AVENTIS PASTEUR ANNOUNCES INCREASE
IN TETANUS VACCINE SUPPLY FOR PHYSICIAN OFFICES

US Press Contacts:
Len Lavenda
Aventis Pasteur
570-839-4446

Peter Paris
Cooney Waters Group
212-886-2200

Swiftwater, PA - May 9, 2002 - Aventis Pasteur has announced the availability of an increased supply of the adult and adolescent vaccine for tetanus and diphtheria, Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed For Adult Use (Td), and will resume distribution of a limited amount of vaccine to office-based health care providers beginning June 2002. The increased supply will allow physicians to provide Td for wound care and other critical needs in the office, but routine boosters are still deferred at this time, in accord with current government guidelines.

Since the national shortage of Td began last year following the cessation of production by another manufacturer, the vaccine has been rationed and available only to emergency care facilities and public health clinics for critical needs. Health care providers will now have a limited supply of Td for use in wound care and other priority indications as described in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions' (CDC) guidelines for the interim deferral of routine Td boosters. Routine 10-year Td boosters should still be postponed at this time; Aventis Pasteur expects the CDC to lift the booster deferral later this summer when an adequate national supply of Td is available.

"As the only remaining national supplier of Td, Aventis Pasteur is committed to meeting the nation's need for tetanus vaccine," said, Michael Decker, MD, MPH, vice president, scientific and medical affairs at Aventis Pasteur. "Thanks to the continuing cooperation of health care providers with CDC recommendations and to our increased Td production, patients can now receive wound care immunizations at their physician's office. We look forward to a return of booster immunizations by the end of summer."

Early last year, a national Td manufacturer abruptly exited the market, leaving Aventis Pasteur as the only nationwide supplier of Td vaccine in the U.S. The company worked closely with the CDC to begin rationing Td to hospitals and public health clinics, broadly distributing existing supplies throughout the country so that all critical immunization needs could be met. Aventis Pasteur has signficantly increased production of Td vaccine to fully meet the nation's needs.

Detailed information about the increased availability of Td is as follows:

• Office-based physicians can place their orders in advance May 13 through May 28, 2002, through Aventis Pasteur's web site, ww.vaccineshoppe.com.
  
• Starting May 28, 2002, office-based physicians can continue to place Td orders on-line at www.vaccineshoppe.com or by calling 1-800-VACCINE
  (1-800-822-2463).
  
• An educational wound care kit can also be requested through www.vaccineshoppe.com. The kit contains a letter outlining the ordering procedures for office-based physicians, a poster with the priority indications and cards for adult patients to track their immunizations.
  
• All orders for office-based physicians will begin shipping in June 2002. Ordering and shipping policies for hospitals and urgent care facilities have not changed.
• Before administering Td, providers should review the full Prescribing Information.

Statements in this news 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.

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¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Deferral of routine booster doses of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids for adolescents and adults. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2001;50:418,427.

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