RNS Number:7165P
Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc
18 January 2007


                          Pre-close trading statement

LONDON, 18 January 2007 - Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC ("Hikma") (LSE: HIK) (DIFX:
HIK), the multinational pharmaceuticals group, will enter its close period on 21
January 2007 ahead of the preliminary announcement of its results for the twelve
months ended 31 December 2006, which will be made on 22 March 2007.

Hikma performed very well in 2006 and the Board currently expects a strong set
of results for the 2006 full-year, with revenue growth of around 20%, gross
margin close to 50% and growth in profits attributable to shareholders slightly
below 25%.*

In 2006 the Branded business continued to perform extremely well, with
anticipated revenue growth of approximately 40% compared to 2005. This was
achieved through organic growth in our established markets, such as Saudi
Arabia, Sudan and Jordan, as well as by growth in newer markets like Lebanon and
the United Arab Emirates. The consolidation of approximately $12 million in
sales from JPI, wholly-owned as of September 2006, also contributed to this
strong performance. Gross margin in the Branded business will reflect the impact
of reference pricing in Algeria and increased overheads related to the new
Algerian manufacturing plant, opened in early 2006.

It is expected that our Injectable business will deliver strong growth of more
than 35% for the year, with growth coming from all three operating regions. We
saw considerable momentum in the MENA region and in Europe, where sales grew as
a result of our continued focus on sales and marketing. Sales in the US were
higher than last year and we are still awaiting the approval of an important
high margin product. Taking into consideration our strong product pipeline, we
increased investment in sales and marketing across all regions, particularly in
the second half of the year, but still expect to deliver operating margin
expansion on a year-on-year basis.

As announced in our trading update in October, the performance of our Generic
business was impacted in 2006 by continued price erosion and a limited
contribution from new product launches. We continue to expect that full year
Generic sales will be slightly below those achieved in 2005 and this will be
reflected in the Generic business's gross margin.


Outlook

Looking forward we expect to deliver sales growth in 2007 in the mid-20% range.
Gross margins are expected to be slightly lower in 2007 than in 2006, as we work
towards being more competitive in the US generic market and as we begin
production at our new Injectable plant in Portugal. We will continue to invest
in R&D at a rate of 5% to 6% of sales and we expect that our effective tax rate
will improve slightly from the 26% we are currently forecasting for 2006.

Commenting on 2006, Samih Darwazah, Chairman and CEO said, 'Hikma has performed
extremely well this year, continuing our track record for delivering strong
growth. We are confident about the Company's prospects for 2007 and believe that
the fundamentals of our business remain very strong. '


                                    - ENDS -

Enquiries:

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC

Susan Ringdal                                            +44 20 7399 2760
Investor Relations Director

Brunswick Group

Jon Coles / Justine McIlroy / Alex Tweed                 +44 20 7404 5959


About Hikma

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC is a multinational pharmaceutical group focused on
developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of both branded and
non-branded generic and in-licensed pharmaceutical products. Hikma's operations
are conducted through three businesses: Generic, Branded and Injectable
Pharmaceuticals. Hikma's operations are based principally in the United States,
the Middle East and North Africa ("MENA") region and Europe. In 2005, the Group
had revenue of $262 million and profit attributable to shareholders of $44
million. At 31 December 2005, the Group had over 1,800 employees. For news and
other information, please visit www.hikma.com.
--------------------------

* These figures have not yet been reviewed by Hikma's auditors


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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