Medicago, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a product development agreement with Bayer CropScience L.P. in the field of plant-made pharmaceuticals. The goal of the collaboration is to assess the feasibility of using Medicago's proprietary Proficia(TM) Protein Technology for the production of an undisclosed human therapeutic protein. It is envisioned that this will lead to further cooperation between the two companies in the area of PMPs. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Proficia(TM) Protein Technology system capitalizes on the inherent advantages of alfalfa plants to efficiently produce proteins, offering biopharmaceutical companies the flexibility and high volume potential of plant-based technology to produce therapeutic human proteins within safe, controlled environments of high-tech greenhouses. Proficia(TM) provides several advantages compared to cell culture and other biological expression systems, including: fast development time-lines and scale-up, contained and controlled manufacturing, consistent product quality, reduced contamination risk, lower production costs, flexibility of timing and reduced capital investments. The efficiency and flexibility of this technology also opens the way for the production of more specialized biotherapeutics which cannot at this time be made in a commercially feasible manner, as well as more cost-efficient production of biopharmaceuticals.

"We are delighted to establish this collaboration with Bayer CropScience. This agreement is important to Medicago because it validates the growing market interest in Medicago's technology" said Andy Sheldon, Medicago's President and CEO. "Thanks to our development strategy we have established a unique technology platform that offers pharmaceutical companies significant advantages in producing therapeutic proteins compared to other approaches, thereby strengthening their competitive positions."

"Our collaboration with Bayer CropScience is an important step in furthering Medicago's goal towards becoming a profitable, integrated biopharmaceutical company and is another successful step in the execution of our strategy to maximize the number of products being developed at Medicago in collaboration with committed, high quality partners," he continued.

Dr Louis P. Vezina, Medicago's Vice-President, Research and Development, added, "We are very pleased to provide a leading company such as Bayer CropScience the opportunity to work along with us in the development of our technology. Building on the strengths of both companies, this collaboration will further demonstrate the powerful capability of alfalfa to produce valuable therapeutic proteins."

Medicago Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company focussed on the development of a new generation of biopharmaceutical products to fight against important human diseases. Medicago develops and utilizes a unique alfalfa-based protein production platform which has a potential for commercialization of new biopharmaceutical proteins with up to now unseen speed, safety and competitive advantages. The company achieves the optimal utilization of its competitive position through the establishment of selected strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies for specific products.