Abgenix Appoints Bruce A. Keyt Vice President, Preclinical Development.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2001

Abgenix, Inc. (Nasdaq:ABGX) announced today the appointment of Bruce A. Keyt, Ph.D. to the position of vice president, preclinical development. Dr. Keyt will report to Geoffrey Davis, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, and will lead a group responsible for the efficient transition of potential antibody candidates from product discovery to product development.

Dr. Keyt brings over 19 years of experience in the biotechnology industry with extensive background in protein chemistry, pharmacology and preclinical development of therapeutic antibodies and proteins. Recently, Dr. Keyt was director of biotherapeutic oncology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he directed a team of 20 scientists responsible for the validation of targets and the generation of anti-tumor specific antibody therapeutics. Previously, he spent 15 years at Genentech, Inc. in various positions with increasing responsibility, including section head of small molecule pharmacology and VEGF project manager. Dr. Keyt is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and is inventor on eight issued U.S. patents. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and pharmacology from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Mass., and a B.S. in Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

"Abgenix is moving aggressively to develop our own proprietary pipeline of new and important antibody therapies," said R. Scott Greer, chairman and CEO of Abgenix. "Bruce's broad experience in characterizing and validating antibodies for the selection of optimal product candidates makes him a great addition to our team."

Abgenix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of human monoclonal antibody therapies for a variety of diseases. The company's antibody technology platform, which includes XenoMax(TM) technology, enables the rapid generation and selection of high affinity, fully human antibody product candidates to disease targets appropriate for antibody therapy. Abgenix leverages its leadership position in human antibody technology by building a large and diversified product portfolio through the establishment of licensing arrangements with multiple pharmaceutical, biotechnology and genomics companies and through the development of its own internal proprietary products. For more information on Abgenix, visit the company's website at www.abgenix.com.

Statements made in this press release about Abgenix's technology, product development activities and collaborative arrangements other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including risks associated with the success of clinical trials, the progress of research and product development programs, the regulatory approval process, competitive products, future capital requirements and the extent and breadth of Abgenix's patent portfolio. Please see Abgenix's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for information about risks that may affect Abgenix.