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UCB acquires Lectus Therapeutics’ key pharmaceutical assets Agreement adds novel ion channel drug discovery and development programmes for CNS indications to UCB’s New Medicines™ research technologies portfolio

22/11/2011

Brussels (Belgium), 22 November 2011 – 07.30 AM (CET) - UCB has acquired Lectus Therapeutics’s key pharmaceutical assets today via a licence and acquisition agreement.
Lectus Therapeutics Ltd is a drug discovery and development company focusing on nextgeneration ion channel modulators. The transaction involves the acquisition of all the company’s drug discovery and development programmes targeting ion channels for the treatment of a specific set of CNS indications (Central Nervous System). Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the agreement UCB will also gain exclusive worldwide rights to commercialise products discovered from the use of Lectus’s proprietary LEPTICS® technology for a number of further ion channel targets.
The drug discovery and development programmes acquired by UCB centre on the use of Lectus’s proprietary LEPTICS® technology to identify compounds in a new area of chemical space. Such compounds are anticipated to possess a novel mechanism of action mediated through an effect on ion channel accessory proteins.

“UCB New Medicines™ is deploying a wide range of innovative and proprietary science and technologies in its search for breakthrough medicines. Lectus’s drug discovery and development programmes supports our research efforts in the CNS field. I feel confident it will enable us to further honour our commitment to deliver cutting-edge scientific research driven by the patient’s needs.”, says Ismail Kola, President of UCB New Medicines™.
Dr Roland Kozlowski, CEO of Lectus, commented: “We are pleased to close this transaction with UCB and anticipate that the competitive edge LEPTICS® brings, together with the enthusiasm and expertise of UCB’s team, will lead to success in this challenging area of research and development. This deal executed with one of the leading global biopharmaceutical companies highlights the potential of Lectus’s approach to ion channel drug discovery and the value of its LEPTICS® technology.”

For further information
Antje Witte, Investor Relations, UCB
T +32.2.559.94.14, antje.witte@ucb.com
France Nivelle, Global Communications, UCB
T: +32.2.559.91.78, france.nivelle@ucb.com



About Lectus Therapeutics and LEPTICS®
Lectus Therapeutics is an emerging UK-based drug-discovery and development company, incorporated in December 2002, specialising in the discovery and development of novel drugs for pain management and associated disorders. Lectus exploits the power of its proprietary functional proteomics platform, LEPTICS® (Leveraged Enabling Proteomics Technology for Ion Channel Screening), and builds on its knowledge of ion channels, to develop novel ion channel modulators that have the potential to offer important clinical and economic advantages over existing therapies.


About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With more than 8,000 people in about 40 countries, the company generated revenue of EUR 3.2 billion in 2010. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). UCB Forward-Looking Statements

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