USPTO Confirms Validity of Bystolic(R) Patent

NEW YORK, Nov. 24, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forest Laboratories, Inc.
(NYSE: FRX) announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
("USPTO") has closed prosecution on the merits of the reexamination
proceedings for the patent for Bystolic(R) and confirmed the validity of all
of the previously granted claims. As a result, the USPTO has issued a Notice
of Intent to Issue Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate for U.S. Patent No.
6,545,040 (the '040 patent) to Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V., the patent holder.
The Notice withdraws all of the enumerated rejections and confirms such
validity. The '040 patent covers nebivolol, the active ingredient in
Bystolic(R), a beta-blocker that is currently approved in the United States
for the treatment of hypertension. The '040 patent expires in April 2020.
Forest has applied for patent term extension for this patent until December
2021.

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About the Bystolic(R) License
Forest licensed U.S. and Canadian rights to nebivolol from Mylan Laboratories
Inc. in January 2006. Forest markets nebivolol under the Bystolic trademark in
the U.S. Mylan licensed the U.S. and Canadian rights to nebivolol from Janssen
Pharmaceutica N.V. in February 2001, and has obtained Janssen's consent to
sub-license nebivolol to Forest Laboratories in those territories.

About Forest Laboratories
Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) is a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company with a
long track record of building partnerships and developing and marketing
products that make a positive difference in people's lives. In addition to its
well-established franchises in therapeutic areas of the central nervous and
cardiovascular systems, Forest's current pipeline includes product candidates
in all stages of development and across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The
company is headquartered in New York, NY. To learn more about Forest
Laboratories, visit www.FRX.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this release contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, the
acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of
competitive products and pricing, the timely development and launch of new
products, and the risk factors listed from time to time in Forest
Laboratories' Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and
any subsequent SEC filings.

SOURCE Forest Laboratories, Inc.

Frank J. Murdolo, Vice President - Investor Relations, Forest Laboratories,
Inc., +1-212-224-6714, Frank.Murdolo@frx.com