Mera Pharmaceuticals Announces Broker Agreement, Initial Order KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mera Pharmaceuticals (OTC:MRPI) (BULLETIN BOARD: MRPI) , a leader in the commercial cultivation of microalgae, today announced that it has received its initial order from a well-established, international broker that Mera has engaged to sell its products to the nutraceutical industry. The order is for Mera's AstaFactor(R) brand astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Mera's chief executive, Dan Beharry, considers the development as a positive step for the Hawaii-based company. "To date Mera's focus has been exclusively on the sale of our AstaFactor(R) brand astaxanthin products in finished form, either directly to consumers or to distributors for resale to retailers. However, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 we identified an opportunity to increase revenue by selling our raw materials to others in the industry, many of whom are beginning to recognize the benefits of astaxanthin and want to incorporate it into their products. With the help of our broker, this channel has the potential to generate significant revenue for the company. Our plan is to use that revenue to support our ongoing efforts to expand sales in the higher margin direct and retail sales channels. "The customer nearly doubled its initial order before delivery, then indicated that additional orders can be expected in the next few months. We see that as a sign that public awareness of astaxanthin's many benefits is increasing. Mera's world leadership position in microalgae cultivation technology puts us in a strong position to take advantage of any expansion in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets for microalgae." Mera has also increased its efforts to expand its international sales. Said Mr. Beharry, "The greatest potential for significant near term growth lies in foreign markets, especially Pacific Asia, which has proven very receptive to this product. Meeting registration and importation requirements can take a considerable amount of time and work, but we are convinced that the effort is worthwhile, and we are pursuing several opportunities in that region as well." Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Kona, Hawaii, focuses on identifying and producing valuable products from the rich, untapped resource of microbial aquatic plants. Long recognized for their potential medical and nutritional value, these plants have been largely ignored because of the virtual impossibility of growing them at commercial scale. Mera has overcome that obstacle through application of its patented photobioreactor technology, which allows Mera to produce a large number of species at scale reliably, efficiently and at high quality. Mera's first nutraceutical products, the AstaFactor(R) line of nutritional supplements, is a concentrated source of natural astaxanthin, found in a number of fish and seafood species. Astaxanthin is known to be an effective anti-inflammatory and an extremely powerful antioxidant. This press release contains forward-looking statements characterized by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "feel" and similar expressions. Actual results might differ materially from those projected in, expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. The kinds of risks and uncertainties that could affect the future operating results of Mera include, without limitation: (i) the ability to attract new business for its existing products; (ii) the ability to identify new products and bring them to market; (iii) the ability to identify promising pharmaceutical candidates and, if they are identified, the ability to have them successfully complete the clinical trial process; (iv) the sensitivity of Mera to general economic conditions; (v) the inability to attract the additional investment needed to plans regarding the drug discovery and development business. Additional information concerning risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward looking statements can be found in Mera's SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-KSB and other periodic reports that it files under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Contact Info: Daniel P. Beharry Chief Executive Officer 474 Three Mile Road Glastonbury, CT 06033 Phone: (860) 983 7964 Fax: (281) 664 5751 DATASOURCE: Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. CONTACT: Daniel P. Beharry, Chief Executive Officer of Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-860-983-7964, or fax, +1-281-664-5751 Web site: http://www.merapharma.com/

Copyright