BioCis Pharma Starts Phase IIa Trial in Psoriasis

TURKU, Finland - BioCis Pharma Ltd., a privately-held drug development company with its
headquarters in Turku, Finland, announced that it has begun a new Phase IIa
clinical testing of ProtoCure(TM) emulsion cream, the company’s novel topical
drug for dermatology. The double-blind, vehicle-controlled study is designed
to evaluate the tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of the topical
product in a total of 18 subjects with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. The
subjects will apply ProtoCure(TM) emulsion cream up to four weeks to the skin
areas affected by the disease.

“With the commencement of this clinical trial we expand our clinical
activities to a new dermatological indication,” says Lasse Leino, CEO of
BioCis Pharma. “Together with the ongoing phase IIa clinical trial in
patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis, this first study in
psoriasis will quickly enable us to obtain data to support our full-scale
phase II clinical development program of ProtoCure(TM) emulsion cream in
chronic skin inflammation. We expect to get results from both studies by
third quarter of 2009.”

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease
characterized by local lesions on the skin. It affects about 2 to 3 per cent
of the general population in the Western countries. Psoriasis may
significantly impair the life quality of the affected subjects, and it may
lead to psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory disease affecting the joints.
Existing treatments often have undesirable side effects and do not always
meet the needs of patients.

BioCis Pharma Ltd is an innovative drug development company with a
business idea to develop drug therapies based on a novel, patented
therapeutic principle. BioCis Pharma is targeting unmet medical needs in
substantial therapeutic markets including inflammation, allergy, and cancer.
The company’s main investors are Karolinska Development AB (publ.), Finnish
Industry Investment Ltd., and Etra Invest Ltd.

www.biocis.com

Contacts:
Dr. Lasse Leino
CEO, BioCis Pharma Ltd.
Mobile: +358-40-849-4694
lasse.leino@biocis.com

Source: BioCis Pharma Ltd

Contacts: Dr. Lasse Leino, CEO, BioCis Pharma Ltd., Mobile: +358-40-849-4694, lasse.leino at biocis.com