Immtech's DB-368 Compound Effective in Vivo Against Fungal Disease.

Business Editors

VERNON HILLS, Ill.--(BW HealthWire)--May 12, 2000

Immtech International Inc. (NASDAQ NMS: IMMT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the delivery and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of fungal diseases, cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and diarrhea, announced today promising results from a compound tested in animals against Aspergillosis, a serious fungal disease. The studies showed that higher doses of the company's DB-368 compound increased the survival of mice given lethal doses of Aspergillus.

DB-368 is one of several compounds screened for fungicidal activity that have proven effective against Aspergillus and other fungi. DB-368 is derived from DB-289, the company's first pharmaceutical product entering human trials in the third quarter of 2000. Immtech's Scientific Consortium developed DB-368, and a third-party company, as part of a research and testing agreement, conducted the studies.

Aspergillus fungus permeates the environment and usually enters the human body through the lungs. In systemic diseases, the organism is often found in vascular tissues and can cause blockage to blood vessels. Invasive primary Aspergillus frequently causes mortality in immune-suppressed patients, particularly those with leukemia or solid-organ transplantation.

Immtech is currently focused on bringing an orally effective anti-fungal drug to the market. To this end, the company is funding a research program at Duke University to develop advanced in vivo testing models of the three most common fungal diseases: Candida albicans, Aspergillosis and Crypstococcus neoformans. Currently, the program is evaluating the company's new compounds for anti-fungal activity in animal models of Candida albicans, which is the most common fungal disease diagnosed in immune-suppressed patients. It can cause infections in the mucosal membranes, esophagus and urinary tract; and when it reaches the blood circulatory system, it can become life threatening. Candida has become the fourth-leading cause of hospital-acquired sepsis, surpassing even E. coli.

The annual market for drugs that treat systemic fungal diseases is approximately $3 billion worldwide, and is considered one of the fastest growing.

Steve Thompson, president and CEO of Immtech International Inc., said, "We are encouraged by these positive results from our animal studies. These findings point to the great potential of this new series of compounds and the power of our pharmaceutical platform to develop a drug with broad activity for the treatment of fungal diseases. Given the enormous size and growth of the antifungal market, this represents a major opportunity for Immtech." 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, please visit the company's web site at www.immtech-international.com.

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