Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Announces Data at ICAAC Demonstrating Potency of Anidulafungin and Dalbavancin KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: MICU; Nuovo Mercato) today announced details of oral and poster presentations on its lead antifungal anidulafungin and lead antibiotic dalbavancin at the 44th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) meeting in Washington, D.C. Highlights of data presented on anidulafungin and dalbavancin at ICAAC include: - In vitro data demonstrating dalbavancin's potency against a broad range of Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); - An oral presentation demonstrating anidulafungin's in vitro activity shows anidulafungin is more potent than fluconazole against Candida albicans biofilms, which are difficult-to-treat hospital acquired infections; and - Clinical data on anidulafungin's efficacy against azole-refractory mucosal candidiasis. "The dalbavancin data demonstrate its potent in vitro activity against recent clinical isolates of Staphylococci and Streptococci in a large international survey, further supporting the efficacy seen in our Phase 3 skin and soft tissue infection studies," said Timothy J. Henkel, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Vicuron. "Anidulafungin's activity against Candida in a biofilms model is particularly interesting because this is a common and difficult-to-treat source of infection from catheters and medical devices." Biofilms are a community of microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeasts, which grow in an extracellular matrix attached to a solid surface. Biofilms play a major role in the infection of intravenous catheters, medical devices and implanted prosthetic material. Bacteria or fungi growing in biofilms often are highly resistant to drug therapy, and may require high doses of antimicrobial drugs, long-term therapy, or even removal of the catheter or device for successful treatment. About Anidulafungin Anidulafungin is a naturally occurring molecule that has been significantly improved through chemical modification. In vitro studies have demonstrated that anidulafungin combines both the potency and killing effects of the polyene class (e.g. amphotericin B) without the resistance problems found with the azole class (e.g., fluconazole). Anidulafungin is a broad- spectrum agent, and has been demonstrated to be highly potent in vitro against the fungi responsible for several serious fungal infections. Preclinical studies have shown that five-minute exposure to anidulafungin in vitro kills more than 99 percent of Candida, including fluconazole-resistant strains. Anidulafungin has no cross-resistance with azoles or amphotericin, and in the laboratory it has proven very difficult to develop resistance to anidulafungin. Anidulafungin also was well tolerated in a Phase 1 study when given in combination with cyclosporine, a leading chronic immunosuppressive drug. About Dalbavancin Dalbavancin, a novel second generation lipoglycopeptide agent, belongs to the same class as vancomycin, the most widely-used and one of the few treatments available to patients infected with the most difficult-to-treat strains of Staphlococcus (Staph.): MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and MRSE (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis). Dalbavancin has been specifically designed as an improved alternative to vancomycin. In vitro studies have shown that in addition to being potent against clinically important Gram-positive bacteria, it is bactericidal (i.e., kills bacteria rather than merely inhibiting their growth). The potency, tissue penetration and long half-life of dalbavancin may allow for more flexible and convenient dosing regimens than vancomycin. Dalbavancin also may help reduce the length of hospital stays by decreasing the need for intravenous lines that increase the risk of local and bloodstream infection. In preclinical and clinical studies to date, dalbavancin appears to be one of the most potent antibiotics in its class against MRSA and MRSE and has not shown significant dose-limiting side effects. About Vicuron Vicuron Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing vital medicine for seriously ill patients. In May 2004, Vicuron received an approvable letter from the FDA for its lead product anidulafungin for the treatment of esophageal candidiasis. The company's other lead product, dalbavancin, a novel intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of serious Gram-positive infections, has completed Phase 3 clinical trials. The company's versatile research engine integrates industry-leading expertise in functional genomics, natural products discovery, mechanism-based drug design and combinatorial and medicinal chemistry. These approaches are yielding promising novel and next-generation compounds, many of which are in the later stages of preclinical development. In addition, the company has research and development collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer and Novartis. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that predict or describe future events or trends. The matters described in these forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond Vicuron's control. Vicuron faces many risks that could cause its actual performance to differ materially from the results predicted by its forward-looking statements, including the possibilities that clinical trials and the results thereof might be delayed, or unsuccessful, that the timing of the filing of any new drug application or any amendment to a new drug application might be delayed, that clinical trials might indicate that a product candidate is unsafe or ineffective, that the FDA might require additional information to be submitted and additional actions to be taken before it will make any decision, that any filed new drug application may not be approved by the FDA, that ongoing proprietary and collaborative research might not occur or yield useful results, that the pipeline may not yield a new clinical candidate or a commercial product, that a third party may not be willing to license our product candidates on terms acceptable to us or at all, that competitors might develop superior substitutes for Vicuron's products or market these competitive products more effectively, that a sales force may not be developed as contemplated and that one or more of Vicuron's product candidates may not be commercialized successfully. The reports that Vicuron files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission contain a fuller description of these and many other risks to which Vicuron is subject. Because of those risks, Vicuron's actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from the results, performance or achievements contemplated by its forward-looking statement. The information set forth in this news release represents management's current expectations and intentions. Vicuron assumes no responsibility to issue updates to the forward-looking matters discussed in this news release. DATASOURCE: Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. CONTACT: Dov A. Goldstein, M.D. of Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc., +1-610-205-2312, or ; or Hala Mirza of WeissComm Partners, +1-212-204-2080, or , or Aline Schimmel of Burns McClellan Inc., +1-212-213-0006, or , both for Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Web site: http://www.vicuron.com/

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