AMERICAN BIOGENETIC SCIENCES NEGOTIATES LANDMARK ANTHRAX AND SMALLPOX VACCINE AGREEMENT

November 26, 2001, Moscow, Russia,
New York, USA - American Biogenetic Sciences, Inc. (ABS)(NASDAQ:MABA), has negotiated a ten-year agreement with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The agreement covers human vaccines for anthrax, smallpox, botulism and other diseases. A second agreement with the Russian Agricultural Academy extends ABS’s rights for livestock vaccines, including one for animal anthrax. The agreements govern vaccine distribution to specified global territories including North America, South America, The European Community, and The Pacific Rim.

“This is a very significant partnership given recent events in the United States and the imminent and real threat of bio-terrorism”, says ABS’s, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alfred J. Roach. “This is just one example of how America and Russia can work together to safeguard the health of people worldwide, especially those who are most vulnerable to international bio-terrorism.”

In commenting on the agreement, Professor Rem V. Petrov, D.Sc., Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Professor G. Onishenko, Deputy Minister of Health and Professor G. Romanenko, President and Professor Earnst Lev, Vice-President of the Agricultural Academy said, “ABS’s mission was evaluated at the very highest level in the Russian Ministry of Health and the Russian Academy of Agriculture. They are now in a position to respond to the heightened concern about the recent spate of Anthrax attacks in the U.S. and other bio-terrorism fears.”

Under the terms of the agreements, ABS can immediately make the vaccines available for evaluation. The smallpox vaccine developed in Russia was used by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the 1970’s during the global eradication of smallpox.

ABS’s Roach says the partnership came about largely as a result of the ABS Global Scientific Network, an in-house advisory council of scientists and academics in the U.S., Ireland, Germany, Russia and China, which continues to work on developing potential products and programs aimed at diagnosing and treating important diseases such as cardiovascular and neurological illnesses. “I am pleased that my nearly 15-year relationship with the Russian scientific community has led to its greatest dividend to date. My meetings with scientists around the world have given me great faith that we will find ways to deter and to eliminate both the global threats of bio-terrorism and of incurable diseases,” he notes.

“We’ve developed superior vaccines in Russia that have proven themselves highly effective,” says Professor Petrov, who is also a member of both ABS’s Advisory Board and Global Scientific Network. “We look forward to working with ABS to protect the USA and its Allies from these potentially deadly pathogens,” he adds.

American Biogenetic Sciences, Inc., is based in Copiague, NY, and researches and develops diagnostic tests for cardiopulmonary conditions and infectious diseases, as well as for new treatments for neurological disorders, including epilepsy, migraine, mania, and Alzheimer’s disease. As an innovative developer of biogenetic technologies and compounds, ABS to date has been issued over 75 patents, both US and foreign, and there are over 100 patents pending.

Statements in this release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and should be considered as subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

For further details and a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, see ABS’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings including its annual report or 10-K form.

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