Merix Pharmaceutical Corp. Settles False Advertising Litigation With GlaxoSmithKline

BARRINGTON, IL--(Marketwire - October 22, 2008) - Merix Pharmaceutical Corp., the Barrington, Illinois-based maker of the over-the-counter cold sore treatment RELEEV®, is pleased to announce the settlement of its multi-court false advertising litigation with global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

The dispute between the competitors lasted for more than three years, with each party asserting that the other's cold sore remedy advertising claims constituted false advertising in violation of the federal statute known as the Lanham Act. Glaxo began the litigation by filing a federal lawsuit against Merix in New Jersey in early 2005. Merix followed by suing Glaxo in federal court in Chicago a few weeks later. The exact terms of the settlement are confidential.

Merix founder and CEO Meryl Squires stated: "We are very pleased with the settlement, which will allow us to grow our business with our outstanding cold sore product."

About Merix

Chicago-based Merix Pharmaceutical Corp., established in 1998, is a U.S. corporation using phyto-pharmaceutical technology to create pharmaceutical, and consumer goods addressing unmet medical needs. Merix developed and markets one of the leading over-the-counter U.S. cold sore treatments RELEEV®.

About phyto-chemicals

Merix' primary mission is to develop and market phyto-chemical based medicines to provide potentially safer and more effective treatments, with greater bio-availability, and decreased cyto-toxicity. Viracea® and Viracea2® are phyto-chemical based formulas, which are protected worldwide by US and foreign patents. Merix is the exclusive worldwide licensee for Viracea® and Viracea2®. Based on these licenses Merix has developed several formulations and markets them into the worldwide consumer health, OTC, and pharmaceuticals markets.

Contact Information: For more information contact: Mary Jo Draper INK Inc Public Relations 816-753-4429 maryjo@drapercom.com 816-516-2446 (cell)