Taxotere is one of the most frequently used and effective chemotherapeutic agents available in the world today. From the taxane class of drugs, Taxotere inhibits cancer cell division by essentially "freezing" the cell's internal skeleton, which is comprised of microtubules. Microtubules assemble and disassemble during a cell cycle. Taxotere promotes their assembly and blocks their disassembly, thereby preventing cancer cells from dividing and resulting in cancer cell death. Campto works by inhibiting the expression of topoisomerase I, an enzyme that is overexpressed in malignant colorectal cells. Inhibition of this enzyme's activity blocks the ability of a tumor to grow. Taxotere is marketed globally by Aventis, and the company markets Campto in countries outside the United States.

This research collaboration will explore the effectiveness of combinations of these drugs to treat breast, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate, ovarian, colorectal and gastric cancers.

"As a leading company in this area, we have been committed to cancer research for over 20 years and we are encouraged by the clinical progress made with 'Iressa'," said Dr. Brent Vose, Vice-President and Head of Oncology at AstraZeneca. "It is anticipated that our collaboration with Aventis will expand the options available to cancer patients and will enable us to further assess the potential role of 'Iressa' as a valuable new treatment."

Pivotal phase ll data demonstrate that 'Iressa' treatment leads to objective response or disease stabilisation in many patients with NSCLC who had progressed on previous treatments. In addition, many patients experienced symptom relief within 1-2 weeks of starting treatment. Importantly, the results were achieved without the accompanying side effect burden typically seen with current lung cancer therapies, although mild diarrhoea and skin rash, which are generally reversible, have been reported. These data formed the basis of the regulatory packages for 'Iressa', currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. 'Iressa' is currently completing phase III studies for the first line treatment of NSCLC in combination with chemotherapy and results from these important trials are expected later this year. Since receptors for EGF play a major role in the biology of cancer cells in many solid tumours, 'Iressa' offers potential for the treatment of a broad range of common solid malignancies and has also entered phase II clinical trials in a variety of tumors, including breast, colorectal, head and neck, prostate and gastric cancers.

Taxotere, which is approved worldwide for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, has demonstrated impressive tumor response rates as well as prolonged survival in these patients. Taxotere is the only taxane approved in Europe for use in combination with doxorubicin for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Taxotere is also the first and only chemotherapy agent approved worldwide for the treatment of patients with previously treated NSCLC. Campto is a reference treatment for advanced colon cancer. Taxotere and Campto form the backbone of the oncology franchise for Aventis.

"Finding improved treatment alternatives for patients with cancer is the focus of our oncology division," said Dr Belen Garijo, Vice President of Global Oncology at Aventis. "This collaboration will provide another opportunity to aggressively study Taxotere and Campto with an exciting new biological targeting agent."

The collaboration will be jointly funded by the two companies and decisions related to clinical trial design and implementation will be made together through a joint clinical trials committee.

About AstraZeneca

With the development of 'Iressa', AstraZeneca continues its tradition of research excellence and innovation in Oncology that led to the development of its current anti-cancer therapies including 'Arimidex', 'Casodex', 'Faslodex', 'Nolvadex', 'Tomudex' and 'Zoladex', as well as a range of novel targeted pipeline products such as anti-proliferatives, anti-angiogenesics, vascular targeting and anti-invasive agents. AstraZeneca is also harnessing rational drug design technologies to develop new compounds that offer advantages over current cytotoxic and hormonal treatment options. The company has over 20 different anti-cancer projects in research and development.

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $16.4 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anaesthesia including pain management, cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products.

About Aventis (NYSE: AVE)

Taxotere is a key growth driver for Aventis and, along with Campto, are the key growth drivers of the company's oncology franchise. In 2001, Taxotere sales worldwide exceeded 1 billion euros. In addition to its marketed cancer products, the company's oncology pipeline is led by two investigational taxane compounds (LIT 976 and 109); flavopiridol, an innovative chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of advanced/refractory tumors; AVE8062, an innovative investigational vascular targeting agent that is different from angiogenesis inhibitors as it targets both existing and newly developing blood vessels within tumors; and the ALVAC cancer vaccines being developed through Aventis Pasteur. Last month, Aventis entered a global agreement with Genta to jointly develop and commercialize Genasense, an antisense compound currently in phase III clinical study. A targeted Bcl-2 inhibitor, Genasense is the first oncology drug of its kind to directly target the biochemical pathway whereby cancer cells are ultimately killed by chemotherapy.

Aventis is dedicated to improving life by treating and preventing human disease through the discovery and development of innovative pharmaceutical products. Aventis focuses on prescription drugs for important therapeutic areas such as oncology, cardiology, diabetes and respiratory disorders, as well as on human vaccines. In 2001, Aventis generated sales of 17.7 billion euros, invested approximately 3 billion euros in research and development, and employed approximately 75,000 people in its core business. Aventis corporate headquarters are in Strasbourg, France. For more information, please visit: www.aventis.com

Statements in this release other than historical information are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially depending on factors such as the availability of resources, the timing and effects of regulatory actions, the strength of competition, the outcome of litigation and the effectiveness of patent protection. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties is set forth in the current Annual Report on Form 20-F of Aventis on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.