OREANDA-NEWS. Actelion (SIX: ATLN) announced today that it has received approval from the relevant authorities to launch the repurchase of up to 10 million shares (8.76% of currently issued capital), over three years.

The repurchase program will be carried out via a second trading line on the SIX Swiss Exchange established for this purpose (SIX: ATLNE). Trading is expected to commence on 9 April 2015 and will run over a maximum of three years.

At subsequent Annual General Meetings, Actelion's Board of Directors will propose that the shares bought through this program be cancelled and the issued share capital reduced accordingly.

Jean-Paul Clozel, MD, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "This program demonstrates our continued commitment to shareholder value creation. The excellent results we have seen with our PAH portfolio, together with the value created through our discovery and development efforts, gives us confidence in our long-term future. The program will immediately generate value for our shareholders."

Andr? C. Muller, Chief Financial Officer, commented: "Our efforts to optimize profitability have resulted in a net cash position of almost 1 billion Swiss francs. We are constantly looking to make the best use of this reserve through business development opportunities, whenever they fit both our strategic and financial criteria. In the absence of an appropriate opportunity to create significant value for the company and, ultimately, for our shareholders, we will return value through dividends and share repurchase programs."

Shares purchased on the second trading line are subject to the Swiss federal withholding tax at the rate of 35% on the difference between the repurchase price of the Actelion registered share and its nominal value of CHF 0.50. This withholding tax can be reclaimed by qualified investors.

The maximum daily repurchase volume is 127,572 shares, calculated in accordance with Art. 55b(1)(c) of the Swiss Federal Ordinance on Stock Exchange and Securities Trading.

ACTELION LTD

Actelion Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative drugs for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

Actelion is a leader in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our portfolio of PAH treatments covers the spectrum of disease, from WHO Functional Class (FC) II through to FC IV, with oral, inhaled and intravenous medications. Although not available in all countries, Actelion has treatments approved by health authorities for a number of specialist diseases including Type 1 Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type C disease, Digital Ulcers in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis, and mycosis fungoides type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Founded in late 1997, with now over 2,400 dedicated professionals covering all key markets around the world including Europe, the US, Japan, China, Russia and Mexico, Actelion has its corporate headquarters in Allschwil / Basel, Switzerland.

Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI®). All trademarks are legally protected.