Philips and BG Medicine Partner in Molecular Medicine for Early Detection and Monitoring of Disease

Philips and BG Medicine Partner in Molecular Medicine for Early Detection and
Monitoring of Diseases

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Philips today announced that it has reached a
development partnership agreement with BG Medicine, a privately held company based
in Waltham, Massachusetts (US). Under the agreement Philips Research will collaborate
with BG Medicine to advance Philips’ development of patient-centered diagnostics and
personalized medicine. As a further part of this strategic agreement Philips will take a
minority stake in BG Medicine.

The Philips-BG Medicine partnership is an extension of Philips’ existing molecular
medicine research and development efforts. The collaboration gives Philips access to
certain BG Medicine proprietary biomarker discovery and validation technologies, and
associated services. Biomarkers are specific molecular or cellular components or events
that indicate the presence of a disease, and may be used to tailor therapy to the
individual patient. Validated biomarkers are key for the implementation of Philips’
molecular diagnostics technologies and molecular imaging solutions. They enable the
detection of a given disease at an early stage, and can be used to monitor the
effectiveness of the subsequent therapy.

“We are at the dawn of a new era in medicine where technology and biology are applied
in conjunction to create a whole new generation of approaches to diagnosis and
treatment with improved clinical outcomes,” said Rick Harwig, CTO of Philips. “The
Philips-BG Medicine partnership brings together the important capabilities and resources
that are required to execute our healthcare vision and strategy.”

“The convergence of technology and biology creates exciting new opportunities in
healthcare,” said Pieter Muntendam, MD, President and CEO of BG Medicine. “The
partnership announced today between Philips and BG Medicine provides a strategic
foundation and framework for a series of joint initiatives in molecular medicine focused
on important areas such as cardiovascular disease and oncology.”

The advancement of molecular medicine promises to revolutionize today’s healthcare
practices by leading to earlier detection of health problems increasing the likelihood of
treatment success and minimizing the severity or duration of an illness. In addition,
customized treatment programs could increase effectiveness and comfort and ultimately
accelerate and improve patient recovery outcomes.


For further information please contact:

Steve Klink
Philips Research / Public Relations Department
Press Information
Tel.: +31 40 27 43703
Mobile: +31 6 10888824
E-mail: steve.klink@philips.com

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world’s biggest electronics companies and Europe’s largest, with sales of EUR 30.4 billion in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 158,000 employees in more than 60 countries, it ha s market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter .

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