FORM 6-K


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


Washington, D.C. 20549


Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


For the month ended October, 2011


ICON plc
(Registrant's name)


0-29714
(Commission file number)


South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland
(Address of principal executive offices)

Brendan Brennan, CFO
South County Business Park Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland.
Brendan.Brennan@iconplc.com
0011-353-1-291-2000
(Name, telephone number, email and/or facsmile number and address of Company contact person)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

              Yes___X___                                   No_______

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):

              Yes______                                    No___X___

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):

              Yes______                                    No___X___

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

              Yes_______                                   No___X___

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b):82      N/A

EXHIBIT LIST

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Exhibit 99.1

ICON Reports Q3 revenue growth of 7% to $241 million and net new business of $431 million. (NASDAQ:ICLR) (ISIN:IE0005711209)

Highlights – Third Quarter Fiscal 2011

* Net revenue of $241 million, a 7% increase year on year.

* GAAP EPS of -4c after restructuring charges of $4.8m. Excluding these restructuring charges EPS was 2c.

* Net business wins of $431 million representing a net book to bill of 1.8. Backlog grew 16% year on year to $2.2 billion.

** Central laboratory achieves breakeven.

** 2012 revenue expected to grow 15%-20% generating EPS in the range of $0.90 – $1.10.

** Board of Directors approve a $50m share buy-back.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 27, 2011--ICON (NASDAQ:ICLR)(ISIN:IE0005711209), a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Net revenues for the quarter grew 7% to $241 million compared to $225 million in the same quarter last year. Year-to-date, net revenues were $703 million, representing a 5% increase over the same period last year.

In Q3 US GAAP losses from operations were $3.6 million. During the quarter the company undertook a number of cost reduction steps which led to restructuring costs of $4.8 million. Before restructuring charges operating income was $1.1 million or 0.5% of revenue compared to $17.6 million or 7.8% of revenue for the same period last year. The year to date income from operations before restructuring charges was $32.6 million or 4.6% of revenue compared to $70 million or 10.5% of revenue last year.

US GAAP net loss in the quarter was $2.7 million or 4c per share. Excluding restructuring charges net income was $1.5 million or 2 cents per share on a diluted basis, compared to $19.9 million or 33 cents per share last year. Year to date net income before restructuring charges was 27.4 million or 45c per share compared to $65 million or $1.07 per share last year.

Days sales outstanding, comprising accounts receivable and unbilled revenue less payments on account, were 52 days at September 30, 2011, compared to 49 days at June 30 2011.

Net cash at September 30 2011 amounted to $166 million, compared to net cash of $215 million at the end of June 2011. During the quarter ICON acquired Firecrest Clinical Ltd for an initial cash consideration of $24.4 million. Firecrest Clinical provides a comprehensive site performance management system that is used to improve compliance, consistency and execution of activities at investigative sites.

The Board of Directors have approved a share buy-back programme of up to $50 million to commence in Q4.

CEO Ciaran Murray commented, “Our success in developing significant strategic partnerships has resulted in a milestone quarter of record net new business of $431m. To position ourselves for the future growth that will result from our backlog increasing by 16% over last year we have added circa 500 staff during the quarter which has impacted profitability. Looking forward, we will continue to invest in both our existing business and in our strategic relationships to provide

quality services to our customers. For 2012, we expect revenue growth to be in the region of 15% to 20% and EPS to be in the range of $0.90 to $1.10.”

In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP operating and net income and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. While non-GAAP financial measures are not superior to or a substitute for the comparable GAAP measures, ICON believes certain non-GAAP information is useful to investors for historical comparison purposes.

The company will hold its third quarter conference call today, October 27, 2011 at 9:00 EST [14:00 Ireland & UK]. This call and linked slide presentation can be accessed live from our website at http://www.iconplc.com. A recording will also be available on the website for 90 days following the call. In addition, a calendar of company events, including upcoming conference presentations, is available on our website, under “Investors”. This calendar will be updated regularly.

The statements made in this press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In addition to the matters described in this press release, the ability to maintain large client contracts or enter into new contracts, maintain client relationships and the ability to manage the opening of new offices, the integration of new business mergers and acquisitions, as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in SEC reports filed by ICON, including its Form 20-F, F-1, S-8 and F-3, may affect the actual results achieved by ICON. ICON disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

ICON plc is a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company specialises in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies. With headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ICON currently, operates from 79 locations in 39 countries and has approximately 8,350 employees. Further information is available at www.iconplc.com.

Source: ICON plc

ICON/ICLR-F

CONTACT:
ICON
Investor Relations 1-888-381-7923
or
Brendan Brennan Chief Financial Officer + 353 –1-291-2000
or
Sam Farthing VP Investor Relations + 353 –1-291-2000