Leiden, The Netherlands, 16 January 2008 - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. today reacted to a press release issued by German company CEVEC Pharmaceuticals GmbH. In their press release of 14 January 2008, CEVEC announced that one of Crucell's PER.C6® patents for protein production was restricted by a recent decision of the European Patent Office. Crucell states that the suggestions made in CEVEC's press release are misleading.

On 7 December 2007, the opposition division of the European Patent Office maintained Crucell's patent for protein production (EP1161548), with only a minor limitation to a claim that is not relevant to the scope of protection of the patent.

CEVEC lodged opposition against the patent. The company requested the revocation of the patent in full. The opposition has however been rejected on all essential points.

The only limitation that was made has no consequence for the scope of protection of the patent as a whole. The essential claims of the patent, those for the method of producing a recombinant protein, have been maintained without any limitation.

"This favorable ruling by the European Patent Office has significantly strengthened Crucell's patent estate," said Bart Klein, Crucell's Executive Vice President Intellectual Property. "Anyone who wishes to produce a recombinant protein of any type on PER.C6® cells, infringes the PER.C6® patent, unless Crucell has granted a license."

About PER.C6® Technology
Crucell's PER.C6® technology is a cell line developed for the large-scale manufacture of biopharmaceutical products including vaccines and recombinant proteins. The production scale potential of the PER.C6® cell line has been demonstrated in an unprecedented successful bioreactor run of 20,000 liters. Compared to conventional production technologies, the strengths of the PER.C6® technology lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability and productivity under serum-free culture conditions. These characteristics, combined with its ability to support the growth of both human and animal viruses, make the PER.C6® technology the biopharmaceutical production technology of choice for Crucell's current and potential pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners.