TKTX Transkaryotic Therapies (MM)

TKT Assessing Impact of Fire at Manufacturing Facility CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TKTX) announced that a fire occurred yesterday afternoon at its Cambridge, Massachusetts manufacturing facility. All employees were safely evacuated from the building and no injuries occurred. The fire originated on the roof of the facility and was confined largely to the roof. The damage elsewhere was limited to water and smoke damage. The company manufactures bulk drug substance of its protein products, Replagal(TM) (agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease, Iduronate-2-Sulfatase (I2S) for Hunter syndrome, and Gene- Activated(R) glucocerebrosidase (GA-GCB) for Gaucher disease at this facility. Based on existing inventory levels, the company does not expect any interruption with commercial supply of Replagal and material for its clinical trials in the near-term. No finished goods or drug substance inventories were lost as a result of the fire, the cause of which is unknown at this time. The company has temporarily suspended production at the facility. TKT expects to complete its assessment of the fire's impact on the facility over the next several days and implement a plan to resume manufacturing at the facility as quickly as possible. The company plans to provide additional information on its first quarter 2005 conference call, scheduled for May 5, 2005. About TKT Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on researching, developing and commercializing treatments for rare diseases caused by protein deficiencies. Within this focus, the company markets Replagal(TM), an enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease, and is developing treatments for Hunter syndrome and Gaucher disease. In addition to its focus on rare diseases, TKT intends to commercialize Dynepo(TM), its Gene- Activated(R) erythropoietin product for anemia related to kidney disease, in the European Union. TKT was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional operations in Europe, Canada and South America. Additional information about TKT is available on the company's website at http://www.tktx.com/. Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the proposed transaction between Shire and TKT, and the manufacturing of Replagal, I2S and GA-GCB, as well as statements about future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects, including statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "should," "could," "will," "may," and similar expressions. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: whether the fire will affect its ability to supply product for commercial use or clinical trials; the extent of damage to the facility; timing of when the facility will be operational; and other factors set forth under the caption "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, which is on file with the SEC and which factors are incorporated herein by reference. While the company may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its expectations change. Gene-Activated(R) is a registered trademark and Replagal(TM) is a trademark of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. Dynepo(TM) is a trademark of Sanofi-Aventis. For More Information Contact Justine E. Koenigsberg Senior Director, Corporate Communications (617) 349-0271 Daniella M. Lutz Manager, Corporate Communications (617) 349-0205 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990913/TKTLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. CONTACT: Justine E. Koenigsberg, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, +1-617- 349-0271, or Daniella M. Lutz, Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-617-349-0205, both of TKT Web site: http://www.tktx.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/120657.html

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