RECORDATI ach?te l'activit? pharmaceutique de Jaba au Portugal

Milan, le 28 juillet 2006 – Recordati a accepté d'acheter Jaba Farmacêutica ainsi que les autres activités pharmaceutiques du Groupe Jaba au Portugal. Le montant de la transaction atteindrait les 45 millions d'euros, mais il pourrait être ajusté en fonction des résultats d'exploitation pour l'année 2006. La transaction doit être clôturée courant 2006.

Fondée en 1927, Jaba, troisième groupe pharmaceutique portugais, a une part de marché significative et possède un large portefeuille de produits qui couvre plusieurs domaines pharmaceutiques, dont la prescription de médicaments avec licence, les marques déposées, les médicaments génériques, ainsi qu'une gamme reconnue de produits OTC. The business also includes modern production facilities which offer manufacturing services for third parties.

The acquired business, which is headquartered near Sintra, comprises an organization of around 330 employees, including more than 100 medical representatives, and generated revenues in 2005 of approximately € 39 million with positive margins.

"The agreement concluded with Jaba allows us to enter the Portuguese market directly and represents a further step in our strategy to expand our direct presence in the European pharmaceutical market", stated Giovanni Recordati, Chairman and CEO. "We intend to strengthen the product portfolio of our new subsidiary first of all by launching lercanidipine, our leading product, and over the medium term through the launch of our new pipeline products such as Zanitek®, a fixed combination of lercanidipine and enalapril for the treatment of hypertension, silodosin (a treatment for the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia), stannsoporfin (indicated for the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia), Infasurf® (for the prevention and treatment of neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and others".

Recordati, established in 1926, is a European pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, with headquarters in Milan, Italy, operations in the main European countries, and a total staff of over 2,000. A European field force of over 1,000 medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas. Recordati's current and growing coverage of the European pharmaceutical market makes it a partner of choice for new product licenses from companies which do not have European marketing organizations. Recordati is committed to the research of new drug entities within the cardiovascular and urogenital therapeutic areas in which its research team has proven scientific competence and a track record of discovery and development of original drugs, the most recent of which, lercanidipine, a latest generation calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension, is the company's leading product. Consolidated revenue for 2005 was € 576.1 million, operating income was € 111.1 million and net income was € 64.5 million.

For further information:

Recordati website: www.recordati.com

Investor Relations
Marianne Tatschke
(39)0248787393
e-mail: [email protected]

Claudio Rossetti (Echo Comunicazione d'Impresa)
(39)02 62694736
e-mail: [email protected]

Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.