FDA letter vardenafil

GlaxoSmithKline PLC
24 July 2002



Issued - Leverkusen, Germany and London, UK 24 July 2002


   Bayer And GlaxoSmithKline Receive US FDA Approvable Letter For Vardenafil

Bayer AG (DAX and NYSE: BAY) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE and NYSE: GSK),
announced today that they have received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) for vardenafil, an oral investigational drug under
review for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). The drug has been
approved by regulatory authorities in several Latin American countries and has
been submitted for approval to regulatory agencies in all major markets.

The companies said that the FDA has asked for additional clinical pharmacology
studies before granting final approval for vardenafil. A U.S. launch for the
product is now projected for 2003.

Wolfgang Plischke, Ph.D., president, Pharmaceutical Division of Bayer
HealthCare, Bayer AG, said, "Bayer and GSK are committed to bringing vardenafil
to market as quickly as possible, and believe that the compound can provide a
new alternative for millions of men."

About Bayer

Bayer is an international, research-based group with core businesses in health
care, crop science, polymers and specialty chemicals. It employs some 117,000
people throughout the world. In 2001 Bayer had sales of EUR 30.3 billion and net
income of EUR 965 million. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D
spending to EUR 2.6 billion. Bayer AG stock is a component of the DAX and is
listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: BAY).

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development
or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors
include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock
Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our
Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these
forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

About GSK

GlaxoSmithKline - one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and
healthcare companies - is committed to improving the quality of human life by
enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.


Under the safe harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, GlaxoSmithKline cautions investors that any forward-looking
statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this news
release, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected. Factors that may affect the company's
operations are discussed in the section "Cautionary factors that may affect
future results" in GSK's results announcement for the year ended 31 December
2001, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


Enquiries:
GlaxoSmithKline
UK Media enquiries:                     Martin Sutton            [phone]
                                        Alan Chandler            [phone]
                                        Siobhan Lavelle          [phone]

US Media enquiries:                     Nancy Pekarek            [phone]
                                        Mary Anne Rhyne          [phone]
                                        Patricia Seif            [phone]

European Analyst/Investor enquiries:    Duncan Learmouth         [phone]
                                        Philip Thomson           [phone]
                                        Joan Toohill             [phone]

US Analyst/ Investor enquiries:         Frank Murdolo            [phone]
                                        Tom Curry                [phone]

Bayer AG
Corporate Communications, Leverkusen, Germany  Dr Michael Diehl     214 30 58532
Investor Relations, Leverkusen, Germany        Afssaneh Rahbar      214 30 33021

Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Corporate Communications, US                   Lara Crissey       [phone]



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