Fifteen Projects Researching Major Diseases now Underway Through EU-Industry Joint Venture

BRUSSELS, June 14, 2010 - The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) presents today its first 15
research projects that are now up and running. The research will help speed
up the discovery and development of new medicines for some of the most
serious illnesses.

The successful take-off of the projects marks a key milestone for IMI, a
public-private partnership between the European Union and the European
Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).

Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn,
stated:

"The 15 research projects that IMI has already set in motion can make a
major contribution to alleviating pain and distress for countless patients
and their families. Stimulating medical innovation will also better position
Europe as an attractive and competitive environment, aiding economic
recovery."

Through the projects, innovative approaches are being used to help bring
about faster access to better medicines across major illnesses including
Alzheimer's disease, asthma, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain,
depression, diabetes, and schizophrenia.

Michel Goldman, Executive Director of IMI, added, "The disease areas in
the IMI projects have been chosen because they are important areas of unmet
medical need in Europe. The ongoing and future projects will address the main
causes of delay in the R&D processes and will help bring safer and more
effective medicines more quickly to the patients."

Today, IMI opened its Stakeholder Forum to bring leading scientists from
across the projects together to present and share key developments[1]. During
the Stakeholder Forum, IMI also presented its plans for the future. According
to an indicative list, the 3rd Call for proposals, which will be launched
later this year, will include research topics in the area of autism,
diabetes, tuberculosis and drug and vaccine safety.

IMI forms a key strategy in helping Europe regain its place as a world
leader in pharmaceutical research. Escalating drug development costs, low
public and private investment, and the loss of leading experts and technology
to the United States and recently Asia are some of the obstacles to the
discovery and development of new medicines in Europe that the initiative
hopes to address.

The initiative uses an innovative funding scheme currently reaching
EUR281 million for the first 15 ongoing projects, in which EFPIA member
companies at least match the funding of the European Union by mainly in kind
contributions. The projects aim to improve the safety and efficacy of
medicines, data exchange between researchers and education and training of
the health workforce.

Brian Ager, Director General of EFPIA, stated, "IMI is a clear
demonstration of how the Commission and the research-based pharmaceutical
industry can partner to deliver real benefits to Europe's science and
research community, ultimately helping to deliver innovation for patients. By
bringing together the best of academia with the expertise of industry, IMI
will help remove the bottlenecks and speed new therapies to market."

IMI is the largest public-private partnership in life sciences R&D
worldwide, involving the European Union and the EFPIA. IMI receives funding
from the European Union's Seventh Framework programme.

———————————

[1] Please see detailed overview of the ongoing projects, the public and
private participants across EU member states and the funding and
contributions.

    For further information, please contact:
    Aoife Gallagher
    aoife.gallagher@fleishmaneurope.com
    +32 4 74 950 336
    www.imi.europa.eu

For further information, please contact: Aoife Gallagher, aoife.gallagher at fleishmaneurope.com,
+32-4-74-950-336