UCB CEO to chair Innovative Medicines Initiative board

Brussels (Belgium), March 7, 2012 – 9:00 AM (CET) - press release - UCB announced today that CEO Roch Doliveux has been appointed Chairman of the Governing Board of the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). UCB has been involved in IMI since its initiation and Roch Doliveux joined the IMI Governing Board in May 2010.

IMI currently funds 30 projects with a combined budget of around €600 million and covering drug safety and efficacy, knowledge management, and education & training.

Roch Doliveux, CEO of UCB and member of the Board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Association (EFPIA) says ”The biopharmaceutical industry has reached an inflection point where public-private partnerships, bringing academic and industry knowledge together, are paving the way to better respond to new healthcare needs and bring safer, more efficacious and cost-effective treatments to patients. EFPIA considers IMI as a key instrument to implement the new business models which will ensure the sustainability of the pharmaceutical industry and increase the wellbeing of patients across Europe.’’

Michel Goldman, Executive Director of IMI said: “IMI will greatly benefit from the leadership and patient-centric perspective of Roch Doliveux. As Chair of the IMI Governing Board, Roch will be in a unique position to move forward his vision for the future of the pharmaceutical industry based on open innovation and precompetitive research. The early achievements of the ongoing IMI projects demonstrate that this new model based on public-private partnership is already successful.”

UCB is a significant contributor to the Innovative Medicines Initiative. UCB is participating in fifteen of the consortia within IMI, providing expert input on topics which include neurodegenerative disorders, inflammation, immunogenicity, predictive toxicology, pharmacovigilance, translational safety biomarkers, and strategies for treating COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), as well as a number of training programmes.

Note to editors

* Roch Doliveux joined UCB in October 2003 as Director General of the Pharma Sector and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee. He became CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of UCB Group on January 1, 2005. He is a member of the Board of Directors of UCB, as well as a member of the Board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Association (EFPIA), the Innovative Medicines Initiative board, the Science & Business Innovation Board, and WELBIO (Walloon Institute for Life Lead Sciences). He is also a member of the INSEAD International Council and founder of the Caring Entrepreneurship Fund (King Baudouin Foundation). For a full biography, visit UCB's website.

For further information UCB

France Nivelle, Global Communications, UCB
T +32.2.559.9178, france.nivelle@ucb.com

Laurent Schots, Global Communications, UCB

T +32.2.559.9264, laurent.schots@ucb.com

For further information IMI
Kim De Rijck – External Relations Manager
Tel: +32 484 89 62 27 - kim.derijck@imi.europa.eu

For further information

About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With more than 8 000 people in about 40 countries, the company generated revenue of EUR 3.2 billion in 2011. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB).

ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE MEDICINES INITIATIVE (IMI):
IMI is the world’s largest public-private partnership in health research and development. Through the 7th Framework Programme for Research, the European Union contributes €1 billion to the IMI research programme, which is matched by in kind contributions worth at least another €1 billion from the member companies of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). IMI is improving the environment for pharmaceutical innovation in Europe, by engaging and supporting networks of industrial and academic experts in collaborative research projects. The Innovative Medicines Initiative is currently funding 30projects, many of which are already producing impressive results. A comprehensive overview of ongoing projects is available at www.imi.europa.eu.

About EFPIA:

EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct

membership of 31 national associations and 35 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA provides

the voice of 2,000 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing new medicines

to improve health and quality of life around the world.

Forward looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, political, regulatory or clinical results and other such estimates and results. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms, costs associated with research and development, changes in the prospects for products in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial decisions or governmental investigations, product liability claims, challenges to patent protection for products or product candidates, changes in laws or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in tax laws or the administration of such laws and hiring and retention of its employees. UCB is providing this information as of the date of this press release and expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this press release, either to confirm the actual results or to report a change in its expectations.

There is no guarantee that new product candidates in the pipeline will progress to product approval or that new indications for existing products will be developed and approved. Products or potential products which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collaborations may be subject to differences between the partners. Also, UCB or others could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products after they are marketed.

Moreover, sales may be impacted by international and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost containment and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as well as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement.