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                                                                    Exhibit 99.1


                                  PRESS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

               DURAMED PHARMACEUTICALS AND SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS
                                ANNOUNCE ALLIANCE


CINCINNATI, OH AND MARIETTA, GA (OCTOBER 6, 1999) -- DURAMED PHARMACEUTICALS,
INC. (Nasdaq:DRMD) and SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. today announced an alliance
to jointly promote three of the companies' hormone products in the United
States: Duramed Pharmaceuticals' CENESTIN(R) (synthetic conjugated estrogens, A)
Tablets and Solvay Pharmaceuticals' ESTRATEST(R)/ESTRATEST(R) H.S. Tablets
(esterified estrogens and methyltestosterone) and PROMETRIUM(R) (progesterone)
Capsules.


CO-PROMOTION EFFORTS PLANNED FOR OCTOBER
A combined national sales force of more than 300 Duramed Pharmaceuticals and
Solvay Pharmaceuticals sales representatives will begin October 11, 1999 to
promote the alliance products to obstetricians and gynecologists across the
United States. Solvay Pharmaceuticals' resources also include teams of regional
marketing managers, field trainers, medical liaison teams and a medical advisory
committee comprised of leading women's health physicians.

"This alliance means more expansive, more visible market coverage for both
Duramed and Solvay Pharmaceuticals women's health products, starting with
Duramed Pharmaceuticals' CENESTIN," said Duramed Pharmaceuticals Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer E. Thomas Arington. He added, "We have been extremely
pleased with the physician/patient response to CENESTIN since our marketing
efforts began in mid-summer. We believe, however, that Solvay Pharmaceuticals'
demonstrated strength in this marketplace makes it a perfect ally for Duramed
Pharmaceuticals."

CENESTIN is designated as the primary product in the Duramed/Solvay
Pharmaceuticals alliance while the Solvay Pharmaceuticals products will address
additional important therapeutic requirements in women's health. All three
products are expected to benefit from the broadened exposure in the marketplace.
Under the terms of the alliance, Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Solvay
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will retain all revenue from their respective products.

David A. Dodd, President and Chief Executive Officer, Solvay Pharmaceuticals,
said, "We see this alliance enhancing our franchise in women's health,
increasing the value of our efforts in the obstetric and gynecological offices
and further demonstrating our strong commitment to


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the U.S. women's healthcare market. Duramed Pharmaceuticals is an excellent
strategic partner due to its demonstrated success in bringing new products to
the market and its shared commitment to women's health care, as evidenced by its
investment in developing hormone products and technology."

CENESTIN(R) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March
1999. CENESTIN offers millions of women and their physicians a new, appealing
plant-derived synthetic conjugated estrogens product with a slow-release
formulation. Solvay Pharmaceuticals is a leader in the women's health market.
Its products, ESTRATEST(R)/ESTRATEST(R) H.S. Brand Tablets and PROMETRIUM(R)
Capsules will complement CENESTIN in the pharmaceutical sales effort.

Like all estrogen drug products, CENESTIN(R), and ESTRATEST(R)/ESTRATEST(R) H.S.
Brand Tablets should not be used in women with known or suspected pregnancy,
breast cancer, or estrogen-dependent neoplasia, undiagnosed abnormal genital
bleeding, active thrombophlebitis, or thromboembolic disorders. Estrogens have
been reported to increase the risk of endometrial carcinoma in postmenopausal
women with an intact uterus. The most common adverse events reported in clinical
experience with CENESTIN included headache, insomnia, asthenia, nervousness,
paresthesia, and depression. The most common adverse events reported with
ESTRATEST(R)/ESTRATEST(R) H.S. Brand Tablets include those typical of estrogen
therapy (such as breast tenderness, headache, nausea, edema and abdominal pain)
and of androgen treatment (including hair loss, acne and hirsutism). Common side
effects of PROMETRIUM(R) Capsules are breast tenderness, dizziness, abdominal
bloating, and vaginal discharge. For additional information on CENESTIN(R),
ESTRATEST(R) Brand Tablets or PROMETRIUM(R) Capsules, please see full
prescribing information.


SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS GRANTED EQUITY OPTION IN DURAMED
Duramed has given Solvay Pharmaceuticals an option to purchase a minimum of
1,666,666 shares and a maximum of 3,000,000 shares of common stock of Duramed at
a price of $9.00 per share. The closing price of Duramed common stock on October
5, 1999 was $7 1/16 per share. If completed, the sale of the minimum number of
1,666,666 shares will be closed by the end of October. The sale of any
additional shares is expected to be closed by the end of the year.


ABOUT SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Marietta, Ga., is a research-based
pharmaceuticals company, active in the therapeutic areas of cardiology,
gastroenterology, mental health and women's health. It is a member of the
worldwide Solvay Group of chemical and pharmaceutical companies, headquartered
in Brussels, Belgium. The Group's members employ some 33,000 people in 46
countries. Its 1998 revenue worldwide was 7.5 billion EUR ($8.7 billion) from
four operating sectors: Chemicals, Plastics, Processing, and Pharmaceuticals.
Additional information about the Group can be found on the World Wide Web at
http://www.solvay.com.

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ABOUT DURAMED PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets prescription
drug products. The company's business strategy emphasizes products with
attractive market opportunities and potentially limited competition due to
technological barriers to entry, focusing on women's health and the hormone
replacement therapy market.

The company's stock is traded on Nasdaq using the symbol DRMD. Additional
information about the company can be found on the World Wide Web at
http://www.duramed.com.


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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) encourages companies to disclose
forward-looking information so that investors can better understand a company's
future prospects and make informed investment decisions. Due to changing market
conditions, product competition, the nature of product development and
regulatory approval processes, the achievement of forward-looking statements
contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties. For
further details and a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, see Duramed's
SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 1O-K/A.