POMPEY, France, July 6 /PRNewswire/ --

- Belgian Acquisition Means Novasep Offers Full-Range of Biomanufacturing
Solutions

Novasep, a leading producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and
purification technologies for the life science industries, announces today the
acquisition of Henogen, a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) offering
bioprocess development and manufacturing services from the cell bank to the
supply of clinical products. The move adds a complementary, market-leading range
of upstream processing capabilities and services to Novasep's comprehensive
downstream processing (DSP) offer. Financial terms of the transaction were not
disclosed.

As a result of this acquisition, Novasep customers will have access to
manufacturing solutions covering almost every type of biopharmaceutical. In
particular, Henogen brings its experience with an extensive array of expression
tools including E. coli, yeast, L. lactis, insect and mammalian cells as well as
viral vectors. Novasep also becomes one of the few contract manufacturing
organizations worldwide able to provide the complete manufacturing solution in
the rapidly growing field of antibody-drug conjugates, covering early
development to future commercial production.

Novasep now offers a unique combination of solutions for biopharmaceutical
manufacturing. These include: - Bioprocess development - both upstream and
downstream processing - An out-sourcing solution - contract biomanufacturing
services, from the cell bank to the vial - An in-sourcing solution -
chromatography and membrane filtration technologies and complete DSP, from lab
to industrial scale



Novasep is making another strategic step forward with the acquisition of
Henogen, said Dr Roger-Marc Nicoud, president CEO of Groupe Novasep SAS. The two
companies have an excellent range of complementary capabilities and we look
forward to offering our customers an even wider range of manufacturing services.
The move is further confirmation of Novasep's determination to become a major
player in the world biomanufacturing market.

Joining Novasep will provide a boost to the development of our business
worldwide, said Dr Jean-François Pollet, CEO of Henogen SA. We believe the
combined offer of our two companies will be very attractive to our existing and
future customers.

The two companies have already cooperated on several biomanufacturing projects
and together have a strong portfolio of customers including big pharma, mid-size
pharma and biotechs. Henogen has more than 100 employee and operates two
biomanufacturing facilities south of Brussels. It will become a part of Novasep
Process, Novasep's biomolecules division.

According to market researchers Arthur D Little, the contract biopharmaceutical
development and manufacturing services is estimated at USD 1.8 billion.
Biopharmaceutical companies are looking for ways to increase production and
reduce cost, both of upstream processing (e.g. microbial fermentation, cell
culture) and downstream processing (e.g. purification mainly using
chromatography and membrane filtration techniques).

About Groupe Novasep SAS

Novasep develops, markets and operates innovative technologies providing life
science industries with safe and cost-effective production of active molecules.

The global manufacturing solutions offered by Novasep include process
development services; purification equipment and systems; contract manufacturing
services; and complex active molecules. They apply to:

- Synthetic molecules, combining conventional chemistry with special
technologies and know-how such as hazardous chemistry, asymmetric synthesis,
HPAI handling, low temperature chemistry, biocatalysis, process chromatography,
etc.

- Biomolecules, with single unit operations or complete upstream and downstream
processes including fermentation and cell culture, innovative batch and
continuous purification technologies such as membrane processes, ion exchange,
chromatography, crystallization and formulation.

As user of its own technologies, Novasep understands its customers' challenges
and shares its experience and know-how to provide the best solution with
guaranteed performance.

The applications of Novasep's offering cover the pharmaceutical,
biopharmaceutical, food, functional ingredients and bio-industries markets.

Customers include pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis,
Roche, Wyeth, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK Biologicals, Gilead, UCB
Pharma.

The company has six FDA inspected manufacturing plants in France, Germany and
the Bahamas, two biopharmaceutical production sites in Belgium, RD and equipment
manufacturing facilities in the USA, China and France, and an office in Japan.
It employs approximately 1,300 people and had annual revenues of EUR324 million
in 2008. More than 2,000 systems designed and produced by Novasep are currently
purifying active molecules throughout the world. The company holds more than 300
different patents covering its technologies and processes.

About Henogen SA

Henogen SA is a Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) focused on the
development of new biopharmaceuticals. Henogen has extensive knowledge in
performing and/or accompanying partners through the RD, process development and
cGMP production of clinical grade materials currently up to phase III trials.

With over 100 employees on two sites located south of Brussels (Belgium),
Henogen operates two 2 cGMP BSL2/BSL3 multipurpose biomanufacturing facilities,
including separate upstream, downstream processing and fill finish suites.
Henogen is experienced with almost any kind of expression tool (E. coli, yeast,
L. lactis, insect and mammalian cells as well as viral vectors), and masters
batch and perfusion cell culture.

Henogen's development and cGMP manufacturing track record includes recombinant
proteins, subunit and live attenuated vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs),
viral vectors, etc.

http://www.novasep.com

SOURCE: Novasep

Press Agent: Andrew Lloyd Associates: - Cecilia Derrien, +33-156-54-07-00,
cecilia@ala.com. - Andrew Lloyd, +44-1273-675100, allo@ala.com. Novasep: Jean
Bléhaut, +33-383-49-70-99, Jean.blehaut@novasep.com.