Leiden (The Netherlands) and Gent (Belgium), January 23, 2002 - Dutch antibody and vaccine company Crucell (NASDAQ, Euronext: CRXL) and Belgian biotechnology company Innogenetics (NASDAQ Europe: INNX) today announced that they have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibody products on Crucell's human cell line PER.C6.

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Innogenetics will use the PER.C6 platform to develop monoclonal antibodies in the context of its therapeutic programs, and will be able to manufacture and market the emerging therapeutic products. Crucell will receive upfront and annual payments, as well as royalties on net sales of marketed products. No further financial details were disclosed.

Crucell's CEO Dinko Valerio welcomes Innogenetics as its launching customer for antibody production. "We are delighted with Innogenetics' choice for our technology in the context of its therapeutic programs. After the successful commercialisation of PER.C6 for vaccines and gene therapy, this deal is a vital step towards rolling out PER.C6 as the industry's platform of choice for antibody production."

Innogenetics' CEO Philippe Archinard is very pleased with this partnership, representing a further step towards becoming a premier biopharmaceutical player. "We are accessing a state-of-the-art technology platform that offers superior yields compared to the existing animal cell lines used for antibody production, and that enables production of fully human antibodies on an industrial scale. This agreement fits very well with our strategy of accelerating the development process of our therapeutic programs."

According to various estimates, the market for antibodies will grow by some 30% per year and will exceed $ 20 billion by 2010. The current antibody production platforms used in the industry are not expected to meet the future demand for production capacity.

PER.C6 is widely embraced by the industry for the production of vaccines and gene therapy products. Building on the successful track record of PER.C6, Crucell and Innogenetics believe that this cell line will become the platform of choice for human antibody production.

About Innogenetics
Belgian biotechnology company Innogenetics develops innovative therapies in the fields of hepatitis C, immune disorders and tissue repair (through its wholly owned subsidiary XCELLentis). A Phase IIa clinical trial for a therapeutic vaccine against hepatitis C is currently ongoing. Various pre-clinical programs are underway in the treatment of edema and septic shock. A Phase II trial will start in Q2 2002 in the domain of wound care.
Innogenetics has achieved a worldwide leadership position in high value-added diagnostics ("theranostics") focusing on infectious diseases, neurodegeneration and genetic predisposition testing. With its vertically integrated diagnostics activities, Innogenetics is also leveraging its intellectual property, know how and product offering through strategic partnerships with leading in-vitro diagnostic players, such as Abbott, Bayer, and Roche.
Founded in 1985, Innogenetics has been listed on the NASDAQ Europe since November 1996. Innogenetics has its headquarters in Gent, Belgium, and currently employs 550 staff.

About Crucell
Dutch biotechnology company Crucell discovers and develops novel antibodies and vaccines against cancer, inflammatory disease and infectious disease.

Crucell discovers novel disease targets and develops fully human antibodies against them. Commercialisation takes place by pharmaceutical firms in return for upfront payments, milestones and royalties. Crucell's anti-CD 46 antibody against multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and colon cancer is being co-developed with Centocor, a Johnson & Johnson company.

Crucell is currently developing antibodies against colon cancer, breast cancer, anti-angiogenesis, leukaemia and inflammation and has additional programs in oncology, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Crucell will leverage its proprietary MAbstract technology to discover two new targets and antibodies every single year.

Crucell also plays an essential role in the development of Merck & Co's HIV vaccine. Merck & Co has obtained the exclusive rights to use Crucell's PER.C6 human cell system for the production of the vaccine's key adenoviral vector. Merck & Co is currently conducting Phase I/II trials with its HIV vaccine.

The company has furthermore developed a revolutionary new flu vaccine production system, based on its patented human cell system PER.C6. PER.C6 is widely embraced by the industry for the production of gene therapy products and viral vectors.

Crucell has been listed on the NASDAQ and Euronext since October 2000. Crucell has its headquarters in Leiden, the Netherlands, and currently employs 180 staff.

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