GNSC Genaissance Pharmaceuticals (MM)

NEW HAVEN, Conn., and MARSEILLE, France, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Privately-held Ipsogen SAS and Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNSC) announced today that they have signed collaboration agreements with two global pharmaceutical companies. These collaborations will focus on identifying biomarkers that may drive the response to anti-cancer drugs. Under the terms of the agreements, Ipsogen will collect samples from clinical trials and will perform sample processing and pathology analysis, while Genaissance will perform genotyping and data analysis. "These agreements demonstrate the value of the combined Ipsogen and Genaissance platforms to discover and validate biomarkers in support of the clinical development of anti-cancer drugs. The capabilities of Genaissance in pharmacogenomics allied with our comprehensive expertise in cancer biomarkers answers an unmet need of the pharmaceutical industry," said Vincent Fert, President and CEO of Ipsogen. "With Ipsogen as our partner, we have the ability to produce high-quality genomic data from tumor biopsies taken from patients at investigative sites throughout the world, a significant offering for the drug development industry," said Kevin Rakin, President and CEO of Genaissance. In November 2004, Ipsogen and Genaissance signed a co-marketing agreement under which the companies jointly offer an integrated package of gene expression and genotyping technologies to developers and marketers of cancer drugs. The offering includes their respective technologies, services and diagnostic capabilities. About Ipsogen Ipsogen is an emerging biotechnology company utilizing advanced technologies to analyze gene expression and to improve the disease management of cancers. Ipsogen addresses two main markets: (i) the molecular diagnosis of cancer (e.g., leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer) by providing innovative diagnostic tools to clinical centers and (ii) the optimization of discovery and development of anti-cancer drugs by providing pharmaceutical companies with high value information at the pre-clinical and clinical stages and by accelerating and securing drug development through biomarker discovery and validation. Headquartered in Marseille, France, Ipsogen has global partnerships and markets its product worldwide. For more information on Ipsogen, visit our website at http://www.ipsogen.com/ About Genaissance Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing innovative products based on its proprietary pharmacogenomic technology and has a revenue-generating business in DNA and pharmacogenomic products and services. Genaissance also markets its proprietary FAMILION(TM) Test, designed to detect mutations responsible for causing Familial Long QT and Brugada Syndromes, two causes of sudden cardiac death. Genaissance's product development strategy is focused on drug candidates with promising clinical profiles and finding genetic markers to identify a responsive patient population. This strategy enables Genaissance to leverage existing clinical data and, thus, reduce the costs and risks associated with traditional drug development and increase the probability of clinical success and commercialization. Genaissance's lead therapeutic product, vilazodone for depression, is in Phase II of development. For more information on Genaissance, visit our website at http://www.genaissance.com/ This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the expected collaboration between Genaissance and Ipsogen and the package of gene expression and genotyping technologies to be co-marketed to developers and marketers of cancer drugs. Such statements are subject to certain factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to differ materially from those referred to in such statements, including, but not limited to, the extent to which the technologies, services and diagnostic capabilities to be co-marketed by Genaissance and Ipsogen are predictive of clinical outcomes and drug response and toxicity in oncology, acceptance and adoption by the pharmaceutical industry of the technologies, services and diagnostic capabilities to be co-marketed, the amount and timing of resources that Genaissance and Ipsogen devote to their collaboration, competition from pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies, the strength of their intellectual property rights and those risks identified by Genaissance in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 9, 2005, and in other filings Genaissance makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Genaissance and Ipsogen as of the date of this release. Genaissance and Ipsogen disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement. DATASOURCE: Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Krishnan Nandabalan, Ph.D. Vice President, Corporate Development, +1-203-786-3445, , or Carol R. Reed, M.D., Vice President, Medical Affairs, +1-203-786-3617, , both of Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Rhonda Chiger of Rx Communications, +1-917-322-2569, Web site: http://www.genaissance.com/ http://www.ipsogen.com/

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