Purchase Of Shares By Employee Benefit Trust

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that the Shire Employee Benefit Trust (the "Trust") has been requested to purchase up to US$50 million of Shire plc ordinary shares over the period 6 May 2011 to 5 August 2011.

Any such purchases will be made for the benefit of the Trust, in connection with Shire's management of its various employee share schemes.  Any purchases have been requested to be made on an irrevocable, non-discretionary, rolling basis.

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Notes to editors

SHIRE PLC

Shire’s strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician.  Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT) and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions.  Shire’s in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights.  Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.

For further information on Shire, please visit the Company’s website: www.shire.com.