Product Launch

RNS Number:2893T
M.L. Laboratories PLC
16 December 2003


                                                               16 December 2003


             PERITONEAL DIALYSIS SOLUTION PRODUCT LAUNCHED IN JAPAN

ML Laboratories PLC ("ML") announces that the worldwide licensee of its
icodextrin peritoneal dialysis solution, Baxter Healthcare Corporation
("Baxter"), has launched the product in the Japanese market under its trademark
'Extraneal'.

The product was approved for marketing earlier this year by the Ministry of
Health and Welfare in Japan.

Baxter considers Extraneal represents a significant achievement in its continued
effort to develop innovative therapies for people with kidney disease.

Of the estimated one million people worldwide suffering from chronic kidney
disease ("ESRD") who are treated with some form of dialysis therapy, 10 to 15
per cent. use peritoneal dialysis. In Japan, approximately 220,000 ESRD patients
are being treated with some form of dialysis. Globally the number of people
suffering from ESRD is growing at around 6% per annum.

Extraneal is currently approved for marketing in 36 countries and more than
10,000 patients worldwide are using the solution every day.

Stuart Sim, Chairman of ML said today: "The Japanese launch of Extraneal
represents excellent news as it offers the prospect of significant additional
royalty income from this large market".

                                    - Ends -

For further information please contact:

ML Laboratories PLC                                               01925 844700
Stuart Sim, Executive Chairman

Weber Shandwick Square Mile                                      020 7067 0700
Kevin Smith/Cass Helstrip

Note to editors:

ML is a pharmaceutical product development company with a track record of
successful clinical development, regulatory approval and licensing of
pharmaceutical products and a pipeline of future products targeted at specialist
markets. ML's activities are supported by a growing income stream from marketed
products it has successfully developed and licensed to other pharmaceutical
companies, which include Baxter, Shire and Celltech.

New therapeutic products in clinical development include cancer treatments, a
pain management compound prepared to enter Phase III studies, a preventative of
sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and a phosphate binder to assist
the management of kidney failure. ML's portfolio of early stage development
projects includes unique polymer/drug molecules to provide safer and more potent
cancer chemotherapy and technologies for use in the discovery and manufacture of
biotechnology products.

In addition ML provides inhaled drug delivery solutions to the global
pharmaceutical industry through its dedicated respiratory subsidiary Innovata
Biomed.

More information on Extraneal can be found at www.baxter.com/extraneal




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