Almac Introduces selectAZymeTM

Almac's Biocatalysis Business Continues its Strong Growth and Boosts its Visibility With the Launch of the selectAZymeTM Brand

CRAIGAVON, Northern Ireland, May 4, 2011 - As anticipated, Almac's biocatalysis business has expanded
from its 2009 launch with the sale of six enzyme screening kits, to the
current supply of 100s of kgs of chiral intermediates for drug substance
manufacture, regular enzyme supply to specialty chemical companies and
continued growth of its screening kits offering. Biocatalysis is increasingly
recognised as an alternative solution for solving complex chemistry problems
due to its rapid implementation, economic benefits and 'green' reputation.
Almac's growth in this area was further enhanced last year through a $4
million R&D investment. The natural next step for the business is the launch
of the selectAZymeTM brand to enhance its recognition.

"The selectAZymeTM brand conveys Almac's strong biocatalysis
offering. Almac is providing a diverse, A-Z range of enzymes including
reductases, transaminases, hydrolases, nitrilases and many others. In
collaboration with our customers, Almac selects the optimum enzyme to provide
an efficient and cost effective process. Almac enzymes are used in the A-Z of
applications from medicinal chemistry to full production and in the
manufacture of specialty chemicals. The key strength of enzymes is the high
selectivity of the chemical reactions they catalyze," comments Dr. Tom Moody,
Head of Biocatalysis.

The rapid scale-up from biocatalyst screening to production
prompted the recent paradigm shift to bioprocessing acceptance for the
synthesis of APIs and fine chemicals. Biocatalysis is Almac's first choice
for any scale-up of chiral chemistry due to the cost, efficiency, robustness
and 'green' benefits that result.

Metabolite synthesis is another tool within selectAZyme's
service offering providing access to both oxidative and glycosylated
products. Almac has implemented state-of-the-art biocatalytic technology for
rapid metabolite synthesis, isolation and structural identification. Almac
has developed recombinant P450 technology for accessing metabolites at mg to
100s grams. These enzymes, which mimic human P450 systems, are a powerful
tool for accessing metabolites rapidly. Moody further elaborates "the
marriage of microbial and recombinant enzymes is a real powerhouse in
accessing difficult to synthesise metabolites. The scale-up capability allows
Almac to rapidly take 'hits' from conception to gram delivery as and when the
customer requires the products." In addition, Almac can also supply
radiolabelled versions of these metabolites utilizing their in-house Isotope
Chemistry group.

Almac also offers technology consultancy, aiding and
supporting clients to set-up and run enzyme screening and scale-up in their
own labs. Almac does not impose any IP roadblocks to implementing the
technology and provides a simple and direct path for customers to access the
benefits of biocatalysis. Recently Dr. David Rozzell, a world renowned
authority in biocatalysis, has signed-on as Scientific Advisor to help Almac
advance the technology.

The selectAZymeTM service complements Almac's speciality
capabilities, including radiolabelling, polymorph and solid form
optimisation, and peptide and protein synthesis. These services are all part
of Almac's comprehensive Drug Discovery Services including API and Drug
Product Development and GMP Manufacture.

Notes to Editors:

About Almac Group

The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D,
biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation
development, clinical trial supply and IXRS(R) technology (IVRS/IWRS), to
commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600
companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech
sectors.

The company employs over 3,000 individuals and is
headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in
Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. Almac has now moved into its new
North American Headquarters located in Souderton PA.

For more information about the Almac Group, please visit
www.almacgroup.com or e-mail info@almacgroup.com

For media enquiries, please contact Tristan Jervis or Alex
Heeley on +44(0)207-861-3838 or e-mail: t.jervis@defacto.com

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