Basel, Switzerland 20 October 2009 - Lonza Group AG (SIX:LONN) announced today that it has withdrawn its previously announced non-binding proposal to acquire all of the outstanding restricted voting shares of Patheon Inc at a price of US$3.55 per restricted voting share. While Lonza continues to believe that entry into the formulation contract manufacturing business fits within Lonza’s current growth strategy, a combination of factors including value considerations, the rejection of the Lonza proposal by the majority shareholder of Patheon, and the availability to Lonza of possible alternatives makes the proposed acquisition unattractive to Lonza at this time. Lonza and Patheon have also agreed to terminate discussions regarding other strategic options that would not involve the sale of JLL’s shares.
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world’s leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries. Its products and services span its customers’ needs from research to final product manufacture. Lonza is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is a leader in cell-based research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Lonza is also a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agro and personal care markets.
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. In 2008, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.937 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
For further Information
Lonza Group Ltd
Head Corporate Communications
Michael Frizberg
Tel +41 61 316 8624
Fax +41 61 316 9624
michael.frizberg@lonza.com
Lonza Group Ltd
Media Relations
Dominik Werner
Tel +41 61 316 8798
Fax +41 61 316 9798
dominik.werner@lonza.com
Lonza Group Ltd
Investor Relations
Marcel Rosenast
Tel +41 61 316 8728
Fax +41 61 316 9728
marcel.rosenast@lonza.com
