Concord, OH, Rockville, MD - (June 11, 2001) - Ricerca, LLC and Shire Laboratories Inc, a subsidiary of Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc (LSE: SHP.L, NASDAQ: SHPGY), have formed a strategic alliance to co-market each other's complementary services and technologies as preferred providers. Ricerca brings drug lead optimization, candidate selection programs and preclinical drug development partnerships to the collaboration. Shire provides proprietary technology platforms for predicting and enhancing oral bioavailability of drugs as well as for developing unique oral controlled release formulations. Through this collaboration, Ricerca and Shire will now be able to provide their respective partners with a full range of capabilities from drug synthesis, toxicology and preclinical development through final oral formulations.

   According to Dr. John R. Peterson, Ricerca's VP, Corporate Development, "We are extremely pleased by the opportunity to collaborate with Shire to provide our clients access to their technical expertise. Their unique formulation technologies are the perfect complement to our drug development capabilities. Our pharmaceutical development partners will realize significant time savings and logistics benefits from this broadening of our services." "Being able to offer Shire's proprietary oral formulation assessment technologies in conjunction with our discovery lead selection and optimization program strengthens Ricerca's Predictive Discovery TM capability immensely", Dr. Peterson continues, "resulting in better odds that our client's compound will make it over the development hurdles. Ricerca can now take a discovery hit, optimize its characteristics and improve its value. By the time the compound gets moved into Phase II clinical trials, we will have addressed bioavailability, metabolism and toxicity issues and be well on our way towards working out a robust commercial manufacturing process and an optimal oral formulation."

   "Teaming up with Ricerca represents an important step in bringing Shire's drug delivery technologies, primarily ProScreen™ and OptiScreen™ in the areas of prediction and enhancement of oral bioavailability, closer to the discovery and early-phase development market segments. Ricerca has an excellent presence in both segments and offers a broad range of complementary technologies and services", said Jack Khattar President & CEO of Shire Laboratories. He added, "this alliance significantly increases our reach into both market segments and provides us with the opportunity of expanding our portfolio of drug delivery partnerships."

   Ricerca LLC, a drug development company, offers technical expertise in late stage discovery through IND development. The company speeds lead selection and optimization with its Parallel Lead Optimization Program, then rapidly develops the preclinical CMC and nonclinical safety data for the IND filing. Ricerca provides critical chemical process development, API production and clinical sample bioanalysis during clinical trials. The company, privately owned by SG Capital Partners, New York, NY and Venture Biologics, LLC, Plymouth Meeting, PA is located near Cleveland, Ohio and has 250 employees.

   Shire Laboratories Inc. is the advanced drug delivery subsidiary of Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc. Shire Laboratories markets its Predictive Lead Selection Technology (ProScreen™) and Predictive Formulation Optimization Technology (OptiScreen™) to the pharmaceutical industry along with its proven and patented oral controlled release formulation technologies, Microtrol®, Solutrol® and EnSoTrol®.

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   THE "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVACY SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, risks associated with the inherent uncertainty of pharmaceutical research, product development and commercialization, the impact of competitive products, patents, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in periodic reports, including the F-4 Prospectus and the Annual Report filed on Form 10-K by Shire with the Securities and Exchange Commission.