Oxis International Receives $1 Million Funding Commitment To Support April Launch Of Proprietary Product Line

Oxis Investors Show Confidence in New Management's Ability to Successfully Begin Product Line Launch In April.

Beverly Hills, Calif., March 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OXIS International, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: OXIS; Paris: OXI) today announced that it has received an additional $500,000 equity investment in the Company and a commitment for an additional $500,000 in working capital to support the Company’s April product launch.

Under terms of the agreement investors purchased unsecured convertible debentures at 12% interest. The conversion price is at $0.05 per share, a premium to the current market price of Oxis shares. Investors also receive warrants at $0.0625 and $0.075. "We believe this important investment from our investors represents an endorsement of our overall business strategy, our proprietary EGT™ (L-ergothioneine) technology and the confidence from the investors of the Company’s ability to launch a series of products, projected to begin in early 2^nd quarter of this year. "Our investors clearly understand the unique and valuable health benefits of EGT, as well as the strong proprietary position OXIS holds as the sole source provider for the health and wellness and personal care markets," Saloff concluded.

The patented process developed and owned by OXIS is utilized to synthesize commercial quantities of EGT in a highly soluble and highly stable form suitable for use in a wide variety of dietary supplements, functional foods and beverages, topical anti-aging and cosmetic lotions, creams and other personal care products, as well as therapeutics. "This capability provides Oxis with a unique opportunity to market highly differentiated, superior products to support burgeoning consumer demand for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products that provide advanced protection against oxidative stress and inflammation," according to Bernie Landes, President of Oxis.

"You have not heard much from Oxis for a while now but I can assure our investors that we have been putting the things in place to now successfully commercialize our exciting technology. I expect to be reporting to you significant results from those efforts in the coming months" added Oxis CEO, David Saloff. 

About OXIS International, Inc.

OXIS International, Inc. develops technologies and products to research, diagnose, treat and prevent diseases of oxidative stress/inflammation associated with damage from free radical and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The company holds the rights to several therapeutic classes of compounds in the area of oxidative stress, including EGT™ (L-ergothioneine).

CONTACT: David Saloff
         424-248 2311
         David@Oxis.com

Source: OXIS International Inc.

Released March 21, 2012