ADVR Names Elma S. Hawkins to Board of Directors.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

YONKERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2003

Advanced Viral Research Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: ADVR) announced today that Elma S. Hawkins, Ph.D., MBA has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors and named a Member of the Executive Management Committee, effective immediately.

Dr. Hawkins has more than 20 years of business, management, regulatory and scientific experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She played a pivotal role in bringing a number of drugs to the market in the United States and Europe.

"I am delighted to welcome Dr. Hawkins to the Board. With over two decades of strong drug development and management experience, I am confident that Dr. Hawkins' expertise will strengthen Advanced Viral Research's ability to move its lead product, AVR118, through clinical trials towards commercialization," said Eli Wilner, Chairman of Advanced Viral Research Corporation.

Dr. Hawkins will remain Vice Chairman of Antigenics (NASDAQ: AGEN), a biotechnology company that is working to develop personalized immunotherapeutics and revolutionary treatments for cancers, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Prior to her position at Antigenics, Dr. Hawkins served in a number of senior positions in corporate development, strategic planning, and regulatory and clinical affairs at Genzyme Corporation and Genzyme Tissue Repair. In addition, Dr. Hawkins held preclinical, clinical and regulatory positions at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and at the Center for the Study of Drug Development at Tufts Medical School.

Advanced Viral Research Corp., based in Yonkers, New York, is a biopharmaceutical firm dedicated to improving patients' lives by researching, developing and bringing to market new and effective therapies for viral and other diseases. ADVR's AVR118 (formerly known as Product R) represents a biopolymer chemistry that possesses novel immunomodulator activity. This peptide-nucleic acid, which to date has shown no indication of human toxicity, appears to stimulate the proinflammatory responses required to combat viral infections such as AIDS and human papilloma virus and to dampen aberrant autoimmune-type inflammatory responses, such as occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. AVR118 is in clinical trials in Israel for the treatment of cachexia (body wasting) in patients with AIDS.

For further information regarding Advanced Viral Research Corp., please visit our website at www.adviral.com.

Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks associated with clinical development, regulatory approvals, including application to the FDA, product commercialization and other risks described from time to time in the SEC reports filed by the Company. AVR118 (Product R) is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any comparable agencies of any other countries. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to secure the financing necessary to continue and/or complete the clinical trials of AVR118 or satisfy certain other conditions relating to clinical trials including obtaining adequate insurance on terms acceptable to the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.