Orion comments on new ANDA by Sun Pharma Global, Inc. for generic entacapone (Orion's proprietary drug Comtan®) in the United States

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

Orion Corporation has been informed that Sun Pharma Global, Inc. has
filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) 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 for Parkinson's disease and marketed
in the United States by its exclusive licensee, Novartis. Orion
previously sued Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for patent
infringement when it challenged certain Orion U.S. patents as part of
an earlier filed ANDA on a generic version of Orion's proprietary
drug, Stalevo®.  That action is pending in the District Court for the
District of New Jersey.

The new ANDA by Sun Pharma Global is expected to neither alter the
order of priority among existing generic applicants nor significantly
change the overall status regarding the current U.S. patent
litigations where Orion is a party. Wockhardt Limited (Wockhardt),
another generic manufacturer, filed an ANDA on a generic version of
Comtan in 2007, and would appear to have first-filer status for that
product.  Orion sued Wockhardt for patent infringement last year in
the District Court for the District of Delaware.  That litigation
remains pending, with a trial not scheduled until November 2009.  Sun
Pharma Global's new ANDA challenges two of Orion's U.S. patents
listed in the FDA's Orange Book, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,446,194 (already
part of the New Jersey lawsuit) and 6,599,530.  Regarding the two
remaining U.S. patents covering Comtan, Sun Pharma Global did not
challenge the U.S. patents No. 5,112,861 and No. 5,135,950, the
latter of which expires 31 October 2010. As such, generic competition
is still neither certain nor imminent.

Orion is, together with Novartis, 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 2007, Orion
generated net sales of EUR 683.6 million, invested EUR 98.5 million
in research and development and employed approximately 3,180 people.
Orion corporate headquarters are in Espoo, Finland.  For more
information, please visit:  http://www.orion.fi/english/.

Orion Corporation



Timo Lappalainen                   Olli Huotari
President and CEO                Senior VP, Corporate Functions


Contact persons:
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.




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Orion Corporation
Communications
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