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Biotech / Medical : Celltech Group (NYSE: CLL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tom Nealon who wrote (9)	5/9/2000 3:55:00 PM
From: nigel bates	Respond to of 123

May 9, 2000--XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA - news) today announced it has granted nonexclusive licenses for the use of XOMA's patented technology for pharmaceutical production to Celltech Therapeutics Ltd., a subsidiary of Celltech PLC (LS: CTP) and to ZymoGenetics, Inc. (the U.S. healthcare research affiliate of Novo Nordisk A/S). XOMA's bacterial cell expression system reduces production costs, increases product yields and improves process control in the manufacture of genetically engineered pharmaceuticals. ``We are pleased that Celltech and ZymoGenetics have licensed our protein production technology,'' said Jack Castello, President, Chairman and CEO of XOMA. ``This basic manufacturing technology continues to attract world-class biopharmaceutical companies who are using it to more efficiently develop novel recombinant protein products. Celltech is one of the premier antibody development companies in Europe and ZymoGenetics is a leading center for the discovery of new therapeutic proteins through the use of bioinformatics technology.'' XOMA has granted more than 20 licenses to this technology to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies around the world. These companies are applying the system to manufacture a variety of recombinant products in development, including therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies, vaccines, toxins, and enzymes, as well as recombinant expression vectors for research use. License terms typically include up-front fees, milestone payments and royalties on the future income streams of developed products. The Celltech license is a cross-license that permits XOMA to use Celltech's proprietary expression technologies and settles all patent opposition proceedings between the companies. Cell expression technology is a fundamental process for manufacturing recombinant protein pharmaceuticals. Once a particular DNA sequence has been genetically engineered to encode a desired protein, it is inserted into a host cell, such as the well-known laboratory bacterium Escherichia coli. Grown in a nutrient medium, the E. coli bacterial cells multiply and produce the desired protein product, which is then purified from the fermentation broth. The licensed technology includes XOMA's patented araB promoter system that allows a manufacturer to efficiently control expression of the desired product, and the company's patented pelB secretion system, which improves yields and reduces costs of recovery and purification. The system also includes a genetically engineered E. coli host-cell line that efficiently complements the araB promoter and pelB secretion technologies. Company scientists have also developed an easy-to-use fermentation process and nutrient medium formula to support the cell expression system. XOMA has received eight U.S. patents to date relating to aspects of its bacterial cell expression system. A number of foreign patents have been granted which, along with pending applications, correspond to the issued U.S. patents. ZymoGenetics, based in Seattle, Washington, is dedicated to the discovery of therapeutic proteins using a bioinformatics driven strategy, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Novo Nordisk A/S. Novo Nordisk is the world leader in insulin and diabetes care and manufactures and markets a variety of other pharmaceutical products. The company is also the world's largest producer of industrial enzymes. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 15,100 people in 61 countries and markets its products in 179 countries. Its B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen, London and Zurich. Its ADSs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ``NVO''. For further company information, visit Novo Nordisk on the World Wide Web at www.novo.dk.