Released on: February 4, 2008, 9:52 am

Press Release Author: Medical News Papers, Inc.

Industry: Biotech

Press Release Summary: Las Vegas-based Samaritan Pharmaceuticals' HIV oral entry
inhibitor, SP-01A, currently in development, represents a significant step forward
in HIV treatment. Used with any existing anti-retroviral drug, SP-01A creates a
firewall around healthy cells that prevents HIV entry.

Press Release Body: Despite tremendous advances in recent years in the field of
antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus's (HIV) ability to
mutate and develop resistance to these drugs poses a significant problem for
treatments that are already in use and those in the pipeline.

The effective treatment of HIV-infected patients is also compromised by the toxicity
of approved regimens, conferred resistance, and cross-resistance. These developments
are of particular concern in developing countries, where 95 percent of all cases of
HIV are diagnosed.

Las Vegas-based Samaritan Pharmaceuticals' HIV oral entry inhibitor, SP-01A,
currently in development, represents a significant step forward in HIV treatment.
Used with any existing anti-retroviral drug, SP-01A creates a firewall around
healthy cells that prevents HIV entry.

"At present, a number of drugs on the market do an incredible job extending life
expectancies of patients with HIV," explained Dr. Janet Greeson, CEO of Samaritan
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "However, these drugs do not address myriad serious side
effects," which kidney stones; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; increased cholesterol,
triglycerides, and glucose; headaches; weakness; blurred vision; dizziness; rashes;
low platelets; hair loss; and anemia.

Unlike currently approved antiretroviral therapies, SP-01A, the only oral entry
inhibitor in its class, conditions the cell membrane as opposed to targeting the
virus or its receptors directly.

In a 30-patient, 8-week study, SP-01A demonstrated proof of concept with
significance in two crucial areas: a viral log drop of 1.32 (virus undetectable,
with no adverse events), and improved quality of life. In fact, SP-01A was the only
drug of its kind in clinical trials to demonstrate improved patient quality of life,
according to Whalen Scale indices.

"HIV patients' QOL (quality of life) is usually based on their viral load and CD4
parameters and side effects from their ARVs," Greeson pointed out. "Patients with
high viral loads and low CD4 counts usually experience opportunistic infections
where HIV weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to other
infections, such as fungal, bacterial, viral, parasitic infections and pneumonias.
Therefore, a new HIV treatment that lowers viral load, increases CD4 counts, and
adds no addition side-effect burden, where the majority of current antiretroviral
treatments do add side effects, would be of great benefit to the improvement of an
HIV patient's QOL."

New HIV drugs should develop a new way to block entry of the HIV virus into the CD4
cell while not adding any safety burden, noted Greeson.

"One way to accomplish this is to create a firewall in the CD4 cell by modifying the
cell content to resist HIV viral entry and enhance the effect of current HIV
therapies," she said. "Currently, all the drugs on the market attack the virus at
different mechanisms of action after cell entry. The virus is extremely tricky and
finds new ways to counter punch these drugs. By creating a firewall to prevent cell
entry, you wouldn't even have to enter the ring to battle HIV."

In addition to SP-01A, Samaritan has SP-10 and SP-03, which are new molecules that
have similar mechanisms of action in preventing viral entry into healthy cells.

"It's possible that in the near future, a drug will be developed that will block the
entry of the HIV virus in to CD4 cells throughout the body, including crossing the
BBB (blood brain barrier) allowing for current and future HIV treatments to kill the
circulating virus, thus allowing the body's immune system to respond and tackle HIV
and not be overwhelmed," said Greeson. "My vision is that a person could control HIV
(so that) no new virus is able to enter and the killer HIV treatments would be able
to knock out the virus so a person might be virus free as long as they were taking
the treatment -- similar to insulin with diabetes. In addition, one could envision a
'day-after cocktail,' which could be used to contain and kill the virus before it
has a chance to take hold and over come the immune response."

SP-01A has been used concomitantly with most HIV antiretrovirals in Phase I/II
clinical studies and found to enhance the effect of the HIV drugs used
significantly, "a mean 1.3 log10 decrease in viral load," detailed Greeson. "Upon
completion of Phase II/III clinical studies, SP-01A would be submitted for FDA
approval. Therefore, we target commercialization in about two to three years."

Samaritan is collaborating with Pharmaplaz to develop and commercialize SP-01A.

Last year, Samaritan was honored with the 2006 North American Frost & Sullivan Award
Technology Innovation Award in the field of HIV drug development in recognition of
the company's effort in developing this antiviral therapy-based drug.


About Samaritan Pharmaceuticals

Samaritan Pharmaceuticals: \"Transforming Today\'s Science Into Tomorrow\'s Cures...\'\'
Samaritan Pharmaceuticals is an entrepreneurial biopharmaceutical company committed
to bringing innovative life-saving drugs to suffering patients.

Website: http://www.samaritanpharma.com Please register so we can notify you of
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Disclaimer
The company disclaims any information created by an outside party and endorses only
information communicated by its press releases, filings, and website. This news
release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management\'s current
beliefs about the potential for its drug candidates, science, and technology.
However, as with any biopharmaceutical under development, there are significant
risks and uncertainties in the process of development and regulatory review. There
are no guarantees that products will prove to be commercially successful. For
additional information about the factors that affect the company\'s business, please
read the company\'s latest Form 10-Q filed November 19, 2007. The company undertakes
no duty to update forward-looking statements.


Web Site:
http://www.samaritanpharma.com/news_02-01-08_SP-01A_Provides_HIV_Patients.asp

Contact Details: Contact:
Samaritan Pharmaceuticals
101 Convention Center Drive
Suite 310
Las Vegas, NV
890109
(702) 735-7001

The Investor Relations Group
Investor Relations:
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