26th Sep 2005 16:00
POSTING OF DOCUMENTATION CONCERNING PROPOSALS TO INTRODUCE A NEW UK LISTEDHOLDING COMPANY TO CREATE DISTRIBUTABLE RESERVESBasingstoke, UK and Philadelphia, US - 26th September 2005 -ShirePharmaceuticals Group plc (the "Company") (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ)announces that it is today posting a circular to its shareholders in connectionwith the proposals it announced on 8th September 2005 (the "Proposals"). TheProposals involve the creation of a new UK listed holding company, Shire plc,which will then effect a reduction of its share capital to create distributablereserves.The approval of the Proposals will be sought both by way of shareholderapproval at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company and a Court Meetingof the Company's ordinary shareholders (both of which will be held on 28thOctober 2005) and also by sanction of the High Court. It is expected that theProposals will be fully implemented by 29th November 2005.Application has been made to the UK Listing Authority for the listing of, andto the London Stock Exchange for the admission of, up to 600,000,000 ordinaryshares of Shire plc.Copies of the circular and a prospectus relating to Shire plc have beensubmitted to the UK Listing Authority and will be available for inspection atthe UK Listing Authority's Document Viewing Facility situated at:The Financial Services Authority,25 The North Collonnade,Canary Wharf,London E14 5HS(Tel: 44 (0)20 7676 1000)For further information please contact:Investor Relations Clĩa Rosenfeld (Rest of the World) +44 1256 894 160 Brian Piper (North America) +1 484 595 8252 Media Jessica Mann (Rest of the World) +44 1256 894 280 Matthew Cabrey (North America) +1 484 595 8248 Notes to editorsShire Pharmaceuticals Group plcShire Pharmaceuticals Group plc is a global specialty pharmaceutical companywith a strategic focus on meeting the needs of the specialist physician andcurrently focuses on developing and marketing products in the areas of centralnervous system (CNS), gastrointestinal (GI), renal diseases and human genetics.Shire has operations in the world's key pharmaceutical markets (US, Canada, UK,France, Italy, Spain and Germany) as well as a specialist drug delivery unit inthe US.For further information on SPG, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com."SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF1995Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-lookingstatements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks anduncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks oruncertainties materialize, Shire's results could be materially affected. Therisks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:the inherent uncertainty of pharmaceutical research, product development,manufacturing and commercialization; the impact of competitive products,including, but not limited to, the impact of those on Shire's Attention Deficitand Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) franchise; patents, including, but notlimited to, legal challenges relating to Shire's ADHD franchise; governmentregulation and approval, including, but not limited to, the expected productapproval dates of MTS (METHYPATCH) (ADHD), SPD503 (ADHD), SPD465 (ADHD), SPD476(ulcerative colitis), I2S (iduronate-2-sulfatase) (Hunter syndrome), and NRP104(ADHD), including its scheduling classification by the Drug Enforcement Agencyin the United States; SPG's ability to benefit from its acquisition ofTranskaryotic Therapies, Inc.; Shire's ability to secure new products forcommercialization and/or development; and other risks and uncertaintiesdetailed from time to time in Shire's filings with the Securities and ExchangeCommission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year to December31, 2004. 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 Pharmaceuticals Group PLCRelated Shares:
Shire