CDC Agrees To Place $30 Million Order For Acambis PLC's ACAM2000 Smallpox Vaccine

Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts - 13 September 2006 - Acambis plc (Acambis) (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) announces that it has reached agreement with the US Government that it will order a further 10 million doses of ACAM2000. The order is worth approximately $30m.

Under this new order, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has agreed to procure an additional 10 million doses under the existing ACAM2000 supply contract, under which Acambis produced and delivered 182.5 million doses of ACAM2000 for the US's Strategic National Stockpile. Acambis expects to supply the new 10 million-dose order from its existing vaccine inventory in 2006.

In addition, advanced negotiations are continuing to finalise the long-term warm-base manufacturing contract, which is expected to be awarded following licensure of ACAM2000. A Biologics License Application (BLA) for ACAM2000 is currently being reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A "First Action Due Date" of 14 February 2007 has been set by the FDA.

The aim of the warm-base manufacturing programme is to provide the US with access to ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine production capability entirely in the US. To achieve this, all stages of the bulk production process are being transferred to Acambis' Canton, MA facility, and lyophilisation and fill/finish activities will take place at Acambis' Rockville, MD facility. Following the CDC's agreement to place the new $30m order, Acambis is initiating warm-base manufacturing activities.

Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of Acambis, commented:

"This agreement from the CDC clearly demonstrates the US Government's commitment to ACAM2000 warm-base manufacturing for the long term. Through this order, we can immediately start activities to bring ACAM2000 production entirely in the US. We look forward to securing a long-term warm-base manufacturing contract shortly after the expected licensure of ACAM2000 in early 2007."

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Enquiries:

Acambis plc:

Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer Lyndsay Wright, VP, Communications and IR Tel: +44 (0) 1223 275 300

Financial Dynamics David Yates/Anna Keeble Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113

About Acambis

Acambis is a leading developer of vaccines to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Recognised internationally as the leading producer of smallpox vaccines, Acambis is developing an investigational smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, and is manufacturing emergency-use stockpiles of this investigational vaccine for the US Government and other governments around the world. It is also developing an attenuated smallpox vaccine, MVA3000, under contracts with the US National Institutes of Health. Acambis' US-based subsidiary Berna Products Corporation markets Vivotif®, the world's only licensed oral typhoid vaccine, in North America. Acambis' investigational vaccine against Japanese encephalitis, ChimeriVax-JE, is undergoing Phase 3 clinical testing. It also has the most advanced investigational vaccine against the West Nile virus, which has spread to 48 US States since 1999, and a vaccine against Clostridium difficile bacteria, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Acambis is based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Its primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange (ACM) and its shares are listed in the form of American Depositary Receipts on NASDAQ (ACAM). More information is available at www.acambis.com.

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the timing and results of clinical trials, product development, manufacturing and commercialisation risks, the risks of satisfying the regulatory approval process in a timely manner, the need for and the availability of additional capital. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk management" in the Company's 2005 Annual Report and "Risk factors" in its Form 20-F, in addition to those detailed on the Company's website and in the Company's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the management of Acambis and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results or experience could differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

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

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Source: Acambis PLC

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