IMMTECH ESTABLISHING CONSORTIUM TO TREAT LEISHMANIASIS.

Immtech International Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: IMMT), Vernon Hills, Ill., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the delivery and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of fungal diseases, cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and diarrhea, is establishing a research consortium focused on developing new treatments for Leishmaniasis, a parasite-transmitted disease that affects more than 12 million people in arid countries worldwide. This effort further enhances the broad- base application of dications, Immtech's leading technology platform.

The research consortium will include Immtech, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, of London, England, and Georgia State University (GSU). One of the U.S. Military Research Institutes will be responsible for screening the drug candidates to be supplied by GSU using an in vitro test. Immtech will be funding Dr. Simon Croft's research in London to evaluate the compounds in animal models of the disease, seeking to develop treatments with superior activity against Leishmania. In addition to Dr. Croft, Dr. J. Ed Hall of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and Dr. David W. Boykin of GSU, both universities are members of Immtech's Scientific Consortium, will participate in the research consortium.

Leishmaniasis is caused by a parasite harbored in rodents and certain primates, which is then transmitted to humans by sandflies. There are many sub-species of the parasite in different regions of the world, including India, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and South America. Several species of the parasite cause skin lesions or ulcerations, which can last for months, while other species cause chronic infection that leads to visceral or internal organ damage to the body, and when untreated, can cause severe illness and death. Because the U.S. military often sends soldiers to regions of the world where the Leishmania parasite is prevalent, many soldiers return home infected with it. Unfortunately, the drugs available today to treat Leishmaniasis are expensive, often toxic and not orally available. The U.S. Army and Immtech are both committed to developing a safe and effective oral treatment for this disease.

Immtech has a new group of pyridine-based dication compounds developed from its platform technology, which have shown excellent in vitro activity against the Leishmania parasite.

Steve Thompson, president and CEO of Immtech International Inc., said, "Immtech is pleased to be the technology force behind the success of this consortium. This endeavor further validates the flexibility and broad application of the company's dication technology platform, and reflects our commitment to developing safe and orally available treatments to cure deadly diseases like Leishmaniasis, Malaria and Trypanosomiasis." About Immtech International Inc.

Immtech International Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and commercialization of therapeutics for the treatment of fungal and other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and diarrhea; and it is also developing products to treat cancer. The company has an anti-microbial pharmaceutical platform, from which many drugs can be commercialized. These pharmaceuticals work by blocking life-sustaining enzymes from binding to the minor groove of the DNA, killing the infectious organisms that cause fungal, parasitic, protozoan, bacterial and viral diseases. Immtech International has two products entering human clinical trials in 2000.

For further information, visit www.immtech-international.com or call 212/791-2911.