OXFORD BIOMEDICA ANNOUNCES DATA SAFETY MONITORING BOARD RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE TROVAX PHASE III TRIST STUDY OF TROVAX

ACHIEVEMENT TRIGGERS €10 MILLION MILESTONE PAYMENT FROM SANOFI-AVENTIS

Oxford, UK – 20 February 2008: Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapy company, announced today that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the Phase III TRIST study of TroVax in renal cancer has completed its third planned interim analysis and recommended that the study continue without modification. TroVax is Oxford BioMedica’s novel cancer immunotherapy product, which is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis. The continuation of the trial following this interim analysis triggers a milestone payment to Oxford BioMedica of €10 million.

The role of the DSMB is to evaluate data from the ongoing trial to determine whether there are safety issues or efficacy issues that would warrant modification of the protocol or early termination of the study. The DSMB is independent of Oxford BioMedica and sanofi-aventis and provides no information beyond its recommendation.

TRIST (TroVax Renal Immunotherapy Survival Trial) is a Phase III trial of TroVax in patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma. The trial is a randomised, placebo-controlled, two-arm study comparing TroVax in combination with standard of care to placebo with standard of care. TRIST is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was initiated in November 2006. To date, over 600 patients have been randomised and more than 100 sites in the USA, European Union and Eastern Europe are recruiting patients.

Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive of Oxford BioMedica, said: “The DSMB’s recommendation to continue the TRIST study is another important step in the Phase III development of TroVax, which is recognised in our collaboration with sanofi-aventis by a milestone payment. The trial is on track to complete patient enrolment before the end of this quarter and we anticipate final results in 2009. In addition to further progress of the TRIST study in renal cancer, future events will include sanofi-aventis commencing its planned Phase III trial of TroVax in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.”

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For further information, please contact:

Oxford BioMedica plc:
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive
Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000

JPMorgan Cazenove Limited:
James Mitford/ Gina Gibson
Tel: +44 (0)20 7588 2828

City/Financial Enquiries:
Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson Buchanan Communications
Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000

Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries:
Gemma Price/ Holly Griffiths/ Katja Stout
College Hill Life Sciences
Tel: +44 (0)20 7457 2020

US Enquiries:
Thomas Fechtner
The Trout Group LLC
Tel: (646) 378 2900

Notes to editors

1. Oxford BioMedica

Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in cancer immunotherapy and gene-based therapies. The Company was established in 1995, as a spin-out from Oxford University, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The Company has a platform of gene delivery technologies, which are based on highly engineered viral systems. Oxford BioMedica also has in-house clinical, regulatory and manufacturing know-how. The lead product candidate is TroVax®, an immunotherapy for multiple solid cancers, which is licensed to sanofi-aventis for global development and commercialisation. TroVax is in Phase III development. Oxford BioMedica has three other products in clinical development, including ProSavin®, a novel gene-based treatment for Parkinson’s disease, in a Phase I/II trial. The Company is underpinned by over 80 patent families, which represent one of the broadest patent estates in the field. The Company has a staff of approximately 85. Oxford BioMedica has collaborations with sanofi-aventis, Wyeth, Sigma-Aldrich, MolMed and Virxsys. Technology licensees include Biogen Idec, Merck & Co, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.

Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk

2. TroVax®

TroVax is Oxford BioMedica’s novel cancer immunotherapy product, which is being developed in collaboration with sanofi-aventis. It is designed specifically to stimulate an anti-cancer immune response and has potential application in most solid tumour types. TroVax targets the tumour antigen 5T4, which is broadly distributed throughout a wide range of solid tumours. The presence of 5T4 is correlated with poor prognosis. The product consists of a Modified Vaccinia Ankara vector, which delivers the gene for 5T4 and stimulates a patient’s body to produce an anti-5T4 immune response. This immune response destroys tumour cells carrying the 5T4.