FOR YOUR INFORMATION..............................JULY 24, 1991


                 E-Z-EM, INC. SEEKS FTC APPROVAL
          FOR DIVESTITURE OF LAFAYETTE PHARMACAL ASSETS
               TO LAFAYETTE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.


     E-Z-EM, Inc., a Westbury, New York, medical products
manufacturer, has requested Federal Trade Commission approval to
divest its Lafayette, Indiana manufacturing plant and other
assets acquired from Lafayette Pharmacal, Inc. ("Lafayette") to
Lafayette Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("LPI"), a Delaware corporation.

     E-Z-EM's application is subject to public comment for 30
days, until August 23. 

     E-Z-EM acquired the Lafayette assets in 1988.  E-Z-EM did
not make a premerger filing because it purchased the assets for
less than $15 million.  The FTC, therefore, did not have prior
notice to study the acquisition before it occurred.

     E-Z-EM manufactures medical products, including barium
sulfate products used by radiologists in x-ray diagnostic
applications.  Prior to its acquisition by E-Z-EM in 1988, Lafay-
ette manufactured barium sulfate diagnostic products at its
Lafayette, Indiana plant.

     An October 1990 consent order requires prior FTC approval of
the divestiture.  The order settled FTC charges that E-Z-EM's
acquisition of Lafayette eliminated competition for barium
diagnostic products between the two companies, and allowed E-Z-EM
to acquire a monopoly in the U.S. barium market.  The FTC charged
that the resulting monopoly would allow E-Z-EM to behave as a
dominant firm and increase the likelihood of collusion if another
firm should enter the market.

     The order requires E-Z-EM to divest the Lafayette plant and
other assets within 12 months to an acquirer approved by the FTC.

                            - more -
E-Z-EM, Inc.--07/24/91)

     According to E-Z-EM's application, Galen Partners, L.P. and
Barkley Medical Products, Inc. formed LPI, the proposed purchas-
er, to acquire the Lafayette business.  E-Z-EM asserts that the
divestiture would promote competition, because neither Galen nor
any of the companies in which it has current investments has any
involvement in the barium sulfate diagnostic business.  While
Barkley does distribute some barium sulfate products, E-Z-EM
claims that Barkley's involvement is limited and accordingly,
does not cause competition concerns.  The Commission will examine
the competitive implications of this transaction to determine
whether it will approve E-Z-EM's application.

     The proposed purchase price is $5.5 million.  Under the
proposed divestiture agreement, E-Z-EM would not divert customer
orders for Lafayette products to E-Z-EM products for six months,
in order to permit LPI to establish its sales force.

     Copies of the application are available from the FTC's
Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-326-
2502.

                              # # #

MEDIA CONTACT:      Bonnie Jansen, Office of Public Affairs
                    202-326-2161

STAFF CONTACT:      Roberta Baruch, Bureau of Competition
                    202-326-2861

(Docket No. C-3311)
(E-Z-EM)