Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. Announces Receipt of Orphan Drug Status from the EMA for Pancreatic Cancer

CALGARY, April 29, 2015 - Oncolytics Biotech^® Inc. ("Oncolytics") (TSX:ONC, NASDAQ:ONCY), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics, today announced that the European Medicines Agency ("EMA") has granted Orphan Drug Designation for its lead product candidate, REOLYSIN^®, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

"Our submission to the EMA included survival data from our single arm gemcitabine/REOLYSIN^® (REO 017) clinical study in pancreatic cancer patients, which factored into their decision to grant us the designation," said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Reports Favorable Results from Phase 1 Single-Ascending Dose Clinical Trial of APD371

-- Results support advancement of the novel, oral drug candidate to the next stage of development --

SAN DIEGO, April 29, 2015  -- Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARNA) today announced favorable results from a Phase 1 single-ascending dose clinical trial of APD371, a highly selective and potent agonist of the cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor currently in development for the treatment of pain and potentially fibrotic diseases.

The randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled Phase 1 clinical trial enrolled 56 healthy adults to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single-ascending doses of APD371. Dose responsive exposure was observed over the explored dose range of 10-400 mg with good tolerability at all doses administered.

Bio-Path Holdings Granted Orphan Drug Designation for Liposomal Grb-2 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

HOUSTON -- Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. (BPTH) (“Bio-Path”), a biotechnology company developing a liposomal delivery technology for nucleic acid cancer drugs, today announced that they have received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lead compound Liposomal Grb-2 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Orphan drug status provides Bio-Path with seven years of exclusivity after receiving formal marketing approval, as well as additional development incentives. The FDA grants this designation to certain drugs that are targeting diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.

“This designation from the FDA demonstrates the unmet need for an effective therapy for patients suffering from AML,” said Peter Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Path. “It also marks a key regulatory milestone for Bio-Path and will be valuable as we continue to progress Liposomal Grb-2 through clinical trials and toward potential commercialization.”

iBio Arranges Production of IBIO-CFB03 for Clinical Development With Caliber Biotherapeutics

NEWARK, DE--(Apr 27, 2015) - iBio, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IBIO), has engaged Caliber Biotherapeutics LLC to scale-up and produce materials for clinical development of the first of iBio's proprietary anti-fibrosis products, IBIO-CFB03. Caliber's production will be used for IND-enabling toxicology studies and initial human clinical trials of IBIO-CFB03.

iBio is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the patents developed by Dr. Carol Feghali-Bostwick for therapies against fibrotic diseases. Dr. Feghali-Bostwick, the inventor of IBIO-CFB03, is collaborating with iBio for the development of various applications of her invention to address systemic sclerosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and scleroderma. She is the Kitty Trask Holt Endowed Chair and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina where iBio expects the first human clinical trials of IBIO-CFB03 to be conducted.