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DSM and Diversa Corporation Sign Agreement to Develop Biocatalysts for Production of Pharmaceutical Intermediates Sittard, The Netherlands and San Diego, CA – January 15, 2004 – DSM Pharma Chemicals (DPC) and Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA) today announced that they have entered into a collaborative agreement to discover and develop biocatalytic solutions designed to simplify and lower the cost of a variety of chemical transformations. Under the terms of the agreement, DPC will identify the targeted chemical conversions. Diversa will work to develop appropriate biocatalysts. Subsequently, DPC will scale-up these processes to manufacture pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients. Diversa will receive research and development payments and be entitled to milestones and royalties on products commercialized by DPC. This partnership will combine the strength of DSM as a leading supplier of pharmaceutical intermediates and active ingredients with Diversa’s global leadership in the discovery, evolution and development of novel enzyme platforms. Biocatalysis has increasingly become the technology of choice to introduce chirality in fine- chemical processes. The use of biocatalysts often leads to less complex syntheses, lower production costs, and more sustainable production processes. DSM is the market leader in applied biocatalysis for fine-chemical applications and to date has developed more than 25 industrial-scale production processes using enzymatic catalysis. Diversa’s proprietary technology for discovering and optimizing proteins has delivered superior solutions for a range of applications within the pharmaceutical, agricultural and chemical industries. “We are excited about the potential of this collaborative agreement with Diversa. Biocatalysis is clearly one of our core technologies in chemical custom manufacturing,” said Dr. Ronald Gebhard, R&D Director of DSM Pharma Chemicals. “As this field is rapidly developing and expanding, we expect that this relationship with Diversa will further leverage our leading position in industrial biocatalysis. For us, biocatalysis is one of the smart solutions that we can offer to the benefit of our customers.” “This collaboration provides Diversa with yet another opportunity to leverage our expertise in discovering and optimizing proteins,” stated William H. Baum, Diversa’s Executive Vice President. “We are pleased to add DSM to our growing list of partners and look forward to working with them to improve the production of pharmaceutical products.” |
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