Beef Cattle Vaccinated Against E. coli O157:H7

- Top Meadow Farms world's first commercial adopter of vaccine -

    BELLEVILLE, ON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Bioniche Life
 Sciences Inc. (TSX: BNC), a research-based, technology-driven Canadian
 biopharmaceutical company, today announced that its vaccine against E. coli
 O157:H7 in cattle has been used for the first time by a commercial beef
 producer. Top Meadow Farms, an Ontario-based producer of premium beef,
 integrated use of the E. coli O157:H7 vaccine into its Top in Field(TM)
 cattle rearing standards, under the auspices of Canadian Food Inspection
 Agency (CFIA) regulations governing the sale of the vaccine in Canada.
     "Top Meadow is committed to producing beef that is of the best possible
 taste and healthfulness," stated Kym Anthony, owner of Top Meadow Farms.
 "The Bioniche vaccine provides an important pre-harvest intervention
 against E. coli O157:H7 that we are very pleased to add to our CFIA-audited
 Top in Field(TM) feed and husbandry protocols. Equally, we are pleased to
 have the support of retailers of our beef, such as the Highland Farms
 grocery chain and the award winning Via Allegro restaurant: All of us take
 food safety to be a core obligation."
     "The adoption of our vaccine by Top Meadow Farms provides evidence that
 a beef producer recognizes the environmental and public health benefits
 that can result from reducing the shed of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria by
 cattle," said Graeme McRae, President & CEO of Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.
 "Shed bacteria can contaminate food, water and the environment, and human
 exposures to this pathogen result in an estimated 100,000 cases of illness
 per year in North America."
     The vaccine remains under review by The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
 (CFIA) and The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In the
 course of its review process, the CFIA notified Bioniche last December that
 it was agreeable to issuing permits under the Permit to Release Veterinary
 Biologics regulations. These regulations allow cattle owners, through their
 veterinarians, to request vaccine be supplied to them by Bioniche.
     Since that time, Bioniche has commenced production of the E. coli
 O157:H7 cattle vaccine at its Belleville, Ontario facility. This supply is
 now being provided to veterinarians requesting vaccine under the Canadian
 Permit to Release regulations. Bioniche will continue to scale up as full
 domestic and international approvals are received. Until such approvals are
 received, all vaccine will be shipped to Canadian veterinarians as permit
 requests are received and approved by the CFIA.
     In order to progress from shipping under permits to a full license, the
 CFIA indicated that Bioniche was required to provide additional data
 confirming reduction in E. coli O157:H7 shedding by vaccinated animals.
 This information was provided to the CFIA in the spring and is currently
 under review.
     About Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.
     Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. is a research-based, technology-driven
 Canadian biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development,
 manufacturing, and marketing of proprietary products for human and animal
 health markets worldwide. The fully-integrated company employs
 approximately 195 skilled personnel and has three operating divisions:
 Human Health, Animal Health, and Food Safety. The Company's primary goal is
 to develop proprietary cancer therapies supported by revenues from marketed
 products in human and animal health. For more information, please visit
 www.Bioniche.com. For more information about E. coli O157:H7, please visit
 www.fightecoli.com.
     Except for historical information, this news release may contain
 forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation
 regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risk and
 uncertainties, which may cause, but are not limited to, changing market
 conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the
 establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products
 and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the
 regulatory approval process, and other risks detailed from time to time in
 the Company's ongoing quarterly and annual reporting.
 
 

SOURCE Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.