CHIR Chiron (MM)

Rocleix Testing Begins In England EMERYVILLE, CA, December 10 /PRNewswire/ -- -- 850,000 units to be tested annually with Chiron Nucleic Acid Test-- EMERYVILLE, CA, December 10th, 2003- Chiron Corporation (NASDAQ:CHIR) announced today that the National Blood Service in England has begun Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) at its Brentwood site with the company's Procleix(r) HIV-1/HCV Assay. The Assay is expected to test about one third of the 2.6 million units of blood annually tested in England "The start of Procleix testing in England underscores Chiron's commitment to expand its expertise in blood safety to new geographies," said Jack Goldstein, president, Chiron Blood Testing. "We are pleased to be able to help the National Blood Service meet its needs and look forward to working with the agency to help ensure the safety of the UK's blood supply." "Assuring the security of the blood supply in England is our top priority and, wherever possible we try to avoid being dependent on a single system or supplier," said Richard Bedford, Assistant Director, National Blood Service. "Modifying our NAT HCV screening system to include the Chiron Procleix System to test one third of our donated blood, represents a significant step forward for us." The Procleix Assay was developed [MJW1] with Gen-Probe Incorporated to detect the presence of all known HIV-1 groups and subtypes and all known hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in human plasma during the very early stages of infection, when those agents are present but cannot be detected by immunodiagnostic tests. It has been shown that the introduction of NAT testing can close the window period (the time from infection to detection) by as much as 10 days for HIV-1 and by as much as 60 days for HCV. Amplified nucleic acid testing (NAT) is a highly sensitive method of detecting infectious organisms in donated blood, thereby improving the safety of the world's blood supply. NAT is used worldwide and is mandated by many European national health authorities to screen blood donations for HIV-1 and HCV. About Procleix Procleix Assays and Systems incorporate state-of-the-art NAT technology to detect viral RNA and DNA in donated blood and plasma during the very early stages of infection, when these infectious agents are present but cannot be detected by immunodiagnostic tests. The Procleix HIV-1/HCV Assay, developed in collaboration with Gen-Probe, has been commercially available in Europe since 1999 and also bears the CE Mark. The Procleix HIV-1/HCV Assay is approved for use in the United States, Australia and major markets in Europe. The Procleix Ultrio Assay, which detects HIV-1, HCV and HBV in a single test, will be commercially available in Europe in early 2004. For more information about Chiron Blood Testing visit, www.eBloodBank.com. About Chiron Corporation Chiron Corporation, headquartered in Emeryville, California, is a global pharmaceutical company that leverages a diverse business model to develop and commercialize high-value products that make a difference in people's lives. The company has a strategic focus on cancer and infectious disease. Chiron applies its advanced understanding of the biology of cancer and infectious disease to develop products from its platforms in proteins, small molecules and vaccines. The company commercializes its products through three business units: biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and blood testing. For more information about Chiron, visit the company's website at www.chiron.com. This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding sales growth, product development initiatives and new product marketing that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change. A full discussion of the company's operations and financial condition, including factors that may affect its business and future prospects, is contained in documents the company has filed with the SEC, including the form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003, and the form 10-K for year ended December 31, 2002, and will be contained in all subsequent periodic filings made with the SEC. These documents identify important factors that could cause the company's actual performance to differ from current expectations, including the outcomes of clinical trials, regulatory review and approvals, manufacturing capabilities, intellectual property protections and defenses, stock-price and interest-rate volatility, and marketing effectiveness. In particular, there can be no assurance that Chiron will increase sales of existing products, successfully develop and receive approval to market new products, or achieve market acceptance for such new products. There can be no assurance that Chiron's out-licensing activity will generate significant revenue, nor that its in-licensing activities will fully protect it from claims of infringement by third parties. Consistent with SEC Regulation FD, we do not undertake an obligation to update the forward-looking information we are giving today. Note: Procleix and Ultrio are trademarks of Chiron Corporation. DATASOURCE: Capital MS&L Ltd Contacts: Chiron Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Media: +1 510.923.6500 Investors: +1 510.923.2300 Mary Clark, Director, Manning, Selvage & Lee EU Media: +44 (0) 20.7878.3245

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