NEW INVESTMENTS BY CHIRON VACCINES AT ROSIA

Siena 16. 9. 2002 (PROTEXT/ots) - Chiron Vaccines, a BusinessUnit of California-based Chiron Corporation, has announced thatit has allocated 29 million Euro for the realization offermentation and purification systems for glyco-conjugatedbacterial vaccine production and all related infrastructures atits manufacturing site in Rosia, Italy.

"The considerable amount allocated for the construction ofthe new building and for the creation of the services to supportthe manufacturing activities represents both an acknowledgmentfrom Chiron headquarters of the validity of Chiron Vaccines'results to date and a demonstration of the important role thatthe Italian site will play in the manufacturing structure ofChiron Vaccines," says Luca Guerzoni, Managing Director ofChiron S.p.A.

The new structure will be integrated with the alreadyexisting buildings, where 200 employees currently work, and willmeet medium and long term plans for development. "The newbuilding will have five floors, of which the first three areintended for the new plant. The premises will be dividedaccording to a strategic concept, with the concentration of allmanufacturing bulk activities (antigen concentrates) incontrolled areas, on a single floor, between two floors designedfor technical services. This will allow us on the one hand toexpand by fourfold the spaces available at present for suchactivity, and on the other hand, to streamline any maintenanceoperations. The remaining two floors of the building will beavailable for future investments aimed at research anddevelopment of new vaccines," says Thomas Lingelbach, head ofIndustrial Operations of Chiron Vaccines.

"The uniqueness of this investment is not only due to theinnovative concept of the building, designed to support the highquality of final products in accordance with CGMP manufacturingstandards, but above all to its special place in the wholeItalian scenario of vaccine production," notes VittoriaPellegrini, who is responsible for the Italian bulk production."The new system for the production of bacterial glyco-conjugatedvaccines will allow us to be more effective in the production ofpaediatric vaccines, field in which Chiron has distinguisheditself recently with its anti-meningococcal C vaccine, which ishighly immunogenic and effective for infants from two months ofage." It is particularly on meningitis, in all its bacterialforms, that Chiron Vaccines plans to focus attention in the nextfew years, continuing at the same time in the development of newrecombinant vaccines, particularly those based on the Haemophilusinfluenzae, also in close cooperation with external partners.

The construction work at the new plant is expected to startby the end of 2002 and will take approximately 24 months forcompletion.

ABOUT CHIRON

Chiron Corporation, headquartered in Emeryville, California,is a global pharmaceutical company that leverages a diversebusiness model to develop and commercialize high-value productsthat make a difference in people's lives. The company has astrategic focus on cancer and infectious disease. Chiron appliesits advanced understanding of the biology of cancer andinfectious disease to develop products from its platforms inproteins, small molecules and vaccines. The companycommercializes its products through three business units:biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and blood testing. ChironCorporation is listed on Nasdaq

ABOUT CHIRON VACCINES

Chiron Vaccines, the fifth largest vaccine business in theworld, currently offers more than 30 novel and conventionalvaccines for adults and children. Chiron Vaccines' mission is tobring to the market, through innovation and creativity,biological solutions needed for the prevention and treatment ofinfectious diseases. Every second, 25 people across more than 70countries of the world are vaccinated with a Chiron vaccine. ots Original Text Service: Chiron Vaccines Internet:http://www.presseportal.de For more information about Chiron, visit the company's websiteat www.chiron.com Contacts: Donatella Latocca tel. +39 0577/243256 --donatella_latocca@chiron.it Eleonora Vannuccini tel. +390577/243318 -- eleonora_vannuccini@chiron.it

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