Shire Launches Nationwide Adult ADHD Mobile Awareness Tour

    PHILADELPHIA, May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Shire plc (LSE: SHP,
 Nasdaq:   SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today
 announced the launch of a 13-city mobile screening initiative for adults
 with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a psychiatric
 disorder that affects approximately 4.4 percent of the U.S. adult
 population aged 18-44 according to the National Comorbidity Survey
 Replication, a nationally representative household survey. The screening
 initiative, launched in Atlanta, GA, is designed to help raise awareness
 that ADHD is not just a childhood disorder. Research shows it is estimated
 that up to 65 percent of children with ADHD will continue to exhibit
 symptoms into adulthood. Adults who think they may have ADHD can take the
 first step toward recognizing the symptoms of the disorder by answering the
 6-question World Health Organization (W.H.O.) adult ADHD screener. The
 screening initiative, known as the "RoADHD Trip," is housed, transported
 and anchored by the RoADHD Trip Tractor Trailer which expands into a tented
 area housing eight self-screening stations.
 
     "Shire developed this mobile screening initiative as a forum to educate
 the public about ADHD in adults and provide information and resources to
 individuals about this disorder," said Gerardo Torres, M.D., Vice President
 and Scientific Lead, of Shire's ADHD Business Unit. "This program
 demonstrates Shire's on-going commitment to providing information for those
 who may be struggling with the symptoms of ADHD."
 
     In each of the 13 cities, Shire is partnering with the Attention
 Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), a leading adult ADHD patient advocacy
 organization, in an effort to assist up to 20,000 adults to self-screen for
 this disorder. Volunteers from ADDA will also be on-site to answer
 questions about ADHD in adults and to provide information about their
 organization. The W.H.O. adult ADHD screener, a questionnaire that is used
 to help recognize the symptoms of ADHD, will be available via on-site
 computers to help facilitate self evaluations. The W.H.O. screener is not
 designed to provide a diagnosis of ADHD but may provide information to
 participants regarding the symptoms of ADHD. Participants should discuss
 any questions they have regarding the W.H.O. screener results and other
 concerns about ADHD with their physician.
 
     "Seeking information and speaking to qualified health care
 professionals are critical steps to diagnosis and management of ADHD,"
 further explained Dr. Torres. "This initiative is an important first step
 to encourage that dialogue between patients and their physicians."
 
     The symptoms of ADHD may lead to potentially serious consequences in
 adults. Surveys have shown that when compared with their non-ADHD peers,
 adults with ADHD may be:
 
 
     -- Three times more likely to be currently unemployed;
      -- Two times more likely to have problems keeping friends;
      -- Forty-seven percent more likely to have trouble saving money to pay
         bills;
      -- Two times more likely to have been involved in three or more car
         crashes;
      -- Forty-seven percent more likely to have received more than one
         speeding ticket in a 12-month period.
 
     Adults who think they may have ADHD are invited to participate in a
 free self-screening when Shire's ADHD "RoADHD Trip," arrives in their area.
 The events will take in Atlanta, GA; Alpharetta, GA; Raleigh, NC;
 Simpsonville, SC; Albany, NY; Nashville, TN; York, PA; Boston, MA; Chicago,
 IL; Milwaukee, WI; Taylor, MI; Ionia, MI; and Columbus, OH.
 
     To find out specific dates of each of the screening events and for ADHD
 information in general, please visit www.ADHDSupport.com or ADD.org.
 
     About ADHD
 
     ADHD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children and
 adolescents. Approximately 7.8 percent of all school-aged children, or
 about 4.4 million U.S. children aged 4 to 17 years, have been diagnosed
 with ADHD at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Centers for
 Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disorder is also estimated to
 affect 4.4 percent of U.S. adults aged 18-44 based on results from the
 National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative
 household survey, which used a lay-administered diagnostic interview to
 assess a wide range of DSM-IV disorders. ADHD is a neurobiological disorder
 that manifests as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or
 hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is
 typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development. To
 be properly diagnosed with ADHD, a child needs to demonstrate at least six
 of nine symptoms of inattention; and/or at least six of nine symptoms of
 hyperactivity/impulsivity; the onset of which appears before age 7 years;
 that some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings
 (e.g., at school and home); that the symptoms continue for at least six
 months; and that there is clinically significant impairment in social,
 academic or occupational functioning and the symptoms cannot be better
 explained by another psychiatric disorder.
 
     Although there is no "cure" for ADHD, there are accepted treatments
 that specifically target its symptoms. The most common standard treatments
 include educational approaches, psychological or behavioral modification,
 and medication.
 
     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 and
 hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT),
 gastrointestinal (GI) and renal diseases. The structure is sufficiently
 flexible to allow Shire to target new therapeutic areas to the extent
 opportunities arise through acquisitions. Shire's in-licensing, merger and
 acquisition efforts are focused on products in niche markets with strong
 intellectual property protection either in the US or Europe. Shire believes
 that a carefully selected 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, Shire's results could be
 materially affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not
 limited to, risks associated with: the inherent uncertainty of
 pharmaceutical research, product development including, but not limited to
 the successful development of JUVISTA(R) (Human TGF(beta)3) and
 velaglucerase alfa (GA-GCB); manufacturing and commercialization including,
 but not limited to, the establishment in the market of VYVANSE(TM)
 (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
 ("ADHD")); the impact of competitive products, including, but not limited
 to, the impact of those on Shire's ADHD franchise; patents, including but
 not limited to, legal challenges relating to Shire's ADHD franchise;
 government regulation and approval, including but not limited to the
 expected product approval date of INTUNIV(TM) (guanfacine extended release)
 (ADHD); Shire's ability to secure new products for commercialization and/or
 development; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time
 in Shire plc's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
 including Shire plc's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
 December 31, 2007.
 
 
 

SOURCE Shire plc