Launch of IMIDIA - An Innovative Medicines Initiative Project for Diabetes

Academia, Biotech and the Pharmaceutical Industry Have Joined Forces to Fight Diabetes.

FRANKFURT, Germany and LAUSANNE, Switzerland and PARIS, June 14, 2010 - IMIDIA ("Innovative Medicines Initiative for Diabetes"), a
public private consortium funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative
(IMI), announced today the launch of a project focusing on pancreatic islet
cell function and survival. Academia, biotech and pharma industry have joined
forces to develop biomarkers and tools to pave the way for improved disease
management and ultimately provide a cure for diabetes.

Leading European experts from 14 academic institutions, 8
pharmaceutical research organizations and 1 biotech company in the area of
pancreatic ss-cells (= the body's own insulin producing cells) officially
launched the IMIDIA project. The project is supported by the Innovative
Medicines Initiative (IMI). IMI a unique Public Private Partnership between
the pharmaceutical industry (represented by the European Federation of
Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations / EFPIA) and the European Union.
The EU contributes a total of EUR 1 billion over ten years, which is matched
in-kind by the EFPIA member companies.

IMIDIA is an important stepping stone in the development of
better tools, biomarkers and understanding to enable the development of
ss-cell medicines - a key to an ultimate long-term vision: the cure for
diabetes. This pandemic disease of the 21st century currently affects 285
million people worldwide. It is anticipated that this number will rise
sharply to affect 439 million people worldwide by 2030 in particular
spreading to the younger population.

IMIDIA is a unique collaboration of leading research groups in
Europe focusing on the necessary innovation tightly coupled with the
applications and evaluation of these results to develop new diagnostics,
prognostics and therapeutics. Around 100 researchers operating in 6 different
scientific work packages will focus on novel approaches e.g. imaging
biomarkers, systems biology and pathway analysis with the goal of developing
patient relevant disease models in vitro and in vivo as well as biomarkers to
monitor disease progression and treatment.

"It has been fascinating to see how a powerful consortium has
been formed starting from the different worlds of academic research and the
pharmaceutical industry research organizations," Werner Kramer from
sanofi-aventis, Bernard Thorens from University of Lausanne and Alain Ktorza
from Servier, the "Triumvirate" coordinating IMIDIA, agree. "Guided by a
sustainable win-win situation for all participants, the collaborative spirit
coupled with the free flow of information and data within the IMIDIA project
teams will support us - the IMIDIA team - in our endeavour to reach these
ambitious goals."

About IMIDIA:

The IMIDIA team, led by sanofi-aventis, Servier and the
University of Lausanne is working on the generation of novel, patient centric
tools, biomarkers, and fundamental knowledge on ss-cell organization to
accelerate the path to improved diabetes management.

The scientific program aims at delivering:

Novel tools for the study of human ss-cell development,
function and survival; their modulation by potential therapeutic compounds;
and for in vivo ss-cell imaging.

Biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of ss-cell failure
and for monitoring diabetes progression and treatment.

Knowledge on novel pathways and sites that control ss-cell
proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and on the role of known
nutrient regulated pathways and sites in controlling ss-cell mass and
function.

IMIDIA participants are AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, the
French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Hannover Medical School (MHH),
Imperial College London, Lilly, the National Centre for Scientific Research
(CNRS), the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM),
Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, sanofi-aventis, Sarl Endocells, Servier, SIB
Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Vrije University of Brussels, Dresden
University of Technology, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne,
University Paris Diderot, University of Pisa.

The close collaboration of academic teams, pharmaceutical
companies and biotechs is providing unique levels of expertise and is forming
a strong basis to reach the IMIDIA project goals.

For further details - please visit: www.imidia.org

About IMI:

The Innovative Medicines Initiative is a unique Public Private
Partnership (PPP) between the pharmaceutical industry represented by the
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and
the European Union represented by the European Commission.

IMI's overall goal is to make Europe again the world leader in
pharmaceutical research for the benefit of the economy and society, by
removing research bottlenecks in the current drug development process.

For further details - please visit: imi.europa.eu/

Media contacts: Sanofi-aventis - Global R&D Communications, Frederique Maneval, Tel: +33-6-75-61-95-07, Email: frederique.maneval at sanofi-aventis.com; Sanofi-aventis - US R&D Communications, Elizabeth Baxter, Tel: +1-908-981-5360, Email: elizabeth.baxter at sanofi-aventis.com