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Mochida Concludes License Agreement for LIALDA® - A Once-Daily Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis

(Tokyo, January 16, 2009) - Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Naoyuki Mochida) announces that it has entered into a License Agreement with Shire Pharmaceuticals Group, a subsidiary of Shire plc (Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland; Chief Executive Officer: Angus Russell) and obtained an exclusive license to develop and sell LIALDA®, a therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis in Japan.

LIALDA® is once-daily oral formulation of mesalazine, which is designed to release the medication to and throughout the colon (the site of the inflammation in ulcerative colitis). Outside of Japan, LIALDA® has been approved in over 17 countries as a treatment for mild to moderate ulcerative colitis since 2007, when it was first launched in the U.S.

LIALDA® is expected to help patients overcome the disruption of ulcerative colitis by offering a new once-daily treatment option for ulcerative colitis in Japan.

SHIRE PLC

Shire’s strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT) and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions. Shire’s in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights. Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.

For further information on Shire, please visit the Company’s website: www.shire.com

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