Press Releases

PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/20/09 -- Editor's note: a photo is included with this news release.

More than 150 workers and community supporters marched through downtown Prince George today protesting the B.C. government's repressive Bill 21.

The march ended in a rally outside Prince George - Valemount MLA Shirley Bond's Office at lunchtime. The marchers were cheered by car drivers honking their support.

Participants came from as far away as Prince Rupert, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek to voice their opposition to the Bill that stripped CUPE 873 ambulance paramedics of their right to strike while they were voting on an offer from the government. That marked a shameful first in Canadian labour history. The message to Bond and her fellow B.C. Liberal MLAs was clear - collective bargaining is a Charter right and Bill 21 takes this right away from workers across the province.

CUPE BC general vice-president Steve Storch reviewed the negative effects of the legislation on paramedics and the threat it poses for more than 200,000 public-sector workers entering into bargaining next year.

CUPE Northern Area District Council president Dan Weiman told the crowd about his volunteer rescue work and his experiences working side-by-side with rural paramedics. He voiced his outrage at the lack of respect the provincial government has shown our first responders and said it was shameful that part-time paramedics make less money than coffee shop workers.

Local Paramedics who joined the protest were heartened by the support from both the public and fellow union members.

At the end of the rally, the CUPE representatives tried to speak to Shirley Bond in her office - but were unsuccessful. They left their contact information and requested a meeting with her to follow up on their concerns.

To view the photo accompanying this release, please click on the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20091120-cupe1120.jpg.

Contacts:
CUPE
Murray Bush
National Communications Representative
778.554.2234
www.CUPE.BC.ca

PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Nov. 20, 2009) -

Editor's note: a photo is included with this news release.

More than 150 workers and community supporters marched through downtown Prince George today protesting the B.C. government's repressive Bill 21.

The march ended in a rally outside Prince George - Valemount MLA Shirley Bond's Office at lunchtime. The marchers were cheered by car drivers honking their support.

Participants came from as far away as Prince Rupert, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek to voice their opposition to the Bill that stripped CUPE 873 ambulance paramedics of their right to strike while they were voting on an offer from the government. That marked a shameful first in Canadian labour history. The message to Bond and her fellow B.C. Liberal MLAs was clear - collective bargaining is a Charter right and Bill 21 takes this right away from workers across the province.

CUPE BC general vice-president Steve Storch reviewed the negative effects of the legislation on paramedics and the threat it poses for more than 200,000 public-sector workers entering into bargaining next year.

CUPE Northern Area District Council president Dan Weiman told the crowd about his volunteer rescue work and his experiences working side-by-side with rural paramedics. He voiced his outrage at the lack of respect the provincial government has shown our first responders and said it was shameful that part-time paramedics make less money than coffee shop workers.

Local Paramedics who joined the protest were heartened by the support from both the public and fellow union members.

At the end of the rally, the CUPE representatives tried to speak to Shirley Bond in her office - but were unsuccessful. They left their contact information and requested a meeting with her to follow up on their concerns.

To view the photo accompanying this release, please click on the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20091120-cupe1120.jpg.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
        CUPE
        Murray Bush
        National Communications Representative
        778.554.2234
        www.CUPE.BC.ca

Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) - BC

BOSTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld an earlier District Court ruling yesterday, approving a settlement in the long-running Average Wholesale Price (AWP) pharmaceutical litigation against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: AZN).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080317/AQM144LOGO)

The ruling affirms a settlement that awarded consumers who purchased the pharmaceutical giant's prostate cancer drug Zoladex treble damages, a rare if not unprecedented event in consumer litigation.

The case, argued by Steve W. Berman a Seattle plaintiff's attorney with Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS), afforded thousands of consumers access to a $24 million settlement against the drug giant accused of manipulating the price of Zoladex.

Under the settlement approved by the U.S. District Court in November 2007, any consumer who could provide reasonable documentation can receive three times the actual damages. Any funds left over from the $24 million settlement would go to non-profit organizations. Experts representing the plaintiffs expect that only about $21 million will be claimed by class members, many of whom have passed away since the case was filed.

The distribution to charities falls under a legal doctrine cy pre, a Norman French expression for "as near as it comes," allowing for the unclaimed amount of the settlement to benefit those in the class, even if indirectly.

This is the first time the First Circuit has affirmed the use of cy pre in this way.

The ruling was in response to an appeal filed by a class member who objected to the settlement, claiming the cy pre fund lowered the amount of recovery to class members. The objecting claimant also argued that the payment methodology was flawed; that payments discriminated against class members with supplemental insurance and that a conflict of interest existed since one of the plaintiffs could receive cy pre funding.

The court dismissed each of the objector's claims filed by attorney Don Haviland as "meritless."

"We are heartened that the Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris' early ruling approving the settlement," said Berman, noting that HBSS filed the first AWP case in 2002. "This settlement is perhaps the first time a consumer class was awarded treble damages in a case of this size."

Berman noted that the court's conclusion that no conflict of interest existed in the cy pre could have positive ramifications in other settlements in the AWP litigation.

Under the terms of the settlement, consumers who paid or contributed to the purchase of Zoladex through co-payments between December 1997 and 2003 are entitled to treble damages. Other class members will receive treble damages if money is left from the $24 million settlement. Experts agree that there will be sufficient funds to pay treble damages for all class members, with approximately $6.8 million remaining for cy pre funding.

The First Circuit ruling noted the District Court's work, applauding Judge Patti Saris, saying her court has "handled this matter with sensitivity and care." Judge Saris has presided over this case since 2001.

About Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro is a nationally recognized class-action and complex-litigation law firm based in Seattle with offices in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. Among recent successes, HBSS negotiated a $300 million settlement in the DRAM memory antitrust litigation, the largest antitrust settlement in U.S. history, recovered $340 million on behalf of Enron employees, and was part of the leadership team in the $3 billion Visa/MasterCard settlement. In pharmaceutical litigation, the firm's recent successes include a $350 million settlement with McKesson, more than $200 million with other parties in drug-pricing litigation, and a $150 million settlement regarding Lupron. HBSS represented Washington and 12 other states against the tobacco industry that resulted in the largest settlement in history. For a complete listing of HBSS cases, visit www.hbsslaw.com.

CASE 09-1196

CONTACT:

Steve Berman
206-623-7292
steve@hbsslaw.com

Mark Firmani
206-443-9357
Mark@firmani.com

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro

KOS (TSX)

QUEBEC CITY, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Cossette Inc. reaffirmed today its support for the privatization transaction (the "Mill Road Transaction") with Mill Road Capital, L.P. ("Mill Road") and its recommendation that shareholders vote in favour thereof.

The management information circular in connection with the special general meeting of shareholders to be held on December 18, 2009 to consider the Mill Road Transaction has been filed with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities and will be mailed to shareholders shortly. The circular contains a determination that the Mill Road Transaction is fair to Cossette's shareholders other than key senior management shareholders (the "Senior Executives") exchanging part of their Cossette shares for shares of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mill Road (the "Public Shareholders") and is in the best interests of Cossette and the Public Shareholders. The circular also contains a recommendation to the shareholders of Cossette that they vote in favour of the Mill Road Transaction. The Board considered the following reasons for its recommendation:

    - Significant Premium. The all-cash consideration of $7.87 per share to
      be received pursuant to the Mill Road Transaction represents a premium
      of approximately 40% to the volume-weighted average trading price of
      the Shares for the 20 trading days ending on November 9, 2009 (the last
      trading day prior to the announcement of the Mill Road Transaction on
      November 10, 2009) and a premium of 142% over the unaffected share
      price of $3.25 on July 17, 2009 (the last trading day prior to Cosmos
      Capital Inc. ("Cosmos") announcing its unsolicited and non-binding
      proposal on July 20, 2009).

    - Extensive Strategic Review Process. Cossette conducted, with the
      assistance of its financial and legal advisors, a thorough review
      process to identify potential parties interested in acquiring all of
      the shares of Cossette or in participating in any other form of
      transaction with a view to maximizing value for all shareholders.

    - Fairness Opinions of RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets. RBC
      Capital Markets delivered to the Special Committee, and BMO Capital
      Markets delivered to the Board, opinions to the effect that, as of
      November 9, 2009, the consideration to be received pursuant to the Mill
      Road Transaction is fair from a financial point of view to the Public
      Shareholders (excluding Cosmos).

    - Reasonableness of the Merger Agreement. The terms and conditions of the
      Merger Agreement between Cossette and Mill Road, which were reviewed by
      the members of the Special Committee in consultation with its legal
      advisor, were determined to be fair and reasonable and were the result
      of arm's length negotiations between Cossette and Mill Road.

    - Superior Proposals. Under the Merger Agreement, the Board has retained
      the ability to consider a competing acquisition proposal not solicited
      by it which the Board believes, in the exercise of its fiduciary
      duties, represents, or could reasonably be expected to lead to, a
      superior proposal, and to terminate the Merger Agreement in the event
      of such superior proposal, subject to Mill Road's right to match or be
      paid a termination fee of $3.25 million. In addition, the support and
      voting agreements between Mill Road and the Senior Executives terminate
      automatically in the event of the termination of the Merger Agreement.

    - All-Cash Consideration. The payment of cash under the Mill Road
      Transaction will provide shareholders with immediate liquidity and
      certainty of value that is not subject to market fluctuations.

    - No Further Due Diligence. The Mill Road Transaction is not subject to
      further due diligence.

    - Support of the Mill Road Transaction by the Senior Executives. The
      Senior Executives, who hold shares representing approximately 30% of
      the outstanding shares, have each entered into a support and voting
      agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in
      favour of the Mill Road Transaction, subject to certain conditions.

    - Interests of Other Stakeholders. The nature of a board supported,
      negotiated transaction such as the Mill Road Transaction, together with
      Mill Road's agreement to cause Cossette to comply with its obligations
      under Cossette's retention program and to guarantee the performance of
      such obligations as part of the completion of the Mill Road
      Transaction, should address the concerns of Cossette's employees at a
      time of uncertainty and maintain stability and a high level of service
      at Cossette, which should in turn reassure Cossette's clients. In
      Cossette's line of business, its most valuable assets are its employees
      and its relationships with clients.

About Cossette

Cossette Inc. offers a full range of leading-edge communication services to clients of all sizes, including some of the most prestigious brands in the world. A customer-driven organization built around highly specialized business units, Cossette also offers Convergent Communications(TM), a unique working method that brings added value to the client by integrating various services offered by the Group, including strategic planning and research, advertising, media buying and channel planning, sales promotion, direct response, database and direct marketing, customer relationship management, interactive marketing and technology solutions, public relations, organizational communication and change management, sponsorship and alliance marketing, branding and design, ethnic marketing, business-to-business communications (B2B practices) and print and video production. Cossette has approximately 1,437 employees and offices in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, New York, Irvine, Los Angeles, London and Shanghai.

SOURCE COSSETTE INC.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to the proposed initial public offering of shares of its Class A common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.

The joint book-running managers of the proposed offering will be J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. The co-managers will be BofA Merrill Lynch and Wedbush PacGrow Life Sciences.

A registration statement relating to the Class A common stock has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. The Class A common stock may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. The registration statement may be accessed through the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Once available, a preliminary prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained from J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions at 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, or by telephone at (866) 803-9204; or from Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated at 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department, by calling (866) 718-1649, or by emailing prospectus@morganstanley.com.

    Source: Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.