AnorMED Special Committee reviewing alternative proposal VANCOUVER, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AnorMED Inc. (TSX: AOM; AMEX:AOM) announces that The Baker Group has refused AnorMED's proposal to agree on a balanced 'hybrid' slate of directors. AnorMED has been seeking a settlement with dissident shareholders, represented by The Baker Group, to avoid a special meeting of shareholders requisitioned by various entities managed by Felix J. Baker and Julian C. Baker for the purposes of replacing the existing Board of Directors. The upcoming special shareholder meeting will be held on April 21, 2006 in Vancouver. The Special Committee of the Board of AnorMED proposed a 10 or 8-member "hybrid" Board of Directors, which would include Felix Baker, Mike Abrams, and an equal number of directors to be selected from each of the dissident slate and the AnorMED slate. This would have resulted in a majority of new directors. Such a Board was previously agreed between the Company and Baker Group, but the Baker Group have since refused this. In the interests of achieving an acceptable settlement, the Special Committee is currently still considering a further proposal which Dr. Baker had indicated was open for acceptance until 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today, giving the Special Committee less than 24 hours, on a weekend, to consider the proposal. This proposal, if agreed to by the Special Committee and still agreeable to Dr. Baker, would result in a 7 person board of directors, a majority of the members of which would be nominated by Dr. Baker. The election of the dissident slate of directors at the AnorMED special meeting April 21, 2006, would result in a change in control. This will have a financial impact on AnorMED cash resources and may result in the loss of key employees and senior management. AnorMED shareholders are recommended to vote only their BLUE AnorMED proxy in favour of the AnorMED Slate. Proxies must be returned by April 19, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Vancouver time for your vote to count. The AnorMED Management Proxy Circular, which has been mailed to shareholders and filed with regulators, is available on the Company website (http://www.anormed.com/ ) and SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com/. For more information call Georgeson Shareholder, AnorMED's proxy solicitor at their North American toll free number 1-866-267-8910, or collect at 416-642-7069. If shareholders previously returned a Yellow Dissident Proxy, they have every legal right to change their vote, by simply signing, dating and returning a Blue proxy, as it is only the later dated proxy that will be counted. AnorMED is a chemistry-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new therapeutic products in the areas of hematology, HIV and oncology. The Company has a product in Phase III development, a product in Phase II development and a research program focused on a novel class of compounds that target specific chemokine receptors known to be involved in a variety of diseases including HIV. Additional information on AnorMED Inc. is available on the Company's website http://www.anormed.com/. Note: Certain of the statements contained in this press release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Ontario Securities Act, Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements or information regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates, "believes", "budgets", "could", "estimates", "expects," "forecasts", "intends", "may", "plans", "projects", "schedule", "should", "will", "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information, although not all forward-looking statements or information contain these identifying words. Plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in any forward-looking statements or information should not be read as guarantees of future results or events, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or the times at or by which such results or events will be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Investors are referred to the discussion of such risks, uncertainties and other factors in AnorMED's Final Short Form Prospectus dated December 1, 2005 filed on SEDAR with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and in Exhibit 99.1 to AnorMED's Report on Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2005. Except as required by law, AnorMED expressly disclaims any intention and undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information as conditions change. For further information: Company Contact: Media Contact: David Scott, MBA Karen Cook Boas Chairman of the Board and Director James Hoggan & Associates AnorMED Inc. Tel: 604-742-4252 Tel: 604-408-9021 Email: DATASOURCE: AnorMED Inc. CONTACT: Company Contact: David Scott, MBA Chairman of the Board and Director, AnorMED Inc., Tel: (604) 408-9021; Media Contact: Karen Cook Boas, James Hoggan & Associates, Tel: (604) 742-4252, Email:

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