Clinical Development of HE2000 in Cystic Fibrosis

[Guest guest]

<A HREF= " aol://4344:30.LH0B3h3P.386397.740401619/ " >06/18: Hollis-Eden

Pharmaceuticals and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to

Collaborate o</A>

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to Collaborate

on Clinical Development of HE2000 in Cystic Fibrosis

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2003--Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(NASDAQ:<A HREF= " aol://4785:HEPH/ " >HEPH</A>) and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Therapeutics, Inc, (CFFT), the

non-profit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation, today announced a collaboration agreement to study HE2000

(IMMUNITIN

), one of Hollis Eden's investigational immune regulating hormones (IRHs)

in

a Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). CFFT

will award approximately $1.7 million in funding toward the clinical

development of the investigational drug candidate.

CF is a genetic disorder that causes the build-up of thick mucus in the lungs

and pancreas. The mucus in the lungs leads to chronic infections and

subsequent pulmonary inflammation and deterioration. Based on Hollis-Eden's

data

regarding the anti-inflammatory effects and attenuation of opportunistic

infections

in early clinical studies in patients with HIV and AIDS, and based on

anti-mycobacterial activity in preclinical models of tuberculosis, the

Company

believes that IMMUNITIN may decrease the chronic inflammation in lungs which

can

lead to the damage associated with CF. The Company also believes that by

stimulating the immune system, IMMUNITIN could also limit and prevent

pulmonary

infections in these patients. To date, IMMUNITIN has been well tolerated when

administered to HIV/AIDS patients.

CF affects 30,000 children and young adults in the United States, and more

than 10 million Americans are unknowing symptomless carriers of the defective

CF

gene. The most common cause of death in people with CF is respiratory

failure. Current treatments include an aerosol drug to thin the thick CF

mucus and

antibiotics to treat the chronic infections. Long-term treatment with

antibiotics can lead to the development of resistance to these drugs.

" We are excited to work with a new class of compounds that has demonstrated

both anti-inflammatory and immune stimulatory properties and has exhibited an

attractive safety profile to date, " said J. Beall, Ph.D., president

and

CEO of the CF Foundation. " Although new treatment interventions over the

years

have improved and extended the lives of patients with CF, there is still much

more work to be done. While we continue research towards a cure, we must also

develop additional therapies that address the many damaging effects of CF,

such as lung inflammation. We are eager to begin testing this novel approach

in

the clinic in the hope that it brings a positive change in the lives of

people

with CF. "

" It is a privilege to be collaborating with CFFT to assess the potential

benefit of IMMUNITIN in patients suffering from CF, " said Hollis,

chairman

and CEO, Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. " If IMMUNITIN demonstrates a

similar effect in CF patients on regulating key inflammatory cytokines and

other

components of immune function that were seen in both HIV and AIDS patients,

it

could provide a real breakthrough in the treatment of this tragic disease. We

also believe that if IMMUNITIN is able to correct immune dysfunction in this

setting, it may also be useful in other pulmonary disorders such as chronic

bronchitis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a development-stage pharmaceutical

company based in San Diego, working to become the world leader in the

development

of a new class of investigational drugs known as Immune Regulating Hormones

(IRHs). The goal of IRH therapy is to direct, through controlling gene

expression, the production of key cytokines and enzymes that re-regulate

immune and

metabolic functions toward homeostasis, a profile that could be useful in a

wide

variety of diseases. The Company has a number of investigational IRHs under

development, including HE2100, which the Company is co-developing with the

U.S.

military for use in protection from radiation injury and HE2000, which are

currently being studied in a number of infectious diseases. Hollis-Eden is

also

developing an additional IRH, HE2200, for improving vaccine responses in the

elderly and for lowering cholesterol in conditions of hypercholesterolemia.

For

more information on Hollis-Eden, contact the Company's Web site at

http://www.holliseden.com/.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was created in 1955 to assure the development

of the means to cure and control CF and to improve the quality of life for

people with the disease. CFFT is the nonprofit drug development affiliate of

the

CF Foundation that operates drug discovery, development and evaluation

efforts. The CF Foundation provides total support of CFFT. For more

information about

CF and the CF Foundation, visit the CF Foundation Web site at www.cff.org.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the

potential and prospects of the Company's drug discovery program and its drug

candidates. Any statement describing a goal, expectation, intention or belief

of the

Company is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk

statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties,

including the failure to successfully complete clinical trials, the Company's

future

capital needs, the Company's ability to obtain additional funding and

required

regulatory approvals, the ability of the Company to protect its intellectual

property rights and to not infringe the intellectually property rights of

others, the development of competitive products by other companies and other

risks

detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and

Exchange Commission. The actual results may differ materially from those

contained in this press release.

CONTACT:

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, San Diego

Dan Burgess, 858/587-9333

or

BMC Communications

Brad Miles, 212/477-9007

or

CF Foundation

Tobin, 301/841-2665

SOURCE: Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet

                with Hyperlinks to your home page.

URL: http://www.businesswire.com

06/18/2003 07:05 EASTERN

Becki

YOUR FAVORITE LilGooberGirl

YOUNGLUNG EMAIL SUPPORT LIST

www.topica.com/lists/younglung

Pediatric Interstitial Lung Disease Society

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InterstitialLung_Kids/