DSM Biologics, a business unit of DSM Pharmaceuticals, and Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) announced today that they have further intensified their PER.C6® collaboration, by executing an agreement to expand the existing commercial relationship to include new classes of proteins, including biosimilar protein products. As part of the agreement, DSM paid Crucell an undisclosed amount in exchange for additional license rights and a higher share of future licensing income.

Since December 2002, DSM Biologics and Crucell are jointly out licensing PER.C6® human cell line to third parties as a production platform for monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. The parties recently established the PERCIVIA PER.C6® Development Center in Cambridge, Mass, USA as a joint venture to further develop the PER.C6® cell line and provide a unique solution for the production of pharmaceutical proteins to licensees utilizing the PER.C6® human cell line in the biotech industry.

About PER.C6® technology
The PER.C6® technology is a cell line developed for the large-scale manufacture of biopharmaceutical products including vaccines. Compared to conventional production technologies, the strengths of the PER.C6® technology lie in its excellent safety profile, scalability and productivity under serum-free culture conditions. These characteristics, combined with its ability to support the growth of both human and animal viruses, make PER.C6® technology the biopharmaceutical production technology of choice for Crucell's current and potential pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners.

About PERCIVIA
PERCIVIA PER.C6® Development Center LLC is a joint venture between DSM and Crucell. The Center has approximately 47,000 square feet of laboratory space in Cambridge, Mass, and will have a staff of 50 highly skilled staff engaged in the development and optimization of the human PER.C6® cells as an expression platform for proteins and monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic use. This center of excellence will provide a fully integrated technology platform, and true unique solutions for the production of pharmaceutical proteins, to the biotech industry and scientific community. This PER.C6® technology platform will comprise cell line generation technology, cell culture media development, upstream and downstream processes, equipment selection, scale-up, technology transfer, and regulatory support. PERCIVIA will have dedicated space for PER.C6® cell line users to experience the technology hands on.

About Crucell
Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) is a biotechnology company focused on research, development and worldwide marketing of vaccines and antibodies that prevent and treat infectious diseases. Its vaccines are sold in public and private markets worldwide. Crucell’s core portfolio includes a vaccine against hepatitis B, a fully-liquid vaccine against five important childhood diseases, and a virosome-adjuvanted vaccine against influenza. Crucell also markets travel vaccines, such as the only oral anti-typhoid vaccine, an oral cholera vaccine and the only aluminum-free hepatitis A vaccine on the market. The Company has a broad development pipeline, with several Crucell products based on its unique PER.C6® production technology. The Company licenses this and other technologies to the biopharmaceutical industry. Important partners and licensees include DSM Biologics, sanofi aventis, GSK and Merck & Co. Crucell is headquartered in Leiden (the Netherlands), with subsidiaries in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Korea and the US. The Company employs over a 1000 people. For more information, please visit www.crucell.com.