Sofinnova Partners Names Chika Yoshinaga Vice President, Asia

Sofinnova Partners Names Chika Yoshinaga Vice President, Asia

September 19, 2007

    PARIS, Sept. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Sofinnova
Partners today announced that Chika Yoshinaga, M.D., a
seasoned investor in life sciences, has joined the firm as
Vice President, Asia. Her mission will be to spearhead and
define Sofinnova Partners' strategic initiative in Asia,
which will emphasize China.

    Over her four years as Deputy General Manager at NIF
SMBC Ventures, Yoshinaga invested in five companies, four
based in Europe and one in the United States. Three have
completed initial public offerings: Acorda Therapeutics
(Nasdaq: ACOR), BioXell (SWX: BXLN), and Innate Pharma
(Euronext: IPH). Prior to joining the venture capital
industry, Yoshinaga worked as a System Engineer in the
Information System Division of the Health and Science
Research Institute in Yokohama, Japan. She was also a
physician intern and practiced medicine at WuaTong Hospital
in Shanghai, China.

    "Over the years we have developed a respectful and
enjoyable relationship with Chika as a co-investor,"
commented Denis Lucquin, Managing Partner of Sofinnova
Partners. "Now we can look forward to directly
benefiting from her inside perspective on the emerging
Asian market. She will guide us on the development of a
comprehensive China strategy, and provide vital
introductions to her base of contacts in the medical and
entrepreneurial communities, as well as the local network
of investors."

    "It's a pleasure for me to join the Sofinnova
Partners team," said Yoshinaga. "I appreciate the
value they place on cross-cultural nuances and respect their
general investment philosophy. While being successful
venture investors, they maintain a genuine focus on
building companies that will thrive and contribute for the
long term."

    Yoshinaga earned an M.S. in Bio-Engineering from
Yokohama National University in Japan, as well as an M.D.
in Clinical Medicine from Shanghai Medical University in
China.

    Whereas the IT venture capital industry is reaching
maturity, the life science industry in China is
strengthening as the country's rapid economic growth is
paired with an increasing demand for a higher quality of
healthcare. Many of the world's top pharmaceutical
companies have committed to the country. Within the past 18
months, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly and Novartis have each
committed to invest $100 million to establish research and
development facilities in China. They follow Roche and
Pfizer, which committed significant investments in 2004 and
2005 respectively.

    About Sofinnova Partners

    Founded in Paris in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is one of
Europe's leading independent venture capital firms. With
EUR900 million under management, Sofinnova Partners invests
in start-ups and early-stage companies in information
technology and life sciences. Its investment strategy
consists of investing early in teams and projects with high
potential, most often acting as lead or co-lead investor.
Sofinnova Partners also benefits from a long-established
relationship with its sister company in San Francisco,
Sofinnova Ventures. For more information, please visit
http://www.sofinnova.fr.


    For more information, please contact:

     Lamia Idrissi
     Sofinnova Partners
     Phone: [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]