PRESS RELEASES

Biomedica
Foscama

BIOMEDICA FOSCAMA TO DISTRIBUTE MYOGEN’S PERFAN™ (ENOXIMONE) IN ITALY

Business Editors/ Health & Medical Writers

FERENTINO, Italy, September 5th, 2001 - Biomedica Foscama Industria Chimico-Farmaceutica S.p.A. announced today that it has signed an agreement with Myogen GmbH, the European subsidiary of the US-based biopharmaceutical company Myogen Inc., for the distribution and promotion in Italy of the intravenous formulation of Enoximone (trade name Perfan™). Under the terms of the agreement, Biomedica Foscama is appointed as the official Myogen’s representative with the Italian Health Authorities and will market Perfan™through its salesforce and distribution network.

PERFAN™ is Myogen’s first product, licensed from Aventis in late 1998. Enoximone HCl, a phosphodiesterase (type III) inhibitor, increases the force of contraction of the heart and dilates blood vessels to alleviate the stress on the heart in patients with chronic heart failure. The intravenous formulation of Enoximone, Perfan™, has been sold since early 90’s in the major European countries for the acute treatment of patients hospitalised with severe heart failure. Low-dose oral Enoximone is currently in Phase III clinical testing for the chronic treatment of advanced heart failure and is expected to reach marketing approval in Europe in the near future. Biomedica Foscama is the latest company joining the network of regional European distributors of Perfan™ appointed by Myogen.

 “We are pleased to become the Italian partner of Myogen. We are optimistic that Perfan™ will increase its potential for expanded sales, thanks to our experienced salesforce and our strong commitment in the cardiovascular segment as well as in hospital products” said Dr. Franco Gritti, President and CEO of Biomedica Foscama. “We also expect a positive synergy from our recent and successful re-launch of the well-known metoprolol brand Seloken™ under AstraZeneca’s license”.

Dr. Karl-Dieter Reusch, Managing Director of Myogen GmbH, said “With Biomedica Foscama we finally closed our network of European Distributors for PERFAN™. We are very glad that we found in Biomedica Foscama a highly experienced and powerful partner in one of the most interesting markets in Europe. This is an important step forward for the successful development of our strategic targets.”

Myogen is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development of drugs for treatment of heart failure. The Company was founded in 1996 around three key assets: (1) a scientific team with broad knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis and clinical treatment of heart muscle disease, (2) a well preserved and well characterized human heart tissue bank, and (3) several major scientific discoveries that define important underlying biochemical and gene signalling defects that occur in human myocardial failure. Its business strategy aims to leverage its world class research and development resources in developing a portfolio of novel therapeutics against heart muscle disease as well as build value to licensed products in late-stage clinical development (www.myogen.com / www.perfan.com).

Biomedica Foscama is an Italian pharmaceutical company established in 1947, with a staff of 190 people, including 90 reps visiting hospitals, care units, GPs and specialists. In 2000 domestic and international (China and other countries) turnover amounted to 21.7 million €. Biomedica Foscama is committed in development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drugs in CNS, CV, GI/Metabolism and parenteral nutrition areas. The main currently marketed products are Esafosfina™ (i.v. applied d-fructose-1,6-diphosphate for the treatment of hypophosphatemia and phosphate depletion), TAD™ (injectable reduced glutathione as detoxicant), Irrodan™ (buflomedil HCl by oral route for peripheral vascular diseases), Ursolac™ (oral ursodeoxycholic acid for the dissolution of gallbladder stones), plus a number of licensed high-value CNS (alprazolam, zolpidem, sertraline) and CV drugs (metoprolol) co-marketed in Italy with multinational companies (Pharmacia Corp., Sanofi-Synthélabo, Pfizer, AstraZeneca). The Company facilities are equipped to manufacture sterile injectables as lyophilized powders and ready-to-use solutions, with the availability of a remarkably large freeze drying production line. The Biomedica Foscama Research Center has originated a number of NCEs under development including raxofelast (a vitamin E-like antioxidant, under clinical investigation for the treatment of vascular complications of diabetes mellitus) and midaxifylline (and highly selective and orally bioavailable xanthine A1-adenosine antagonist in preclinical trials).