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BioWa, Inc.

BioWa and Medarex Announce Expansion of Licensing Agreement for BioWa's Potelligent(TM) Technology

Princeton, New Jersey (ots/PRNewswire)

- BioWa Grants the Second Potelligent(TM) Antibody Technology
License to Medarex
BioWa, Inc. and Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX) today announced that
BioWa has granted a second license to Medarex to use BioWa's
Potelligent(TM) Technology for the enhancement of antibody-dependent
cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Medarex plans to use the Potelligent
Technology to enhance the ADCC function of selected Medarex
antibodies for potential therapeutic applications, including cancer.
The agreement provides Medarex with nonexclusive commercial rights to
develop antibodies for an undisclosed number of targets. In return,
BioWa will receive license fees, and could receive milestone payments
and royalties on products developed by Medarex. Detailed licensing
terms/financial terms were not disclosed.
"We are very pleased to announce the expansion of our relationship
with Medarex, and to have Potelligent Technology combined with
Medarex's human antibody technology and pipeline of therapeutic
products," said Dr. Nobuo Hanai, President and CEO of BioWa. "We
believe this second license agreement supports the use of our
Potelligent Technology as a method for enhancement of ADCC and its
ability to deliver more highly potent antibodies for more effective
clinical response. We believe that working with Medarex, a leading
human therapeutic antibody company, is key to advancing the goals of
BioWa to bring about safe and more effective treatments for cancer
and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases."
"We are very excited about the promise of utilizing the
Potelligent Technology for the generation of potentially more
efficacious antibodies," said Donald L. Drakeman, President and CEO
of Medarex.
About Potelligent Technology
Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity is an
important function of the human immune system, whereby immune cells
can kill target cells, e.g. cancer cells. ADCC activity is one
mechanism of some already launched anticancer therapeutic antibodies
on the market today. Enhancement of this activity is in the spotlight
as one promising possibility for the next generation of antibody
technology.
Potelligent(TM) Technology involves the reduction of the amount of
fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody. Research shows
that Potelligent(TM) Technology significantly enhances binding
affinity of antibodies for Fc receptors and increases ADCC activity
in vitro. One potential benefit of Potelligent(TM) derived
therapeutic antibodies is greater tumor cell killing activity than
with conventional antibodies.
About BioWa
BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co, Ltd.,
Japan's leading pharmaceutical and largest biotech company. BioWa is
the exclusive worldwide licensor of Potelligent(TM) Technology.
Potelligent(TM) Technology creates high antibody-dependent cellular
cytotoxicity (ADCC) monoclonal antibodies. ADCC is a critical
function of the immune system that enhances the ability of antibodies
to kill tumor cells. The enhancement of ADCC is seen up to 100 fold
in vitro. BioWa is currently developing ADCC enhanced monoclonal
antibody-based therapeutics to fight cancer and other
life-threatening and debilitating diseases and both BioWa and Kyowa
have Potelligent(TM) antibody products in various clinical stages.
BioWa creates and develops enhanced ADCC antibodies for itself and
others, offering a full range of antibody discovery and development
capabilities. For more information about BioWa visit its web site at
http://www.biowa.com.
About Medarex, Inc.
Medarex is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development and potential commercialization of fully human
antibody-based therapeutics to treat life-threatening and
debilitating diseases, including cancer, inflammation, autoimmune
disorders and infectious diseases. Medarex applies its UltiMAb(R)
technology and product development and clinical manufacturing
experience to generate, support and potentially commercialize a broad
range of fully human antibody product candidates for itself and its
partners. Twenty-three of these therapeutic product candidates
derived from Medarex technology are currently in human clinical
testing, with two of the most advanced product candidates presently
in Phase III clinical trials. Medarex is committed to building value
by developing a diverse pipeline of antibody products to address the
world's unmet healthcare needs. For more information about Medarex,
visit its website at http://www.medarex.com.
For Medarex: Except for the historical information presented
herein, matters discussed herein may constitute forward-looking
statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including
statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words
"potential"; "believe"; "anticipate"; "intend"; "plan"; "expect";
"estimate"; "could"; "may"; or similar statements are forward-looking
statements. Medarex disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to
update these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties
include risks associated with product discovery and development,
uncertainties related to the outcome of clinical trials,
uncertainties related to product manufacturing as well as risks
detailed from time to time in Medarex's public disclosure filings
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2004 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. There can be no
assurance that such development efforts will succeed or that other
developed products will receive required regulatory clearance or
that, even if such regulatory clearance were received, such products
would ultimately achieve commercial success. Copies of Medarex's
public disclosure filings are available from its investor relations
department.
Potelligent(TM) is the trademark of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.;
Medarex(R), the Medarex logo and UltiMAb(R) and are trademarks of
Medarex, Inc. All rights are reserved.
Web site: http://www.biowa.com

Contact:

Medarex, Inc.: Laura S. Choi, Investor Relations, +1-609-430-2880,
x2216, or Jean Mantuano, Corporate Communications (media),
+1-609-430-2880, x2221; or BioWa, Inc.: Nobuo Hanai, Ph.D., President
and CEO, +1-609-580-7500, x7501, or Martina Molsbergen, Senior
Director, Business Development, +1-609-580-7500, x7506

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