Corixa and Schering Canada Announce Immediate Availability of Corixa's Melacine Melanoma Vaccine in Canada.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

SEATTLE & POINTE-CLAIRE, Quebec--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 15, 2001

Corixa Corporation (Nasdaq:CRXA), a research- and development-based biotechnology company, and Schering Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Schering-Plough Corporation, today announced the immediate availability in Canada of Corixa's Melacine(R) (melanoma theraccine) vaccine, a therapeutic vaccine for treatment of Stage IV melanoma.

The Canadian Health Protection Branch (HPB) approved Corixa's Melacine vaccine for sale in Canada based upon Phase III results demonstrating that Melacine vaccine provides a superior safety profile and improved quality of life during treatment of Stage IV melanoma (also known as late-stage, disseminated, or metastatic disease) as compared to standard combination chemotherapy. The two therapies achieved similar efficacy results.

"Melacine's availability in Canada is the realization of a vision that Malcolm Mitchell, M.D. and Ribi scientists had many years ago when they began the search for an alternate treatment for melanoma," said Steven Gillis, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Corixa. "It is very gratifying to see this product available for patients in Canada with Stage IV disease."

Corixa's Melacine vaccine marketing and distribution partner, Schering Canada, will distribute the product in Canada. Patients in Canada requiring additional information should contact their physician.

In September 2000, Corixa announced its intent to file for U.S. regulatory approval of Melacine vaccine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of patients with Stage II melanoma. The biologics license application (BLA) will be based predominantly on data from a completed Phase III study of 689 Stage II melanoma patients. It is expected that the submission of the BLA should occur in mid 2001. A full review of the BLA is anticipated to take approximately 12 months.

About Melacine

Melacine melanoma vaccine consists of lysed (broken) cells from two human melanoma cell lines combined with Corixa's proprietary Detox(TM) adjuvant. Detox adjuvant includes MPL(R) adjuvant (monophosphoryl lipid A) and mycobacterial cell wall skeleton, both of which activate the human immune system in the context of vaccination. Melacine vaccine is administered as a two-shot vaccination once a week for five weeks, with a two-week break, and then a repeat of the weekly vaccinations for five weeks. Patients who respond may receive maintenance therapy of one vaccination per month and every six months a complete course of five vaccinations.

About Melanoma

Stage IV malignant melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer. Median survival for patients with metastatic disease is 6 to 9 months with a 5-year survival rate of only 5%. Approximately 7,400 people in the United States and 800 people in Canada die each year as a result of Stage IV melanoma. When considering all stages of the disease, melanoma is the most common form of cancer in women between the ages of 25-29 and the second most common form of cancer in women ages 30-34. It is the third most common form of cancer in men ages 35-44. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for about 4 percent of skin cancer cases, but causes about 79 percent of skin cancer deaths.

About Corixa

Corixa is a research- and development-based biotechnology company committed to treating and preventing autoimmune diseases, cancer and infectious diseases by understanding and directing the immune system. Corixa is focused on immunotherapeutic products and has a broad technology platform enabling both fully integrated vaccine design and the use of its separate, proprietary vaccine components on a standalone basis. Corixa currently has 16 programs in clinical development and 22 programs in preclinical development.

The company partners with numerous developers and marketers of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, targeting products that are Powered by Corixa(TM) technology with the goal of making its potential products available to patients around the world. Corixa was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Wash., with additional operations in Hamilton, Mont., Redwood City, Calif. and South San Francisco, Calif. For more information, please visit Corixa's website at www.corixa.com or call the company's investor relations information line at 877/4CORIXA or 877/426-7492.

About Schering Canada

Schering Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Schering-Plough Corporation of Kenilworth, N.J., a research-based company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information presented, certain matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the time the statements are made. They are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Factors that could affect Corixa's actual results include, but are not limited to the "Factors Affecting Our Operating Results, Our Business and Our Stock Price," described in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A filed on November 7, 2000 and our Registration Statement on Form S-4/A filed on November 17, 2000, copies of which are available on our Web site, www.corixa.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.