Helsinn Announces the Official Opening of its New R&D Centre of Excellence in Dublin

The Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Lenihan T.D. Today Performed the Official Opening of the Centre Which Will Play a Significant Role in Helsinn Group's Pipeline of New Products

LUGANO, Switzerland, September 1, 2010 - The Swiss pharmaceutical group Helsinn announced the official opening,
performed today by the Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Lenihan T.D, of its
new R&D Centre of Excellence in Mulhuddart, Co. Dublin. The centre, which
will play a significant role in Helsinn Group's pipeline of new products
including the NK-1 inhibitor Netupitant for the treatment of emesis due to
chemotherapy, and the novel ghrelin analogue Anamorelin for the treatment of
cachexia, involved an investment of Euro 13 million, supported by the Irish
Government through IDA Ireland. The investment is expected to create up to 10
high-value research positions over the next few years.

Helsinn announced its plans to establish the facility in April 2009, and
following a successful construction phase the plant is now ready to commence
operations. The centre will be responsible for Research & Development for
Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) at the company's Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals
facility at Mulhuddart, Dublin, which currently produces a range of drug
products.

The investment is part of Helsinn's strategic decision to strengthen its
in-house development capability enabling better control of cost and time in
bringing new therapies to patients worldwide.

During the official opening Mr. Riccardo Braglia, Chief Executive Officer
of the Helsinn Group said, "Helsinn is pleased to confirm the completion of
this investment in our R&D Centre on time and in budget which will be of
significant benefit for the future of our international business, by
centralising the development and commercialisation of Oral Solid Dosage
products for better management of our resources and flexibility to better
serve our partners worldwide".

Helsinn's Irish operation was established in 1990, when it acquired Birex
Pharmaceuticals in Dublin. To-date Helsinn has invested a total of over Euro
60 million in Ireland and continuously invests in its plants in order to
maintain high quality and safety, to increase overall production capacity and
to offer its partners up-to-date products, technologies and services. It now
employs a total of 145 people at its Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals facility
from which it supplies global markets with a range of products including its
highly successful product Palonosetron which is effective for treatment of
chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, as well as Nimesulide
(anti-inflammatory) and Klean-Prep(R) (pre-colonoscopy treatment).

The Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Lenihan said, "I am delighted to
officially open Helsinn's Centre of Excellence in Dublin today. This
investment is highly significant for Ireland as it places Helsinn's Irish
operation at the centre of Helsinn Group's worldwide R&D operations. The
Irish Centre of Knowledge and Learning for OSD products will play a pivotal
role in facilitating the growth of Helsinn's worldwide business by acting as
a launch site for new products within its portfolio. This investment is a
further endorsement of Ireland as a prime location for highly innovative
companies carrying out key strategic activities".

About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with headquarters in
Lugano, Switzerland and subsidiaries in Ireland and USA. Helsinn's unique
business model is focused on the licensing of pharmaceuticals and medical
devices in therapeutic niche areas. The Group in-licenses early to late stage
new chemical entities, completes their development from the performance of
pre-clinical/clinical studies and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC)
development, to the filing for and attainment of their market approval
worldwide.

Helsinn's products are sold directly, through the Group subsidiaries, or
alternatively out-licensed to its network of local marketing and commercial
partners, selected for their deep in-market knowledge and know-how, and
assisted and supported with a full range of product and scientific management
services, including commercial, regulatory, financial, legal and medical
marketing advice.

The active pharmaceutical ingredients and the finished dosage forms are
manufactured at Helsinn's cGMP facilities in Switzerland and Ireland, and
supplied worldwide to its customers.

Helsinn is the worldwide licensor of palonosetron, a second generation
5-HT3 receptor antagonist, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea
and vomiting (CINV) in patients with cancer and of post-operative nausea and
vomiting (PONV), and of the original nimesulide, a non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) distributed in more than 50 countries
worldwide.

Helsinn, with a workforce of around 450 employees in Switzerland, Ireland
and USA, reported a 2009 turnover of over CHF 305.0 million (about EUR 232.0
million at the current conversion exchange rate), covering 85 countries
worldwide, with over 20% of this turnover invested in R&D.

For more information on the Helsinn Group please visit the website
www.helsinn.com.

About Helsinn in Ireland

Helsinn has operated in Ireland since 1990 and its Irish manufacturing
facilities are EU certified for manufacture of pharmaceutical products and
were successfully inspected by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier
this year. The company manufactures and packages the group's products in
compliance with EU, US FDA and all major international health and
environmental requirements, thus guaranteeing Helsinn's clients the highest
possible assurance of quality and reliability.

    Contact person at Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.:

    Padraig Somers,
    General Manager,
    Tel: +353(0)1-8225404
    e-mail: info-HBP@helsinn.com

Contact person at Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals Ltd.: Padraig Somers, General Manager, Tel: +353(0)1-8225404, e-mail: info-HBP at helsinn.com .