Candidate Therapy Designed to Protect Against Hepatitis C Following Liver Transplants

[Guest guest]

Candidate Therapy Designed to Protect Against Hepatitis C Following

Liver Transplants

Rockville, land, April 17, 2002 - Nabi Biopharmaceuticals

(Nasdaq: NABI) announced initiation of a Phase I/II clinical trial

for its investigational product,Civacir [Hepatitis C Immune Globulin

(Human)]. Civacir is an antibody-based therapy being developed to

prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) re-infection of transplanted livers

in patients suffering from hepatitis C.

" Beginning human trials of Civacir is an important corporate and

clinical milestone for Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, " said J. Gury,

chairman, president and CEO. " There is a significant unmet medical

need for this kind of product in liver transplant patients suffering

from HCV infection. Re-infection by HCV is nearly universal in

patients who have received liver transplants due to chronic HCV

infection. Civacir, if successful in clinical trials and approved by

FDA, would be the first therapy specifically developed to help

protect patients from HCV following liver transplant surgery. " .

The Phase I/II study of Civacir is a randomized, controlled clinical

trial and will evaluate two dose levels of Civacir. The clinical

trial will evaluate the safety and antibody levels of Civacir, as

well as its effects on the level of virus circulating in the

patients' blood and in the transplanted livers. Results of a study in

chimpanzees suggested that multiple infusions of Civacir were

effective in the early termination of HCV infections in animals

challenged with various doses of HCV as reported by Nabi

Biopharmaceuticals on August 31, 1999.

The clinical trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy

and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of

Health, and is being conducted by the NIAID Collaborative Anti-Viral

Study Group at five study sites in the U.S.

To manufacture Civacir, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals collects HCV-antibody

enriched plasma at its network of FDA licensed antibody collection

centers. This raw material is then pooled and manufactured at Nabi

Biopharmaceuticals' state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Boca

Raton, Florida. Through a process called fractionation, antibodies in

the plasma are separated from other plasma components and then

further purified and concentrated to make the clinical trial material

Approximately 4 million people in the U.S. and 175 million people

worldwide are infected with HCV. An estimated 85 percent of acutely

infected individuals become chronic carriers of HCV, a condition that

can often result in insidiously progressive liver disease. The

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that

approximately 5 percent of those infected with HCV develop liver

failure or liver cancer and require a liver transplant in order to

survive. Of the nearly 5,000 liver transplants performed in the U.S.

in 1999, approximately 40 percent were due to complications from HCV.

Civacir joins Nabi Biopharmaceuticals' three other investigational

products that are or will be in human clinical trials in 2002. These

include, StaphVAX (Staphylococcus aureus Polysaccharide Conjugate

Vaccine), a vaccine being developed for patients who are at high risk

of contracting a Staphylococcus aureus infection; Altastaph

[staphylococcus aureus Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)], an

intravenous immune globulin being developed to provide immediate

protection for patients who are at high, short-term risk of

contracting a S. aureus infection; and NicVAX(Nicotine Conjugate

Vaccine), a vaccine being developed to prevent and treat nicotine

addiction.

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals discovers, develops, manufactures and markets

products that power the immune system to help people with serious,

unmet medical needs. The company has a broad product portfolio and

significant research capabilities focused on developing and

commercializing novel vaccines and antibody-based therapies that

prevent and treat infectious, autoimmune and addictive diseases, such

as Staphylococcus aureus and hepatitis infections, ITP, and nicotine

addiction.

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has several products in clinical trials, as

well as four marketed products, including Nabi-HB [Hepatitis B Immune

Globulin (Human)], for the prevention of hepatitis B infections and

WinRho SDF, [Rho(d) Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human)], for the

treatment of acute, chronic and HIV-related immune thrombocytopenia.

The company is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, with principal

R & D offices and laboratories in Rockville, land. Additional

information about Nabi Biopharmaceuticals may be obtained on the

company's Web site at www.nabi.com.

Civacir is a human antibody product derived from screened donors. It

contains antibodies that are neutralizing to hepatitis C virus

( " HCV " ). Nabi intends to develop Civacir for the prevention of HCV

reinfection of transplanted livers, post-exposure prophylaxis of HCV,

and ultimately for the treatment of certain stages of chronic HCV

infections. Approximately 40% to 50% of liver transplants are due to

complications resulting from chronic HCV infections.

HCV has significant economic impact because it causes chronic

infections in a large percentage of those infected and results in

significant morbidity and mortality in later stages of the disease.

HCV infection also contributes to frequent hospitalizations when it

occurs in liver transplant patients. There are four million

individuals in the United States and more than 170 million

individuals worldwide infected with HCV.

In 1998, Nabi initiated a series of chimpanzee studies of Civacir in

collaboration with the CDC under a CRADA. The results from these

animal studies suggest that the elevated level of anti-HCV in serum

maintained by multiple infusions of Civacir may be associated with

the elimination of virus from the blood, prevention of acute

hepatitis and the possible elimination of HCV antigen from liver

cells after experimental HCV infection.

Contacts:

J. Gury, Chairman, President and CEO, (561)-989-5800

Mark L. , Sr. V.P., Finance and CFO, (561)-989-5800

Investor Relations: Janet Dally, MontRidge, LLC, 203-894-8038, 609-

466-0466

Media Contact: Joan Kureczka, Kureczka/ Associates,

415-821-2413

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