Wayne Yetter Joins Noven's Board of Directors

WAYNE YETTER JOINS NOVEN'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pharmaceutical Industry Veteran Appointed to Noven Board

MIAMI, FL. - August 9, 2001 - Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:NOVN) today announced the appointment of Wayne P. Yetter to its board of directors.

Mr. Yetter is chairman and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based SYNAVANT Inc., a publicly-traded provider of pharmaceutical relationship management solutions, interactive marketing services and e-business application software to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries. Prior to SYNAVANT, Mr. Yetter served as chief operating officer at IMS HEALTH, a provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, where he was responsible for growing global operations.

Prior to joining IMS HEALTH, Mr. Yetter served as president and chief executive officer of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis), the $4 billion U.S. division of the global pharmaceutical company, Novartis Pharma AG. In this position, he successfully completed the merger of the U.S. pharmaceutical businesses of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz.

"Wayne Yetter brings over 30 years of pharmaceutical industry insight and experience to Noven's board of directors," said Robert C. Strauss, Noven's President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. "As CEO of Novartis U.S. at the time that we formed Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, our women's health joint venture with Novartis, he is well aware of Noven's growth strategy and prospects. We are confident that his contributions will help us advance our U.S. business and successfully commercialize our products abroad."

Before his service with Novartis, Yetter oversaw the development and growth of Astra Merck Inc., a joint venture between Astra and Merck that grew to 1,500 employees and $2 billion in revenues within five years of formation. Under his leadership, first as president and general manager, then as president and CEO, Prilosec^® became the world's leading pharmaceutical product.

Earlier, Mr. Yetter was with Merck & Co., serving in a variety of marketing and general management positions, including vice president Far East/Pacific. Before Merck, he held sales and product management positions with the Pfizer Laboratories Division of Pfizer, Inc.

Mr. Yetter earned his B.A. degree in biology from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. degree from Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He served as a First Lieutenant with the Fourth Infantry Division in Vietnam.

Mr. Yetter has served on the board of directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey and the National Pharmaceutical Council. He is a member of the board of trustees for the Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy and for Wilkes University, and serves on the board of directors of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (biopharmaceuticals) and the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management at the Wharton School.

About Noven
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a leader in the development of transdermal and transmucosal drug delivery technologies and products. Together with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Noven owns a women's health products company called Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, which is the only company in the U.S. offering transdermal therapies for both the estrogen-only and combination hormone therapy markets. Noven's existing products include advanced estrogen transdermal delivery systems (including Vivelle-Dot™, licensed to Novogyne, and Estradot™, licensed to Novartis Pharma AG) and combination estrogen/progestin transdermal delivery systems (including Combipatch™, licensed to Novogyne, and Estalis^® licensed to Novartis Pharma AG). With a range of additional products in development, Noven is committed to becoming the world's premier developer, manufacturer and marketer of transdermal and transmucosal drug delivery systems.

Investor & Media Contact:
Joseph C. Jones
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(305) 253-1916

Back