Exhibit 99.1
| Press Release | |
| www.shire.com | |
Notification of major interests in shares
March 19, 2009 - Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company
1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached:
Shire plc
| 2. Reason for the notification | State Yes/No |
| An acquisition or disposal of voting rights | Yes |
An acquisition or disposal of financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached | |
| An event changing the breakdown of voting rights | |
| |
| 3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation: | Capital Group International, Inc. |
| 4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.): | |
5. Date of the transaction (and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached if different): | 17 March 2009 |
| 6. Date on which issuer notified: | 18 March 2009 |
| 7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached: | Above 4% |
| 8. Notified details: | |
A: Voting rights attached to shares
Class/type of shares if possible using the ISIN CODE | Situation previous to the Triggering transaction | Resulting situation after the triggering transaction |
Number of Shares | Number of Voting Rights | Number of shares | Number of voting rights | % of voting rights |
| | | | Direct | Indirect | Direct | Indirect | Direct | Indirect |
Ordinary Shares (JE00B2QKY057) | 9,926,021 | 9,926,021 | | 10,785,821 | | 10,785,821 | | 1.9253% |
ADRs (US82481R1068) | 4,059,100 | 12,177,300 | | 4,209,100 | | 12,627,300 | | 2.2540% |
B: Financial Instruments
Resulting situation after the triggering transaction
Type of financial instrument | Expiration date | Exercise/Conversion Period/ Date | Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/converted | % of voting rights |
| | | | | |
Registered in Jersey, No. 99854, 22 Grenville Street, St Helier, Jersey JE4 8PX
| Total (A+B) | |
| Number of voting rights | % of voting rights |
| 23,413,121 | 4.1793% |
9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:
| | Number of Shares | Percent of Outstanding |
| Capital Group International Inc (CGII) Holdings | 23,413,121 | 4.179% |
| | | |
| Holdings by CGII Management Companies and Funds: | | |
| | | |
| Capital Guardian Trust Company | 19,574,721 | 3.494% |
| | | |
| Capital International Limited | 591,600 | 0.106% |
| | | |
| Capital International Sárl | 606,600 | 0.108% |
| | | |
| Capital International Inc. | 2,640,200 | 0.471% |
Proxy Voting:
| 10. Name of the proxy holder: | N/A |
| 11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold: | N/A |
| 12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights: | N/A |
| 13. Additional information: | Notification using the total voting rights figures of 560,222,583 |
| 14. Contact name: | Gina Martinez/Vivien Tan |
| 15. Contact telephone number: | (213) 615-0469 |
Contact at Shire plc: Tony Guthrie, Deputy Company Secretary, 01256 894746
For further information please contact:
| Investor Relations | Cléa Rosenfeld (Rest of the World) | +44 1256 894 160 |
| | Eric Rojas (North America) | +1 617 551 9715 |
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.
