Actelion Chooses GENEART as Exclusive Supplier for DNA Engineering & Processing Services

7 juli 2009 - Framework agreement with Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. signed - Actelion receives system solutions in the areas of gene optimization, gene synthesis and plasmid preparation exclusively from GENEART from now on - The service portfolio of GENEART accelerates product development in biotechnology when compared to conventional methods of molecular biology - DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 certification guarantees high quality standards for the development of pharmaceutical agents Regensburg, July 7, 2009 - GENEART AG, global leader in Gene Synthesis and specialist in the field of Synthetic Biology, announces the signing of a framework agreement with the Swiss company Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Within the scope of this agreement, Actelion will receive system solutions for DNA engineering & processing (gene optimization, gene synthesis and plasmid preparation) exclusively from GENEART from now on. Further contract terms were not disclosed. The contract does not restrict GENEART in supplying service solutions for other customers. The company, listed in the Swiss blue-chip index SMI®, is active in research, development and commercialization of innovative biopharmaceutical therapies. The drugs developed and marketed by Actelion include Tracleer® for instance - an endothelin receptor antagonist for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. "We are delighted that we have been able to convince another well-known company, Actelion, of the advantages of our technology for the development of biopharmaceutical therapeutics. Gene optimization and gene synthesis offer many advantages over conventional methods in molecular biology. For instance, genes can be tailored to the respective customer project by our GeneOptimizer® software without any restrictions and subsequently produced within a few days. This not only shortens development times for biopharmaceuticals, but also increases the yield and thus reduces production and project costs. The fully DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 certified processes of GENEART and the world-wide highest production capacities additionally ensure reliable and quick processing of customer projects with observance of the required quality standards for the development of pharmaceutical agents", Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner, CEO of GENEART AG, explains. For further inquiries, please contact: Dr. Karoline Stürmer GENEART AG Josef-Engert-Str. 11 93053 Regensburg Germany Phone: +49-(0)941-942 76-417 Fax: +49-(0)941-942 76-711 ir@geneart.com www.geneart.com Frank Ostermair Better Orange IR & HV AG Haidelweg 48 81241 Munich Germany Phone: +49-(0)89-8896906-10 Fax: +49-(0)89-8896906-66 info@better-orange.de www.better-orange.de Legal Information: This document may contain estimates, prognoses and opinions about company plans and objectives, products or services, future results, opinions about these results or opinions leading up to these results. All these projections into the future are subject to risk, uncertainty and unforeseeable change outside the control of the GENEART Group. Many factors may lead to actual results, which considerably deviate from the given projections for these results. About GENEART AG: In 2000, GENEART entered the gene synthesis market and has since become the global market leader. Today, the company is one of the leading specialists in the Synthetic Biology field. Experts at GENEART provide key technologies for the development and production of new therapeutics and vaccines. Customers also take advantage of GENEART services to customize enzyme attributes, such as the attributes of enzymes used as detergent additives, and to construct bacteria, which produce complex biopolymers or break down polymers, such as synthetics, petroleum components, etc. Our production and service spectrum spans a wide range, from the production of synthetic genes according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, to the creation of gene libraries in the combinatorial biology, to the development and production of DNA-based biologically active substances. GENEART AG in Regensburg (Germany) and the subsidiaries GENEART Inc. in Toronto (Canada) and GENEART Inc. in San Francisco (USA) employ more than 190 people. GENEART is listed on the German Stock Exchange. About Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd.: Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland. Actelion's first drug Tracleer®, an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved as a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer® through its own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide, including the United States (based in South San Francisco), the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Actelion, founded in late 1997, is a leading player in innovative science related to the endothelium - the single layer of cells separating every blood vessel from the blood stream. Actelion's over 2,000 employees focus on the discovery, development and marketing of innovative drugs for significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI® (Swiss Market Index). 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