Press Release

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2007--AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII), announced that its partner Global Therapeutics, a Cook Medical company, hosted a symposium today discussing observations from the APPRAISAL trial at the 2007 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C.

In a panel discussion chaired by S. Ward Casscells, M.D., United States Department of Defense, Washington, D.C., Stephen Sack, M.D., principal investigator of the trial and head of the cath lab at the University of Essen West German Heart Center, presented observations from the APPRAISAL trial. Sebastian Philipp, M.D., head of the Cardiovascular Research Center Essen and the University of Essen West German Heart Center described the six-month intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) observations of participants in the trial. In addition, Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development at AVI, provided an overview of the NEUGENE(R) antisense drug and its mechanism of action.

"Administration of the drug had, as suspected, no systemic side effects. The 30-day MACE rate at our center was zero. Furthermore, the six-month IVUS showed promising results on AVI-4126 efficacy in preventing restenosis, which is comparable to DES results at our institution," said Philipp.

The Phase II APPRAISAL clinical trial was conducted in Germany and was designed to study the effect of the NEUGENE antisense drug Resten-MP(TM), AVI-4126 with microparticle delivery, when used in conjunction with the placement of one or more bare metal stents.

Global Therapeutics previously announced that it is focusing on the development of a kit consisting of a bare metal cobalt chromium stent, a subselective delivery catheter, and AVI-5126 to treat restenosis. AVI-5126 is AVI-4126 with a peptide incorporated to simplify delivery and enhance potency. Global Therapeutics anticipates initial human testing of the kit in a multicenter clinical trial in Europe.

About Cook Medical

Cook Medical was the first company to introduce interventional devices in the United States. Today, the company integrates device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Cook won the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award for 2006 from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.

About AVI BioPharma

AVI BioPharma develops therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using third-generation NEUGENE antisense drugs and ESPRIT exon skipping technology. AVI's ESPRIT technology is initially being applied to potential treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. AVI's lead NEUGENE compound is designed to target cell proliferation disorders, including cardiovascular restenosis. In addition to targeting specific genes in the body, AVI's antiviral program uses NEUGENE antisense compounds to combat disease by targeting single-stranded RNA viruses, including dengue virus, Ebola virus and H5N1 avian influenza virus. More information about AVI is available on the company's Web site at www.avibio.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the results of research and development efforts, the results of preclinical and clinical testing, the effect of regulation by the FDA and other agencies, the impact of competitive products, product development, commercialization and technological difficulties, and other risks detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

    CONTACT: AVI BioPharma, Inc.
             Michael Hubbard, 503-227-0554
             hubbard@avibio.com
             or
             Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates Inc.
             AVI Investor Contacts
             Jody Cain, 310-691-7100
             jcain@lhai.com
             or
             Brandi Floberg, 310-691-7100
             bfloberg@lhai.com
             or
             Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Healthcare
             AVI Press Contact
             Jenny Moede, 503-443-7000
             jmoede@waggeneredstrom.com

    SOURCE: AVI BioPharma, Inc.