Biogen Idec, Inc. (North Carolina) Names RTP General Manager

Research Triangle Park, NC (March 28, 2006) – Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) has promoted John G. Cox to General Manager and Vice President of Manufacturing of its Research Triangle Park (RTP) facility. Cox will oversee RTP operations, which include the company’s large-scale manufacturing facility (LSM), one of the world’s largest cell culture facilities with 90,000 liters of bioreactor capacity.

Cox joined Biogen Idec in 2003 as the Director of Manufacturing Sciences, where he was responsible for process optimization, technology transfer, manufacturing support, and pilot-scale production. More recently, he has served as Biogen Idec’s Director of Manufacturing in RTP and was responsible for the site’s two biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, including LSM.

Prior to joining Biogen Idec, Cox held leadership positions in production, validation, technology transfer, and process engineering while working in biotechnology contract manufacturing for Diosynth and vaccine manufacturing at Wyeth.

Cox has an MBA in finance from the University of Michigan, a MS in cell biology from California State University, and a BS in biology from Arizona State University.

The entire RTP site consists of 500,000-square-feet of biopharmaceutical manufacturing and administrative facilities with more than 600 employees. Additional on-site functions include quality assurance and control, customer service, information technology, finance, drug safety and regulatory.

About Biogen Idec

Biogen Idec creates new standards of care in oncology, neurology and immunology. As a global leader in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel therapies, Biogen Idec transforms scientific discoveries into advances in human healthcare. For press releases and additional information about the company, please visit www.biogenidec.com.