BiovaxID® to be Made Available to Patients for the Treatment of B-Cell Blood Cancers Such as Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Biovest International, Inc. (OTCBB:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABPI), today announced that it has executed a distribution agreement with IDIS Limited to exclusively supply BiovaxID® (personalized, anti-idiotype cancer vaccine) under a Named-Patient Program in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom. IDIS is a leading European drug distributor, and under terms of this agreement, sales of BiovaxID are expected to commence in the first calendar quarter of 2009, with the anti-cancer vaccine being made available to those patients suffering from various B-cell related blood cancers including: chronic lymphocytic leukemia; mantle cell lymphoma; multiple myeloma; and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

According to Steven Arikian, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Biovest, “A named-patient program is a compassionate-use drug access program under which physicians can legally prescribe investigational drugs to qualifying patients. Under this program, investigational drugs are administered to patients who are suffering from serious illnesses until the drug is approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The named-patient program will make BiovaxID available to patients with various B-cell related blood cancers.”

Dr. Arikian added, “We are very proud to be working with IDIS to make BiovaxID the very first personalized anti-cancer vaccine believed to be made available to patients in the EU. As we are frequently contacted by patients suffering from a variety of B-cell blood cancers, it is especially satisfying to provide a safe and effective therapeutic treatment option that selectively targets only cancerous cells, while sparing healthy cells. Based on our significant Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical results, we believe BiovaxID can improve patients’ chances to maintain long-lasting, and in some cases, even durable remissions, potentially remaining cancer-free.”

Blood cancers, which include leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, are collectively the fifth most common occurring cancers and the second leading cause of cancer deaths, representing an approximate $4 billion market opportunity in the U.S. and Europe.

According to John Lagus, Vice President of Business Development for IDIS, “As the current leading therapies targeting blood cancers are relatively ineffective and potentially toxic, a revolutionary paradigm shift towards a safe, long-lasting, patient-specific cancer vaccine should be in great demand. IDIS has traditionally offered such breakthrough therapies to patients prior to approval. This is our core business, ensuring that physicians and patients have access to the highest quality and most promising newly developed medicines.”

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, IDIS specializes in sourcing and supplying medicines on a named-patient basis to European hospitals, pharmacies, physicians and patients. Under a named-patient program, drugs that are pending approval can be administered to patients who are suffering from serious diseases until the drug is formally approved by the EMEA.