Animal Studies Demonstrate the Importance Pro-Pharmaceuticals' DAVANAT Played in Significantly Increasing the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

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NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003

Findings From Independent Studies Published in Peer-Reviewed

Journal Preclinica(TM)

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMEX: PRW), a developer of novel cancer therapeutics, today announced the results of animal studies that demonstrate the importance of the role DAVANAT(TM) played in significantly increasing the efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a commonly used chemotherapy drug. The results were published in the September/ October issue of peer-reviewed journal Preclinica(TM) (vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 175 -186).

"The three separate, independent studies were conducted by two laboratories involving mice bearing human colon tumors (COLO 205 and HT-29)," said Eliezer Zomer, Pro-Pharmaceuticals' Vice President of Product Development. "The principal results of the studies demonstrate that DAVANAT(TM), when co-administered with 5-FU (DAVANAT(TM)-1), enhances the efficacy of 5-FU by further decreasing tumor growth rate by 42% to 140% as compared to 5-FU alone."

"We undertook independent animal studies to test a potential change in the therapeutic efficacy of DAVANAT(TM) in a combination with 5-FU, which decreased toxicity of the drug in healthy animals," said Anatole Klyosov, Pro-Pharmaceuticals' Chief Scientist. "Results of the studies demonstrate that DAVANAT(TM) also increased the efficacy of 5-FU in a dose response matter, when administered into cancer-carrying animals. These findings support our belief that our technology can increase the human body's tolerance to toxic chemo drugs by targeting their delivery to tumor-bearing cells."

"The results are a clear indication of the power and efficacy of our platform technology and demonstrate the potential for a paradigm shift in the way drugs are designed," said David Platt, Pro-Pharmaceuticals' Chief Executive Officer. "Our mission is to "glyco-upgrade", pre-approved FDA chemotherapy drugs and give them a targeting mechanism by utilizing our DAVANAT(TM) carbohydrate compound."

The article, "Preclinical Studies of Anticancer Efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil when Co-Administered with the 1,4-B(beta)-D-Galactomannan," is co-authored by the Company's Chief Scientist Anatole Klyosov, Vice President of Product Development, Eliezer Zomer and CEO David Platt. Preclinica(TM) is a bi-monthly publication developed to bridge the critical gap between basic discovery and clinical trial. Designed to be the definitive forum for dialogue between academia, industry, and the FDA/NIH, Preclinica(TM) publishes peer-reviewed studies covering all aspects of pre-clinical research required before human clinical trials.

Pro-Pharmaceuticals is conducting Phase I clinical trials of its DAVANAT(TM) -1 compound. In Phase I, the Company is evaluating the ability of patients to tolerate increasing doses of DAVANAT(TM) while receiving a stable dose of 5-FU for treatment of a variety of solid tumors that have not responded to accepted therapies. The Phase I study is also designed to define the dose-limiting toxicities of DAVANAT(TM) in combination with 5-FU.

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. -- Advancing Drugs Through Glycoscience(TM)

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Newton, MA, is a drug development company commercializing a new generation of anti-cancer treatments using carbohydrate molecules to upgrade the safety and efficacy of anti-cancer agents. The Company is a leader in the use of structure-based drug design; an approach to drug discovery that integrates advanced biology and chemistry. Additional information is available at www.pro-pharmaceuticals.com.

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