Kibow Biotech announced the continuation of its second fast-track - phase I and II Small Business Innovative Research Grant (SBIR) from the National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a division of the National Institute of Health. This award will bring Kibow into its first year of phase II funding by the NIH for the project entitled A dietary supplement to augment kidney function. The company was already a recipient of an earlier SBIR phase I and II fast-track grant award of $850,000 for the project entitled Sorbents & Engineered Bacteria as Gut-Based Uremia Therapy.

After successful completion of the phase I research, NIH has showed their continued interest in Kibow's intriguing and innovative method to treat uremia by awarding the first portion of the phase II award of $476,945 from the original $976,056 grant. It is anticipated the balance of the grant amount $499,111 will be forthcoming in Nov 2003 for continued R&D and nephrectomized mini-pig animal trials that are to be performed in collaboration with the School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Kibow's primary mission is to provide a simple to use, orally ingested and cost effective alternative treatment for renal disease made available to a global market. The company is developing two distinct but highly integrated medical breakthrough products. These are: (a) a biopharmaceutical to be used as a complimentary or adjunct therapeutic drug for treating end-stage renal failure patients who have reached the stage requiring dialysis and (b) a nutraceutical dietary management product that will help augment normal, healthy renal function for diminished kidney function patients (pre-dialysis patients).