.Broomfield, CO - February 12, 2003 - Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading natural products research and development facility and proprietary ingredients supplier, has announced a collaborative plant collection agreement with BioResources International, Inc. (BRI), a science-driven, bioprospecting company engaged in research and commercial development of high-value natural products from tropical biodiversity.  BRI will source, collect and identify plants with ethnomedicinal use that are indigenous to Ghana, as well as provide Unigen with historical usage and taxonomic data specific to each plant. Unigen will apply natural products chemistry and high throughput screening to fractionate the plant actives in order to discover novel and efficacious active ingredients for use in the nutritional supplement, functional food and beverage, and cosmeceutical industries, as well as drug leads for the pharmaceutical industry.

Both companies will collaborate on plant sourcing and cultivation, plant identification and recollection, plant extraction, and isolation of pure compounds. The bioactive plant fractions will then be further tested in Unigen’s laboratory via an assortment of biochemical, genomic and cell assays to determine the potential for positive reaction in a human system while targeting how the botanical compound responds chemically with each cell. Both companies agree to work side by side in the development and commercialization of botanical compounds from tropical forests.

“BioResources International Inc. is excited to embark upon this plant sourcing and product development agreement with a company as well-established and respected as Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.” sail Dr. Kodzo Gbewonyo, president of BioResources International Inc. “BRI has extensive experience in bioprospecting activities in Ghana, including prior collaborations with Missouri Botanical Gardens, to support drug discovery efforts of major U.S. pharmaceutical companies and research institutions.” 

 “Along with our sister company in South Korea, Unigen Asia, “stated Dr. Qi Jia, Unigen’s Vice President of Scientific Affairs, “Unigen’s PhytoLogixTM library includes more than 3,000 medicinal plants from 12 different countries, over 5,000 plant extracts and 200,000 fractions and compounds. As a result of this agreement, we look forward to increasing the biodiversity of our collection and to accelerating commercialization of efficacious natural compounds of West African origin.”

Both Unigen and BioResources International operate in compliance with the United Nations “Convention on Biological Diversity” with a commitment to promote conservation and sustainable use of tropical medicinal plants native to Ghana, technology transfer to source countries, benefit sharing and recognition of the value of traditional knowledge, as well as economic development of local communities.

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About Unigen Pharmaceuticals:
Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a leading natural products research and development facility and proprietary ingredients supplier.  The company is dedicated to the discovery of botanically derived therapeutic compounds that address consumer health needs and help improve the quality of human life.  Unigen (www.unigenpharma.com), and sister company Aloecorp, are subsidiaries of Univera, Inc.  Each company focuses on identifying and studying the unique ingredients of medicinal botanicals and then formulating proprietary raw materials for use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.

About BioResources International:
BioResources International, Inc. is a science-driven company engaged in research and commercial development of high-value natural products from tropical biodiversity.  The company, headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, has operations in Ghana, West Africa, through its local subsidiary, BioResources (Ghana) Ltd.  BioResources provides services in medicinal plant collection to support natural product discovery as well as bulk sourcing of botanical ingredients from West Africa to the dietary supplement, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.  For more information contact: Dr. Kodzo Gbewonyo BioResources International Inc. P. O. Box 6595, Somerset, NJ 08875 Tel# 732-249-8615/Fax #732-545-0663 e-mail: gbewonyo@aol.com. And website: www.Miraculin.com.

Media Contacts:
Susan Westfall, Principal             Regan Miles, V.P. - Sales & Marketing
Westfall Communications            Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
303-926-4093                           303-438-8666 x11
SusanWestfall@earthlink.net       ReganMiles@earthlink.net