Independent Physician Surveys Show if Approved, MF101 Could Become First-Line Treatment for Menopaus...( EMERYVILLE Calif. March 10 /- Bio...),Health

EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bionovo, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNVI) announced today results from two independent physician surveys which showed MF101 could become first-line treatment for menopausal vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes). In both qualitative and quantitative studies, 124 physicians board certified in internal medicine or obstetrics and gynecology specializing in the treatment of menopause reported MF101, if approved, would be their drug of choice for the treatment of hot flashes. In addition, 92% of physicians reported they would prescribe MF101 before prescribing an antidepressant agent for hot flashes.

"These results confirm what we have believed for over a decade. Both physicians and women are eagerly awaiting a safe and new alternative drug for the treatment of menopausal symptoms," said Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., Bionovo's President and CMO. "The multiple medical risks associated with estrogen therapies make these drugs undesirable, and the antidepressant agents currently used off label for this indication are poorly tolerated due to their many side effects. In contrast, our lead drug candidate, MF101, showed in a Phase 2 study that it is effective at alleviating hot flashes and is extremely well tolerated due to a very favorable safety profile."

In addition to placing MF101 at the top of the list of treatment options for menopausal symptoms, physicians also reported the following:
-- The accepted threshold for efficacy of a drug for vasomotor symptoms is

a 58% reduction in moderate to severe hot flashes, and,

-- The number one concern for women when considering treatment options for

menopausal symptoms is the risk of cancer.

-- Many women have foregone tr
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