Tamir Biotechnology, Inc. Announces Selection of CRO

Tamir Biotechnology, Inc. Announces Selection of CRO

SOMERSET, N.J., Jul 6, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Tamir Biotechnology, Inc. (formerly known as Alfacell Corporation) today announced that it has selected Pharmatech Oncology, Inc. as the Clinical Research Organization (CRO) to run its upcoming Phase II trial of RANPIRNASE (ONCONASE(R)) in combination with platinum doublet chemotherapy for patients with advanced or metastatic non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Pharmatech Oncology is based out of Denver, Colorado and the company is recognized as one of the premiere CRO's in the field of oncology, having extensive experience conducting oncology clinical trials. Pharmatech's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, patient enrollment, data management, clinical monitoring, statistical analysis, and FDA regulatory filings.

This past April, Tamir sent invitations to several CRO's in the form of a request for proposal (RFP) requesting submission of a bid to the company for the Phase II NSCLC trial. A total of six companies were deemed to be responsive to our RFP and in the end, Pharmatech was chosen based on their experience, competitive pricing, ability to deliver the goods and services requested within the specified times, as well as their clear understanding of the trial design and protocol.

On Thursday July 8, 2010 Tamir and Pharmatech will hold a formal meeting in order to kickoff the trial. Complete patient accrual is expected in twelve months with multiple centers participating in the trial.

Said Tamir President Charles Muniz, "Although pricing was an important consideration in our evaluation process, Pharmatech's understanding of our mission was crucial and weighed heavily in our final decision. We are pleased to have the Pharmatech team involved in such an important aspect of Tamir's future."

About Tamir Biotechnology, Inc.

Tamir Biotechnology, Inc. is the first company to advance a biopharmaceutical product candidate that works in a manner similar to RNA interference (RNAi) through late-stage clinical trials. The product candidate, ONCONASE(R), is an RNase that overcomes the challenges of targeting RNA for therapeutic purposes while enabling the development of a new class of targeted therapies for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. For more information, visit www.tamirbio.com.