PHARMAGENESIS’ PG2 PASSES CLINICAL TRIALS IN CHINA

Adjunct Cancer Therapy Drug Restores Blood Cells During Chemotherapy

BEIJING - March 19, 2001 - PG2, a plant-derived hematopoiesis enhancer developed by Pharmagenesis, Inc. that restores blood cells after destruction of bone marrow cells induced by chemotherapy, has successfully passed clinical trials in China.

PG2, an adjunct to cancer therapy to improve patients’ quality of life, proved more efficient in stimulating growth of key blood cell lines during chemotherapy than G-CSF, the positive control product used in the trials.

A Chinese New Drug Class II, PG2 was studied in Western-style clinical trials at the pharmacology unit of Gueng An Men Hospital in Beijing, the most widely recognized traditional Chinese medicine hospital, and five other hospitals endorsed by China’s Ministry of Public Health located in China provinces.

Chinese clinical trials are regulated by the State Drug Administration (SDA), which is modeled after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The SDA employs stringent regulations similar to those used in U.S. drug trials.

“The trials prove patients who experience blood cell depletion while undergoing chemotherapy can benefit from PG2,” Nicolas Druz, CEO, Pharmagenesis, said.  “The results substantiate our vision that extracts from plants used in traditional Chinese medicine are a reliable and cost-efficient source for the development of new ethical drugs.”

PG2 will be sold in China once authorization is granted.