AGENSYS SIGNS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH SANOFI PASTEUR SANTA MONICA, Calif., October 10, 2005 — Agensys, Inc., a cancer biotechnology company, today announced an agreement with sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, under which the two companies will collaborate on the research and development of vaccine products directed at colorectal and prostate cancers. The agreement provides sanofi pasteur with exclusive access to a portfolio of Agensys’ proprietary colorectal and prostate cancer targets, together with an option to obtain exclusive worldwide licenses to up to six selected targets for the development and commercialization of vaccine products. The 36-month collaborative research program, which may be extended up to 12 additional months, will be conducted at both sanofi pasteur’s facility in Toronto and Agensys’ facility in Santa Monica. Agensys will focus on the selection and characterization of cancer targets, and sanofi pasteur will focus on the validation of these targets and the development of vaccine products. “This agreement provides an endorsement of both our proprietary target discoveries and the research and development capabilities we have at Agensys,” said Donald B. Rice, Chairman, President and CEO of Agensys. “Collaborating with sanofi pasteur, a world leader in the development of vaccine products, validates our strategy of leveraging our proprietary cancer targets into different types of therapeutic product opportunities. Cancer vaccines may well complement other cancer treatments, including antibody therapies, which are the primary focus of Agensys’ product development activities.” Under the terms of the agreement, Agensys will receive an upfront payment, research funding and progress payments during the research program. Based on the successful development of vaccine products by sanofi pasteur, Agensys would receive licensee fees, milestone payments and royalties on sales. About Agensys Agensys, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company that is developing a pipeline of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat solid tumor cancers. These antibodies, many of which are fully human, are being generated to a diverse portfolio of proprietary, clinically relevant cancer targets that encompass 14 types of solid tumors. The Company has the capabilities to both develop and manufacture antibody products and, through a partnership with Abgenix, has access to the XenoMouse^® technologies required to generate fully human antibodies. In parallel to developing certain antibody products, Agensys aims to establish partnerships to develop and commercialize selected antibody products, and to exploit small molecule, vaccine, and diagnostic applications to its proprietary cancer targets. The Company’s laboratories, GMP manufacturing facility and offices are located in Santa Monica, California. For further information about Agensys, please visit http://www.agensys.com. About sanofi-aventis The sanofi-aventis Group is the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D organization, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine, and vaccines. The sanofi-aventis Group is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, sold nearly a billion doses of vaccine in 2004, making it possible to protect more than 500 million people across the globe, which is about 1.4 million per day. The company offers the broadest range of vaccines, providing protection against 20 bacterial and viral diseases. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com Contacts Donald B. Rice, Ph. D. President and CEO drice@agensys.com Aya Jakobovits, Ph.D. Senior Vice President and CSO ajakobovits@agensys.com << Back to Press Releases