BVF Acquisition LLC Extends Avigen Tender Offer to Apr...(AT (212) 929-5500 OR VIA EMAIL AT CE...)

CERTAIN INFORMATION CONCERNING PARTICIPANTS

Biotechnology Value Fund, L.P. ("BVF"), together with the other participants named herein, has made a preliminary filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") of a proxy statement and accompanying GOLD proxy card to be used to solicit proxies for the removal of the members of the Board of Directors of Avigen, Inc. ("Avigen"), without cause, and for the election of BVF's slate of director nominees to replace the removed directors at a special meeting of stockholders, to be called by Avigen at the request of BVF and Biotechnology Value Fund II, L.P. ("BVF2").

BVF STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF AVIGEN TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. SUCH PROXY MATERIALS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV. IN ADDITION, THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' PROXY SOLICITOR.

                The participants in the proxy solicitation are BVF, BVF2, BVF
                Investments, L.L.C. ("BVLLC"), BVF Acquisition LLC ("BVF
                Acq"), Investment 10, L.L.C. ("ILL10"), BVF Partners L.P.
                ("Partners"), BVF Inc. ("BVF Inc."), Mark N. Lampert, Oleg
                Nodelman, Matthew D. Perry and Robert M. Coppedge.
            

As of the date of this filing, BVF beneficially owned 1,975,340 shares of Common Stock of Avigen, BVF2 beneficially owned 1,364,911 shares of
'/>"/>