Press Release

BOTHELL, WA, Feb 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII), a developer of RNA-based therapeutics, announced today that it received a letter from the listing qualifications department staff of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, stating that the Company has regained compliance with NASDAQ's minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement.

The letter received noted that for 10 consecutive business days, from February 6, 2012 to February 17, 2012, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock was $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) and the matter is closed.

About AVI BioPharma

AVI BioPharma is focused on the discovery and development of novel RNA-based therapeutics for rare and infectious diseases, as well as other select disease targets. Applying pioneering technologies developed and optimized by AVI, the Company is able to target a broad range of diseases and disorders through distinct RNA-based mechanisms of action. Unlike other RNA-based approaches, AVI's technologies can be used to directly target both messenger RNA (mRNA) and precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) to either down-regulate (inhibit) or up-regulate (promote) the expression of targeted genes or proteins. By leveraging its highly differentiated RNA-based technology platform, AVI has built a pipeline of potentially transformative therapeutic agents, including eteplirsen, which is in clinical development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and multiple drug candidates that are in clinical development for the treatment of infectious disease. For more information, please visit www.avibio.com.

AVI Media and Investor Contact:
Erin Cox
425.354.5140
Email Contact

AVI Media Contact:
David Schull
212.845.4271
Email Contact

SOURCE: AVI BioPharma, Inc.