Bangalore, March 08, 2007

Nephrology products from the leading producer of immunosuppressants for over a decade

Biocon Limited, India's premier biotechnology company has announced the launch of its new Nephrology Division and a comprehensive portfolio of renal therapy products today. The products were launched by Smt. Sudha Murthy at a press conference. Biocon's Nephrology division is committed to finding solutions to kidney disorders using the highest standards of biotherapeutics and will simultaneously strive towards reducing the risks of the disease in the future, through progressive research and innovative therapies.

The new immunosuppressants for renal therapy include RENODAPT (Mycophenolate Mofetil), TACROGRAF(Tacrolimus), CYCLOPHIL ME(Cyclosporine Micro Emulsion USP), RAPACAN (Sirolimus) and ERYPRO (rHuEPO). Immunosuppressants are powerful medicines that inhibit or prevent the activity of the body's immune system.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited, said, "Biocon is already the largest manufacturer of immunosuppressants in India and our new Nephrology Division offers the most scientifically configured and comprehensive portfolio of renal therapy. We are committed to high quality branded formulations for nephrology with the aim to deliver superior therapeutic benefit. Biocon is poised to be a high quality player in the nephrology market with the most balanced portfolio of brands".

Mr. Rakesh Bamzai, President-Marketing, Biocon Limited added, "Biocon is a leading producer of immunosuppressants globally for over a decade. The company is a leading supplier of Mycophenolate mofetil, Tacrolimus and Sirolimus APIs for major Indian nephrology brands".

Biocon's Erthropoetin (EPO) has undergone clinical trials as per GCP/ICH guidelines to demonstrate that it has a good safety and efficacy profile. In addition, Biocon has dedicated cGMP facilities for the production of immunosuppressants. Having around 300 patents to its credit, many of which pertain to immunosuppressants, Biocon has proprietary process technologies that deliver products of higher purity.

Biocon's core initiative is to make life better. The launch of its Nephrology Division is yet another constructive effort towards fulfilling this purpose. Studies reveal that kidney disease has grown to be a silent epidemic of the 21st century. Every year millions of people, irrespective of being in developed or developing countries, are diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) necessitating critical kidney treatments. Comprehensive renal solutions have become the need of the hour. Increasing awareness of renal disease amongst the population and general practitioners could result in early diagnosis of chronic renal failure and give the opportunity for preventive strategies to delay the onset of ESRDs

According to an article in 'Kidney International', the official journal of the International Society of Nephrology, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact incidence of diseases related to nephrology in India. In the absence of national registries, no reliable data is available on the incidence and prevalence of ESRD in the country. The incidence of ESRD is likely to be higher than that reported from the developed world, with chronic glomerulonephritis being the most common cause, accounting for more than one third of patients, while diabetic nephropathy accounts for about one fourth of all patients in India. Treatment of ESRD is a low priority for the cash-strapped public hospitals and in the absence of health insurance plans, less than 10% of all patients receive any kind of renal replacement therapy.

About Biocon
Established in 1978, Biocon Limited is one of India's premier biotechnology companies. The company has a robust product portfolio of recombinant biotherapeutics, statins and immunosuppresants with strongly growing sales and profits. We employ more than 600 highly qualified scientists at our campus in Bangalore. Biocon and its three subsidiary companies, Syngene International Ltd and Clinigene International Ltd and Biocon Biopharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd form a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company, specializing in custom research, clinical research, biopharmaceuticals and enzymes. With successful initiatives in clinical development, bioprocessing and global marketing, Biocon delivers products and solutions to partners and customers across 50 countries. Many of these products have USFDA and EMEA acceptance. Biocon launched world's first human recombinant human insulin, INSUGEN in November 2004 using Pichia expression.