AVGN Avigen (MM)

Avigen to Present at Roth Capital Annual Growth Stock Conference Company's Webcast to Provide Update on Strategic Programs DANA POINT, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avigen, Inc. announced today that its presentation at the Roth Capital Partners Growth Stock Conference, both audio and slides, will be webcast live today, Tuesday, February 17, 2004, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Avigen's Chief Executive Officer, John Monahan, Ph.D., will provide an update on the company's development programs for DNA-based drugs for serious chronic conditions, such as hemophilia-B, Parkinson's disease and neuropathic pain. The presentation will be broadcast live via the Web and archived for 30 days, accessible from the following link: http://www.vcall.com/CEPage.asp?ID=86047 or by visiting Avigen's web site at http://www.avigen.com/. About Avigen Avigen, Inc., based in the San Francisco Bay Area, focuses on the development of DNA-based drugs for serious chronic conditions. Avigen's proposed gene delivery products are designed for direct administration to patients in order to achieve expression of therapeutic proteins within the body. The company is actively enrolling subjects in its clinical trial for Coagulin-B(R), Avigen's Factor IX gene therapy product for hemophilia B, currently being conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Stanford University Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh. Patients or physicians who would like more information about enrollment criteria andthe study should contact Avigen's Clinical Development Department at or call 1-877-4-AVIGEN (877-428-4436). Additional information on Avigen's proprietary gene delivery products can be found at http://www.avigen.com/ About the Roth Capital Partners 16th Annual Growth Stock Conference This annual event is the largest in the nation for emerging growth companies. It provides a concentrated forum where Institutional Investors can meet the executives of growth companies hand picked by Roth Capital's research team. The conference will highlight approximately 225 companies from industry groups, including Health Care, Consumer Products, Technology, and Financial Services. This year, as a result of numerous client requests, Roth has extended the conference to three working days, including a Discovery Day, which will highlight companies "undiscovered" by Wall Street. For more information about the conference visit http://www.apgweb.com/roth/danapoint/ . Investors Please Note: The statements in this news release regarding Avigen's clinical trial and the potential of gene therapy are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from current expectations due to a variety of factors, including the difficulty of obtaining required regulatory approvals. In addition, there are many other risks and uncertainties inherent in the development of gene therapy products. Other risks relating to Avigen are detailed in Avigen's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2003, under the caption "Risk Factors" in Item 2 of Part 1 of that report, which was filed with the SEC on November 13, 2003. DATASOURCE: Avigen, Inc. CONTACT: Thomas J. Paulson, Chief Financial Officer of Avigen, Inc., +1-510-748-7150, or fax, +1-510-748-7155, or Web site: http://www.avigen.com/

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