~ Company signs licensing agreement with Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA
to market Atimos^® for asthma and COPD ~

Oakville, Ontario – June 25, 2008 - Nycomed Canada Inc. today announced a licensing agreement with Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA to market Atimos^® (formoterol), a treatment anticipated to be indicated for asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In Canada, COPD is the fourth-leading cause of death among Canadians, and recently The Lung Association reported that COPD may affect nearly three million diagnosed and undiagnosed Canadians.

“This agreement advances Nycomed’s leadership in the Canadian respiratory market,” said John Suk, president of Nycomed Canada. “Nycomed is dedicated to providing essential medicines to Canadians with respiratory diseases. Atimos^® will complement our current respiratory portfolio, including Alvesco^® to treat mild to moderate asthma in adults and adolescents, and Omnaris™ for the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergies.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Nycomed Canada will be responsible for filing and obtaining Health Canada approval for Atimos^®, an inhaled, long-acting bronchodilator therapy. Once approved, the company will have the distribution, marketing, sales and promotion rights to the product in Canada.

“Atimos^® is an extension of the Nycomed relationship with Chiesi Farmaceutici,” added Mr. Suk. “We are very pleased that Nycomed has established this and other strong partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies in various therapeutic areas.”

Atimos^® is anticipated to be the first and only HFA formoterol metered dose inhaler (MDI) available in Canada. The product is currently marketed by Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA (under various brand names) in Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom and Russia.

“We are very pleased that Atimos^® will start registration procedures in Canada as well.” commented Alberto Chiesi, Chiesi Group president and CEO. “Using Modulite^® technology as a successful platform for better drug delivery and deposition in the lungs, Atimos^® provides a valuable therapeutic option for chronic respiratory diseases”.

About Nycomed Canada Inc.

Nycomed Canada Inc. is the Canadian subsidiary of Nycomed GmbH; a privately owned research-based pharmaceutical company. Ranked by sales, Nycomed is among the 25 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.

The Canadian head office is based in Oakville, Ontario with more than 220 employees across the country. Through its innovative products and dedicated people, Nycomed is committed to improving the health of Canadians by providing brand name, science-based medicines that matter.

In Canada, Nycomed markets products in the following therapeutic areas:

• Respiratory
• Dermatology
• Gastroenterology
• Pain management

Nycomed Canada has been recognized as one of the ‘Best Workplaces in Canada, 2008’, ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ and ‘Top 50 Employers in Toronto’ 2008.

For more information, please visit www.nycomed.ca. Alvesco^® and OMNARIS™ are registered trademarks of Nycomed GmbH and are used under license.

About Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.

Founded in Parma in 1935, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. has today reached international levels within the pharmaceutical sector in five continents with 22 direct affiliates, three manufacturing plants and three research centres.

In 2007, the Group’s sales stood at 656 million Euro (+10.6% on 2006) and its investments in research totalled 92.6 million Euro, representing 14.1% of consolidated sales.

Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A has over 3,000 employees worldwide. In the three Research & Development centres (Italy, France and the U.S.), the workforce totals over 300 researchers, whilst those in production (Italy, France and Brazil) total around 550 people.

Strategic alliances at both global and local level, with international pharmaceutical groups ensure that Chiesi drugs and technology are available in over 50 countries.

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