New Drug Patent

[Ron Reiner <rreiner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

      Guilford Receives Patent for
      Compounds that Promote Nerve
      Growth

      BALTIMORE, March 27 /PRNewswire/ via Individual Inc. --
      Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: GLFD) today announced
      that the company has been issued U.S. Patent No. 5,614,547 from
      the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office relating to the compositions
      and uses of a series of compounds that promote nerve growth
      and repair for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

      These compounds are neuroimmunophilin ligands, which are
      orally-active and cross the blood-brain-barrier in animal models.
      The results of some of Guilford's work in this field with GPI-1046,
      which is covered by the patent, were published earlier this month
      in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.),
      Volume 94, Number 5, pp. 2019-2024, 1997.

      "We are very pleased to announce the issuance of our first U.S.
      patent in our neuroimmunophilin program. To date, we have filed
      numerous U.S. and foreign patent applications relating to
      neuroimmunophilin compounds and their uses. Guilford
      scientists, utilizing structure-based drug design and combinatorial
      chemistry techniques, have synthesized hundreds of small
      molecule neuroimmunophilin ligands in several distinct chemical
      series, which possess the ability to cause nerves to grow or
      regenerate in animals. We are actively investigating our
      neuroimmunophilin ligands in animal models of a variety of
      chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders, such as
      Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, multiple sclerosis,
      traumatic spinal cord injuries, peripheral neuropathies, and
      stroke," commented Dr. Craig R. Smith, President and C.E.0. of
      Guilford.

      Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company
      engaged in the development of polymer-based therapeutics for
      cancer, and novel products for the diagnosis and treatment of
      neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's
      disease, stroke, severe head trauma, spinal cord injuries, multiple
      sclerosis, peripheral neuropathies, and cocaine addiction.

      This press release contains forward-looking statements that
      involve risk and uncertainties, including those described in the
      Company's Form S-3 (SEC Registration No. 333-23001), that could
      cause the Company's actual results and experience to differ
      materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in
      these forward-looking statements. In particular, pre-clinical results
      are based on a limited number of animal models, and there can be
      no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully
      develop one or more of its compounds into safe and effective
      FDA-cleared drugs. While the Company has filed numerous
      patent applications claiming neuroimmunophilin ligands for
      neurotrophic applications in the U.S. and abroad, the
      patentability, validity, priority, enforceability, and
      non-infringement of claims made in such applications cannot be
      assured. SOURCE Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc.

      /CONTACT: Angela Webber of Guilford Pharmaceuticals,
      410-631-6449; for media, Brad Miles of B.M.C. or for investors,
      Jonathan Fassberg of The Trout Group, 212-477-9007/ /Guilford
      Pharmaceuticals press releases available through Company News
      On-Call by fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 112882, or at
       (GLFD)

      [Copyright 1997, PR Newswire]