Cambridge, UK -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 07/17/2006 --

Update on MVA litigation at International Trade Commission

Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts - 17 July 2006 - Acambis plc ("Acambis") (LSE: ACM, NASDAQ: ACAM) announces that, following completion of the evidentiary hearing at the International Trade Commission ("ITC") on the dispute between Acambis and Bavarian Nordic A/S ("BN") relating to BN's patents related to Modified Vaccinia Ankara, transcripts of the public sections of the hearing are now available.

The hearing (Investigation Number 337-550) was held at the ITC between 8 and 16 May. Transcripts of those parts of the hearing that were held in public are available from the ITC's website at www.usitc.gov through EDIS, the Electronic Data Information System. Sections of the case were kept confidential for reasons of commercial sensitivity and are, therefore, not included in the public transcripts.

The ITC judge's initial determination on the case is expected towards the end of August 2006. Thereafter, either party (as well as the Commission on its own initiative) can petition for review by a panel of ITC Commissioners who would then make a final determination by the end of November 2006.

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Enquiries:

Acambis plc
Gordon Cameron, Chief Executive Officer
David Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer
Lyndsay Wright, VP, Communications and IR
Tel: +44 (0 1223 275 300

Financial Dynamics
David Yates/Anna Keeble
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113

About Acambis

Acambis is a leading developer of vaccines to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Recognised internationally as the leading producer of smallpox vaccines, Acambis is developing an investigational smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, and is manufacturing emergency-use stockpiles of this investigational vaccine for the US Government and other governments around the world. It is also developing an attenuated smallpox vaccine, MVA3000, under contracts with the US National Institutes of Health. Acambis' US-based subsidiary Berna Products Corporation markets Vivotif®, the world's only licensed oral typhoid vaccine, in North America. Acambis' investigational vaccine against Japanese encephalitis, ChimeriVax-JE, is undergoing Phase 3 clinical testing. It also has the most advanced investigational vaccine against the West Nile virus, which has spread to 48 US States in the last seven years, and a vaccine against Clostridium difficile bacteria, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Acambis is based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Its primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange (ACM) and its shares are listed in the form of American Depositary Receipts on NASDAQ (ACAM). More information is available at www.acambis.com.

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the timing and results of clinical trials, product development, manufacturing and commercialisation risks, the risks of satisfying the regulatory approval process in a timely manner, the need for and the availability of additional capital. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties see "Risk management" in the Company's 2005 Annual Report and "Risk factors" in its Form 20-F, in addition to those detailed on the Company's website and in the Company's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the management of Acambis and are believed to be reasonable, though are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results or experience could differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

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