Cypress Bioscience, Inc.'s Prosorba Column Will Be Presented at the American Society for Apheresis Meeting; First Non-Drug Treatment Alternative for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--April 20, 1999--

Clinicians and a rheumatoid arthritis patient will present their experiences with Cypress Bioscience, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: CYPB) Prosorba(R) column at the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) meeting at the Adams Mark Hotel in San Antonio, TX from April 21 through April 24, 1999. The Prosorba column, recently approved by the FDA, is the first non-drug alternative for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who remain in need of therapeutic options.

Cypress and its corporate partner Fresenius Hemotechnology, Inc. (FHI) of Concord, California are co-sponsoring activities at the ASFA meeting, including a symposium on the Emerging Role of Apheresis with Protein A Immunoadsorption.

The symposium takes place on Friday April 23 in the Texas A Ballroom at the Adams Mark Hotel and begins at 6:15 PM. Dr. David Ciavarella, Director of Medical Affairs at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, will speak on apheresis in rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Sanford Roth, Medical Director of Senior Health Center & Arizona Research & Education, and Prosorba column Phase III (Pivotal) trial investigator, will present the Prosorba column clinical trial results. Merrill Meyer, a Prosorba column patient in the Phase III clinical trial, will present a patient's perspective, and Gayla Nagy, RN, Apheresis Coordinator at the Cytapheresis Unit of Southwest Texas Methodist Hospital, will discuss advances in apheresis technology.

Cypress and FHI are also co-sponsoring the 20th Anniversary Fiesta, which will take place immediately following the symposium in the Rose Garden Ballroom at the Adams Mark Hotel.

Earlier in the week Dr. Judy Gendreau will present results from the Prosorba column Phase III (Pivotal) clinical trial for rheumatoid arthritis. This trial is believed to be the largest blinded and controlled immunoadsorption device trial ever conducted. This trial directly led to the recent FDA approval. The presentation takes place on Thursday April 22 at 2:45 PM in the Fiesta Pavilion of the Adams Mark Hotel.

FHI and Cypress will have an exhibit booth for the duration of the conference at the Adams Mark Hotel (Booth Numbers: 1, 2, 3).

About Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Prosorba(R) Column

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and often debilitating autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissue, often leading to painful inflammation and deformity of the joints. The disease affects more than 2.5 million Americans, 70% of them women, most between the ages of 25 and 60. An estimated 10% of the 2.5 million RA patients in the United States do not respond to DMARD therapy and may benefit from Prosorba(R) column treatment.

Cypress's Prosorba(R) column is a polycarbonate (plastic) cylinder that contains highly purified protein A immobilized on an inert silica matrix. The protein A binds to and removes antibodies, including clusters of Circulating Immune Complexes (CICs) and antigens, that contribute to the symptoms characteristic of RA. Additional effects of the Prosorba column continue to be actively investigated by the Company.

The standard course of treatment involves 12 weekly outpatient apheresis sessions. Each session takes approximately two hours. In a process similar to kidney dialysis, a patient's blood is removed from an arm and passed through a machine that separates the blood cells from the plasma. The plasma is then passed through the Prosorba(R) column, recombined with the blood cells and finally returned to the patient through the other arm.

The Prosorba(R) column is indicated for use in the therapeutic reduction of the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe RA in adult patients with long standing disease who have failed or are intolerant of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

About Cypress Bioscience, Inc.

Cypress Bioscience, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets medical devices and therapeutics for the treatment of certain types of immune disorders and is engaged in the development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of blood platelet disorders. The

Prosorba column, a therapeutic medical device, was approved by the FDA in March 1999 for use in the therapeutic reduction of the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients with long standing disease who have failed or are intolerant to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). It was previously approved in 1987 for use in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an immune bleeding disorder. In addition to Cypress's lead product, the Prosorba(R) column, the Company acquired Cyplex (Infusible Platelet Membranes), which is positioned to become an alternative for traditional platelet infusions. For more information about the Prosorba(R) column and Cypress, please access the company's website at: www.cypressbio.com.

About Fresenius AG

Fresenius AG is a leading health care company with products and services for dialysis, the hospital and the outpatient medical care of patients. In the first nine months of 1998 Fresenius generated sales of DM 6.365 billion (US $3.54 billion) and a net income of DM 202 million (US $112.5 million). On September 30, 1998, the Fresenius Group had approximately 36,500 employees.

About Fresenius Hemotechnology, Inc.

Fresenius Hemotechnology, Inc. is a US subsidiary of Fresenius AG that focuses on cell separators, autotransfusion devices, blood filters and products for blood banks and hospitals including progenitor cell enrichment devices.

Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the Company's and its Partner's ability to market successfully the Prosorba(R) column for use as a treatment for RA; whether the Company will be successful in collaborating with a marketing partner or not; the Company's ability to receive regulatory approval for Cyplex on a timely basis, if at all; and whether Cyplex will become a substitute for traditional platelet infusions, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its report on the most recent Form 10-K.