- 'CEO Cancer Gold Standard' Accreditation Acknowledges Company's Commitment to Employee Health -

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that it has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM) accreditation from the non-profit organization CEO Roundtable on Cancer, in recognition of the company's extensive efforts to encourage employees at all U.S. facilities (sanofi-aventis U.S. and sanofi pasteur) to take an active role in their health and reduce their risks of developing cancer. The CEO Cancer Gold Standard is awarded to companies that have met exceptionally high standards of cancer prevention, screening and care in the workplace through concrete action in five defined areas. With this accreditation, sanofi-aventis becomes the 34th company to be granted this honor since the program's inception in 2006.

"We are proud to be recognized by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer for our steadfast dedication to cancer prevention and improved cancer care," said Christopher A. Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer of sanofi-aventis. "For more than 50 years, sanofi-aventis has worked to improve the lives of patients with cancer - not only through our strategic focus on the research and discovery of new therapeutic approaches in oncology, but also through our support and efforts to improve the health and wellness of our employees and their families."

To earn Gold Standard accreditation, an organization must establish programs to reduce cancer through: (1) discouraging tobacco use; (2) encouraging physical activity; (3) encouraging healthy diet and nutrition; (4) detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and (5) providing access to quality care and clinical trials. Programs established under the guidance of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer help reduce cancer mortality, and statistics show that the efforts recognized by the Gold Standard have a tangible impact on the cost of treating cancer, which totaled nearly $210 billion in 2005 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Our Gold Standard certification acknowledges the commitment to health and wellness made by sanofi-aventis, as well as the specific programs developed with its own employees and family members in the U.S.," said William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, and chair of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. "Through the leadership of global CEO Christopher Viehbacher, sanofi-aventis has demonstrated its unwavering dedication to fighting cancer - and we are pleased to welcome them into the ranks of this select group."

Sanofi-aventis's progressive health and cancer prevention efforts in the U.S.