Genovac Products for Drug Development in Japan

Freiburg/Yokohama (November 14, 2002) - Parallel to the rapid growth of the biotech sector there is an ever increasing need for innovative technologies for the manufacture of novel Life Science products. To meet the demands of the up-surging Japanese Life Science market for high-quality monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal sera - that could aid the development of new diagnostic tests or novel and side-effect-free medicines, e.g. against cancer or cardiovascular diseases - the Freiburg-based GENOVAC AG and NOSAN Corp., Yokohama, signed a co-operation agreement in October. Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement NOSAN is entitled to offer GENOVAC's antibody service to Japanese pharmaceutical corporations, biotech SMEs, research centres and university research institutes.

The co-operation agreement opens the way for GENOVAC to establish its innovative antibody technology in a very interesting and highly promising market environment. Currently, Japan's share of the international pharmaceutical market ranges at 23%. During 2001, biotech products totaling some 11.3 billion euro have been sold. The share of recombinant medicines - antibodies belong to this class of compounds - was at around 5 billion euro. GENOVAC aims not only at the numerous scientific research institutions, but rather at the some 300 biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies organised in the Japan Bioindustry Association. The most prominent members of which are Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. (the largest Japanese pharmaceutical corporation according to market capitalisation and no. 17 of the world's biggest corporations), Sankyo Co., Ltd., Daiichi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and Eisai Co., Ltd.

239 words/1,674 characters

About GENOVAC AG:
GENOVAC AG is a young biotechnology company that was founded in 1999. The company idea is based on its award winning technology that has already established GENOVAC as a world leader in the rapid generation of highest quality antibodies through genetic immunisation. The company has developed and patented a unique screening system that provides identification of antibodies against most native proteins, without having to isolate these proteins. This allows for the first time, both the screening and cloning of monoclonal antibodies following genetic immunisation. GENOVAC.s technology is especially suited to developing clinically interesting, high quality antibodies against chosen target proteins in a short time period. In this case, well characterised monoclonal antibodies with high specificity and high binding affinity are needed. Genetic immunisation fulfils these properties. GENOVAC currently has 25 employees.

Further information: www.genovac.com 

About Nosan Corp.:
Nosan Corporation founded in 1931 and listed in the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange, is Japan's largest animal feed manufacturer with a rapidly expanding biotechnology business. Its largest shareholder is Mitsubishi Corporation with a 20%stake and its consolidated revenue in fiscal 2001 is about 930 million US$. With extensive global affiliations with such leading bio-companies as PPL Therapeutics plc. in Scotland, XenoTech LLC, Protein Sciences Corp. and Midwest Research Institute in USA, Medi-Cult a/s in Denmark, GENOVAC AG in Germany and its own newly-expanded Bio Laboratory, Nosan's Bio Department has a strong involvement in Japan's top pharmaceutical companies and key governmental and academic research institutions.

Further information: www.nosan.co.jp 

Contact:
GENOVAC AG
Dr. Stefan Lang
Waltershofener Str. 17
D-79111 Freiburg, Germany 
Tel.: +49-(0)761-45636-0 
Fax: +49-(0)761-45636-29
eMail: info@genovac.com 

© BIOCOMMUNICATIONS.net GmbH, Brunnenstr. 128, D-13355 Berlin, Germany - Reprint free of charge. Please supply copy.