BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that its Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Bienaime will receive the Most Admired CEO Award from the San Francisco Business Times at a gala event to be held on November 19, 2009 in San Francisco. Mr. Bienaime is recognized for his outstanding leadership in the category of public companies with annual revenues of less than $500 million. Mr. Bienaime was selected by an independent panel of judges who considered multiple nominations for CEOs who consistently demonstrate excellent leadership of their companies, people, industries and communities. An advisory panel considered qualities including leadership, values, vision, company's financial performance, commitment to quality and diversity, work environment, community contributions, innovation and overcoming adversity.

"It is no coincidence that BioMarin has been named one of the San Francisco Bay Area's 'Best Places to Work'* for three consecutive years," said Mark Wood, BioMarin Vice President of Human Resources. "Mr. Bienaime has been the driving force behind the company's growth and success in recent years. Under his leadership, BioMarin has emerged as a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical company, with an employee population that has doubled since his arrival, with employees in 20 countries worldwide."

During his five-year tenure at the company, Mr. Bienaime and his team have built BioMarin's market capitalization to highs of more than $3.5 billion, and revenues from $18.6 million to more than $300 million. The company has brought three biopharmaceutical products to market in just three to five years each, which is a remarkable accomplishment in the pharmaceutical industry where drug candidates typically require 10-12 years to progress from research to commercialization.

"It is a great honor to be recognized among some of the Bay Area's most esteemed corporate leaders," said Mr. Bienaime. "I would especially like to extend my gratitude to BioMarin employees who have persevered through great challenges and change, and to also remember the patients we serve."

Mr. Bienaime has worked in the Bay Area biopharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years, with a significant track record of executive-level leadership positions throughout that time. Recently, Mr. Bienaime was named among the Top 5 Best CEOs in the Healthcare Sector by Institutional Investor Magazine. Under his leadership BioMarin has also received multiple industry awards including BayBio's DiNA Pantheon Award for Outstanding Company, and the NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) Partners In Progress Corporate Award to name a few.

About Jean-Jacques Bienaime

Mr. Bienaime joined BioMarin in May 2005 as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Under his leadership, the market capitalization of BioMarin went from around $450 million in May 2005 to over $3.5 billion in May 2008. BioMarin 2009 revenues are expected to be more than $300 million. BioMarin is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with nearly 700 employees. From November 2002 to April 2005, Mr. Bienaime served as chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Genencor, a biotechnology company focused on industrial bioproducts and targeted cancer biotherapeutics. Under his leadership, Genencor's revenues increased substantially to over $400 million and shareholder value increased dramatically, culminating in the sale of the company to Danisco in the spring of 2005 for an enterprise value of over $1.2 billion. From 1998 to late 2002, Mr. Bienaime served as chairman, chief executive officer and president of Sangstat Medical Corporation, an immunology-focused biotechnology company that he guided to profitability prior to its acquisition by Genzyme Corporation. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Bienaime held several senior management positions at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals (now Sanofi-Aventis), culminating in the position of senior vice president of worldwide marketing and business development responsible for, among other things, the launch of Lovenox® (for the prevention of pulmonary embolism and treatment of unstable angina) in the United States and Taxotere® (for breast and lung cancer) worldwide. Earlier in his career, he worked at Genentech, Inc. where he was involved in the launch of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) for the treatment of heart attacks.

Mr. Bienaime is chairman of the board of directors of NeurogesX, Inc., a member of the board of directors of Ensemble Discovery Corporation, a member of the advisory board of Bellevue Asset Management's BioVentures II fund, and a member of the BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization) Board of Directors Health Section Governing Board. He received an M.B.A from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in economics from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris.

About BioMarin

BioMarin develops and commercializes innovative biopharmaceuticals for serious diseases and medical conditions. The company's product portfolio comprises three approved products and multiple clinical and pre-clinical product candidates. Approved products include Naglazyme® (galsulfase) for mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI), a product wholly developed and commercialized by BioMarin; Aldurazyme® (laronidase) for mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I), a product which BioMarin developed through a 50/50 joint venture with Genzyme Corporation; and Kuvan® (sapropterin dihydrochloride) Tablets, for phenylketonuria (PKU), developed in partnership with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany. Other product candidates include PEG-PAL (PEGylated recombinant phenylalanine ammonia lyase), which is currently in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of PKU and GALNS (N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfatase), which is currently in Phase I/II clinical development for the treatment of MPS IVA. For additional information, please visit www.BMRN.com.

BioMarin®, Naglazyme® and Kuvan® are registered trademarks of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

Aldurazyme® is a registered trademark of BioMarin/Genzyme LLC.

* San Francisco Business Times "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area (101-500 employees)" 2007, 2008, 2009.

  Investors                                 Media
  Eugenia Shen                              Susan Berg
  BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.              BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
  (415) 506-6570                            (415) 506-6594

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SOURCE: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.