Institut Mérieux Strengthens its Commitment to Medicine and Global Public Health

PARIS, December 13, 2010 - Institut Mérieux strengthens its commitment to medicine and
global public health via an ambitious innovation policy, the structuring of a
food safety/nutrition hub and the creation of a company dedicated to
diagnostics in developing countries.

One year after reinstating the historic name of Institut Mérieux for the
family holding devoted to industrial biology, Alain Mérieux and the
management teams of the companies, bioMérieux, Transgene, Mérieux
Nutrisciences and Mérieux Développement, have presented the actions
implemented within the scope of their innovation and international
development strategy with:

    - the structuring of a food safety/nutrition hub based around Mérieux
      NutriSciences, completing and supporting the diagnostic and therapeutic
      Areas covered by Institut Mérieux

    - the Group's innovation policy with, in particular, the first holdings
      by its investment company, Mérieux Développement

    - the development of biology accessible to all with the creation of
      IMAccess, a not-for-profit company devoted to diagnostics in developing
      countries.

"Institut Mérieux has undergone considerable changes to address the new
global challenges in medicine and public health. The arrival of Jean-Luc
Bélingard as Président Directeur Général of bioMérieux and Vice-President of
Institut Mérieux will enable me to devote more time to Institut Mérieux and
the Mérieux foundations", stated Alain Mérieux. "Now, more than ever,
scientific innovation, multidisciplinary approaches and international
development are at the heart of our strategy. In an ever-changing healthcare
environment, with infectious disease representing a constant threat, the
emergence of new risks associated with food and now better known interactions
between infectious diseases, cancers and nutrition, we have made sure we have
new resources to achieve our long-term targets. The structuring of a
nutrition/health hub, which is highly complementary to our therapeutic and
diagnostic activities, is a strong example. Our innovation strategy is also
taking form with Mérieux Développement and a stronger international network
of scientific experts. Finally, IMAccess aims to offer a complementary
approach to conventional models, to make quality biology and diagnostics
accessible to the greatest number and thus combat infectious diseases, with
no borders between North and South."

Institut Mérieux prioritizes nutrition

Institut Mérieux is increasing its commitment in the area of food safety
and nutrition by structuring a food safety/nutrition hub based around Mérieux
NutriSciences. With Silliker, its very first company in the field of food
safety, Biofortis and Bioagri, Mérieux Nutrisciences is now developing an
end-to-end offering to meet the needs of players in the food processing
chain: raw material and environmental safety and conformity, food quality,
R&D and clinical trial program in the area of nutrition to help develop foods
offering a health benefit.

The originality and strength of the Mérieux NutriSciences approach lie in
the combination of Silliker's know-how in the food sector with Institut
Mérieux's scientific expertise and international network, making it possible
to include a medical vision and a public health dimension in all its
activities.

With its financial structure strengthened by an increase in the
subscribed capital by Institut Mérieux in 2010, Mérieux NutriSciences can
envisage a relevant acquisition policy and speed up its international
roll-out strategy, particularly in emerging countries such as China, India
and Brazil.

Major advances in Institut Mérieux's innovation policy

One year after it was founded, Mérieux Développement has announced three
minority holdings in innovative companies in the health sector:

    - Supersonic Imagine, a French company based in Aix-en-Provence, which
      markets a new generation ultrasonic scanner, equipped with a cutting-
      edge imaging technique (ultrasound elastography), thus opening up
      further clinical applications in oncology, for diagnosis and
      characterization of lesions (breast, thyroid, liver, prostate).

    - QuantaLife, a Californian company, whose Droplet Digital(TM) PCR
      technology represents major progress in the area of molecular biology,
      in terms of sensitivity and precision, making it possible to offer
      multiple applications in human genetics and, in the medium term, an
      effective instrumentation solution for cancer and infectious disease
      diagnostics

    - Biom'Up, a French company based in Lyon, marketing innovative
      biomaterials and implantable medical devices for surgery and developing
      a new range of products (guided regeneration, adherence prevention and
      hemostasis), aimed at patient comfort and safety and simplified
      surgical procedures.

