ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS RETAINS EMAX HEALTH TO EXPAND MUGARD DISTRIBUTION NETWORK AND SUPPLEMENT PAYER OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Positive Step To Meet Growing Demand In Various Market Segments

Company to Host MuGard Update Conference Call Today at 11:00AM EDT

Dallas, TX and New York, NY, May 24, 2011

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: ACCP), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, diabetes, and RNAi, has signed an agreement with eMAX Health Systems to expand the distribution network and to further support ongoing aggressive third party payer outreach programs for MuGard and advocate for reimbursement among commercial insurance carriers in the United States.  Maintaining a network of over 350, national, regional and local specialty pharmacies, eMAX will provide support to Access’ internal ongoing programs aimed at maximizing patient access to MuGard through centralized patient intake and support.  eMAX Health will utilize its expertise in specialty markets and network relationships to implement additional distribution channels to meet the growing demand of MuGard in various market segments.  MuGard is a novel; ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound rinse and coating that has been shown to be very effective in the management of oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect of many anticancer treatments.
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Access Pharmaceuticals Provides Update On MuGard Commercial Activities

MuGard Prescriptions Ramping; Ongoing Positive Clinical Experience in Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology; Demand Necessitates Initiation of Significantly Larger Second Commercial Manufacturing Run

Company Schedules Investor Conference Call For Tuesday, May 24th at 11:00AM EDT

Dallas, TX and New York, NY, May 17, 2011

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: ACCP), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, diabetes, and RNAi, announced that it had made significant progress with the commercial introduction of MuGard in the radiation oncology and medical oncology communities.  MuGard is a novel, ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound rinse and coating that has been shown to be very effective in the management of oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect of many anticancer treatments.  Access provided the following information related to its ongoing commercialization efforts:

Access Pharmaceuticals Cobraxane Program Displays Significant Advantage Over Commercially-Available Paclitaxel Protein-Bound Particles

Comparative Studies From Company’s CobaCyte Tumor-Targeting Technology Program, Cobraxane, Demonstrate Superior Tumor Growth Inhibition

Dallas, TX and New York, NY, May 10, 2011

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. (OTCBB: ACCP), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology, cancer supportive care and diabetes, announced that it has made significant progress with its CobaCyteTM tumor-targeting technology.  Using a new proprietary CobaCyte paclitaxel nanoparticle formulation, named CobraxaneTM, the company’s scientists have observed significant tumor growth inhibition in preclinical tumor models.

In a murine solid tumor models, single doses of Cobraxane were compared with single doses of commercially-available paclitaxel protein-bound particles (Abraxane®).  At a dose of Cobraxane which was half that of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the standard paclitaxel particles, Cobraxane demonstrated slightly better tumor growth inhibition than the MTD dose of standard paclitaxel particles. Cobraxane, injected at the same dose as the MTD dose of standard paclitaxel particles, provided significantly better tumor growth inhibition than the MTD dose of standard paclitaxel particles.  In fact, at the higher dose of Cobraxane, tumor shrinkage was observed.

“We know that in certain diseases, notably cancer, the affected cells can have an elevated demand for certain vitamins, including vitamin B12, and this principle serves as the scientific basis of our CobaCyte tumor-targeting technology,” said David Nowotnik, Senior Vice President Research and Development, Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  He continued, “The preclinical work done by the Access scientific team is key in evaluating and defining the potential efficacy and specificity of Cobraxane in   a variety of different tumors and we are pleased with our early findings.”

Jeffrey Davis, CEO of Access Pharmaceuticals stated, “The data observed in our Cobraxane models serves as a strong indicator of the potential clinical and commercial value Cobraxane offers.  Given the recent activity in the market surrounding the therapeutic impact associated with paclitaxel protein-bound chemotherapy, we are excited about the comparative data seen in our preclinical models and look forward to furthering the development of the Cobraxane program.”

Abraxane is a registered trademark of Celgene Corporation.

About Access:

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes proprietary products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients. Access’ products include MuGard™ (www.MuGard.com), which has received FDA marketing clearance for the management of patients with mucositis, ProLindac™, a second generation DACH Platinum in Phase 2 clinical testing of patients with ovarian cancer, and Thiarabine™, a novel nucleoside analog that has demonstrated both pre-clinical and clinical activity in certain cancers; currently in a Phase 1/2a trial in hematological malignancies at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  

The company also has other advanced drug delivery technologies including CobaCyte™-mediated targeted delivery and CobOral-oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism.  For additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our website at www.accesspharma.com.

 

This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include those relating to: our cash burn rate, clinical trial plans and timelines and clinical results for ProLindac, MuGard, Thiarabine and Cobalamin and other product candidates, our ability to achieve clinical and commercial success and our ability to successfully develop marketed products. These statements are subject to numerous risks, including but not limited to Access’ need to obtain additional financing in order to continue the clinical trial and operations and to the risks detailed in Access’ Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other reports filed by Access with the Securities and Exchange Commission.