18th May 2006 16:30
18 May 2006Shire plc (the "Company")The Company announces that it was notified on 17 May 2006, in accordance withSections 198 to 202 of the Companies Act, that as at 12 May 2006, Barclays PLC,through its associated companies, held a notifiable interest, in aggregate, of54,603,269 ordinary shares of ‚£0.05p each ("Shares") in the capital of theCompany. These holdings represent 10.95 per cent of the issued ordinary sharecapital of the Company.A non-material holding of 21,003,312 Shares representing 4.21 per cent of theissued share capital of the Company is included in this notification fromBarclays PLC ("Barclays"). Barclays' previous notification to the Company on 2November 2005 disclosed a notifiable interest of 20,290,124 Shares representing4.10 per cent of the issued share capital at that date. This previousnotification excluded Barclays' non-material holdings in the Company.T MayCompany SecretaryFor further information please contact:Investor Relations Clƒ©a Rosenfeld (Rest of the World) +44 1256 894 160 Brian Piper (North America) +1 484 595 8252 Notes to editorsSHIRE PLCShire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty pharmaceuticalcompany that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shirefocuses its business on central nervous system, gastrointestinal, generalproducts and human genetic therapies. The structure is sufficiently flexible toallow Shire to target new therapeutic areas to the extent opportunities arisethrough acquisitions. Shire believes that a carefully selected portfolio ofproducts with a strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forcewill deliver strong results.Shire's focused strategy is to develop and market products for specialtyphysicians. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused onproducts in niche markets with strong intellectual property protection eitherin the US or Europe.For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com. Hampshire International Business Park Chineham Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 8EP United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)1256 894000 Fax +44 (0)1256 894708 www.shire.com Press Release Registered in England 2883758 Registered Office as aboveENDSHIRE PLCRelated Shares:
BarclaysShire