Sale of an industrial site in France

Brussels, 2nd September 2004 – UCB announced today the sale of its factory in Limay (Yvelines, France) to Nextpharma, who is a European leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing. This sale is part of the continuing process to optimize the efficiency of UCB manufacturing capacity.

The factory, which at present employs 105 people, specializes in the production of medicines mostly in the form of drinkable liquids (bottles and vials), creams, ointments and sprays.

No redundancies will result directly from this sale.

In addition, UCB Pharma France, where almost 500 people are employed, is one of the Group's most important pharmaceutical subsidiaries in Europe and it will go on growing.