Shire Lends Support to World Rare Disease Day 2011

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts and BASINGSTOKE, England, February 28, 2011 - Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty
biopharmaceutical company, today announced its support of World Rare Disease
Day, joining patients, physicians, and patient organizations around the world
to support a day that focuses attention on rare diseases as a public health
issue and highlights the need for more understanding and awareness about
these diseases.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/shire/47608/

World Rare Disease Day is coordinated at the international level
by the European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) and the National
Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) in the US and aims to draw attention
to the gaps in healthcare that exist for rare disease patients worldwide, and
work to find global solutions.

It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 8,000 known rare
diseases affecting around 250 million people in the world. As a leader in the
orphan disease space for over twenty years, Shire has focused its work on
researching, developing and marketing products for Fabry disease, Hereditary
Angioedema (HAE), Hunter syndrome, and Gaucher disease, as well as building
and investing in a pipeline of innovative products and solutions to treat
rare diseases.

"For many patients and their families, the journey to a diagnosis
and subsequent treatment for a rare disease can be a long, complicated
process," said Sylvie Gregoire, President of Shire HGT. "Shire is committed
to enabling people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives - and
for us, this includes improving access to information as well as providing
much-needed treatment for rare diseases. We are proud to support World Rare
Disease Day and hope that this day can highlight the amazing people who
encompass the rare disease community, and their unique and important
situation as a global public health concern."

Shire's Global Rare Disease Day Initiatives include:

    - Extending BraveCommunity.com (www.bravecommunity.com/), its
      online resource center that aims to connect patients and to provide
      important information about rare diseases.

    - Supporting the Global Genes Project
      (www.globalgenesproject.org/), a grassroots effort to use denim
      jeans to raise global awareness of rare genetic disorders.

    - Sponsoring the first 'STOP RARE' disease awareness event in Lausanne,
      as well as the Symposium "Wissen Heilt!" held in Basel on February
      26th.

Video:
multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/shire/47608/

Contact: Jessica Cotrone (North America, HGT), +1-781-482-9538, jcotrone at shire.com; Jessica Mann (Rest of the World), +44-1256-894-280, jmann at shire.com