Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Extends Pfizer Deal to Develop Oral Antibiotics for Community Market KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., March 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: MICU; Nuovo Mercato) announced its collaboration with Pfizer has been extended for another year. This collaboration which originated with Pharmacia in March 1999 was established to develop next- generation oxazolidinones, the first new class of antibiotics in more than 30 years. Oxazolidinones are orally active and totally synthetic antibacterial agents. They have several significant characteristics, including a unique mechanism of action that prevents cross-resistance with existing antimicrobials. Next-generation compounds from this class likely will have improved potency and a broader spectrum of activity, providing the potential to target the multi-billion dollar community-based anti-infective market. About Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Vicuron Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing vital medicine for seriously ill patients. The company has two New Drug Applications submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its lead products, dalbavancin, a novel intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of serious Gram-positive infections, and anidulafungin, a novel antifungal agent. Vicuron applies a disciplined, integrated approach to anti-infective discovery for next- generation compounds in both hospital-based and community-acquired infections. In addition, the company has research and development collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements that predict or describe future events or trends. The matters described in these forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond Vicuron's control. Vicuron faces many risks that could cause its actual performance to differ materially from the results predicted by its forward-looking statements, including the possibilities that clinical trials and the results thereof might be delayed or unsuccessful, that the timing of the filing of any new drug application or any amendment to a new drug application might be delayed, that clinical trials might indicate that a product candidate is unsafe or ineffective, that the FDA might require additional information to be submitted and additional actions to be taken before it will make any decision, that any filed new drug application may not be approved by the FDA, that ongoing proprietary and collaborative research might not occur or yield useful results, that the pipeline may not yield a new clinical candidate or a commercial product, that a third party may not be willing to license Vicuron's product candidates on terms acceptable to it or at all, that competitors might develop superior substitutes for Vicuron's products or market these competitive products more effectively, that a sales force may not be developed as contemplated and that one or more of Vicuron's product candidates may not be commercialized successfully. The reports that Vicuron files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission contain a fuller description of these and many other risks to which Vicuron is subject. Because of those risks, Vicuron's actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from the results, performance or achievements contemplated by its forward-looking statement. The information set forth in this news release represents management's current expectations and intentions. Vicuron assumes no responsibility to issue updates to the forward-looking matters discussed in this news release. DATASOURCE: Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. CONTACT: Dov A. Goldstein, M.D. of Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc., +1-610-205-2312, or ; or E. Blair Schoeb of WeissComm Partners, +1-212-923-6737, or ; or Aline Schimmel of Burns McClellan Inc., +1-212-213-0006, or , both for Vicuron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Web site: http://www.vicuron.com/

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