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OXIS News OXIS International Identifies New Biomarker for Early Detection of Cardiovascular Disease

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OXIS International (OTCBB: OXIS; Nouveau Marche: OXIS) (FWB: OXI), a biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing predictive biomarkers, clinical assays and nutraceutical and therapeutic products, announced today that it has identified a new predictive diagnostic lipoprotein biomarker that has the ability to detect early cardiovascular disease.

Traditional biomarkers, such as serum LDL levels, have very limited predictive power, with as little as 12% of future heart attack victims identified by LDL screening in some studies. Additionally, the first sign of cardiac disease may be Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) which is seen in up to 30% of heart attack victims according to some estimates. Oxis believes that early detection may be able to prevent SCD through identification of at-risk individuals. This pioneering approach may be of great value in helping to prevent the estimated 600,000 SCD deaths annually in the USA and Europe. By offering a unique insight into an otherwise hidden disease state, this potentially innovative screening could be of value to all individuals irrespective of other risk factors. This unique diagnostic breakthrough targets certain lipoproteins implicated in the causation of cardiovascular disease and Oxis has moved to strengthen the company’s intellectual property to cover this new development.

The Oxis portfolio of predictive biomarkers already includes assays for four different human peroxidase enzymes, as well as multiple assays designed to detect both specific and nonspecific oxidative damage at the level of protein, lipids and DNA. The acquisition of BioCheck Inc. (BioCheck) added biomarkers for carcinogenesis and angiogenesis. Oxis believes that the development of additional unique predictive biomarkers, as well as the use of multiplexed biomarker assays holds great promise. In addition, the users of these new, sophisticated assessment strategies will have the potential to achieve unprecedented diagnostic accuracy for their patients and in clinical studies.

”We believe that the development of this unique innovative biomarker will save lives and provide an essential diagnostic tool for physicians,” said Marvin S. Hausman MD, OXIS International’s President and CEO. “With the medical community’s increasing need for and desire to utilize biomarkers to diagnose and treat patients, we expect Oxis’s and BioCheck’s broad array of biomarkers to play an important role in the early detection of cardiovascular disease as well as in other critical medical arenas such as cancer.”

According to published data, the global market for biomarkers in clinical trials is expected to increase from approximately $427 million in 2006 to more than $1 billion in 2010. Similarly, on the diagnostics front, the global market for biomarkers for ovarian cancer, which topped $175 million in 2006, is expected to surpass $328 million by 2010. Markets for stroke, cervical cancer, bladder cancer, and many other biomarkers are experiencing similar growth trends.

About OXIS and BioCheck:

OXIS International, Inc. develops technologies and products to research, diagnose, treat and prevent diseases of oxidative stress associated with damage from free radical and reactive oxygen species and the related increased inflammation that accompanies oxidative stress. Oxis presently holds the rights to three therapeutic classes of compounds in the treatment of oxidative stress, and has focused commercialization programs in clinical cardiovascular markers, including MPO (myeloperoxidase) and GPx (glutathione peroxidase), as well as the super potent antioxidant, Ergothioneine, that is planned to be introduced as an over-the-counter (OTC) nutraceutical supplement. Oxis’s customers include leading pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Glaxo SmithKline and Genzyme and universities such as Baylor College of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Virginia School of Technology, distributors and government laboratories. OXIS has acquired a 51% interest in BioCheck, with the option to purchase the remaining 49%.

BioCheck is a leading provider of high quality enzyme immunoassay research services and products including immunoassay kits for cardiac and tumor biomarkers, infectious diseases, thyroid function, steroids, and fertility hormones. BioCheck operates a 15,000 square-foot, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certified cGMP, and ISO device-manufacturing facility in Foster City, California.

More information about OXIS, BioCheck and their products, services as well as current SEC filings may be obtained by visiting http://www.oxisresearch.com and http://www.biocheckinc.com.

The statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations, objectives, anticipations, plans, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties indicated in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is important to note that actual outcomes could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.