Forbes Medi-Tech Inc.: Preliminary Study Results Indicate Exceptional Cholesterol Lowering Capability of New Pharmaceutical Compound.

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2000

Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. (NASDAQ:FMTI) (TSE:FMI.) today announced the results of a 12-week pre-clinical study emanating from its ongoing R&D program on a new pharmaceutical compound found to reduce cholesterol levels by 75 percent and decrease blood fat (triglyceride) levels by 44 percent.

The new compound, code named FM-VP4, was tested for effects when administered orally on lipid metabolism in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. (The lack of the apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene causes mice to have high cholesterol levels.)

"We are very excited about the remarkable effectiveness of this new compound," said Dr. Jiri Frohlich, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC), Academic Director of the Healthy Heart Program/Lipid Clinic at Vancouver's St. Paul's Hospital and member of Forbes Medi-Tech's Medical Advisory Board. "Based on these preliminary results, it appears the cholesterol lowering potency is greater than the statin class of drugs. We are also impressed by the ability of FM-VP4 to markedly decrease blood triglyceride levels."

"Since this compound is capable of targeting both cholesterol and triglycerides, the new drug, once successfully developed, may eventually represent a new generation of lipid modifying agents suitable for the treatment of the most common causes of elevated cholesterol levels," said Dr. Frohlich. "This is particularly significant for patients with diabetes-associated hyperlipidemia and those with familial combined hyperlipidemia -- the most frequent genetic disorder of blood lipoprotein metabolism."

"This is a significant development within our pharmaceutical R&D program," stated Tazdin Esmail, President and Chief Executive Officer, Forbes Medi-Tech. "If these encouraging results are borne out through additional animal and future human investigations, FM-VP4 has the potential to become a major prescription product in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, a leading and generally preventable cause of death in the industrialized world. The discovery of this new compound is just one of the research activities underway at Forbes in our effort to bring new pharmaceutical products to market."

The market potential for cholesterol lowering pharmaceuticals is significant. The annual worldwide market for prescription pharmaceuticals aimed at reducing cholesterol reached $10.3 billion (U.S.) in 1998 and is growing by approximately 7.5% annually.

Phase II clinical trials for CardioRex(TM), Forbes' current cholesterol lowering prescription product, are presently underway in the United States. FM-VP4 could become the Company's next generation of cholesterol lowering pharmaceutical products following the introduction of CardioRex.

Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. is a diversified health sciences company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products derived from nature. By extracting plant sterols from pulping by-products, Forbes is developing cholesterol-lowering agents to be used both as functional food ingredients and pharmaceutical therapeutics in the battle against heart disease. Forbes is also developing innovative fermentation technology that converts plant sterols into pharmaceutical fine chemicals, essential in the production of various pharmaceutical steroids such as contraceptive agents and anti-inflammatories. Phytrol(TM) and CardioRex(TM) are trademarks of Forbes Medi-Tech Inc.

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