OctoPlus’ licensee Biolex to present final results of Locteron Phase IIb study at EASL conference

Leiden, the Netherlands - Presentations will highlight strong antiviral activity and SVR rates together with significant reductions in flu-like adverse events and reduced rates of depression

OctoPlus N.V. (“OctoPlus” or the “Company”) (Euronext: OCTO) announces that two abstracts by its licensee Biolex Therapeutics have been accepted for presentation on 31 March at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Berlin, Germany.

The titles of the abstracts are included below and the complete abstracts are now available on the EASL website at www2.kenes.com/liver-congress.

Click here to view Biolex’ press release on Marketwire.

* SVR for controlled-release interferon alpha-2b (CR2b) ribavirin compared to PEGylated interferon alpha-2b (PEG2b) ribavirin in treatment-naïve genotype-1 (G1) hepatitis C: final results from SELECT-2
* Timing and frequency of depression during HCV-treatment with controlled-release-IFNa2b (CR2b) vs. PEGylated-IFNa2b (PEG2b): results from SELECT-2, a randomized-open-label-72-week-comparison in 116 treatment-naïve patients with genotype-1 HCV

For further information, please contact:
Rianne Roukema, Corporate Communications: telephone number +31 (71) 524 1071, or send an e-mail to Investor Relations at IR@octoplus.nl.

About Locteron
Locteron is a controlled release formulation of interferon alpha for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Locteron combines OctoPlus’ controlled release drug delivery technology PolyActive® with Biolex’ interferon alpha and is the most advanced product in clinical development incorporating one of OctoPlus’ proprietary drug delivery technologies. OctoPlus licensed its commercial rights to Locteron exclusively to Biolex in October 2008.

Locteron is an investigational therapeutic candidate and has not been approved for sale by the United States Food and Drug Administration or by any international regulatory agency.

About OctoPlus
OctoPlus is a drug delivery service company committed to the creation of improved pharmaceutical products that are based on OctoPlus’ proprietary drug delivery technologies and have fewer side effects, improved patient convenience and a better efficacy/safety balance than existing therapies. OctoPlus focuses on the development of long-acting, controlled release versions of known protein therapeutics, other drugs, and vaccines on behalf of its clients.

The clinically most advanced product incorporating our technology is Biolex Therapeutics’ lead product Locteron®, a controlled release formulation of interferon alpha for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. OctoPlus licensed Locteron exclusively to Biolex in October 2008. Locteron is being manufactured for Biolex by OctoPlus and has recently completed Phase IIb clinical studies with superior clinical data versus current treatment.
In addition, OctoPlus is a leading European provider of advanced drug formulation and clinical scale manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, with a focus on difficult-to-formulate active pharmaceutical ingredients.

OctoPlus is listed on Euronext Amsterdam by NYSE Euronext under the symbol OCTO. For more information about OctoPlus, please visit our website www.octoplus.nl.

This document may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to the business, financial performance and results of OctoPlus and the industry in which it operates. These statements are based on OctoPlus’ current plans, estimates and projections, as well as its expectations of external conditions and events. In particular the words “expect”, “anticipate”, “predict”, “estimate”, “project”, “plan”, “may”, “should”, “would”, “will”, “intend”, “believe” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We caution investors that a number of important factors, and the inherent risks and uncertainties that such statements involve, could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. In the event of any inconsistency between an English version and a Dutch version of this document, the English version will prevail over the Dutch version.