sanofi pasteur Influenza Vaccine Production Tops 170 Million Doses in 2006

Record Production Capabilities Strengthen sanofi pasteur's Global Leadership in the Fight Against Seasonal Influenza and Place the Company at the Forefront of Pandemic Readiness

sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group (NYSE: SNY; EURONEXT: SAN), announced that it completed production of more than 170 million doses of influenza vaccine in 2006.

sanofi pasteur confirmed its leadership as one of the world's largest manufacturers of seasonal influenza vaccine, supplying a very significant portion of the estimated global production of about 350 million doses(1).

As the global influenza vaccine leader, sanofi pasteur has been steadily increasing its manufacturing capacity. Since 2003, capacity has increased by more than 40% in line with the company's commitment to serve a central role in the fight against a disease that causes between three and five million cases of severe illness and between 300,000 and 500,000 estimated deaths every year around the world according to the Word Health Organization(1).

In addition, sanofi pasteur's leadership position in developing and producing influenza vaccines places the company at the forefront of readiness against the threat of pandemic influenza. The company is committed to producing as many doses of sanofi pasteur's most advanced vaccine in the shortest possible timeframe, should a pandemic be declared by the world's health authorities.

"By producing a record number of doses of seasonal influenza vaccine in 2006, sanofi pasteur demonstrates once again its steadfast commitment to fight a serious disease that affects the lives of millions of individuals each year and heavily weighs upon public health systems everywhere," said Jean-Fran?ois Dehecq, Chairman and CEO of sanofi-aventis. "sanofi pasteur's strong industrial

Since 1995, sales volume of sanofi pasteur's influenza virus vaccines has more than tripled. To keep pace with the world's growing immunisation needs, sanofi pasteur has made significant capital investments in influenza vaccine production capabilities in the United States and France in order to reach current levels of more than 170 million doses.

In 2005, sanofi pasteur initiated a USD 160 million investment in the United States for a new influenza vaccine manufacturing facility, which is anticipated to double its US production capacity. New production capacities are planned to come online for the 2008/9 influenza season. A EUR160 million investment, the largest capital investment to date for sanofi pasteur in France, has also been approved for a formulation and filling facility in sanofi pasteur's Val de Reuil facility. The new state-of-the-industry facility will

Seasonal Influenza Overview

Influenza is a highly infectious virus that spreads easily from person to person, primarily when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5-15% of the population is affected with upper respiratory tract infections in annual influenza epidemics. Hospitalisation and deaths mainly occur in high-risk groups (elderly, chronically ill (people with chronic conditions/illness). Although difficult to assess, these annual epidemics are thought to result in between three and five

Pandemic Influenza Overview

Influenza is a disease caused by a highly infectious virus that spreads easily from person to person, primarily when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. An influenza pandemic is a global epidemic of an especially virulent virus, newly infectious for humans, and for which there is no pre-existing immunity. This is why these pandemic strains have such potential to cause severe morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the next pandemic is likely to result in 1 to 2.3 million

For information about sanofi pasteur pandemic preparedness program, please

About sanofi-aventis

The sanofi-aventis Group is the world's third-largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D organisation, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine, and vaccines. The sanofi-aventis Group is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). For more information, please visit: www.sanofi-aventis.com

sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, sold more than a billion doses of vaccine in 2005, making it possible to protect more than 500 million people across the globe. The company offers the broadest range of vaccines, providing protection against 20 bacterial and viral diseases. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future events, operations, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expect," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "plans" and similar expressions. Although sanofi-aventis' management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to

SOURCE: sanofi pasteur

CONTACT: sanofi pasteur,

Pascal Barollier,

International Media Relations,

Tel: +33-4-37-37-51-41,

[email protected] ;

sanofi pasteur,

Len Lavenda,

US Media Relations,

Tel: +1-570-839-4446,

[email protected]

Web site: http//www.sanofipasteur.com

--Distributed by AsiaNet ( www.asianetnews.net )--

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