Health Professionals Inc. announces research agreements.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1995--Health Professionals Inc. (ASE:HPI;OTC:HPI-N) Friday announced that its principal subsidiary, Center for Special Immunology Inc. (CSI) has signed research agreements with a pharmaceutical company and with a biotechnology company to participate in two HIV clinical trials.

The contract values of the new study agreements will respectively reach $550,000 over approximately two years and $500,000 over approximately one year with full patient accrual.

Both studies will be conducted through CSI Clinical Trials Inc., the subsidiary responsible for conducting pharmaceutical and biotechnology research trials in collaboration with CSI's established clinical network. The CSI clinical network has recently been expanded to include additional sites and continued growth is in progress.

A Phase II 18 month protease inhibitor study, sponsored by a major pharmaceutical company, will include CSI sites in Irvine, San Diego, Fort Lauderdale and Kansas City. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of this protease inhibitor when given alone or in combination with AZT.

Celgene Corp., a biotechnology company, is sponsoring a Phase II trial of thalidomide to study the safety and efficacy of this drug in reducing weight loss in adults with HIV wasting syndrome. CSI sites in New York, Tulsa, Kansas City and Fort Lauderdale will participate in this trial.

Health Professionals Inc., through its subsidiary Center for Special Immunology, owns and operates an integrated health care delivery system that includes a multi-state network of primary care and clinical research facilities specializing in immune system disorders primarily HIV, AIDS and Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). This network also conducts multi-center clinical research trials in cooperation with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

CONTACT: Health Professionals Inc., Fort Lauderdale

Susanne Loarie, 305/766-2552