1
                              [CELTRIX LETTERHEAD]
NEWS RELEASE


                     CONTACT:      Andreas Sommer, Ph.D.
                                   President and Chief Executive Officer
                                   (408) 988-2500


                      DR. BARRY M. SHERMAN JOINS CELTRIX'S
                               BOARD OF DIRECTORS

        SANTA CLARA, CA -- December 2, 1997 -- Celtrix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: CTRX) announced today that Barry M. Sherman, M.D., has been elected to
the company's board of directors. Dr. Sherman is president and chief executive
officer of Anergen, Inc. and also a clinical professor of internal medicine at
Stanford University.

        "Dr. Sherman brings to Celtrix's board of directors a wealth of business
and clinical experience in the biopharmaceutical industry," said Andreas Sommer,
Ph.D., Celtrix's president and chief executive officer. "In addition, he has
extensive internal medicine and endocrinology expertise relevant to treatment
indications targeted by Celtrix. We look forward to receiving his insight and
perspective as we advance the clinical development of SomatoKine(R), our lead
therapeutic compound."

        For the past 12 years, Dr. Sherman, age 56, has focused on the
discovery, development and commercialization of innovative healthcare products.
Prior to assuming leadership of Anergen in mid-1996, he was senior vice
president and chief medical officer at Genentech, Inc., where he served from
1985 to 1996. While at Genentech, Dr. Sherman was responsible for overall
clinical development activities, including its IGF-I program, and served as a
member of the company's operations committee.

        Dr. Sherman also has had an extensive career in academia. Since 1986, he
has served as a clinical professor of internal medicine at Stanford University.
From 1971 to 1985, he was a professor of internal medicine, director of the
clinical research center, and associate chairman of the department of internal
medicine at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He began his career in
surgery at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sherman received his M.D. from
the University of Michigan and completed post-graduate education at both the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the division of endocrinology and
metabolism at the University of Michigan.

        Celtrix is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for
the treatment of seriously debilitating, degenerative conditions primarily
associated with severe trauma, chronic diseases or aging. The company's
development focus is on SomatoKine, a novel IGF-BP3 complex, for use in
regenerating lost muscle, bone and other tissues essential for the patient's
health and quality of life. Ongoing product development programs target acute
traumatic injury, such as hip fracture surgery in the elderly and severe burns.
SomatoKine is currently undergoing Phase II clinical feasibility testing for
these two indications. Other potential indications include severe osteoporosis
and protein wasting diseases associated with cancer, AIDS and other
life-threatening conditions. Through strategic alliances with Celtrix, The Green
Cross Corporation is developing SomatoKine for the treatment of osteoporosis in
Japan, and Genzyme Corporation is developing TGF-beta-2 as part of a
comprehensive approach to tissue repair and the treatment of systemic disease.

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