PRESS RELEASES
Biomedica Foscama

BIOMEDICA FOSCAMA AND INTERMUNE ENTER DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT ON AMPHOCIL^™ (AMPHOTERICIN B) FOR THE ITALIAN MARKET

 Business Editors/ Health & Medical Writers

 FERENTINO, Italy, September 10^th, 2002 - Biomedica Foscama Industria Chimico-Farmaceutica S.p.A. announced today that it has signed an agreement with InterMune, Inc, an emerging biotechnology company based in Brisbane, California, for the promotion, sale and distribution in Italy of AMPHOCIL^™, a colloidal dispersion of amphotericin B developed to reduce nephrotoxicity of the active drug while retaining its well-known antifungal efficacy. Under the terms of the agreement, Biomedica Foscama will exclusively market and distribute Amphocil^™ within the territory through its hospital salesforce. Furthermore, Biomedica Foscama has been appointed as the official InterMune representative with the Italian Health Authorities.

 AMPHOCIL^™, which is currently approved in 41 countries with several other pending, is indicated for the treatment of systemic fungal infections and visceral leishmaniasis. In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of systemic micoses: these are mostly opportunistic infections in patients with compromised immune system, caused by hematological malignancies, AIDS or widespread burns, and those on immunosuppressive therapy following transplantation. Although new azole compounds have been introduced, they have some limitations, and therefore the drug of choice for many of the most serious systemic micoses still remains the polyene agent amphotericin B. Amphocil^™ is an intravenous formulation of amphotericin B complexed with sodium cholesteryl sulfate designed to deliver the active drug to the target site, while substantially reducing renal toxicity and therefore increasing therapeutic index compared with conventional amphotericin B treatment.

“AMPHOCIL^™ represents a great opportunity for Biomedica Foscama. We are looking forward to beginning the commercialisation of this valuable product, which is an important complement of our portfolio of life-saving hospital products” said Dr. Franco Gritti, President and CEO of Biomedica Foscama. “Also, we are pleased to become the Italian partner of InterMune and hope in the future to broaden the present collaboration to additional innovative products of their and our development pipeline.”

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), CV drugs (metoprolol, enoximone), respiratory (budesonide)  and anti-infective drugs (roxithromycin) marketed in Italy under license of multinational and research-driven companies (Pharmacia, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Myogen, Novartis, Aventis respectively) 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).

InterMune is a commercially driven biopharmaceutical company focused on the marketing, development and applied research of life-saving therapies for pulmonary disease, infectious disease and cancer. For additional information about InterMune, please visit www.intermune.com.