Air Liquide launches LENOXe™

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

The new LENOXe™ drug is being presented at the European Congress of anaesthesiology on 9-12th June 2007 in Munich, Germany. It is due for commercial release by the end of 2007.

LENOXe™ is based on xenon (Xe), an air gas with very interesting anaesthetic properties. The LENOXe™ offering combines a gas, special packaging and the dispensing equipment necessary for its administration.

Along with being a very effective general anaesthetic agent, LENOXe™ has the lowest solubility among all inhalational anaesthetics, which permits rapid recovery at the end of surgery. LENOXe™ is not metabolised by the human body, thus improving organ preservation. Moreover, one of the major advantages of LENOXe™, and certainly the most promising, is that it maintains cardiovascular function during anaesthesia by its ability to keep the blood pressure relatively stable and its absence of effect on contraction of the heart.

On 30^th March 2007, Air Liquide (Paris:AI) was granted market approval for LENOXe^TM in 12 European countries, opening the way for the product’s marketing: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. LENOXe™ is the Group’s first “therapeutic gas” to be approved by European procedure. This market approval followed an earlier authorization obtained by Air Liquide in Germany in 2005, based on a clinical file acquired together with the German activities of Messer.

Air Liquide has focussed its efforts on improving both the production process and the anaesthesia procedure, thus lowering the costs of xenon and allowing wide utilisation of this gas in clinical practices.

Medical gases, one of the main research subjects and growth sectors of Air Liquide Healthcare activities, have a variety of indications in the medical field. In 2004, Air Liquide strengthened its R&D programs in this sector. Considering the nature of these programs, market commercialisation can take several years and these efforts are expected to bear fruit after 2010.

Jean-Marc de Royere, Senior Vice-President in charge of the Healthcare World Business Line of Air Liquide, declared: “The launch of LENOXe^TM in the European market marks the first step in introducing our “therapeutic gases” program. We are very excited by this outcome that demonstrates our innovation and opens up a promising new field in Healthcare. Subject to the progress with our research programs, we plan to file for several other therapeutic gases in the coming years”.

The Healthcare business of Air Liquide

With 7,000 employees in 35 countries and € 1.7 billion sales in 2006, the Healthcare world business line of Air Liquide is a leader in respiratory care (homecare, gases, equipment), and medical hygiene. Customers include 5,000 hospitals and 300,000 patients throughout the world.

Therapeutic gases

They combine three elements: a gas (the active principle), special packaging and a dispensing system. Indications being considered are respiratory, anaesthesia, analgesia, neuroprotection. Air Liquide is actively developing these products, which should contribute significantly to the future growth of medical gases, depending on the successful outcome of clinical trials. So far, national approvals have been obtained for Kinox™and Kalinox™ in Europe for hospital use.

About Air Liquide

With nearly 37,000 employees in 72 countries, Air Liquide is a world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services. The Group offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced technologies and produces air gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases…) and many other gases including hydrogen. The Group contributes to the manufacturing of many everyday products: bubbles in sparkling beverages, protective atmosphere for packed foods, oxygen for hospitals and homecare patients, ultra-pure gases for the semiconductor industry, hydrogen to desulfurize fuels...

Air Liquide is committed to sustainable development and helps to protect life. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has successfully developed a long-term relationship with its shareholders built on trust and transparency and guided by the principles of corporate governance. Since the publication of its first consolidated financial statements in 1971, Air Liquide has posted strong and steady earnings growth. Sales in 2006 totaled 10,949 million euros, with sales outside France accounting for almost 80%. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices (ISIN code FR 0000120073).

www.airliquide.com