Release issued 17th October 2003

(Fort Worth, TX) — The American Skin Association (ASA) will honor Braham Shroot, B.Sc., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research and Development for DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its affiliates, HEALTHPOINT Ltd. and DPT Laboratories, Ltd., with a Lifetime Achievement Award this month for his contributions in drug discoveries and development of chemicals, particularly those used for therapy of skin disease and several cancers.

Dr. Shroot will be honored at ASA's 15th Anniversary Gala on October 23 at the University Club in New York City.

DFB and HEALTHPOINT are headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and DPT is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with additional operations in Lakewood, New Jersey.

"Since joining DFB in March of 2000, Dr. Shroot has built, defined, and developed our R&D organization into a world- class, creative group," said H. Paul Dorman, Chairman and CEO of DFB. "He has made significant contributions that have resulted in novel concepts in the fields of dermatology, wound care, and infection prevention." In addition, DPT's COO, Mr. John W. Feik adds, "Braham's leadership is evident in the high quality of professionals he has attracted from throughout the world. We have truly become global in our organization's most important asset - our people."

According to George Hambrick, M.D., President of the ASA, Dr. Shroot was nominated by several of his colleagues. All nominations for the honor were brought before the ASA's board of directors for the final selection. In all, seven people will be honored for their lifetime achievements.

"I was extremely flattered to learn that I was being given this honor," Dr. Shroot said. "As a scientist, this award furthers my drive to discover and to create."

ASA has been honoring scientists for their contributions in skin health since 1997.

"Prior to this award, there were no honors to recognize the giants who have accomplished so much in skin health and dermatology," Dr. Hambrick said. "We decided to begin acknowledging those achievements ourselves."

Dr. Shroot oversees management of technology resources as well as pharmaceutical research and development for his organizations. His career has included the creation of Galderma Research, Inc. in California as well as service as Vice General Manager for the L'Oreal Group (Galderma R&D) in Paris and Nice, France. He is the first inventor on the patent covering Adapalene, an active ingredient in a family of prescription drug products indicated for the treatment of acne.

The ASA Lifetime Achievement award is not Dr. Shroot's first accolade. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous awards and commendations. He has been recognized by the Japanese Society for Retinoid Research and "Socium correspondemlen" Societas Dermatologica Svecica. In 1982, he was elected to the Society for Investigative Dermatology, where he now serves on the governing board.

He is a member of both the Wound Healing Society and the American Academy of Dermatology. He also serves on the editorial committee of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and the editorial board of Skin Pharmacology.

Dr. Shroot earned an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in organic chemistry, both from Glasgow University, in Glasgow, Scotland. He did postdoctoral research on vitamin B12 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since its inception in 1992, HEALTHPOINT has established a U.S. presence in the research, development, and marketing of branded pharmaceuticals, over the counter drugs, and medical devices for tissue management, dermatology, and surgical. An aggressive research and development effort has brought HEALTHPOINT's unique technologies to the market, setting the pace for its highly trained field sales organization of over 120 direct sales representatives. HEALTHPOINT, a DFB Pharmaceuticals, Inc. affiliate company, is based in Fort Worth, Texas. Visit HEALTHPOINT's website at www.healthpoint.com.

With a heritage dating back to 1938, DPT provides Advanced Development Solutions, Specialized Production Solutions and Innovative Packaging Solutions for the development, manufacutring, packaging and distribution of semisolid and liquid prescription, OTC, and biotech products. DPT has facilites in San Antonio, Texas and Lakewood, New Jersey.

For more information, visit DPT's website at www.dptlabs.com.

(19th March 2004) Paul Johnson Named President, DPT Laboratories, Ltd.

(5th December 2002) Duncan Aust, Ph.D. Joins DPT Research and Development

(27th November 2002) US Army Grants License for Skin Protectant Technology to DPT,

(10th September 2002) Sie-Ta (Robert) Han, Ph.D. Joins DPT Research and Development

(27th August 2002) DPT Laboratories, Ltd. Implements Baan ERP in newly acquired facility