ADHEREX RELEASES NEW FINDINGS ON EXHERIN™:

New results lead company to seek additional patent protection

OTTAWA, April 7, 2003 – Adherex Technologies Inc. (TSX: AHX) today
announced preliminary pharmacokinetic findings on Exherin™ from its
ongoing Canadian Phase I Clinical Trial, new pre-clinical in vivo
data with Exherin™, and patent applications for a new generation of
angiolytic compounds.

Early results from the Exherin™ trial currently underway at the
Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre demonstrated similar pharmacokinetics,
or drug levels in the blood, in humans to that previously found in
animals. "These findings are very significant," said Robin Norris,
M.D., President and COO of Adherex Technologies. "The
pharmacokinetic results indicate that the metabolism of the drug in
humans is similar to that observed in animals."

Exherin™ is a member of a new class of anti-cancer agents called
angiolytics. These drugs disrupt and destroy the tumor blood
supply. Pre-clinical studies using animal tumor models have revealed
that Exherin™ reduces tumor blood flow within 30 minutes of
administration, and causes tumor blood vessels to rupture within one
hour. Recent studies have shown that a continuous infusion of
ExherinTM over a six-hour period causes tumor cell necrosis within 24
hours of administration in tumor bearing animals.

"Our pre-clinical and clinical development continues to proceed in a
systematic and rational manner", said William P. Peters, M.D., Ph.D.,
CEO and Vice-Chair of Adherex Technologies. "Adherex has now filed
patent applications for a third generation of small molecule, non-
peptide angiolytic agents, which have been found to have vascular
targeting activity in pre-clinical studies. This third generation of
drugs further extends our angiolytic platform and Adherex's dominance
in this field."


About Adherex Technologies Inc.

Adherex Technologies is an Ottawa-based cancer therapeutics company
with a broad portfolio of products under development. Four products
will be in clinical trials during 2003 including Exherin™, which
works to destroy the blood vessels that feed a cancerous tumor and
STS a drug that protects against severe hearing loss that is often
produced by platinum-based anti-cancer agents. For more information,
please visit Adherex's Web site at www.adherex.com.