DOR BioPharma Appoints David M. Kent as President & Chief Executive Officer.

Business Editors

LAKE FOREST, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2003

Interim President Steve H. Kanzer to Become Vice Chairman

DOR BioPharma Inc. (AMEX: DOR) ("DOR" or the "Company) announced today that David M. Kent has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Steve H. Kanzer, DOR's Interim President since June 2002 and a Director since 1996 will assume the newly created position of Vice Chairman. General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. is Chairman of the Board.

Yesterday, as part of it's broad biodefense vaccine initiatives, DOR announced the option to license a non-toxic recombinant ricin vaccine technology from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for use in it's intranasal and oral MicrovaxTM delivery system. Currently, there is no known antidote or FDA approved ricin vaccine.

About David M. Kent

From 1997 until September 2002, David M. Kent was a founder, director and Chief Financial Officer of Arriva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotechnology company focused on the development of recombinant alpha-1-antitrypsin. While at Arriva, he was successful in in-licensing intellectual property from a variety of corporate, private and public institutions. Mr. Kent was also instrumental in completing four private equity placements for Arriva totaling $38 Million. He also formed two corporate partnerships collectively valued at over $60 Million with Baxter Healthcare and Prometic Life Sciences.

From 1996 until 1997, prior to founding Arriva, David was principal founder of Ventec, a venture capital firm focused on providing expansion capital for emerging growth companies where he managed and co-led private equity financings totaling over $24 million. From 1995 until 1996, he was a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers, London. From 1992 until 1995 he held various positions at Morgan Stanley, London, managing assets on behalf of client in excess $600 million. From 1987 until 1992 he was a Vice President at Smith Barney in the specializing in international corporate finance division. Mr. Kent received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A in History from Allegheny College in 1979.

DOR stated, "We are delighted to have completed our search for a permanent President and CEO for DOR. DOR went to say, "David comes to DOR with a strong and successful background in biotechnology operations, corporate partnering and investment banking."

David Kent stated, "It is with great pleasure that I join DOR BioPharma as President & CEO. DOR's proprietary MicrovaxTM oral and intra-nasal synthetic (non-live) vaccine technology has the ability to rapidly address the urgent need for safe, effective and readily available biodefense vaccines to protect our metropolitan populations from the threat of biological weapons of mass disruption. I look forward to working with the various government agencies in this important an urgent cause."

DOR BioPharma, Inc.

DOR BioPharma, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company specializing in the oral delivery of approved chemical entities and synthetic (non-live) mucosally administered vaccines that may conveniently and rapidly confer mucosal immunity (such as in the lungs) against potentially the entire spectrum of identified bioterror threats, while completely avoiding the risks associated with vaccines that contain live replication competent pathogens or genetic material. The Company's lead product, orBec(R) (oral beclomethasone dipropionate), is currently in a pivotal phase III clinical trial for the treatment of intestinal graft-vs.-host disease and the Company is currently testing orBec(R)'s usefulness in treating a large percentage of persons diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease that affects approximately 35 million persons in the U.S. alone. The Company's synthetic (non-live) mucosally administered vaccine technology is protected by worldwide issued patents under license to the Company for various fields of use, including U.S. patents, 6,024,983; 5,942,252; 5,853,763; 5,820,883; 5,814,344; and 5,811,128 as well as European patents EP 0 266 119 and EP 0 333 523 and other additional corresponding international patents. For further information regarding DOR BioPharma, please visit the company's website located at www.dorbiopharma.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that reflect DOR BioPharma's current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including its product development and product pipeline. Where possible, DOR BioPharma has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as "anticipates," "believes" or similar expressions. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from what is expressed in, or implied by, these statements. DOR BioPharma cannot assure you that it will be able to successfully develop or commercialize products based on its technology, particularly in light of the significant uncertainty inherent in developing mucosally administered vaccines against bioterror threats, manufacturing and conducting preclinical and clinical trials of vaccines, and obtaining regulatory approvals, that its technologies will prove to be safe and effective, that its cash expenditures will not exceed projected levels, that it will be able to obtain future financing or funds when needed, that, that product development and commercialization efforts will not be reduced or discontinued due to difficulties or delays in clinical trials or due to lack of progress or positive results from research and development efforts, that it will be able to successfully enter into profitable biodefense contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and other countries, patent, register or protect its technology from challenge and products from competition or maintain or expand its license agreements with its current licensors, or that its business strategy will be successful. These and other factors are described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, DOR BioPharma's most recent reports on Form 10-QSB and Form 10-KSB. DOR BioPharma assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or for any other reason.