Miramar, Florida, February 24, 1997 Miramar, Florida, February 24, 1997 - Sano Corporation (NASDAQ: SANO) today announced the commencement of a pivotal Phase III human trial program on its proprietary Nicotine/Mecamylamine Transdermal System for smoking cessation. The trials are being conducted at eight U.S. centers, and will encompass over 1,000 smokers, and will be conducted for approximately 6 months.

"We are enthusiastic about these studies because we believe the nicotine/mecamylamine patch is the first pharmaceutical approach that addresses a fundamental issue in smoking, namely the feeling of satisfaction," said Scott Leischow, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Education, University of Arizona College of Medicine, who is a primary investigator in the studies. "By blocking the nicotinic receptors that produce the rewarding effects of nicotine, this therapy can potentially diminish satisfaction from smoking, reduce craving, and thus reinforce abstinence."

The Nicotine/Mecamylamine Transdermal System is comprised of Sano's novel drug-in-adhesive patch through which the patented nicotine and mecamylamine combination are simultaneously delivered directly through the patient's skin. The pharmacological action of the combination therapy is intended to increase smokers' continuous abstinence by reducing the satisfaction that smokers experience from cigarettes, and reducing their craving, without the need for counseling. A considerable body of scientific and reported clinical data by well-known investigators already supports the combination therapy (using nicotine patches in combination with oral doses of mecamylamine HCl) approach and substantiates a long-term (12 months) success rate of nearly 40%. For purposes of creating a viable commercial product, Sano developed a single patch which delivers both the nicotine and mecamylamine at the appropriate doses. In 1996, Sano completed a 260-patient Phase II study with its combination nicotine/mecamylamine patch which identified the therapeutic dose range.

The Phase III trial protocol was designed with input from the FDA, numerous clinicians and experts in the field, including Jed E. Rose, Ph.D., Chief, Nicotine Research Program, V.A. Medical Center, Durham, NC. Key investigators on the trial are Scott Leischow, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Education, University of Arizona, College of Medicine: and David P.L. Sachs, M.D., Director, Palo Alto Center for Pulmonary Disease Prevention, Smoking Cessation Research Institute.

"This is the third proprietary Sano product to enter Phase III clinical trials this year, marking what we expect will be the rapid evolution of our company's product portfolio towards commercialization," said Reginald Hardy, President of Sano. "Based on our current strategic commitment to retaining all rights to our products until late stage data are available, we plan to conduct the pivotal trial of our nicotine/mecamylamine product without a partner."

Sano Corporation develops novel controlled release drug delivery systems for drug therapies licensed from others and for off-patent drugs. Sano's transdermal delivery systems use a patch that incorporates the drug dosage into an adhesive that attaches the patch to the skin. The Company has filed with the FDA for approval of three generic transdermal products, and has a number of other proprietary and generic products in various stages of development.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of Sano that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to, timely development, successful testing, FDA approval, and the commencement of sales. We refer you to the documents that Sano files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as the company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports, which contain additional important factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our current expectations and the forwarding -looking statements contained in this press release

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