MEDI Medimmune (MM)

TORONTO, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), supported by grants from MedImmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDI), will present the third annual MedImmune Career Development Award in Pediatric Infectious Disease to Jin-Young Han, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota and the second annual Viral Respiratory Disease Fellowship to Niranjan Bhat, M.D. from Johns Hopkins University. The awardees, chosen by an independent PIDS committee, will be formally acknowledged tonight at a PIDS Dinner and Awards Banquet being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Toronto, Canada. "We are very proud to continue our support of the research community by sponsoring these two awards," said Frank J. Malinoski, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs at MedImmune. "It is vital that our efforts to fight pediatric infectious disease include support for investments in research by the medical community in its quest to develop new breakthroughs in pediatric research." The MedImmune Career Development Award in Pediatric Infectious Disease was established to support the development of outstanding physician-scientists as independent laboratory investigators performing research in the field of pediatric infectious disease. The award includes a $50,000 per year grant for up to three years. This year's recipient, Dr. Han, hopes that through his project, titled Induction of Apoptosis in T-cells by HSV-2, he will be able to begin to understand how herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) evades the host's immune system. "This will be a critical step toward the development of better therapeutic approaches to genital and neonatal herpes," said Dr. Han. The Viral Respiratory Disease Fellowship was established to stimulate and support clinical research related to viral respiratory diseases. The fellowship includes a $45,000 per year grant for up to two years. Dr. Bhat, this year's recipient, will examine whether human rhinovirus (hRV) infection is specifically associated with acute wheezing in asthmatic children, and will evaluate the role of critical immune mediators that have been linked theoretically to hRV-induced wheezing through his project titled Mechanisms of Human Rhinovirus-Induced Asthma Exacerbations. "I am honored by the vote of confidence this fellowship award gives to my potential to make a meaningful contribution to improve the health of this vulnerable patient population," said Dr. Bhat. The MedImmune and PIDS awards partnership is just one example of the company's broader, ongoing commitment to research and pediatric health. To date, MedImmune has invested more than $2 billion in research funds to develop new and next-generation medicines against respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza. About MedImmune, Inc. MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of pediatric infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases. With more than 2,500 employees worldwide, MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.medimmune.com/ . About the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) is organized exclusively for scientific and educational purposes and not for profit. Its purpose is to enhance the health of infants, children, and adolescents by promoting excellence in diagnosis, management and prevention of infectious diseases through clinical care, education, research and advocacy. Notice to Investors and Stockholders of MedImmune This release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of MedImmune. MedImmune stockholders are urged to read the relevant tender offer documents from AstraZeneca PLC which have been filed on May 3, 2007 because they will contain important information that stockholders should consider before making any decision regarding tendering their shares. AstraZeneca has filed tender offer materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and MedImmune has also filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with respect to the offer. The tender offer materials (including an Offer to Purchase, a related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement contain important information, which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the tender offer. The Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, are available for free at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's web site at http://www.sec.gov/ , at AstraZeneca's website at http://www.astrazeneca.com/ or at MedImmune's website at http://www.medimmune.com/ . DATASOURCE: MedImmune, Inc. CONTACT: Media, Kate Barrett of MedImmune, Inc., +1-301-398-4320 Web site: http://www.medimmune.com/

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