Abamectin); and (3) Biotech division for recombinant drugs (EPO and G-CSF). The Company, after the acquisition, has significantly increased the size of operations and now has four manufacturing facilities in China (three in Datong city and one in Nanjing city), approximately 1,800 employees, with over 1,200 sales representatives in China, and approximately 55 key products in 86 different dosages and presentations currently in the market. For further information please contact: Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. Garry Wong, CFA, IMBA Telephone: +1-(604)-669-8817 or North America Toll Free: 1-877-388-3784 Email: Website: http://www.dragonpharma.com/ or Renmark Financial Communications Inc. John Boidman : Sylvain Laberge : Media - Cynthia Lane : Telephone: +1-(514) 939-3989 Website: http://www.renmarkfinancial.com/ This press release contains forward looking statements. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward looking statement. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) risks and uncertainties relating to the political and regulatory environment in China; (2) that the Company will be able to successfully receive regulatory approval to sell its EPO and Chemical divisions' products in Europe; (3) that the Company will continue to increase revenues by increasing launch of products outside of China and (4) that the Company will be able to increase the production and therefore generate additional revenues from the Chemical division. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements, which only reflect the view of management as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake the obligation to publicly revise these forward looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and other factors described in its periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DATASOURCE: Dragon Pharmaceuticals Inc. CONTACT: Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc., Garry Wong, CFA, IMBA, Telephone: (604) 669-8817 or North America Toll Free: 1-877-388-3784, Email: , Website: http://www.dragonpharma.com/; or Renmark Financial Communications Inc., John Boidman, ; Sylvain Laberge, ; Media, Cynthia Lane, , Telephone: (514) 939-3989, Website: http://www.renmarkfinancial.com/

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