Orion sues Sun Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. to enforce a patent for Stalevo®



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


Orion Corporation has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the
United States to enforce its formulation patent, U.S. Patent No.
6,500,867, against Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. and Sun
Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, who seek to market generic
versions of Stalevo® tablets (25/100/200 and 37.5/150/200 mg
strengths of carbidopa/levodopa/entacapone) in the United States.
Stalevo is an enhanced levodopa treatment originated by Orion
Corporation and marketed in the United States by its exclusive
licensee, Novartis, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Orion
Corporation and Novartis will vigorously defend the intellectual
property rights covering Stalevo.

As previously reported, Orion Corporation was notified in October
2007 that a generic drug company had submitted an Abbreviated New
Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) that included a Paragraph IV certification challenging two of
Orion Corporation's formulation patents protecting Stalevo. By suing
to enforce its patent within 45 days from receipt of the Paragraph IV
certification notice, Orion Corporation is entitled to an automatic
stay prohibiting the FDA from approving the applicant's ANDA for 30
months, or until an earlier court decision adverse to Orion
Corporation's patent in the patent infringement lawsuit. As such, the
realisation of generic competition is neither certain nor imminent.

ABOUT ORION

Orion Corporation is dedicated to treating and preventing disease by
discovery and developing innovative medicinal treatments. In 2006,
Orion Corporation 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
Orionintie 1A, FI-02200 Espoo
Homepage: www.orion.fi