Intervet plans to acquire majority shareholding in Farmaceutici Gellini and Nuova ICC

Intervet plans to acquire majority shareholding in Farmaceutici Gellini and Nuova ICC Arnhem, the Netherlands, April 21, 1999. - Akzo Nobel announced today that Intervet International B.V., Akzo Nobel's veterinary business unit, has signed an agreement to acquire a majority shareholding in the Italian veterinary companies Farmaceutici Gellini S.p.A. and Nuova ICC S.p.A. Together with Intervet's local company, the combined operations will rank number two in the Italian veterinary market. Gellini and Nuova ICC develop, manufacture, and market their own range of pharmaceutical animal health products and are scientifically, and technologically, geared toward the treatment of disease in both large and small animals, as well as toward improving livestock nutrition. Their main product groups center around farm livestock, companion animals, and horses, including feed and feed supplements. Between them, Gellini and Nuova ICC employ 130 people, with sales aggregating approximately NLG 60 million. "This agreement fully supports Akzo Nobel's priority of building up its pharmaceutical businesses worldwide. The resulting combination further adds to the critical mass of Intervet, a solid and fast growing business unit of Akzo Nobel, specialized in the animal health area" said Paul Brons, Akzo Nobel's Board Member responsible for the pharmaceutical business. "Intervet already offers a broad spectrum of biological and pharmaceutical products for all animal species and the Gellini and Nuova ICC's products will not only complement, but also enhance the range," he added. Intervet, a business unit within Akzo Nobel's Pharma Group, is devoted to the research and development, manufacturing, and marketing of veterinary products. The product range includes vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases, antibiotics, mastitis and metritis injectors, endocrine products for fertility management, vitamined and mineral premixes. These products are all intended for use in a variety of target species, including poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, horses, dogs, cats, and fish. Intervet employs approximately 2,300 employees worldwide. About 14 percent of the total workforce is engaged in research and development, working in close cooperation with leading universities and institutes all over the world. Akzo Nobel, based in the Netherlands, serves customers throughout the world with healthcare products, coatings, chemicals, and fibers. The fibers business, now known as Acordis, is intended to be demerged in the course of the second half of 1999. The company currently employs some 86,000 people in more than 60 countries. As from 1999 the Euro will be Akzo Nobel's external reporting currency. Consolidated sales for 1998 totaled NLG 27.5 billion (EUR 12.5 billion / USD 13.8 billion / GBP 8.4 billion). Financial results for the second quarter of 1999 will be announced on July 28. - - - Internet: http://www.intervet.com http://www.akzonobel.com Note for the editor / not for publication For more information please contact: Intervet International B.V. Jaap van Beek, Corporate Communications , tel. +31 485 587 223 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/04/21/19990421BIT00360/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/04/21/19990421BIT00360/bit0002.pdf