Eurand N.V., a global specialty pharmaceutical company, and Axcan Holdings, Inc., a leading pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Axcan will acquire all the outstanding shares of Eurand for $12.00 per share in cash. The fully diluted equity value of the transaction is approximately $583 million. Under the terms of the agreement, it is anticipated that a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axcan will shortly commence a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Eurand.

The Independent Directors of Eurand, composed entirely of non-management, non-majority-shareholder directors, acting on behalf of the Eurand Board, have unanimously approved the acquisition agreement and recommend that Eurand shareholders tender their shares into the offer. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011.

Angelo C. Malahias, chairman of Eurand's Special Committee consisting of the Independent Directors, said, "After an extended auction process, and in conjunction with its independent financial and legal advisors, the board of directors has concluded that this agreement is in the best interests of our shareholders and other stakeholders."

Gearóid Faherty, chairman and CEO of Eurand, said, "The last several years have seen Eurand evolve from being a license and development, drug formulation company into a fully integrated, specialty pharmaceutical business with the development and launch of ZENPEP. I am very proud of the achievements of the Eurand team and this transaction shows the attractiveness of the business that we have created. I want to thank all of our employees for their hard work and dedication to Eurand over the many years of our development. It has been my pleasure and privilege to work with these talented people, and I wish them much success in the new organization."

Mr. Faherty will remain chairman and CEO of Eurand through the end of 2010. At that time, John J. Fraher, currently chief commercial officer of Eurand, will become chief executive officer and  Malahias will become non-executive chairman. Fraher joined Eurand in 1995. He has broad experience in the specialty pharmaceutical industry. Malahias has been chairman of the Audit Committee of the Eurand Board since 2007 and was formerly president of Andrx Corporation.

Malahias said, "The Board and I wish to express our sincere gratitude to Gearóid Faherty for his many contributions and years of outstanding service to Eurand. He has done an excellent job building Eurand to where it is today. We appreciate that he has agreed to stay on as chairman and CEO through the initial portion of the transition period as we work towards our combination with Axcan."

The combined company will have an enhanced presence in the specialty pharmaceuticals sector and will be led by Frank Verwiel, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Axcan. Dr. Verwiel said, "We are excited about the significant benefits this transaction delivers to stockholders, employees and customers of both organizations. Through combining the organizations, we look to create a new organization with an enhanced product portfolio, broader geographic reach, a robust research and development pipeline, innovative pharmaceutical development and manufacturing platforms, and a world-class sales force."

The transaction is subject to a condition that a minimum of 80% of Eurand shares be tendered, as well as receipt of antitrust approval. To reach the 80% threshold, a majority of the shares held by shareholders other than Faherty and affiliates of Warburg Pincus will be required to be tendered. Affiliates of Warburg Pincus, which own approximately 55% of Eurand's outstanding shares in the aggregate, and Mr. Faherty, who owns approximately 3.7% of Eurand's outstanding shares in the aggregate, have entered into agreements pursuant to which they will tender their shares into the offer.

If the initial offering period of the tender offer is successfully completed, Axcan will provide for a subsequent offering period of at least 10 business days to allow shareholders to tender any shares not tendered during the initial offering period. Holders of Eurand shares not tendered during the offer or the subsequent offering period will receive $12.00 per share in cash, less applicable withholding taxes, for each untendered share, pursuant to a liquidating distribution or another transaction implemented by Eurand.

Axcan has secured committed debt financing from BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital and RBC Capital Markets.

Jefferies & Company Inc. is acting as financial advisor, NautaDutilh is acting as Dutch legal counsel, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is acting as US legal counsel to the independent Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Eurand. Goldman Sachs is acting as financial advisor and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and NautaDutilh are acting as legal counsel to Eurand N.V.

BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, and RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors to Axcan. Ropes & Gray LLP, Baker & McKenzie, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Blank Rome LLP are acting as legal advisors to Axcan.

Eurand is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes enhanced pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products based on its proprietary pharmaceutical technologies.

Axcan Holdings Inc., parent company of Axcan Intermediate Holdings Inc., is a privately-held, leading global specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in gastroenterology with clinical and commercial operations in the United States, the European Union and Canada.