Biotech Updates

DuPont, Dow Sign Soybean Cross Licensing Deal

November 13, 2009

Dow AgroSciences and DuPont announced that they have entered into an agreement to cross license their respective soybean herbicide tolerance traits for commercialization within their branded seed businesses. Under the agreement, Dow will have access to DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred's Optimum GAT trait for soybeans. Dow AgroSciences is licensing non-exclusively its proprietary herbicide tolerant trait technology for soybeans to Pioneer. Both companies have given the other rights to stack additional traits with their respective technology. When stacked, the traits produce soybean lines that are resistant to the herbicides ALS (acetolactate synthase), glyphosate, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid. The companies anticipate commercialization early in the next decade pending regulatory authorizations. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

View the press release at http://www.pioneer.com/web/site/portal/menuitem.00e4178526b45d8ee6a4e6a4d10093a0/