Mannheim, January 4, 2001

IGEN – Roche Diagnostics litigation:
Court orders IGEN to produce documents pertaining to its relationship with Eisai

Roche Diagnostics GmbH has announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has granted its motion to compel IGEN to produce documents pertaining to IGEN’s relationship with Eisai Ltd ("Eisai"). Eisai is a Japanese diagnostic company which had licensed IGEN’s electrochemiluminescence ("ECL") technology in 1990. Roche Diagnostics and IGEN are currently in litigation over claims surrounding the License and Technology Development Agreement between Roche Diagnostics and IGEN entered in 1992 relating to that same ECL technology. Roche Diagnostics has asserted several claims against IGEN, including a claim that IGEN induced Roche Diagnostics into entering the License and Technology Development Agreement in 1992 by misstating the scope of Eisai’s ECL rights in Japan, and IGEN’s intentions with respect to the expansion of Eisai’s ECL rights in the future. Roche Diagnostics also claims that IGEN has breached this Agreement by granting additional rights to Eisai in Japan which infringe upon the worldwide, exclusive rights granted to Roche Diagnostics by IGEN under the Agreement.

IGEN had declined to produce to Roche Diagnostics documents relating to Eisai, thus requiring Roche Diagnostics to seek an order from the Court. The Court ordered IGEN to produce promptly those documents to Roche Diagnostics. The litigation between Roche Diagnostics and IGEN was initiated in September 1997 stemming from a dispute between the parties relative to the Agreement.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-oriented healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and vitamins. Roche’s innovative products and services address needs for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, thus enhancing people’s well-being and quality of life. Roche has approximately 63,900 employees and sells its products in over 170 countries. The Roche Group posted sales of 20.3 billion Swiss francs in the first nine months of 2000. In the first half of 2000 the company’s net income amounted to 3 billion Swiss francs. It invested 1.9 billion Swiss francs in research and development. Through the company's Diagnostics Division, innovative testing products and services are made available to physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories worldwide.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Marianne Gretz
Roche Diagnostics
Communications & PR
Phone: +49 621 759 – 23 24
Fax: +49 621 759 – 29 02
Marianne.Gretz@Roche.com