ABGX Abgenix (MM)

Abgenix Appoints Marc Better, Ph.D., as Vice President of Process Sciences FREMONT, Calif., May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Abgenix, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABGX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on development of antibody therapeutics, announced today the appointment of Marc Better, Ph.D., as Vice President of Process Sciences. "We are pleased to have Marc join our company. He brings extensive technical development experience in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors," said Bill Ringo, president and chief executive officer of Abgenix. "His experience with pharmaceutical and biotech companies will provide Abgenix with the technical proficiency essential for Abgenix to become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company." Before joining Abgenix, Dr. Better was vice president, technical development at XOMA (US) LLC. He was responsible for process development and clinical manufacturing operations in the XOMA pilot facility. During his sixteen-year tenure at XOMA, Dr. Better made significant contributions to XOMA's technology platforms for product development, including gene cloning and expression in bacterial, fungal and mammalian cell systems, as well as protein and peptide recovery and purification. From 1984 to 1989, Dr. Better held various research positions at International Genetic Engineering, Inc. (INGENE), which later merged with XOMA. Dr. Better is the inventor of more than 20 patents issued in the U.S. and Europe. He earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Brandeis University, and holds a B.S. in microbiology from Michigan State University. In addition, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at San Diego. About Abgenix Abgenix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and manufacturing of human therapeutic antibodies. The company's antibody development platform includes a leading technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities that enable the rapid generation, selection and production of high affinity, fully human antibody product candidates to a variety of disease targets. Abgenix leverages its leadership position in human antibody technology to build a diversified product portfolio through its own development efforts and the establishment of collaborations with multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information on Abgenix, visit the company's website at http://www.abgenix.com/. This press release contains forward-looking statements about Abgenix's product development activities, clinical trials and clinical trial results, the potential submission of a biologic license application for panitumumab, collaborative arrangements and process sciences and manufacturing activities. Such statements are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including risks associated with conducting clinical trials, the progress of research and product development programs, product manufacturing, regulatory approval processes and meeting requirements for regulatory approval, competitive products and services, capital requirements and the extent and breadth of Abgenix's patent portfolio, and other factors set forth in Abgenix's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks described in Abgenix's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 and annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Abgenix is providing this information as of the date of this press release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: Abgenix, Inc. CONTACT: Aisha Santiago, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, of Abgenix, Inc., +1-510-284-6858, or +1-510-284-6605; or E. Blair Schoeb, Corporate Communications, +1-212-923-6737, for Abgenix, Inc. Web site: http://www.abgenix.com/

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