"There is an alarming lack of awareness about the highly effective and reversible long-term contraceptives now available to women," said Raquel Arias, M.D., associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. "For instance the survey found nearly 70 percent of women are unaware of a reversible contraceptive option that is as effective as sterilization and is easily removed.(1c) That alternative is Mirena, an intrauterine system which is safe, long acting and is as, or more, effective than sterilization in preventing pregnancy for up to five years -- without the permanence or risks of surgery."

Almost half of all women surveyed would or might consider trying a long-term contraceptive that is as, or more, effective than sterilization.(1d) However, as the survey indicates, these women are not learning about all of their contraceptive options. This is a concern since the same survey shows 26 percent of women would or might consider sterilization in the future, yet they may not be informed about all of their options.(1e)

Unlike many of the women in the survey, Britt Huss, a mother of three from Denville, New Jersey, did learn about all of her contraceptive options when she first considered sterilization. "After I had my third child, my doctor suggested Mirena because it is long-term birth control that I can remove at any time," said Britt, who uses Mirena. "I'm not sure whether we'll want more children down the road, but I wanted to have the ability to leave my options open."

According to the ICR survey, one in six women who were sterilized wish, at times, that they had left their options open, too.(1f) Three-quarters of these women regret their decision because they want to have a baby after all, might want a baby in the future or got remarried and want a baby with their new partner.(1g)

The Truth About Reversal

While reversal may be possible in some instances, female sterilization is considered to be a permanent method of birth control by organizations such as Planned Parenthood. Reversal requires complicated surgery and future pregnancies cannot be guaranteed. In addition, a number of women may not be able to pursue reversal surgery because they do not have enough of their fallopian tubes left in their reproductive tract as a result of certain sterilization procedures. What's more, reversal surgery is costly and is not always covered by insurance.(3)

"Many women are not aware that the success rate of reversing sterilization is unpredictable," said Dr. Arias. "While women cannot control what life changes may occur over time -- unexpected divorces and second marriages -- they can keep some control of their fertility. Because of the finality of the procedure, women who undergo sterilization should assume they are relinquishing that control."

The Reality of Regret

Indeed, relationships and marriage can be unpredictable -- 43 percent of first marriages end in separation or divorce within 15 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.(4) There are approximately 12.3 million women in the U.S. who are divorced,(5) and many of them may eventually remarry and may want to have more children. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 54 percent of divorced women remarry within five years of the divorce and 75 percent remarry within 10 years of the divorce.(6) Remarried women or women in new, committed relationships may wish to have children with their new significant other. For those women who have undergone sterilization, however, having more children may be a considerable challenge or impossible.

According to research, a variety of factors affect a woman's likelihood to regret sterilization. Among women who had tubal sterilization, risk factors for regret include young age, black race, less education or a husband or partner advocating sterilization.(7) Data collected in 1999 by the United States Collaborative Review of Sterilization (CREST), an analysis of 11,232 women ages 18 -- 44 who had tubal sterilization, uncovered that 20.3 percent of women who were sterilized before the age of 30 expressed regret.(8) The CREST study also found that women who were sterilized at a young age had a higher chance of requesting information about reversal, regardless of their number of living children.(9) Furthermore, women who reported substantial conflict with their husbands or partners before tubal sterilization were more than three times as likely to regret their decision and more than five times as likely to request a reversal than women who did not report such conflict, according to an analysis of a subset of women in the CREST study.(10)

"To reduce the risk of regret, women who are considering sterilization should speak with a healthcare provider for counseling and to learn about alternative long-term contraceptive options," said Dr. Arias.

About Mirena

Mirena gives women the ability to control their fertility by providing up to five years of hassle-free birth control that is up to 99.9 percent effective (as, or more, effective than sterilization) -- without the permanence or cost of sterilization surgery. In addition to providing effective contraception, Mirena also offers additional therapeutic benefits including a significant reduction of monthly menstrual bleeding. In fact, after one year of use, Mirena results in a 90 percent reduction in menstrual bleeding for the vast majority of users and approximately 20 percent of women using Mirena have no bleeding at all. Mirena is appropriate for women who have had at least one child, are in a stable, single-partner sexual relationship, and who are looking for effective, long-term, reversible contraception that is hassle-free.

Mirena can be easily removed by a doctor at any time a woman chooses. Studies show the chances of getting pregnant after discontinuing Mirena use are the same as for women who have not been using any method of birth control. For further details and full prescribing information, please visit http://www.longtermbirthcontrol.com.

About Berlex, Inc.

Committed to addressing unmet medical needs, Berlex develops and markets diagnostic imaging agents, treatments in the areas of female health care and dermatology, as well as specialized therapeutics for life-threatening and disabling diseases in the fields of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, oncology, and gastroenterology. Berlex has business operations in New Jersey, California and Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.berlex.com.

Certain statements in this press release that are neither reported financial results nor other historical information are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause actual results and Berlex's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Berlex, Inc. undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise.

     * The survey, conducted by International Communications Research (ICR)
       based out of Media, Pennsylvania, polled approximately 400 women ages
       25 to 49 years in the United States.  The random-sample survey was
       conducted via telephone from January 14-25, 2005.

     (1) (1a,b,c,d,e,f,g) International Communications Research (ICR) study
         conducted from January 14-25, 2005 using approximately 400 women
         between the ages of 25 and 49 years in the United States.

     (2) Mosher, William D.,Ph.D; Martinez, Gladys M., Ph.D; Chandra, Anjani,
         Ph.D; Abma, Joyce C., Ph.D; Willson, Stephanie J., Ph.D. Use of
         Contraception and Use of Family Planning Services in the United
         States: 1982-2002; Advance Data From Vital and Health Statistics;
         number 350; December 10, 2004

     (3) http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/
         pub-tubal-sterilization.xml#1096372855599::-3433870888775950819

     (4) National Survey of Family Growth, a nationally representative sample
         of women age 15 to 44 in 1995. Bramlett, Matthew and William Mosher.
         First marriage dissolution, divorce, and remarriage: United States,"
         Advance Data From Vital and Health Statistics; No.323. Hyattsville
         MD: National Center for Health Statistics: 21

     (5) US Census Bureau. Marital Status by Sex, Unmarried-Partner
         Households, and Grandparents as Caregivers, 2000

     (6) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Center for
         Health Statistics, Vital Health Statistics. Cohabitation, Marriage,
         Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. Series 23, Number 22,
         July 2002, page 22

     (7) Jamieson DJ, Kaufman SC, Costello C, et al. A comparison of women's
         regret after vasectomy versus tubal sterilization. Obstet Gynecol
         2002; 99:1,073-1,079.

     (8) Hillis SD, Marchbanks PA, Tylor LR, et al. Poststerilization regret:
         findings from the United States Collaborative Review of
         Sterilization. Obstet Gynecol 1999; 93:889-895.

     (9) Schmidt JE, Hillis SD, Marchbanks PA, et al. Requesting information
         about and obtaining reversal after tubal sterilization: findings from
         the U.S. Collaborative Review of Sterilization. Fertil Steril 2000;
         74:892-898.

     (10) Jamieson DJ, Kaufman SC, Costello C, et al. A comparison of women's
          regret after vasectomy versus tubal sterilization. Obstet Gynecol
          2002; 99:1,073-1,079.