Access Pharmaceuticals issued U.S. patent

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,166,733 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

This patent, entitled "O,O'-Amidomalonato and N,O-Amidomalonato Platinum Complexes" is one of a series of patents and patent applications owned by Access which provides intellectual property protection to ProLindac and related tumor-targeted platinum compounds. The patent broadens the Company's intellectual property and with other patents extends the term until 2021.

"We are extremely pleased with the issuance of this patent," said Mr. Stephen R. Seiler, Access' President and Chief Executive Officer. "It is an important patent for Access because it is specific not just to the HPMA carrier in ProLindac, but protects our proprietary chelating system and its application to other carrier and targeting systems. Increasing our intellectual property holdings is an important element for Access as we solidify our place in the cancer treatment industry and lay the groundwork for attracting potential partners in the long-term."

The Company's lead compound, ProLindac, is a novel dach platinum prodrug which has been shown to be active in a wide variety of solid tumors in both preclinical models and in human trials. The Company believes that ProLindac's unique molecular design potentially could eliminate some of the toxic neurological side effects seen in currently marketed Dach platinums. The Company is currently enrolling patients in two Phase II clinical trials, one in ovarian cancer and one in head and neck cancer, and plans to initiate one or more additional Phase II trials, including one in colorectal cancer in 2007.