"We are enormously proud of this award from the Norwegian ResearchCouncil," said Birger Sørensen, President and CEO of Bionor Immuno. "Ourpursuit of advances in treatment for patients with HIV and otherimmune-response related illnesses has stepped into high gear, and on behalfof the researchers, management and staff of Bionor Immuno, we're honored tobe recognized."

Bionor Immuno's Unique Approach to HIV Treatment

Based in Oslo with an office in Bethesda, Maryland, Bionor Immuno has anambitious aim to bring modified peptide-based investigational therapies tomarket for the treatment of patients with HIV, Hepatitis, and Influenza.

Bionor Immuno currently is recruiting volunteers in the U.S. and in Europeto participate in a Phase IIB clinical trial for its lead HIV therapeuticcandidate Vacc-4x. Though frequently referred to as an HIV vaccine,Vacc-4x is being studied for its sustainable therapeutic value in wellcontrolled, HIV positive patients, who, after a series of inoculations withthe investigational agent, are able to maintain viral suppression androbust T-Cell counts in absence of their daily anti-retroviral (ART)regimen. Data in earlier clinical trials have shown patients who receivedVacc-4x were able to go an average of 31 months offanti-retroviral therapy before restarting a standard ART regimen. For thefull appreciation of these unique data, it should be noted that previousexperience has shown that ART usually cannot be interrupted for more than 3to 4 months.

Patients, medical professionals, and researchers seeking more informationon the trial should visithttp://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00659789?term=vacc-4x&rank=1.

"This is the largest current therapeutic vaccine trial in theworld, involving 345 patients," said Richard Pollard, MD, Chief, Divisionof Infectious Diseases, AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, Northern CaliforniaCenter for AIDS, University of California, Davis Medical School, andPrinciple Investigator for the trial. "This trial will establish a solidfoundation for HIV immune therapies if we can maintain immunogenicityduring drug free periods."

About Vacc-4x Peptide Therapeutic Candidate

Vacc-4x has been tested in two clinical trials exposing the vaccine to 11and 38 HIV patients, respectively. In both studies the vaccine was foundto be safe and well tolerated. In the Phase IIa study comprising 38patients, the primary objective was to measure immune responses to Vacc-4x.Subjects were initially maintained stable on anti-retroviral therapy whiletreated over a period of 26 weeks with a series of Vacc-4x immunizations ata low or high dose. This immunization phase included also an ART-freewindow, or "holiday," during which antigen stimulation was allowed.

-- The majority of volunteers experienced a pronounced therapeutic effect allowing them to remain off ART following completion of the study (Week 52). While being off ART the patients CD4+ cell counts remained high above the level they had before they had ART commenced by their treating physician.-- Due to this pronounced clinical response, permission was granted to follow the subjects until they resumed ART. The median treatment interruption achieved for all subjects in the Vacc-4x Phase 2a clinical study was 31 months. The duration of treatment interruption was linked to immune responsiveness to the peptides.-- At a follow up 44 months after treatment interruption, 34 percent of the patients were still not back on ART treatment. Previous experience has shown that ART usually cannot be interrupted for more than 3 to 4 months.

About Bionor Immuno

Bionor Immuno is a biotechnology leader in next generation vaccine design,using a combination of biological data and screening methods with apatented approach to bioinformatics and computational sciences. TheCompany develops unique synthetic peptide vaccines that stimulate cellmediated immunity. Previous efforts made to utilize T-cell stimulation forvaccines have been notoriously unsuccessful and a new approach is needed.Bionor Immuno carefully designs synthetic (modified) peptides with improvedefficacy and safety profiles. Among the diseases targeted by Bionor Immunoresearchers are chronic infections caused by HIV, HCV (Hepatitis C), HPV(Human Papilloma Virus) and Influenza. Bionor Immuno's platform technologyis universally applicable to a broad range of projects including vaccinestargeting common cancer diseases. Bionor Immuno has R&D facilities inSkien, Norway, corporate headquarters in Oslo, and subsidiary based inBethesda, Maryland. More information is available at www.bionorimmuno.com.

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Contacts:Jeff HackmanBionor Immuno, Inc.Sr. Vice President, Commercial and Business Development301-571-9395Email ContactDavid SheonFor Bionor Immuno202-470-2880Email Contact