Pentasa - Shire Receives Ruling From FDA

Pentasa® - Shire Receives Ruling From FDA on Citizen's Petition

Dublin, Ireland and Philadelphia, US - August 24, 2010 - Shire plc (LSE: SHP,
NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that
its subsidiary Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc. received a ruling from the FDA on its
Citizen's Petition relating to Pentasa.

The ruling granted-in-part and denied-in-part the requests from Shire. Shire
had requested the FDA to issue formal guidance, consistent with the FDA's
advice to Shire, requiring that bioequivalence to Pentasa be shown by both
rigorous dissolution testing and studies with clinical endpoints. The FDA
response to the Shire's Citizen's Petition granted the request with regard to
the dissolution testing and denied the request with respect to the studies with
clinical endpoints. The FDA response further imposed a requirement for
pharmacokinetic data to establish bioequivalence.

A copy of the FDA's ruling can be found in the Investors section of the
Company's website: www.shire.com.

For further information please contact:

Investor          Eric Rojas (North America)                 [phone]   
Relations                                                                      
                                                                               
Media             Jessica Mann (Rest of the World)           [phone]  
                                                                               
                  Matthew Cabrey (North America, Specialty   [phone]   
                  Pharma)                                                      

Notes to editors

SHIRE PLC

Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical
company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shire
focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human
genetic therapies (HGT) and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases as well as
opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through
acquisitions. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused
on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection
and global rights. Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced
portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale
sales forces will deliver strong results.

For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: 
www.shire.com.

"SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF
1995

Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or
uncertainties materialize, the Company's results could be materially adversely
affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks
associated with: the inherent uncertainty of research, development, approval,
reimbursement, manufacturing and commercialization of the Company's Specialty
Pharmaceutical and Human Genetic Therapies products, as well as the ability to
secure and integrate new products for commercialization and/or development;
government regulation of the Company's products; the Company's ability to
manufacture its products in sufficient quantities to meet demand; the impact of
competitive therapies on the Company's products; the Company's ability to
register, maintain and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights
relating to its products; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain
government and other third-party reimbursement for its products; and other
risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Registered in Jersey, No. 99854, 22 Grenville Street, St Helier, Jersey JE4 8PX


Press Release                                     
                                                  
www.shire.com                                     



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SHIRE PLC