Almirall closes the acquisition of a portfolio of 8 products from Shire plc

Barcelona, 19 December 2007 - Laboratorios Almirall, S.A. (“Almirall”), the international pharmaceutical company based in Spain, has closed the acquisition process of a portfolio of 8 products with its corresponding sales force in Europe (a staff of 63 people) from the pharmaceutical company Shire plc, after the relevant authorities have given clearance to the operation and other third party consents have been obtained.

Almirall announced that it had reached a definitive agreement for this acquisition on 8 October. The acquisition has been now closed for a total consideration of US$213 million (€150,7 million)¹.

Following the acquisition of Hermal, the German dermatology company last September, Almirall’s aim is to establish a base for future operations in the United Kingdom and further strengthen its internationalisation process in countries where it already has its own subsidiaries (Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico and Portugal).

The portfolio acquired, which includes two dermatology products and six others for the treatment of pain, inflammatory and gastrointestinal diseases, generated sales in 2006 of US$53.8 million (€38 million), around 70% of which were in the UK, with the remaining 30% in Germany, France, Spain, Ireland and Italy. With this operation, Almirall expands its range of dermatological products and reinforces its portfolio in the area of pain, gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases.