RNS Number:6486T
Galen Holdings PLC
24 December 2003


                               GALEN HOLDINGS PLC

            GALEN ANNOUNCES PATENT FOR CHEWABLE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES


Craigavon, Northern Ireland, UK/Rockaway, New Jersey, US, 24 December 2003 -
Galen Holdings PLC ("Galen") (LSE: GAL.L, Nasdaq: GALN), today announced that a
patent has been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for
chewable oral contraceptives.  This patent covers the company's Ovcon(R) 35
chewable tablet product which received final FDA approval in November 2003.


U.S. Patent No. 6,667,050 was issued to  Galen (Chemicals) Limited, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Galen.  The patent's inventors are Galen CEO, Roger
M. Boissonneault and Dr. Tina deVries, the company's Vice President,
Pharmaceutics.  The patent expires on June 12, 2021.


Galen is a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Craigavon, Northern Ireland
and Rockaway, New Jersey, US.  The Galen group of companies develops, acquires
and manufactures branded prescription pharmaceutical products, which are
promoted by the group's sales and marketing divisions in the UK, Ireland and the
US.


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Contacts:


Galen Holdings PLC

David Kelly, Sr. Vice President, Finance and Planning               Tel:  44 (0) 28 3833 4974 ext. 3634


Financial enquiries:

Financial Dynamics

Francetta Carr                                                      Tel: 44 (0) 207 831 3113


For further information on Galen, please visit www.galenplc.com


Note:


Forward looking statements in this report, including, without limitation,
statements relating to Galen's plans, strategies, objectives, expectations,
intentions and adequacy of resources, are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These
forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Galen to be materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.  These
factors include, among others, the following:  Galen's ability to manage its
growth, government regulation affecting the development, manufacture, marketing
and sale of pharmaceutical products, customer acceptance of new products,
competitive factors in the industries in which Galen operates, the loss of key
senior management or scientific staff, exchange rate fluctuations, general
economic and business conditions, and other factors described in filings of
Galen with the SEC.  Galen undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.


                     This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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