Aradigm Awarded NIH Grant to Investigate New Methods of Diagnoses of Aspirations of Gastrointestinal

Aradigm Awarded NIH Grant to Investigate New Methods of Diagnoses of Aspirations of Gastrointestinal Contents into the Respiratory Tract with Scientists at UC San Francisco

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded Aradigm Corporation (OTCBB:ARDM) a Small Business Initiative Research (SBIR) grant to investigate the development and validation of tests for gastro-esophageal reflux with aspirations into the respiratory tract. The Principal Investigators and co-inventors of the new diagnostic tests are Professor Homer Boushey, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Dr. Igor Gonda, Aradigm Corporation. The grant of approximately $260,000 is funding laboratory work and a human clinical trial to be conducted at UCSF.

Aspiration of gastric contents into the respiratory tract causes significant morbidity and mortality and is accepted as the key initiating event for aspiration pneumonitis - a form of acute lung injury caused by the acidity of the gastric contents, and aspiration pneumonia - the consequence of the growth of pathogenic bacteria contained in the oropharynx aspirated into the tracheobronchial tree. When subclinical events of gastric aspiration occur, it is described as "silent aspiration" or "microaspiration." Chronic, recurrent microaspirations have been implicated in the pathogenesis and worsening of many severe chronic pulmonary diseases of unknown origin, such idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation, pulmonary disease in conditions associated with esophageal dysfunction and delayed gastric emptying such as cystic fibrosis and scleroderma, and the very common conditions of community acquired pneumonia in the elderly, asthma and COPD.

"Research into the role of microaspirations has been severely hampered by the insensitivity, expense, inconvenience, invasiveness, and discomfort of current diagnostic methods for this condition. Development of a simple, patient-convenient, diagnostic test that is safe and can be used repeatedly over time could significantly impact the diagnosis and management of several pulmonary diseases that may be affected by recurrent microaspirations of gastro-intestinal contents into the respiratory tract. We expect to obtain results in healthy volunteers and subjects with documented microaspirations over the next 12 months in the study supported by this NIH grant," said Homer Boushey, MD, Professor of Medicine, UCSF.

"This NIH grant is an important contribution to our mission to develop tools that will assist the prevention and treatment of severe respiratory diseases," said Igor Gonda, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aradigm Corporation.

About Aradigm

Aradigm is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of a portfolio of drugs delivered by inhalation for the treatment of severe respiratory diseases. The Company has product candidates addressing the treatment of bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, inhalation tularemia and anthrax infections, and smoking cessation.

More information about Aradigm can be found at www.aradigm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties, including the results of human clinical trials using new diagnostic methods, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 filed with the SEC on March 27, 2013, and the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Aradigm and the Aradigm Logo are registered trademarks of Aradigm Corporation.

UC Disclaimer

The information stated above was prepared by Aradigm Corp. and reflects solely the opinion of the corporation. Nothing in this statement shall be construed to imply any support or endorsement of Aradigm, or any of its products, by The Regents of the University of California, its officers, agents and employees.

Aradigm Corporation
Nancy Pecota, 510-265-8800
Chief Financial Officer

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