In the course of 2010, Mérieux Développement set up an international
cooperation and joint investment network, along with a special partnership
with the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). The purpose of this
partnership is support businesses developing high added medical value
products, by means of an original approach based on complementary expertise
and close cooperation with CEA Investissement.

The Mérieux Research Grants program steps up a gear. These grants are
awarded to projects from leading researchers and clinicians in areas of
strategic interest for Institut Mérieux: diagnostics, therapy and nutrition.
Since the program was launched in 2009, over 20 grants have been awarded to
researchers from public or private laboratories, in North America, Europe and
Asia, on topics offering strong potential for the Group. This program helps
strengthen Institut Mérieux's scientific network of experts around the world
and give bioMérieux, Transgene and Mérieux NutriSciences access to clinical
and technological advances which will be the source of new diagnostic tests
and new therapies.

Serving global public health since its inception, Institut Mérieux is
increasing its action in developing countries through the creation of
IMAccess.

With IMAccess, Institut Mérieux, in keeping with its tradition, is
seeking to place its expertise in infectious disease and its bio-industrial
experience at the service of diagnostics accessible to the greatest number.

A 100% subsidiary of Institut Mérieux, this new company is dedicated to
the development, production and supply of rapid diagnostic tests, for
governments, international health organizations, NGOs, etc.

These tests, complying with the most exacting international quality
standards and adapted to the frequently extreme constraints associated with
use in the field, focus on diseases which are having a severe impact on
underprivileged countries, such as AIDS, dengue, meningitis, malaria,
Leishmaniasis, etc. The first products should be available in 2012.

IMAccess essentially relies on research and development teams based in
France, Brazil and China, along with the Group's expertise in bioproduction
and its distribution network.

In order to speed up the development of these tests and make them
accessible in terms of price, IMAccess has adopted an original social
business model, a not-for-profit company, reinvesting all its profits in its
R&D programs.

About Institut Mérieux

Institut Mérieux is committing its experience in industrial biology to
serve medicine and public health across the globe. To fight against
infectious diseases and cancers, it imagines and develops new approaches in
the fields of diagnostics, immunotherapy, food safety and nutrition.

Through its three bio-industrial companies, bioMérieux, Transgene and
Mérieux NutriSciences , working closely with its entities devoted to
innovation (Mérieux Développement and ABL Inc.), Institut Mérieux has the
potential to offer solutions for new global public health challenges:

bioMérieux is listed on Euronext, represents a 59% holding and is based
in Marcy l'Etoile (France). A global player in the area of in vitro
diagnostics and industrial microbiological testing, bioMérieux employs 6300
people and generated sales of EUR1.223 billion in 2009. It is present in 150
countries with a network of 39 subsidiaries. www.biomerieux.com

Transgene is listed on Euronext, represents a 55% holding and is based in
Strasbourg (France). This biotechnology company specialized in immunology
applied to the treatment cancers and infectious diseases employs 280 people
in its programs. www.transgene.fr

Mérieux NutriSciences represents an 89% holding and is based in Chicago
(USA): it is a service company specialized in improving food safety and
nutrition. With a staff of 4000, Mérieux NutriSciences is, with its three
units, Silliker, Biofortis and Bioagri, now present in 16 countries,via close
to 60 accredited laboratories and represents sales totaling over $350
million. www.merieuxnutrisciences.com

Advanced BioScience Laboratories Inc (ABL Inc): this company is 100%
owned by Institut Mérieux. Based in Washington DC (USA), it employs over 100
people in virology R&D programs. www.ablinc.com

Mérieux Développement: a company investing in the area of health, 100%
owned by Institut Mérieux and based in Lyon (France).
www.merieux-developpement.com

Institut Mérieux employs over 10,000 people committed to global public
health and generates sales in excess of EUR1.4 billion.

www.institut-merieux.com

Press contacts: Institut Mérieux, Anne de Chiffreville 04-72-83-48-63 anne.de.chiffreville at theraconseil.com, Image 7, Laurence Heilbronn 01-53-70-74-64 lheilbronn at image7.fr, Albane de La Tour d'Artaise 01-53-70-74-84 adelatour at image7.fr