Biomira announces BLP25 Liposome Vaccine Phase 2B data published in Journal of Clinical Oncology

EDMONTON, Sept. 23 /CNW/ - Biomira Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOM) (TSX: BRA), a
leading developer of cancer vaccines, today announced that an article
entitled, "Phase 2B Trial of BLP25 Liposome Vaccine in Stage IIIB and IV   
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" has been published in the September 2005 issue of
the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). The primary author of the article is
Dr. Charles Butts of the Cross Cancer Institute, the lead investigator for the
phase 2b study.
The survival results previously released and now published indicated a
4.4 month longer median survival for patients randomized to the BLP25 Liposome
Vaccine (L BLP25) arm (88 patients) compared to the Best Supportive Care (BSC)
arm (83 patients). The greatest benefit was observed in vaccinated patients
with Stage IIIB locoregional non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which makes
up approximately 25 per cent of patients with this form of cancer. In this
subgroup, a strong trend in 2-year survival in favor of L-BLP25 was also
observed. At the time of the final analysis (23.0 months post randomization),
the median survival of these patients had not yet been reached versus
13.3 months for the BSC arm.
No significant toxicity was observed during the trial. Quality of life
was maintained longer in patients who received the vaccine treatment.
A final survival update from patients in the phase 2b study is expected
to occur later this year.
L-BLP25 is being developed in collaboration with Merck KGaA of Darmstadt,
Germany.

The Companies
Biomira's key collaboration in developing therapeutic cancer vaccines is
with Merck KGaA. Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with
sales of EUR 5.9 billion in 2004, a history that began in 1668, and a future
shaped by 28,600 employees in 54 countries. Its success is characterized by
innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come
under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds a
73 per cent interest and free shareholders own the remaining 27 per cent. The
former U.S. subsidiary, Merck & Co., has been completely independent of the
Merck Group since 1917. Merck KGaA has built a strategic oncology portfolio by
developing and in-licensing product candidates in four areas - monoclonal
antibodies, therapeutic vaccines, immunocytokines and angiogenesis inhibitors.

EMD Pharmaceuticals Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Merck KGaA, is a fully
integrated pharmaceutical company with an initial emphasis on launching new
products in oncology. Located in Durham, N.C., EMD focuses on meeting patient
and physician needs with pioneering pharmaceutical products and services.

Biomira is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of
innovative therapeutic approaches to cancer management. Biomira's commitment
to the treatment of cancer currently focuses on the development of synthetic
vaccines and novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy.

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Various factors
could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in
forward-looking statements, including those predicting the timing, duration
and results of clinical trials, trial reviews and analyses and regulatory
reviews, or the safety and efficacy of the product. Although the Company
believes that the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable,
it can give no assurance that the Company's expectations are correct or that
the Company will have sufficient resources to fund clinical trials. All
forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this
cautionary statement.