Transgene Appoints Philippe Archinard As New Chief Executive Officer STRASBOURG, France, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Transgene (Nasdaq: TRGNY; Euronext: FR0005175080) announced today that its Board of Directors chaired by Dr. Christophe Merieux yesterday appointed Philippe Archinard as the new Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and Board Director. He replaces Jean-Francois Carmier, who is leaving Transgene for personal reasons. The Board of Directors expressed its thanks to Jean-Francois Carmier for his contribution to the development of Transgene (the "Company"). "We are very happy to welcome Philippe Archinard to Transgene," stated Dr. Christophe Merieux, Chairman of Transgene. "Philippe's background as former CEO of the biotechnology company Innogenetics and his international experience will accelerate our Company's developments." Philippe Archinard, 45, began his career with bioMerieux where he held various positions for 15 years in France and the United States, including CEO of the U.S. operations. Since March 2000, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Innogenetics. He holds a chemical engineering degree and a PhD in biochemistry from Lyon University, and has completed the PMD program at the Harvard Business School. In addition, the Board of Directors was informed by the principal shareholder of Transgene of its commitment to cover Transgene's cash needs until the end of 2005 unless another financing option is adopted during this timeframe, in order for the new CEO to develop and implement his strategy. About Transgene Transgene, based in Strasbourg, France, is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of therapeutic vaccines, immunotherapy products, and delivery technologies for the treatment of diseases for which there is no cure or adequate treatment at present, with a focus on the treatment of cancer. Transgene has five products in clinical development, two of which are in Phase II clinical trials, two in Phase I/II clinical trials and one that has completed a Phase I clinical trial. Transgene's proprietary vector technology platform consists of adenoviral and poxviral families. This press release contains forward-looking information regarding the funding of Transgene's operations through the end of 2005. This information reflects statements made by the Company's principal shareholder at the Board of Directors meeting on December 7, 2004. It is not a guaranty by the Company of on-going operations or future performance. DATASOURCE: Transgene CONTACT: Transgene, +33-3-88-27-91-01; Michael Long, Cohn & Wolfe, +1-415-365-8523, for Transgene; Tiphaine Hecketsweiler, Image 7, +33-1-53-70-74-59, for Transgene

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