Orion comments on ANDA filing of generic entacapone (Orion s proprietary drug Comtan®) in the United States

Company states the realisation of generic competition is neither
certain nor imminent

Orion Corporation has been informed that an Abbreviated New Drug
Application (ANDA) has been filed with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) by a generic drug company seeking authorisation
to produce and market a generic version of entacapone (200 mg
tablets) in the United States. Entacapone is the active ingredient in
Comtan®, a product originated by Orion Corporation and marketed in
the United States by its exclusive licensee, Novartis, for the
treatment of Parkinson's disease. At this point, the ANDA review
process is just beginning and the realisation of generic competition
is neither certain nor imminent.

The applicant has filed so-called Paragraph IV certifications
challenging three of five Orion U.S. patents covering Comtan and
listed in the Orange Book, the FDA's official listing of approved
drug products. The patents receiving Paragraph IV certifications are
U.S. Patent No. 5,135,950, U.S. Patent No. 5,446,194, and U.S. Patent
No. 6,599,530. Regarding the remaining two U.S. patents not receiving
Paragraph IV certifications (U.S. Patent Nos. 4,963,590 and
5,112,861), the applicant has certified with the FDA that it would
not seek approval to market generic entacapone before the expiry of
those two patents, the latest of which expires May 12, 2009.

Paragraph IV certifications are not uncommon in the USA.

Orion is currently evaluating its legal options to protect its
rights. Under the U.S. system, if a patent owner brings a lawsuit
against an ANDA applicant within a certain time limit, there will be
a 30-month stay of final FDA approval. During that time, the FDA can
give only a tentative approval to the ANDA applicant unless the
applicant obtains a favorable decision on all challenged patents in
the lawsuit.

ABOUT ORION

Orion is dedicated to treating and preventing disease by discovery
and developing innovative medicinal treatments. In 2006, Orion
generated sales of EUR 641.1 million, invested EUR 84.1 million in
research and development and employed approximately 3,060 people
Orion corporate headquarters are in Espoo, Finland.  For more
information, please visit:  http://www.orion.fi/english/.



Orion Corporation



Jukka Viinanen                                            Olli
Huotari
President and CEO                                      Senior VP,
Corporate Functions


Contact persons:
Jukka Viinanen, President and CEO, phone +358 10 426 3710
Olli Huotari, Senior VP, Corporate Functions, phone +358 10 426 3054


Statements in this news release other than historical information are
forward-looking statement subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual
results could differ materially depending on factors such as the
availability of resources, the timing and effects of regulatory
actions, the strength of competition, the outcome of litigation and
the effectiveness of patent protection. Additional information
regarding risks and uncertainties is set forth in Annual Report for
2006.


Publisher:
Orion Corporation
Communications
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Homepage: www.orion.fi