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PPF NOTIFIES ZENTIVA OF COURT ACTION TO ATTEMPT TO CALL EGM TO REPLACE ZENTIVA'S BOARD

Zentiva believes ppf's suit is without merit

Prague, London, February 4, 2009 - Zentiva N.V. ('Zentiva' or the 'Company') has been informed by Anthiarose Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PPF Group N.V., and Česká pojišťovna, a.s., a member of Generali PPF Holding N.V. (collectively, 'PPF'), that they have applied to the court of first instance in Amsterdam to initiate legal proceedings against the Company with the objective of obtaining court authorisation for PPF to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. The agenda of PPF's proposed EGM would include the dismissal of all of the current Directors A and B of Zentiva; the appointment of five new Directors B put forward by PPF and requiring the Board to make further disclosures with regard to any agreements that have been entered into with Sanofi-Aventis. 

The Board has not yet received the full court application, including the annexes thereto, and will carefully study these documents once they are received. 

Nevertheless, on the basis of all available information the Board believes the legal proceedings that PPF has initiated are entirely without merit and the Board intends to defend the Company against the court action. The Board of Zentiva is committed to the highest standards of corporate governance and has at all times acted in the interests of all shareholders and other stakeholders.

On February 9, 2009 the Company will hold an extraordinary general meeting with the agenda that was previously announced.

Investor Relations		Media Relations
Petr Šulc Chief Financial Officer Tel: +420 267 242 737 petr.sulc@zentiva.cz	Alexander Marček Corporate Finance Director Tel: +420 267 243 745 alexander.marcek@zentiva.cz	Věra Kudynová PR Manager Tel: +420 267 242 312 vera.kudynova@zentiva.cz
Liběna Stiebitzová Investor Relations Specialist Tel: +420 267 243 055 libena.stiebitzova@zentiva.cz	General Inquiries Tel: +420 267 243 888 Fax: +420 272 702 869 investor.relations@zentiva.cz	Citigate Dewe Rogerson  Tel: +44 (0)20 7638 9571     David Dible david.dible@citigatedr.co.uk Chris Gardner  chris.gardner@citigatedr.co.uk

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Forward-looking Statements

This document contains 'forward-looking statements'. These forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historically known facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this document and include, but are not limited to, statements and underlying assumptions regarding Zentiva's intentions, beliefs, projections, plans, objectives, estimates, and current expectations concerning, amongst other things, Zentiva's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies, and the countries and industries in which Zentiva operates. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'intends,' 'estimates,' 'plans' and similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Zentiva. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and the actual results of Zentiva's operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies, and the development of the countries and the industries in which Zentiva operates may differ materially from those described in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements contained in this document. Other than as required by applicable law, Zentiva does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.

Other Important Notices

This document does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any shares or global depositary shares in Zentiva, nor shall it or any part of it nor the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or investment decision. 

Recipients of this document, or any part or any copy of it, may not, directly or indirectly, take, or transmit into, or further distribute the document in, the United States, Canada, Australia, or Japan, or to any resident thereof. The distribution of this document in other jurisdictions may also be restricted by law, and persons into whose possession this document comes should inform themselves about, and observe, any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of US, Canadian, Japanese, Australian or other securities laws.

Zentiva's ordinary shares and global depositary shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933 (the 'Securities Act') and may not be offered or sold in the US except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

For the purpose of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 of the United Kingdom (the 'FSMA'), any potential invitation or inducement to engage in any investment activity included within this document (which Zentiva believes there is none) is directed only at (i) persons who are investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) of the United Kingdom (the 'Financial Promotion Order'); (ii) persons who fall within Articles 49(2)(a) to (d) ('high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.') of the Financial Promotion Order; and (iii) any other persons to whom this document for the purposes of Section 21 of FSMA can otherwise lawfully be made (all such persons together being referred to as 'relevant persons'), and must not be acted on or relied upon by persons other than relevant persons. Any potential invitation or inducement to engage in any investment activity included within this document (which Zentiva believes there is none) is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

This document is published in both English and Czech version, however, only its English version should be considered the official one. Its Czech version is published solely for information purposes, and no representation is made and no warranty is given as to the accuracy of the Czech translation. Should there be any difference between the English and Czech version of this document, the English version shall always prevail.

NOTE FOR EDITORS

Zentiva N.V. is an international pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing modern generic pharmaceutical products. The Company has leading positions in the pharmaceutical markets in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Turkey and is growing rapidly in Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Ukraine and the Baltic States. Zentiva's strategy is to further this growth by increasing patient access to modern medicines through primary care providers within the EU and Eastern Europe. This growth will be based on further organic development of Zentiva's existing business and through selective acquisitions, whilst maintaining profitable growth.

The Company addresses a wide range of therapeutic areas but has a particular focus on cardiovascular disorders, inflammatory conditions, pain, infections and diseases of the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal and urology fields.

The Zentiva Group employs almost 6,000 people and has production sites in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Turkey.

Zentiva is listed on the Prague and London Stock Exchanges. Based on official notifications by shareholders to the Dutch regulator, the Company's largest shareholders are Sanofi-Aventis (24.9%), PPF Group and Generali PPF Holding B.V. acting in concert (24.3%), Belviport Trading Ltd. (10.1%) and Fervent Holdings Limited (7.6%). Zentiva's management holds 5.9% of the Company shares. Other institutional and private investors hold a combined 27.2% of Company shares.

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