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Empresas y finanzas

The Winner of the 2007 EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD is the Renovo Group from the United Kingdom


    Renovo Group Plc from Manchester has good reason to celebrate.
    This evening the British manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals was
    awarded first prize in the 2007 EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD at the
    official opening ceremony for BIOTECHNICA in Hannover. In second place
    was the biotech company Genmab A/S from Copenhagen. And third place
    went to another Danish company, Bavarian Nordic A/S, which
    manufactures biopharmaceutical products in Kvistgaard. Christian
    Wulff, the Premier of Lower Saxony, Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of
    the Board of Merck KGaA, Christian Siebert, departmental head at the
    European Commission, and Stephan Ph. Kuhne, who sits on the Board of
    Management at Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover, presented the prizes in the
    presence of more than 500 invited persons from the worlds of science,
    business and politics.

    This was the fifth successive year in which Deutsche Messe has
    awarded the prize - now worth a total of 100,000 euros - to European
    companies working in biotechnology and the life sciences which have
    developed particularly innovative products, services and associated
    business ideas. "We noted this year an increase in the number of
    competition entrants, particularly from countries outside Germany.
    This is a clear indicator of the growing importance of the
    biotechnology industry as a driver of economic growth," says Stephan
    Kuhne.

    The international jury, made up of distinguished biotech experts
    from six countries, selected the three winners from a list of 27
    applicants. The criteria for the award were market viability, market
    relevance, market presence of products and services, and a promising
    marketing concept.

    First prize goes to Renovo Group Plc from the United Kingdom

    Renovo researches and develops biopharmaceutical products for the
    preventive treatment and reduction of scarring. "The winner Renovo
    impressed the jury with its high scientific standards, its pioneering
    products in a very important area of application that has hitherto
    suffered from low standards of treatment, its strong financial
    situation and its genuine entrepreneurial spirit," comments Professor
    Dr. Peter J. W. Stadler in his capacity as jury chairman.

    Renovo receives 20,000 euros in cash. In addition the company will
    receive substantive benefits in the form of an exhibition stand at
    BIOTECH CHINA 2008 in Shanghai (28 to 30 May), an IPO welcome pack
    from the German Stock Exchange, a media package in the "European
    Biotechnology News" and a year's membership of the European umbrella
    association for the biotechnology industry, EuropaBio, in Brussels.

    Genmab A/S and Bavarian Nordic A/S in second and third place
    respectively

    The second-placed contender Genmab from Denmark develops human
    antibodies for the treatment of life-threatening and debilitating
    diseases. "Genmab is remarkable for its outstanding technological
    base, which has been used to build up a very strong portfolio of
    development products, as well as for its extraordinary ability to
    transmute all this into financial success for the company," observes
    Stadler.

    Third place went to the Danish company Bavarian Nordic A/S. This
    company develops and manufactures innovative vaccines for the
    prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. "Bavarian
    commended itself to the jury by its presentation of an impressive raft
    of vaccines currently under development, a clear focus on applications
    and a strong financial basis," explains Stadler.

    The main prizes for the second-placed and third-placed companies
    respectively consist of a ten-day and five-day consultancy course with
    consultants Capgemini, with the focus on business strategy and
    investment. In addition, both companies will each receive a media
    package in the "European Biotechnology News" and a year's membership
    of the European umbrella association for the biotechnology industry,
    EuropaBio, in Brussels.

    The presentation of the fifth EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD marks the
    formal opening of BIOTECHNICA 2007, which takes place from 9 to 11
    October 2007 at the Hannover Exhibition Grounds. 863 exhibitors from
    32 nations will be presenting their latest products and developments
    from right across the biotechnology spectrum.

    Information about previous prize-winners and the terms of entry
    for the next competition can be found online at
    www.biotechnica-award.de.

    Additional press releases and photos can be found at
    www.biotechnica.de/pressservice.

    EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD 2007

    5th International Prize for European companies working in
    biotechnology and the life sciences

    The following competition entrants were presented with the 2007
    EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD on Monday 8 October 2007 in Hannover.

    Bavarian Nordic A/S, B0geskovvej 9, 3490 Kvistgaard, Denmark

    Bavarian Nordic is a leading international biopharmaceutical
    company developing and producing innovative vaccines to prevent and
    treat infectious diseases and cancer. With operations in Denmark,
    Germany, the USA, and Singapore, Bavarian Nordic employs over 230
    people.

    Bavarian Nordic's patented technology, MVA-BN(R), is, as has been
    demonstrated in clinical studies, one of the world's safest,
    multivalent vaccine vectors for the development of vaccines against
    various infectious diseases such as smallpox, HIV/AIDS, as well as
    against breast and prostate cancer. Several MVA-BN(R)-based HIV and
    smallpox vaccines are in clinical Phase I and Phase II trials.

