Health Canada Approves New MedMira Rapid HIV Test Achieves Second North American Regulatory Success HALIFAX, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MedMira Inc. ("MedMira") (TSX Venture: MIR, NASDAQ:MMIRF) the global market leader in flow-through diagnostics for infectious diseases, announced today that it has received approval from Health Canada to market and sell its enhanced MedMira(TM) Rapid HIV Test for detection of HIV antibodies in human serum or plasma. The new MedMira(TM) Rapid HIV Test will be made available immediately in Canadian clinical healthcare settings. Health Canada's approval highlights the second major regulatory approval of product enhancements that MedMira has applied for, and successfully obtained this year. Production of this new Canadian product will substantially increase MedMira's operational efficiencies and further position the Company for expansion into new applications. The new MedMira(TM) Rapid HIV Test contains features similar to that approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (June, 2004) making it simpler to use and offering substantial time and cost-savings to the user. The most prominent enhancement of the new test includes an on-board control line for validation of the test result. "MedMira strives to meet and exceed market demands by improving products to reflect our customer's needs", said Hermes Chan, President and Chief Operating Officer of MedMira. "With these two recent North American approvals for our highest quality products, we have proven that we can anticipate the market needs, and have the resources to navigate these important regulatory pathways in a timely manner. I want to congratulate our regulatory team for such a great achievement." The MedMira(TM) Rapid HIV Test provides test results in just under 3-minutes and is intended for clinical healthcare settings, emergency situations, delivery rooms and occupational exposures. At the end of 2003, there were approximately 56,000 adults and children in Canada living with HIV/AIDS (with an adult prevalence rate of 0.3%). According to 2004 UNAIDS statistics, approximately 3500 people are newly infected with HIV in Canada each year. About MedMira MedMira is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of in vitro rapid diagnostic tests for the clinical laboratory market. MedMira's tests issue reliable, rapid diagnosis in just 3 minutes for the detection of human antibodies in human serum, plasma or whole blood for diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), in the People's Republic of China, have approved MedMira's Reveal(TM) G2 and MiraWell(TM) Rapid HIV Tests, respectively. MedMira has the only rapid diagnostic device to receive these two prominent government approvals. For more details visit MedMira's website at http://www.medmira.com/. MedMira's Reveal(TM) G2 and MiraWell(TM) rapid HIV tests are currently used in clinical laboratories and hospitals where professional counseling and patient treatment are immediately available. MedMira markets its rapid tests worldwide in such countries as the United States, Canada, South Africa and China. Its corporate offices and manufacturing are located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This news release contains forward-looking statements, which involves risks and uncertainties and reflect the company's current expectation regarding future events. Actual events could materially differ from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including, but not limited to, changing market conditions, successful and timely completion of clinical studies, uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process, establishment of corporate alliances and other risks detailed from time to time in the company quarterly filings. The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this statement. DATASOURCE: MedMira Inc. CONTACT: MedMira Contact: Dr. James Smith, (902) 450-1588 or e-mail:

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