Bioniche Presents at U.S. Animal Health Association Committee on Food & Feed Safety

-Dr. Gary Weber presents information about cattle vaccine to reduce shedding of E. coli O157-

BELLEVILLE, ON, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ - Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (TSX: BNC), a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today announced that its President of Bioniche Food Safety in the U.S. presented an invited paper to the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA)'s Food and Feed Safety Committee meeting this weekend. Dr. Gary Weber's presentation, "Opportunities to Reduce the Risk of Shedding E. coli O157 by Cattle: Implications for Beef Safety, the Environment and Public Health", was part of a day-long session entitled, "E. coli O157:H7 Update: Research, Interventions and Epidemiology".

Dr. Weber's presentation focused on the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle (the primary reservoir) and its resulting impact on human health, pointing out the distinct seasonal profile and relationship between shedding of E. coli O157:H7 by cattle, beef contamination, and human illness associated with various food sources and human contact with livestock.

Dr. Weber pointed out that, historically, the peak shedding period for E. coli O157:H7 in cattle in the United States is June, with the corresponding peak of the pathogen in ground beef and human illness in July. In addition, 74% of produce outbreaks associated with E. coli O157:H7 between 1991 and 2002 occurred between July and October. Further E. coli O157:H7 human illness outbreaks have been associated with contact with animals at fairs, exhibitions and petting zoos, many of which are seasonal events.

Dr. Weber summarized that a reduction in the peak shedding period for E. coli O157:H7 by cattle, as observed from April through September in the U.S., to that observed from October through March, would correspondingly reduce the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in beef and reduce associated human illness. Evidence suggests that post-harvest (in-plant) interventions are currently capable of controlling the risk posed by E. coli O157:H7 contamination of beef from October through March. However, these intervention systems appear to be overloaded as a result of the seasonal increase in shedding from April through September. Research indicates vaccination of cattle would reduce this seasonal burden. In addition, if there was widespread adoption of vaccination, it is reasonable to expect the reduction in shedding of E. coli O15:H7 by cattle would correspond to a reduction in human illness associated with produce, water and contact with livestock, particularly cattle, as well as other species. 

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. has developed and licensed (in Canada) the world's first vaccine to reduce the shedding by cattle of E. coli O157. Econiche™ received full licensing approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in October, 2008 and is available for unrestricted use by Canadian cattle producers and their veterinarians. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cleared the path for a conditional license for the vaccine in February, 2008, and the Company is awaiting issuance of that license.

Econiche™ is a Canadian discovery developed by Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. The vaccine has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of E. coli O157 shed into the environment by beef and dairy cattle. This organism does not cause illness in cattle, however, cattle are the primary reservoir for it. Most strains of E. coli are harmless but some, like O157, can cause severe illness and even be fatal when ingested by humans from contaminated meat, vegetables or water. Vaccination of cattle with Econiche can help reduce the risk of food and waterborne contamination with E. coli O157.

Econiche is manufactured in the Bioniche production facility in Belleville, Ontario, where a $25-million expansion is taking place, supported by the Ontario and Canadian governments. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of March, 2011.

About E. coli O157:H7
An estimated 100,000 cases of human infection with the E. coli O157:H7 organism occur each year in North America. Two to seven per cent of those people develop haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disease characterized by kidney failure. Five percent of HUS patients die, many of them children and senior citizens, whose kidneys are more sensitive to damage.

About Econiche™
Econiche received international recognition in September 2007 by the Animal Pharm Industry Excellence Awards as the best new veterinary product for livestock globally. The vaccine has been developed by a strategic alliance formed in 2000 between the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Alberta Research Council (ARC), the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine & Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), and Bioniche, which holds the rights for worldwide commercialization of the vaccine. The vaccine prevents the E. coli O157 bacteria from attaching to the intestines of vaccinated cattle, thereby reducing their reproduction within the animal, and reducing the amount of bacteria that can be released through cattle manure in the environment. More than 30,000 cattle have been involved in clinical testing of the vaccine.

About Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. is a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of proprietary products for human and animal health markets worldwide. The fully-integrated company employs 214 skilled personnel and has three operating divisions: Human Health, Animal Health, and Food Safety. The Company's primary goal is to develop proprietary cancer therapies supported by revenues from marketed products in human and animal health. Bioniche has been named one of the Top 50 Best Small and Medium-Sized Employers in Canada for 2010. For more information, please visit www.Bioniche.com.

About the USAHA
The United States Animal Health Association (USAHA), the nation's animal health forum for over a century, is a science-based, non-profit, voluntary organization. Its 1,400 members are state and federal animal health officials, national allied organizations, regional representatives, and individual members. USAHA works with state and federal governments, universities, veterinarians, livestock producers, national livestock and poultry organizations, research scientists, the extension service and seven foreign countries to control livestock diseases in the United States. USAHA represents all 50 states, 4 foreign countries and 34 allied groups serving health, technical and consumer markets.

USAHA's mission is to protect animal and public health by:

• Serving as a national forum for communication and coordination concerning:
  • disease eradication
  • animal health
  • emergency preparedness
  • emergency response and recovery
  • emerging diseases
  • food safety
  • public health
  • animal welfare
  • international trade
• Serving as a clearinghouse for new information and methods for policy and programs development
  
• Developing solutions for animal health issues

USAHA's prime objective is to prevent, control and eliminate livestock diseases that cost ranchers, farmers and consumers approximately $1 billion per year.

Except for historical information, this news release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, which may cause, but are not limited to, changing market conditions, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the establishment of corporate alliances, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's ongoing quarterly and annual reporting.

SOURCE Bioniche Life Sciences Inc.