MedImmune Strengthens Inflammatory Disease Pipeline Through Collaboration With BioWa

MedImmune Strengthens Inflammatory Disease Pipeline Through Collaboration With BioWa

December 20, 2006

- Initial Focus on Monoclonal Antibody Targeting IL-5
Receptor in Phase 1 
Trials with Asthma Patients -


    GAITHERSBURG, Md. and PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 19
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 
MedImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDI) and BioWa, Inc. announced
today that they have 
entered into a licensing and collaboration agreement to
develop and 
commercialize new inflammatory disease therapies targeting
the interleukin-5 
(IL-5) receptor. Initially, the companies will focus on
developing BIW-8405, 
a monoclonal antibody (MAb) currently in Phase 1 clinical
studies in patients 
with asthma. 

    BIW-8405 has been developed utilizing BioWa's
POTELLIGENT(TM) technology 
platform for the development of antibody-dependent cellular
cytotoxicity 
(ADCC) enhanced antibodies. The molecule aims to directly
deplete 
eosinophils, a class of white blood cells implicated in the
pathology of 
asthma and other inflammatory diseases. Additionally,
BIW-8405 has the 
potential to neutralize the activity of IL-5, which is
believed to play a key 
role in the growth and development of eosinophils.

    "The IL-5 receptor program is an excellent
strategic fit for MedImmune as 
we continue to expand our research and development pipeline
with promising 
targets that are consistent with our areas of therapeutic
focus and 
scientific expertise," said Barbara White, M.D.,
MedImmune's senior 
director, clinical development, inflammatory disease.
"We are excited to have 
three therapies targeting inflammatory diseases in clinical
trials, in 
addition to our robust preclinical portfolio, and we will
continue to advance 
or adopt programs and technologies that may address unmet
medical needs in 
this area."

    According to the terms of the agreement, BioWa will
receive an 
undisclosed upfront payment, milestone payments and
royalties on any future 
marketed products. BioWa will have exclusive marketing
rights in Japan and 
certain countries in Asia for potential products developed
as a result of the 
agreement. MedImmune will have exclusive marketing rights
to these products 
for the United States, Europe and all other countries.

    "Outlicensing the development and
commercialization rights to the anti IL-
5 receptor antibody is a hallmark for BioWa, reinforcing
our corporate 
mission to discover and develop high value proprietary ADCC
enhanced 
therapeutic products through the use of POTELLIGENT(TM),
our core 
technology," said Dr. Nobuo Hanai, president and CEO
of BioWa. "We are 
pleased to build upon our partnership with MedImmune, a
leader in antibody 
development and optimization."

    About the IL-5 Receptor and BIW-8405

    IL-5 is a cytokine involved in the growth and
development of eosinophils. 
Because IL-5 function and expression of its receptor are
largely limited to 
eosinophils in humans, targeting IL-5 and its receptor may
provide a 
selective approach to eosinophil depletion.

    BIW-8405 is a humanized MAb targeting the IL-5
receptor. In preclinical 
studies, BIW-8405 has been shown to neutralize IL-5
activity and to deplete 
eosinophils. Preclinical research also suggests that
depletion of eosinophils 
by inhibiting IL-5 may result in reduced airway
inflammation, airway hyper-
responsiveness (AHR) and mucous secretion.

    About Asthma

    Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that may
cause wheezing, 
breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. According to
the U.S. Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 20
million Americans 
reported having asthma in 2001, including more than six
million children. In 
2000, the CDC reported that there were more than 10 million
asthma-related 
outpatient visits to private physician offices and hospital
clinics (nearly 5 
million of these involved children under 18). The National
Institutes of 
Health (NIH) have estimated asthma-related healthcare costs
in the U.S. at 
$14 billion annually.

    About POTELLIGENT(TM) Technology

    ADCC activity is an important function of the human
immune system, 
whereby immune cells can kill target cells, e.g. cancer
cells. Several anti-
cancer therapeutic antibodies that are on the market today
have ADCC activity 
as one of their mechanisms for the killing of tumor cells.
Enhancement of 
this activity is one promising approach in the next
generation of antibody 
technologies. 

    POTELLIGENT(TM) technology involves the reduction of
the amount of fucose 
in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody using a
proprietary 
fucosyltransferase-knockout CHO cell line as a production
cell. Research 
shows that POTELLIGENT(TM) technology significantly
enhances ADCC activity of 
an antibody in vitro, thereby increasing the potential for
improved activity 
in vivo.

    About BioWa, Inc.

    BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo
Co., Ltd., Japan'
s leading pharmaceutical and largest biotech company, and
is the exclusive 
worldwide licensor of POTELLIGENT(TM) technology, which
creates high ADCC 
monoclonal antibodies. Currently, BioWa is 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 MedImmune, Inc.

    MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to
patients, new medical 
options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and
increased value 
to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and
medicine to help people 
live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of
infectious 
diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases.  With more than
2,500 employees 
worldwide, MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more
information, 
visit the company's website at http://www.medimmune.com .

    This announcement contains, in addition to historical
information, 
certain "forward-looking statements" regarding
the development of product 
candidates by MedImmune, Inc. and BioWa, Inc. Such
forward-looking statements 
are based on current expectations and involve inherent
risks and 
uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert
or change current 
expectations and could cause actual outcomes and results to
differ materially 
from current expectations. In addition to risks and
uncertainties disclosed 
in MedImmune's filings with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission, 
MedImmune can provide no assurance that these products will
be commercially 
successful. In addition, no assurance exists that
development efforts for 
these products will succeed, that these products will
receive required 
regulatory approval or that, even if regulatory approval is
received, they 
will be commercially successful. MedImmune undertakes no
obligation to update 
any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future 
events or otherwise except as may be required by applicable
law or 
regulation.  

    POTELLIGENT(TM) is the trademark of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo
Co., Ltd. All 
rights are reserved.


    For more information, please contact: 

    MedImmune, Inc.:

    Media: 
     Kate Barrett
     Tel:  [phone]

    Investors: 
     Beatrice Pierre
     Tel:  [phone]

    BioWa, Inc.:

    Media:
     Nobuo Hanai
     Tel:  [phone] x7501

    Investors: 
     Martina Molsbergen
     Tel:  [phone] x7506


SOURCE  BioWa, Inc.