PharmAthene Closes Acquisition of Avecia Biodefense Vaccines Bus...(ntas set forth above to accommodate the ...)

BroadOak Partners, LLC and Piper Jaffray Ltd. acted as financial advisors to PharmAthene and Avecia, respectively, in connection with the transaction.

rPA Anthrax Vaccine

Avecia's rPA vaccine, which has completed Phase II clinical testing, is a second generation rPA anthrax vaccine for use against human anthrax infection.

In February 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued a formal solicitation (Request for Proposals) for an Anthrax Recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) Vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The solicitation outlines a requirement to procure 25 million doses of an rPA anthrax vaccine.

"There is currently an unmet need for a second generation anthrax vaccine that offers the potential for improved safety and convenience," said Mr. Wright. "We believe Avecia's vaccine is well positioned to meet this requirement, as it is a highly purified recombinant form of a single protein -- protective antigen (PA), which is produced using standard biotechnology processes. In preclinical and clinical studies the vaccine was shown to produce a vaccine-induced antibody response and was safe and well tolerated. If these results are confirmed in future studies, we believe this vaccine could prove to be a superior choice for procurement in the Strategic National Stockpile for civilian defense against anthrax threats."

About PharmAthene, Inc.

PharmAthene (Amex: PIP) was formed to meet the critical needs of the United States and its allies by developing and commercializing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical weapons. PharmAthene's lead programs include Valortim(TM) for the prevention
'/>"/>