Dragon Strengthens its European Presence and Management Team to Focus on Capturing European Business Opportunities

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: [phone] 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: [phone]
  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:

[phone] 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: [phone],

Website: http://www.renmarkfinancial.com/

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