LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire - January 06, 2009) - Dutch biopharmaceutical
company Crucell N.V. (Euronext, Nasdaq: CRXL) (SWISS: CRX)
today announced a non-exclusive STAR® research and commercial license
agreement with Pennsylvania-based Centocor, Inc. for the production
of monoclonal antibodies. Financial details of the agreement were not
disclosed.
About STAR® Technology
STAR® technology is a production technology that is particularly
useful for the production of recombinant human antibodies and
proteins. It has a potentially broad application and is effective for
production of antibodies and proteins on mammalian cell lines such as
Crucell's PER.C6® human cell technology and the widely used Chinese
hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. STAR® technology contains genetic
elements, called STAR® elements that enable stable and high-yield
gene expression important to recombinant antibody and protein
production in mammalian cells. The technology has the potential to
increase production yields, thereby reducing production costs.
About Crucell
Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL) (SWISS: CRX) is a
global biopharmaceutical company focused on research, development,
production and marketing of vaccines, proteins and antibodies that
prevent and treat infectious diseases. Its vaccines are sold in
public and private markets worldwide. Crucell's core portfolio
includes a vaccine against hepatitis B, a fully-liquid vaccine
against five important childhood diseases and a virosome-adjuvanted
vaccine against influenza. Crucell also markets travel vaccines, such
as the only oral anti-typhoid vaccine, an oral cholera vaccine and
the only aluminum-free hepatitis A vaccine on the market. The Company
has a broad development pipeline, with several product candidates
based on its unique PER.C6® production technology. The Company
licenses its PER.C6® technology and other technologies to the
biopharmaceutical industry. Important partners and licensees include
DSM Biologics, sanofi-aventis, Novartis, Wyeth and Merck & Co.
Crucell is headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, with
subsidiaries in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Korea and the US.
The Company employs over a 1000 people. For more information, please
visit www.crucell.com.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
inherent risks and uncertainties. We have identified certain
important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those contained in such forward-looking statements. For
information relating to these factors please refer to our Form 20-F,
as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 7,
2008, and the section entitled "Risk Factors". The Company prepares
its financial statements under International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS).
This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is
solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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