CALIFIA BIO

November 1, 2010 Califia Bio, Inc. Receives $244,479 Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Grant for Discovery of Novel Therapeutics for the Treatment of HIV-associated Neurological Disease. The QTDP grants were provided under the new section 48D of the Internal Revenue Code, enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The QTDP is targeted to therapeutic discovery projects that show potential to result in new therapies to treat areas of unmet medical need or prevent, detect or treat chronic or acute diseases and conditions; reduce the long-term growth of health care costs in the United States. Califia Bio will use these funds to advance the company’s main goal of developing a viable treatment for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disease.

Combination antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV-1 infection into a chronic, manageable disease, but has failed to eradicate HIV-associated neurocognitive disease (HAND), which remains a frequent, insidious complication of HIV-1 infection that pervasively diminishes quality of life and overall functionality for the activities of daily living. Approximately 50% of patients living with AIDS exhibit symptoms of the disease, limiting the ability of patients to maintain employment and independence, and increasing the need for long-term home and institutionalized care. Effective treatments will improve quality of life and decrease patient dependence on long-term institutionalized health care.