FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 21, 2006..

Peakdale extends its range of medicinal chemistry services.

Chapel-en-le-Frith, UK, 21st February 2006 – Peakdale Molecular Ltd announces the extension of its first-class range of Medicinal Chemistry Services to further support its customers’ drug discovery programmes. The services enable the Company to provide compounds with a superior starting point for hit discovery, resulting in significant savings for subsequent optimisation.

The Company has added to its medicinal chemistry expertise and developed computer-aided drug design (CADD) tools that build on its core strength of highly innovative synthetic chemistry. Peakdale has a proven track record of delivering superior compounds that add-value to customers’ drug discovery programmes with a rapid turnaround and has a reputation for maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and helping customers to establish ownership of intellectual property.

Peakdale’s Medicinal Chemistry Services are designed to complement its customers’ drug discovery initiatives through hit-to-lead and lead optimisation projects, patent protection projects, back-up chemotypes and fast follower candidate programmes. They also include the synthesis of chemogenetic arrays on an exclusive basis utilising Peakdale’s unique, privileged scaffolds. The services are underpinned by Peakdale’s strength in CADD, used to simulate drug-receptor interactions. The Company’s expertise in this specialist discipline enables its scientists to frontload compounds with beneficial ADMET properties and to construct 3D-QSAR models to identify favourable regions of chemical space.

Commenting on the announcement, Kim Morrison, Peakdale CEO, noted, “The enhancement of our service offering, led by Dr Terry Hart, is a major step in the drive to further support our pharmaceutical and biotech customers’ research and drug discovery programmes and marks a new chapter in the Company’s development.”

About Peakdale Molecular Ltd:

Peakdale Molecular was founded in 1992. Today, the Company’s customers include 18 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and an increasing number of biotechnology companies. Its teams of chemists combine experience in pharmaceutical R&D and process development, medicinal chemistry, parallel synthesis and fine chemicals to deliver unique chemistry solutions to a range of drug discovery challenges. Application of less commonly used chemistry, including high temperature/pressure reactions, proprietary heterocyclic chemistry and nucleoside synthesis, enables Peakdale’s chemists to generate unique compounds for drug discovery. Peakdale operates in several distinct markets providing novel screening compounds, targeted screening libraries, catalogue intermediates, custom synthesis and contract research. Further information about the Company can be obtained at www.peakdale.co.uk.

CONTACTS:

At the Company Kim Morrison, CEO Peakdale Molecular Tel: +44 (0) 1298 816700 Email: kim.morrison@peakdale.co.uk

Media Enquiries: Marc Egelhofer, Northbank Communications Tel: +44 (0) 1260 296500 Email: m.egelhofer@northbankcommunications.com