    Bavarian Nordic has supplied several governments with smallpox
    vaccines and, with its increased production capacity, is able to
    supply the growing demand, particularly for safe smallpox vaccines.
    With a global manufacturing capacity consisting of its new
    state-of-the-art production facility in Denmark (minimum capacity of
    40 million doses per year that can be expanded to 180 million doses
    per year), and an ongoing partnership with the German vaccine
    producer, Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau (IDT), Bavarian Nordic has
    ensured supply of its current and future vaccines.

    http://www.bavarian-nordic.com

    Genmab A/S, Toldbodgade 33, 1253 Copenhagen, Denmark

    Genmab A/S is an international biotechnology company that is
    developing fully human antibodies to treat life-threatening and
    debilitating diseases. The company uses the most advanced technology
    available to develop antibodies in an effort to make products designed
    to help patients who are suffering from diseases for which treatment
    does not work, or does not exist. Genmab has developed a broad
    pipeline of 38 potential antibody products in a variety of disease
    areas, including 6 in clinical development and 18 in pre-clinical
    development.

    The internal pre-clinical development team selects the best
    antibody candidates and the clinical development team moves these
    candidates through clinical studies as rapidly and efficiently as
    possible. In addition, Genmab in-licenses potential targets from other
    biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to further expand its
    product pipeline. Genmab chooses to develop some of its products
    in-house through late-stage development, while out-licensing some
    other products to other companies. This strategy serves both to
    balance risk and facilitate the pursuit of further development
    opportunities. The combination of streamlined development teams,
    cutting-edge technology, international clinical and regulatory
    expertise, diversified product pipeline and solid financial and
    managerial foundation has given Genmab a tremendous edge over its
    competitors and has helped establish the company as a leader in the
    biotechnology industry.

    http://www.genmab.com

    Renovo Group Plc., Grafton Street 48, M13 9XX Manchester, United
    Kingdom

    Renovo is a biopharmaceutical product company and is the world
    leader in scar prevention and reduction research and the development
    of drugs to prevent and reduce scarring. The Company has a highly
    skilled management team with over 30 years of research experience in
    the field of scarring and significant pharmaceutical industry
    expertise. Scarring can result from acute injury in, or surgery to,
    the skin, blood vessels, eyes, nerves, internal organs, tendons and
    ligaments. These are high value markets of significant unmet medical
    need.

    Renovo has a portfolio of drugs which exploit different novel
    mechanisms of action to prevent and reduce scarring at multiple body
    sites and to accelerate healing. This deep pipeline includes one drug
    that has recently initiated Phase III clinical development in December
    2006; three drugs in Phase II clinical development; a further four
    advanced pre-clinical candidates; and 15 other pre-clinical
    candidates.

    Renovo's research and development approach is to focus on the drug
    development stage and to direct activities towards gaining early
    indications of efficacy in humans. A deep understanding of the
    mechanisms of scarring has enabled Renovo to select a range of
    candidates and programmes based on different mechanisms of action
    which, as they are relatively independent of one another, give
    robustness to the Group's pipeline. Renovo's pipeline derives both
    from in-house research and from external collaborations with selected
    academic groups worldwide.

    Renovo aims to be first to the market with a pharmaceutical drug
    in the US and Europe to prevent and reduce scarring. Current demand is
    inadequately met and there is no near term competition. According to
    external research, the potential commercial market for prevention and
    reduction of scarring in the skin is worth $4 billion per annum in the
    US alone.

    http://www.renovo.com

    The jury:

    -- Professor Dr. Peter J. W. Stadler, CEO, ARTEMIS
    Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Cologne, Germany (Chairman)

    -- Dr. Luca Benatti, founder and CEO, Newron Pharmaceuticals SPA,
    Bresso, Italy

    -- Professor Dr. Horst Domdey, Chairman of the Board at BioM,
    Martinsried, Germany

    -- Professor Dr. Oreste Ghisalba, Novartis Pharma AG, Basle,
    Switzerland

    -- Michel Greco, expert on vaccines and former president of
    Aventis Pasteur SA, Paris, France

    -- Dr. Karsten Henco, founder of Qiagen and Evotec, as well as
    CEO of U3 Pharma AG, Martinsried, Munich, Germany

    -- Professor. Dr. Karl Kuchler, Head of the Institute of Medical
    Biochemistry, Vienna University, Austria

    -- Dr. Philippe Pouletty, founder and CEO of Truffle Venture, as
    well as President of France Biotech, Paris, France

    -- Professor Dr. Rolf G. Werner, Managing Director
    Biopharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Biberach,
    Germany

    -- Professor Dr. Roland Wolf, Director of Science CXR Biosciences
    as well as head of the Biomedical Research Centre, University
    of Dundee, United Kingdom