December 11, 2001 — CLEVELAND, OH — Empyrean Bioscience, Inc. announced completion of initial in vitro testing of its Preventx Hand Sanitizer & First-Aid Antiseptic Lotion for its effectiveness against Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes Anthrax. The laboratory data received indicates that the product is effective against both the vegetative and spore forms of B. anthracis.

The study was managed by Focus Technologies, Inc. located in Herndon, Virginia, utilizing Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) susceptibility testing for B. anthracis against Preventx lotion. Progressive dilutions of Preventx lotion were tested against both the vegetative and spore forms of B. anthracis to determine the MIC, the concentration of Preventx that would completely inhibit the growth of each microorganism. Officials say the results demonstrated that Preventx was effective at inhibiting the growth of both the vegetative and spore forms of B. anthracis up to a dilution of 1:16.

“We are very excited to receive in vitro test results from an independent laboratory that demonstrate the effectiveness of Preventx(R) against anthrax,” said Richard C. Adamany, Empyrean’s president and CEO. “Of course, we will need to do further studies and obtain FDA approval to market Preventx(R) for this indication.”

Company officials claim Preventx hand sanitizer and first-aid antiseptic lotion features an alcohol-free, aloe-enriched formula that kills 99.9 percent of most common disease-causing germs for up to four hours.