Millennium kooperiert mit Bayer??? - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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Tuesday October 24, 2:30 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Millennium and Bayer Industrializing Drug Discovery Process
Through Ongoing Successful Research Alliance

-- More Than 70 Disease-relevant Validated Drug Targets Moving into or Beyond Screening in First Two Years of
Collaboration --

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and LEVERKUSEN, Germany, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MLNM - news) and
Bayer AG today announced that they are currently moving more than 70 disease-relevant validated drug targets into high-throughput screening
or lead identification in the first two years of their five-year research alliance. The alliance achieved these exceptional advances through joint
efforts. The two companies collaborated to streamline the drug discovery process with Millennium industrializing the rapid identification,
characterization and validation of target proteins and Bayer conducting large-scale high-throughput screening. This innovative approach to
target discovery allows for the categorization of genes with disease relevance and is a key step in the process to enhance the productivity of
drug discovery.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991220/MLNMLOGO )

The alliance is centered on genomics research that identifies the composition and function of thousands of genes which carry instructions to
make proteins the body needs to function. By integrating large-scale genetics, genomics, automation, informatics and drug discovery
technologies, Millennium can rapidly search for disease-relevant targets that are promising for drug development. This resulting drug discovery
platform, which effectively meets the needs of the research alliance with Bayer, serves all of Millennium`s research programs, both internal and
partnered, and contributes validated targets to the Company`s own drug discovery pipeline.

With the aid of Bayer`s high-throughput robotic screening technology, the selected targets are incorporated into test systems to search for
compounds that show promise for drug development. This screening process can test more than 200,000 such compounds daily.

``The progress of the Millennium and Bayer alliance in its first two years has been extraordinary, particularly given the usual three-year timeframe
for the processing of targets, chemistry and pharmacology necessary to yield a developmental drug candidate,`` said Professor Wolfgang
Hartwig, executive vice president of pharmaceuticals research at Bayer. ``As we celebrate our second anniversary with Millennium, we
anticipate that in addition to our screening pipeline of more than 70 targets, we will have several preclinical compounds and potentially one
chemical compound nearing IND status by year-end.``

In May 2000, Millennium and Bayer expanded the initial objectives of the alliance, based on the success of their efforts. The two companies
collectively accelerated their second year goal of identifying new validated drug targets from 50 to 100 by the end of 2000. To date, more than
70 validated drug targets have been identified since the alliance began in September 1998.

``Bayer and Millennium have created the world`s leading platform for biologically annotating targets and moving them into drug discovery,`` said
Mark Levin, chief executive officer of Millennium. ``Our joint efforts exemplify the power of Millennium`s genomics-based approach to drug
discovery and development, Bayer`s cutting-edge screening and chemistry capabilities and expertise, and the extraordinary success which can
be created through `over- the-top alliances.`

Alliance Background

The primary goal of the alliance is for Millennium to supply 225 important new drug targets identified as relevant for cardiovascular disease,
cancer, pain, hematology and viral infections. From those identified by the alliance, Bayer will select drug targets for its exclusive use and the
remainder will be available to Millennium to use in its proprietary drug development efforts.

In return for a total investment of up to $465 million, including an equity investment in Millennium over a five-year period, Bayer receives access
to key technologies in modern genome research and a flow of new genomics-based targets for drug development. Drug targets are proteins
expressed by human genes that can be used to discover and develop small molecule drugs. In the last 100 years of pharmaceutical research,
some 500 drug targets based on human genes (of which there are approximately 100,000) have been identified worldwide for use in the
development of medical therapies, leaving a considerable number of potential targets still to be discovered.

Bayer is an international, research-based group with major businesses in health care, agriculture, polymers and specialty chemicals. With some
120,000 employees worldwide, the group recorded a net income of 2 billion euros on sales of 27.3 billion euros in 1999. For the current year,
2.4 billion euros are budgeted for capital expenditures and 2.2 billion euros for research and development.

Millennium, a leading biopharmaceutical company, applies its comprehensive and integrated science and technology platform for the discovery
and development of breakthrough therapeutic and predictive medicine products, with a goal of delivering personalized medicine. Through the
industrialization of this gene-to-patient platform, Millennium also strives to accelerate the process of drug discovery and development.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Millennium and its affiliates currently employ more than 1,200 people.

This press release contains ``forward-looking statements,`` including Millennium`s expectations of future industry conditions, strategic plans and
forecasts of operational results. Various risks may cause Millennium`s actual results to differ materially, including: uncertainties about its drug
discovery and clinical development processes, uncertainties about obtaining patent protection for its discoveries and about the commercial
limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; Millennium`s dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and
commercialize products and services based on its work; uncertainties about obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services
resulting from its development efforts; and the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand
commercialization activities. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports filed by Millennium with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Millennium disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Editor`s note: This release is available on Millennium`s website at: www.mlnm.com

SOURCE: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.



Hat jemand die Nachricht auf Deutsch?

[gholzbauer]

Die Bekanntgabe der 465-Mio.$-Investition von Bayer in Millennium war 1998 der Startpunkt der MLNM-Rallye.

[Aktiengesicht]

Millennium und Bayer mit erster Billanz

Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. und die Bayer AG, gaben heute bekannt, dass
sie mometan über 70 mögliche Medikamente extensiv testen und erforscht haben.
Dies wurde bereits nach 2 Jahren ihrer insgesmat 5-jährigen Forschungs-Allianz
erreicht.

Die Zusammenarbeit machte diese aussergewöhnlichen Fortschritte durch
vereinte Bemühungen möglich. Die beiden Unternehmen erforschten gemeinsam
die Medikamente, wobei Millennium die rasche Identifikation, die
Charakterisierung und die Proteinanalyse übernahm und Bayer die Testphasen
überwachte.

Die Allianz konzentriert sich auf die Genforschung, die die Zusammensetzung und
Funktion von tausenden Genen identifiziert, die Informationen beinhalten um
Proteine für körpereigene Funktionen zu erzeugen.

Quelle: http://www.finance-online.de