Nortran Arrhythmia Drug Demonstrates Oral Bioavailability.

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2001

Nortran Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:NTRDF) (TSE:NRT.) reported today that preclinical studies have confirmed that its antiarrhythmic drug RSD1235 has significant oral bioavailability in dogs.

Work carried out by an independent contract research organization under GLP conditions showed that in the four dogs tested, an average of 75% of the drug administered orally was found in the bloodstream. The results confirmed earlier data in rats, which are less indicative of human metabolism than canines.

In the study, blood levels of RSD1235 were examined in canines to determine if the drug was absorbed into the bloodstream after oral administration. Results indicated that RSD1235 was rapidly absorbed and that equivalent blood levels were achieved after oral dosing as for intravenous dosing. Plasma levels of 2.7-3.8 microgram/ml were achieved within 15-30 minutes and the clearance of the drug was similar to the intravenous formulation.

"We are currently developing RSD1235 for intravenous delivery in an acute-use setting, and that will continue to be our primary focus," said Dr. Alan Ezrin, Chief Scientific Officer. "However, these results confirm the potential for this drug to be delivered orally. This is very exciting news for Nortran, because it opens the possibility that RSD1235 could be delivered both intravenously and orally, greatly increasing its market potential."

Cardiac arrhythmia is an irregular - usually very rapid - beating of the heart. According to American Heart Association statistics, total arrhythmia-mention mortality was 500,000 out of 2,000,000 U.S. deaths, meaning that arrhythmia was a factor associated with every fourth death. There were 12.4 million cases of arrhythmia in major markets in 1999. This number is expected to increase to 14.2 million in 2009. Current drugs for treating arrhythmia have serious side effects that limit their use. Sales of these drugs totalled $1.3 billion in 1999. Nortran estimates that the side effect risks of current drugs results in a $3.1 billion unmet market need.

Nortran Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a cardiac drug discovery and development company. Its current focus is on prevention and treatment of cardiac arrhythmia, with three programs in that area.

In its RSD1122 chronic therapy program, Nortran has a license agreement with AstraZeneca, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Nortran's RSD1235 acute-use atrial antiarrhythmic drug program is now in Phase 1 clinical testing. Nortran's Kv1.5 program, also focused on treatment of atrial arrhythmia, is in the pre-clinical phase. The Company is based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and is traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange (NRT) and the NASD BB market (NTRDF).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Robert Rieder, President & Chief Executive Officer

Warning: The company relies on litigation protection for "forward-looking" statements.