XOMA Announces Presentation and Webcast at BIO Investor Forum

BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 18, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XOMA Ltd. (Nasdaq:XOMA), a leader in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics, announced that Fred Kurland, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will present a business overview at the Tenth Annual BIO Investor Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time.

A live webcast of the presentation will be available via the Investors tab at the XOMA website, www.xoma.com. An archived version of the webcast will be available on the XOMA website for 90 days following the presentation.

About XOMA

XOMA is a leader in the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics. The company's proprietary product pipeline includes:

• XOMA 052, a humanized antibody that binds to the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta, or IL-1 beta. XOMA plans to enter XOMA 052 into Phase 3 clinical development in Behcet's uveitis, an orphan indication. Les Laboratoires Servier is XOMA's development and commercialization partner for XOMA 052.
   
• Antibodies against botulinum toxins, led by XOMA 3AB, a novel combination of three antibodies to prevent and treat botulism poisoning caused by exposure to botulinum neurotoxin Type A, among the most deadly bioterror threats. XOMA 3AB is in a Phase 1 clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Development of these antibodies has been funded in whole or in part with funds from NIAID, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services under Contract No. HHSN266200500004C, Contract No. HHSN266200600008C, Contract No. HHSN272200800028C, Contract No. HHSN266200600011C Contract No. HHSN272200800026C, and Contract # HHHSN272201100031C.
   
• A preclinical pipeline with candidates in development for autoimmune, cardio-metabolic, inflammatory and oncological diseases. Among these are two new classes of fully human monoclonal antibodies that activate (XMetA) or sensitize (XMetS) the insulin receptor in vivo, which represent distinct new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of patients with diabetes.

XOMA has a premier antibody discovery and development platform that incorporates an unmatched collection of antibody phage display libraries and proprietary optimization and expression and manufacturing technologies that it uses for its own pipeline and in collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. XOMA's fully integrated product development infrastructure extends from preclinical science to approval and is located in Berkeley, California. For more information, please visit www.xoma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein concerning initiation of clinical trials or that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to certain risks inherent in the biotechnology industry and for companies engaged in the development of new products in a regulated market. Among other things, the timing of initiation or availability of results of clinical trials may be delayed or may never occur as a result of actions or inaction by our present or future collaboration partners, complications in the design, implementation or third-party approval of clinical trials, complications in the collection or interpretation of statistical data or unanticipated safety issues; results of early-stage clinical trials may not be supported by later findings, larger trials and/or other actions required for regulatory approval may not be economically feasible, and final results of clinical trials may in any event not be consistent with preclinical or interim results; and additional licensing opportunities may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

These and other risks, including those related to the generally unstable nature of current economic and market conditions; the results of discovery and pre-clinical testing; the timing or results of pending and future clinical trials (including the design and progress of clinical trials; safety and efficacy of the products being tested; action, inaction or delay by the FDA, European or other regulators or their advisory bodies; and analysis or interpretation by, or submission to, these entities or others of scientific data); changes in the status of existing collaborative or licensing relationships; the ability of collaborators, licensees and other third parties to meet their obligations and their discretion in decision-making; XOMA's ability to meet the demands of the United States government agency with which it has entered into its government contracts; competition; market demand for products; scale-up, manufacturing and marketing capabilities; availability of additional licensing or collaboration opportunities; international operations; share price volatility; XOMA's financing needs and opportunities; uncertainties regarding the status of biotechnology patents; uncertainties as to the costs of protecting intellectual property; and risks associated with XOMA's status as a Bermuda company, are described in more detail in XOMA's most recent filing on Form 10-K and in other SEC filings. Consider such risks carefully when considering XOMA's prospects.

The XOMA Ltd. logo is available at www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5960

CONTACT: XOMA Ltd.
         Company and Investor Contact:
         Carol DeGuzman
         510-204-7270
         deguzman@xoma.com

         Canale Communications
         Media Contact:
         Carolyn Hawley
         619-849-5375
         carolyn@canalecomm.com

Released October 18, 2011