Release issued 30th May 2005

Biasca, Switzerland - May 18th , 2005 - Helsinn Chemicals SA and Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA have successfully passed a re-certification audit of its ISO14001 Environmental Management System. The audit by SGS took place on May 2nd and 3rd 2005.

In parallel, Helsinn has also applied for an audit from SGS to inspect the Helsinn sites in relation to the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 certification. Helsinn has also passed this audit successfully and is now OHSAS 18001 certified.

Helsinn Chemicals SA has been ISO 14001 certified since 2001. With Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA now fully operational and given the Company's drive for continuous improvement in environmental and safety issues, Helsinn's top management requested the Safety and Environment manager to work on the new safety standard OHSAS 18001, which is complimentary to ISO14001.

"We are proud of this excellent result. Both these certifications reconfirm the ongoing commitment that Helsinn has towards safety, health and environment and they integrate fully with the high cGMP standards of the company", says Paolo Guainazzi, General Manager of both Helsinn Chemicals SA and Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA.

With this achievement all three chemical plants of the Helsinn Chemical Operations, including Helsinn Chemicals Ireland Ltd, are ISO 14001 certified. Helsinn Chemicals Ireland also received in 2004 the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) Supreme Occupational Safety Award.

About OHSAS 18001.

While ISO 14001 is well-known and established world-wide, OHSAS 18001 is the new ISO standard for Safety & Health management systems and is fully compatible with the ISO 9001:1994 (Quality) and ISO 14001:1996 (Environmental) standards. The (OHSAS) specification outlines requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, to enable an organization to control its OH&S risks and improve its performance.

For more information on OHSAS and ISO 14001 visit also :

http://www.ohsas-18001-occupational-health-and-safety.com

http://www.iso14000.com/

About HELSINN HEALTHCARE

HELSINN HEALTHCARE SA is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with headquarters in Switzerland. HELSINN's core business is the licensing of pharmaceuticals in niche therapeutic areas. The company's business strategy is to in-license early-stage new chemical entities and complete their development from the performance of pre- clinical/clinical studies and CMC development to the attainment of market approvals in strategic markets (U.S. and Europe). HELSINN's products are eventually out-licensed to its marketing partners for distribution. The active pharmaceutical ingredients and the finished dosage forms are manufactured at HELSINN's cGMP facilities and supplied worldwide to its customers. For more information about HELSINN, please visit www.helsinn.com.

Contact person HELSINN:

Gabriel Haering, Director, Commercial Operations, Helsinn Chemicals - Helsinn Advanced Synthesis (+41) 91-8739420 info-hhc@helsinn.com

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