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SMITHKLINE BEECHAM AND SKYEPHARMA SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP ONCE DAILY REQUIP® LONDON, 13 September 1999 - SmithKline Beecham (SB) and SkyePharma PLC announced today that they have entered into a development and licensing agreement for a once-daily version of SB’s anti-Parkinsonion drug, Requip (ropinirole), using SkyePharma’s GEOMATRIX oral delivery technology. The new formulation is expected to provide a simplified regime for patients on Requip therapy thus improving patient convenience. Under the terms of the agreement, SkyePharma will be responsible for all development activities for Requip oral controlled release tablets up to regulatory filing in collaboration with SB. The terms of the agreement provide for: - An equity investment by SB of $8 million in SkyePharma equity. - SkyePharma to receive milestone payments at intervals up to product approval, including an upfront payment. - On commercialisation of once-daily Requip, SkyePharma will receive royalties on product sales. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disease in which the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain eventually impairs the ability to control body movements. The primary symptoms are tremors in the arms, legs, hands and face; rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and torso; slowness of movement; and impaired balance and co-ordination. Requip is indicated for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, both as initial monotherapy in early stage patients and as adjunct therapy with L-dopa to control motor fluctuations. It was first launched in 1997 in the US and most European countries and is currently administered three times daily. Requip has been proven effective in controlling tremors, muscle stiffness and impaired balance associated with Parkinson’s disease. A recent major five-year study shows that patients who completed the study on Requip alone were 15 times less likely to produce the involuntary, jerking movements (dyskinesias) that are a debilitating side effect of the current standard treatment (L-dopa) for Parkinson’s disease. In all patients both drugs were similarly effective in treating the underlying symptoms of the disease. Ian Gowrie-Smith, Chairman of SkyePharma said: "We are delighted that SmithKline Beecham has entrusted the development of Requip oral controlled release tablets to us. Their decision to take an equity position in SkyePharma is a further validation of their confidence in our capabilities in developing novel delivery profiles for products such as Paxil and now Requip." "We believe that in SkyePharma we have partnered with a company that has the commitment and capability to develop a controlled release version of Requip expeditiously, maximising the potential of this compound in Parkinson’s disease, "said Dr Tachi Yamada, Chairman, R&D, SB Pharmaceuticals. SmithKline Beecham - one of the world’s leading healthcare companies - discovers, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines and health-related consumer products. For company information, visit SmithKline Beecham on the World Wide Web at www.sb.com. SkyePharma - one of the world’s leading drug delivery companies, develops and manufactures advanced drug delivery solutions. Its technologies include oral, injectable and inhalation controlled-release systems. For company information, visit SkyePharma on the World Wide Web at www.skyepharma.com © 1999 SmithKline Beecham All rights reserved September 13, 1999