Genzyme Recognized by Scientists as a Top Employer for Fourth Consecutive Year

October 20, 2006 - Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced today that scientists have again named the company a top employer in a survey ranking the reputations of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Genzyme placed 6th among the 331 global companies included in the survey and is the highest ranked company in New England.

The survey, which was commissioned by the journal, Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, identifies the top 20 companies with the best reputations as employers. More than 650 Science readers participated in the survey.

“To be regarded consistently as one of the top life science employers is a great honor,” said Alan Smith, Ph.D., Genzyme’s chief scientific officer. “Genzyme has more products in development today than we’ve had at any other point in our history. This is due in very large part to the work of our exceptional scientists, and they will continue to play a key role in Genzyme’s growth and sustainability in the future.”

The survey was conducted from May 2 to June 4, 2006. Science subscribers were invited to respond to the survey, and asked to submit the names of companies they considered the best, average and worst employers.

The respondents then rated those companies on 42 different attributes from seven categories. The categories included corporate image, leadership and direction, financial prowess, work culture/environment, work/life balance, academics and collegial exchange, and compensation and benefits. More than 30 percent of the respondents came from outside the United States, primarily Western Europe.

Genzyme’s highest ratings included those for two attributes that respondents identified as being among the most important when evaluating an employer: having a clear vision for the future, and being an innovative leader in the industry. Genzyme received the 4th highest ranking for having a clear vision, and tied for 5th place for being an innovative leader.

“We are pleased to know that our reputation among scientists is strong,” said Zoltan Csimma, Genzyme’s chief human resources officer. “At Genzyme, we place a high priority on attracting and retaining talented people in all areas of the company, because we believe that each individual has the power to make a difference.”

Scientists working at Genzyme are developing new and next-generation therapies in several areas of medicine using a wide range of technologies. The company is bringing new treatments to patients with genetic diseases, kidney disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and transplant and immune diseases. The company is also a leader in the development of diagnostic and genetic tests.

More than 1,800 people are employed in research and development positions at Genzyme. Genzyme’s primary research and development facilities are in Massachusetts, where the company is currently expanding its presence. Genzyme is building a new, 177,000-square-foot facility in Framingham to house early stage scientific research and is expanding an existing polymer and small-molecule research facility in Waltham. Genzyme last year opened its first discovery research facility outside the United States in Cambridge, U.K.

The survey results appear in a special supplement to the October 20 issue of Science. To read the full survey, please visit: sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/more_topics/business_office_supplements

For information about other recognition Genzyme has received, please visit: http://www.genzyme.com/corp/structure/awards_genz.asp

For information about careers at Genzyme, please visit: http://www.genzyme.com/careers

About Genzyme

One of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Genzyme’s founding. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 8,500 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2005 revenues of $2.7 billion. Genzyme has been selected by FORTUNE as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for” in the United States.

With many established products and services helping patients in more than 80 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company’s products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant and immune diseases, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme’s commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as heart disease and other areas of unmet medical need.

About AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of one million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.

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