PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday May 15

Company Press Release

SOURCE: BioMedicines, Inc.

BIOMEDICINES, INC. ANNOUNCES POSITIVE RESULTS FROM STUDY OF BIOMED 101 IN PATIENTS WITH RENAL CANCER

ALAMEDA, CA - May 15, 2001 - BioMedicines, Inc. announced today positive results from its study of the experimental drug Biomed 101 in patients with metastatic renal cancer who are also treated with high-dose interleukin-2. The results were presented at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in San Francisco.

Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mark Moran said, "Metastatic kidney cancer is life-threatening. The drug interleukin-2 is useful in patients with this disease. The higher the dose of interleukin-2, the better the response. However, toxicity from interleukin-2 is often a very serious problem. We are developing Biomed 101 to reduce such toxicity and to make useful therapy more tolerable for patients."

The clinical trial of Biomed 101 in patients with metastatic renal cancer is being conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles. Enrollment is continuing in this dose-escalation study.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter Langecker said, "As the blood levels of our drug Biomed 101 rise, it is possible to administer more doses of interleukin-2 without increases in toxicity from interleukin-2. This was the effect we were seeking."

Dr. Langecker also stated, "We were pleased with the interest shown in the results of this study by a large number of oncologists who are members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology."

BioMedicines, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company, is developing first line therapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The company specializes in redirecting the development of drugs to new and more valuable indications. The company has current development and/or commercialization agreements with ALZA Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim, Schering AG, and G.D. Searle & Co. BioMedicines is headquartered in Alameda, California. More information about the company is available at www.biomedicinesinc.com.

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