MediGene: USPTO Grants Extension of a Patent on Veregen®

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Martinsried/Munich, April 07, 2009. The U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) has granted an extension of patent no. US 5,795,911
for Veregen® (Polyphenon E® Ointment) by 1,300 days, i.e. approx. 3.5
years. This means that the US patent, originally granted until April
2017, will now lapse in October 2020. This basic patent protects the
treatment of genital warts with catechins from green tea. It is
listed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Orange Book,
the approved drug list, under VEREGEN®, SINECATECHINS, OINTMENT,
TOPICAL 15%.

Veregen® was developed for the treatment of genital warts, a disease
caused by human papilloma viruses, and also has the potential to be
developed for other skin diseases as well. It has been marketed in
the US for the treatment of external genital warts and is distributed
by MediGene's marketing partner Nycomed US Inc. In Germany, Spain,
and Austria the drug is currently going through the approval process.
In the event of a positive decision, applications for further
approvals in other European countries based on this decision can be
submitted.

Dr. Peter Heinrich, Chief Executive Officer of MediGene AG, comments:
"Since the beginning of this year, the full-blown US launch of
Veregen® by our marketing partner is in progress. An extension of the
basic patent is of particular importance for the product's success on
the US market. This long-term patent protection now provides us with
over ten years market exclusivity for Veregen® in the USA. In
addition, we are expecting to obtain the approval for the drug in
some European countries, which will open up additional sales
potential."

The patent application was filed by the Cancer Institute Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences and the Japanese company Mitsui Norin.
MediGene acquired the exclusive license and continued Veregen's
preclinical and clinical development until it obtained FDA approval.
Nycomed US Inc. acquired the marketing and sales exclusive license
for Veregen® in the US. Distribution is handled by Nycomed's
PharmaDerm division. MediGene retains the marketing rights for all
countries except for the USA.

This press release contains forward-looking statements representing
the opinion of MediGene as of the date of this release. The actual
results achieved by MediGene may differ significantly from the
statements made herein. MediGene is not bound to update any of these
forward-looking statements. MediGene® and Veregen® are registered
trademarks of MediGene AG. Polyphenon E® is a registered trademark of
Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.These trademarks may be owned or licensed in
select locations only.

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MediGene AG is a publicly listed (Frankfurt, Prime Standard: MDG,
TecDAX) biotechnology company located in Martinsried/Munich, Germany,
with subsidiaries in Oxford, UK and San Diego, USA. MediGene is the
first German biotech company to have drugs on the market, which are
being distributed by partner companies. MediGene has several drug
candidates in clinical development, including EndoTAG(TM)-1, which
could offer substantial sales returns. In addition, the company has
numerous projects in research and pre-clinical development and
possesses innovative platform technologies. MediGene focuses on the
research and development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer
and autoimmune diseases.

Contact MediGene AG
E-mail: investor@medigene.com
Fax:+49 - 89 - 85 65 - 2920
Julia Hofmann / Dr. Nadja Wolf, Public Relations, Tel.: +49 - 89 - 85
65 - 3324
Dr. Georg Dönges, Investor Relations, Tel.: +49 - 89 - 85 65 - 2946

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MediGene AG
Lochhamer Strasse 11 Martinsried / München Germany

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502090; ISIN: DE0005020903 ;
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