Shire Supports Rare Disease Day 2013

Lexington, Massachusetts (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Global Initiatives Underscore Company's Long-Term Commitment to
the Rare Disease Community

Shire plc today announced its support of Rare Disease Day,
joining patients, healthcare providers, and patient organizations
around the world to support a day that focuses attention on rare
diseases as a public health issue, and highlights the need for more
understanding and awareness about these diseases.

Observed annually on the last day of February, Rare Disease Day is
coordinated at the international level by the European Organisation
for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) and the National Organization for Rare
Disorders (NORD) in the US. The Rare Disease Day 2013 slogan is "Rare
Disorders Without Borders" to convey the global solidarity of the
rare disease community worldwide and the need for collaboration and
mutual support in the field of rare diseases.

According to EURORDIS and NORD there are between 6,000 and 8,000
known rare diseases affecting approximately 30 million Europeans and
30 million Americans. As a leader in rare diseases, Shire's Human
Genetic Therapies (HGT) business focuses its work on researching,
developing, and marketing therapies for Fabry disease, Hereditary
Angioedema, Hunter syndrome, and Gaucher disease, and has built and
invested in a pipeline of innovative products and solutions for rare
diseases.

"Shire's purpose is to enable people with life-altering conditions
to lead better lives - and for us, this includes improving access to
information and diagnosis as well as providing much-needed treatment
for rare diseases," said Sylvie Gregoire, President of HGT. "Rare
Disease Day is an occasion to show our commitment to the rare disease
community. We hope that this day can highlight the need for
consistent, reliable, and effective treatments and services for
patients and give hope to those affected by rare diseases."

Shire's Global Rare Disease Day Initiatives

As part of its external initiatives, Shire is supporting the
R.A.R.E Project, a leading non-profit rare disease advocacy
organization, in their Global Genes Project "Wear That You Care(TM)"
denim campaign in which denim jeans are used to raise awareness of
rare genetic disorders. The company distributed over 3,500 blue
ribbons to employees at various corporate locations worldwide.

Shire is also supporting a variety of other initiatives
surrounding Rare Disease Day, including: EURORDIS "Black Pearl" Gala
Dinner on February 26th in Brussels; MassBio's Rare Disease Day
celebration at the State House in Boston on February 28th; the
"Troisieme Journee des Maladies Rares en Suisse" in Zuerich,
Switzerland on February 23rd; the Royal Free Hospital in London in
the development of films to give insights into the patient journey
for rare conditions, Fabry disease and Gaucher disease; a special
"Supplement on Rare Diseases" in the UK's Independent newspaper; The
National Action Day for Rare Diseases organised by the University of
Cologne on March 2nd; the launch of "Rare Voices Australia" (RVA) in
Canberra in March 2013; and the "Awareness Campaign on Rare
Diseases", called for by the Federation on Rare Diseases of Argentina
(FADEPOF).

NOTES TO EDITORS

Shire enables people with life-altering conditions to lead better
lives.

Through our deep understanding of patients' needs, we develop and
provide healthcare in the areas of:

- Behavioral Health and Gastro Intestinal conditions
- Rare Diseases
- Regenerative Medicine

as well as other symptomatic conditions treated by specialist
physicians.

We aspire to imagine and lead the future of healthcare, creating
value for patients, physicians, policymakers, payors and our
shareholders.

http://www.shire.com

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS - "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE
PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Statements included in this announcement that are not historical
facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements
involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change
at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize,
Shire's results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, that:

- Shire's products may not be a commercial success;
- revenues from ADDERALL XR are subject to generic erosion;
- the failure to obtain and maintain reimbursement, or an adequate level of
reimbursement, by third-party payors in a timely manner for Shire's products may
impact future revenues and earnings;
- Shire relies on a single source for manufacture of certain of its products and
a disruption to the supply chain for those products may result in Shire being unable
to continue marketing or developing a product or may result in Shire being unable to
do so on a commercially viable basis;
- Shire uses third party manufacturers to manufacture many of its products and
is reliant upon third party contractors for certain goods and services, and any
inability of these third party manufacturers to manufacture products, or any failure
of these third party contractors to provide these goods and services, in each case in
accordance with its respective contractual obligations, could adversely affect Shire's
ability to manage its manufacturing processes or to operate its business;
- the development, approval and manufacturing of Shire's products is subject to
extensive oversight by various regulatory agencies and regulatory approvals or
interventions associated with changes to manufacturing sites, ingredients or
manufacturing processes could lead to significant delays, increase in operating costs,
lost product sales, an interruption of research activities or the delay of new product
launches;
- the actions of certain customers could affect Shire's ability to sell or
market products profitably and fluctuations in buying or distribution patterns by such
customers could adversely impact Shire's revenues, financial conditions or results of
operations;
- investigations or enforcement action by regulatory authorities or law
enforcement agencies relating to Shire's activities in the highly regulated markets in
which it operates may result in the distraction of senior management, significant
legal costs and the payment of substantial compensation or fines;
- adverse outcomes in legal matters and other disputes, including Shire's
ability to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend patents and other intellectual
property rights required for its business, could have a material adverse effect on
Shire's revenues, financial condition or results of operations;

and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in
Shire's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

For further information please contact:

Jessica Mann
jmann@shire.com
+44-(0)1256-894-280

Jessica Cotrone
jcotrone@shire.com
+1-781-482-9538

Nicole Barraud
nbarraud@shire.com
+41-22-419-40-56

ots Originaltext: Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de