Cangene Awarded Biodefence Contract for Anthrax Immune Globulin (AIGIV) by the U.S. Government

TSX: CNJ

Readers are referred to the cautionary notes regarding Forward-looking Information and non-IFRS Financial Measures at the end of this release. Unless noted otherwise, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Cangene Corporation (Cangene) announced today that it has been awarded a multiple award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to potentially provide its Anthrax Immune Globulin Intravenous (AIGIV) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the U.S. government's biodefence program.  Cangene's AIGIV, a hyperimmune antibody product specific for Bacillus anthracis bacteria, was first accepted into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile in 2007.

Under the terms of the five-year contract, Cangene could be awarded delivery orders for the collection and storage of anti-Anthrax human plasma, for the manufacturing of bulk drug substance and AIGIV final drug product.  The contract's work statement has a total potential maximum value of approximately $264 million to Cangene.

In conjunction with the contract award, Cangene was awarded the first task/delivery order under the contract.  The order is for the collection and storage of anti-Anthrax human plasma sufficient to manufacture 10,000 doses of bulk drug substance or final drug product.  This order is expected to generate aggregate revenue of approximately $63 million for Cangene for fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016, which is included in the aforementioned approximate total potential maximum value of the contract's work statement.

John A. Sedor, President and CEO of Cangene, said: "We are proud to have been selected by the U.S. government for this important medical countermeasure.  This marks our second major biodefence contract this year, with the extension of our VIGIV contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that we announced earlier this month, underscoring our leadership in biodefence.  We appreciate our long-standing relationship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and look forward to continuing to support its critical biodefence preparedness program."

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under Contract No. HHSO100201300009I.

About Cangene Corporation
Cangene Corporation (TSX: CNJ), headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, is one of the nation's oldest and largest biopharmaceutical companies. It is focused on the development and commercialization of specialty therapeutics. Cangene's products are sold worldwide and include products that have been accepted into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. Cangene has offices in three locations across North America. It operates manufacturing facilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Baltimore, Maryland (through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cangene bioPharma, Inc.) where it produces its own products and undertakes contract manufacturing for a number of customers. Cangene also operates a plasma-collection facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba under the name Cangene Plasma Resources.  Its U.S. sales and marketing office is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  For more information about Cangene, visit the Company's website at www.cangene.com.

Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Information
This document contains forward-looking statements about the Corporation, including its business operations, strategy, and expected financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "will", "believes", "estimates", or negative versions thereof, and similar expressions. In addition, any statement that may be made concerning future financial performance (including revenues, earnings or growth rates), ongoing business strategies or prospects, future use, safety and efficacy of unapproved products or unapproved uses of products, and possible future action by the Corporation are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are inherently subject to, among other things, risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Corporation, economic factors and the biopharmaceutical industry generally. They are not guarantees of future performance. Actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by the Corporation due to, but not limited to, important factors such as sales levels; fluctuations in operating results; the Corporation's reliance on a small number of customers including government organizations; the demand for new products and the impact of competitive products, service and pricing; the availability and cost of raw materials, and in particular, the cost, availability and antibody concentration in plasma; progress and cost of clinical trials; costs and possible development delays resulting from use of legal, regulatory or legislative strategies by the Company's competitors; uncertainty related to intellectual property protection and potential costs associated with its defence as well as general economic, political and market factors in North America and internationally; interest and foreign exchange rates; business competition; technological change; changes in government action, policies or regulations; decisions by Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory authorities regarding whether and when to approve drug applications that have been or may be filed, as well as their decisions regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of drug candidates; unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings; catastrophic events; the Corporation's ability to complete strategic transactions; and other factors beyond the control of management.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Non-IFRS Financial Measures
This news release may contain non-IFRS financial measures. Terms by which non-IFRS financial measures are identified include but are not limited to "net cash", "total assets", "sales" and other similar expressions. Non-IFRS financial measures are used to provide management and investors with additional measures of performance. However, non-IFRS financial measures do not have standard meanings prescribed by IFRS and are not directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Please refer to the appropriate reconciliations of these non-IFRS financial measures to measures prescribed by IFRS.

SOURCE: Cangene Corporation

Contact Information
Jeff Lamothe
Chief Financial Officer
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