Star Metro - Revive Therapeutics Announces Strategic Expansion of Bucillamine Program Across Infectious Diseases, Defence and Biothreat Medical Countermeasures

TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / May 20, 2026 / Revive Therapeutics Ltd. ("Revive" or the "Company") (OTCQB:RVVTF)(CSE:RVV)(FRANKFURT:31R), a life sciences company focused on infectious diseases and medical countermeasures, today announced its strategic expansion plan for bucillamine across infectious disease, defence and biothreat-related applications.

Revive believes bucillamine represents a differentiated strategic asset with potential relevance across multiple high-need areas, including infectious diseases, future pandemic preparedness, nerve-agent exposure, chemical threats, and broader government medical countermeasure programs. The Company's strategy is supported by three important pillars: its strengthened intellectual property portfolio, its ongoing research collaboration with Defence R&D Canada - Suffield Research Centre ("DRDC"), and bucillamine's established clinical history.

"Bucillamine is not a one-indication opportunity for Revive - we believe it has the potential to become a franchise drug candidate across infectious diseases, defence, biothreat preparedness and medical countermeasures," said Michael Frank, Chief Executive Officer of Revive. "With a granted Canadian patent covering bucillamine for infectious diseases, North American patent filings for nerve-agent exposure, an active research program with DRDC, and bucillamine's established clinical history, Revive is building a broader strategic platform around an asset we believe may be relevant to future pandemics, chemical threats and government preparedness initiatives. While additional preclinical work and regulatory development are required, we believe this strategy represents a significant opportunity to create long-term value from bucillamine beyond any single indication."

Building a Bucillamine Franchise for Infectious Diseases, Defence and Biothreat Preparedness

Revive intends to initiate additional preclinical studies to further evaluate bucillamine in infectious disease and defence-related indications, including potential applications connected to nerve-agent exposure, chemical threats, viral infections, and future pandemic preparedness. The Company also intends to pursue discussions with government agencies, defence organizations, and strategic partners to explore potential research collaborations, non-dilutive funding opportunities, procurement pathways, and future stockpiling programs.

Revive believes this strategy is timely given the growing global focus on preparedness for pandemics, chemical threats, biological threats, and emergency medical countermeasures. Government stockpiling programs and preparedness mandates may represent important future opportunities for drug candidates that demonstrate relevant safety, efficacy, scalability, and regulatory readiness.

Canadian Patent Grant Strengthens Bucillamine Position in Infectious Diseases

Revive recently announced the grant of Canadian Patent No. 3,172,170, entitled "Use of Bucillamine in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases." The patent was granted on March 10, 2026 and, according to the issued patent notice, expires on March 16, 2041.

The patent covers methods and uses of bucillamine for the treatment or prevention of infectious diseases, including examples such as influenza and COVID-19. Revive believes this granted patent strengthens its long-term intellectual property position and supports future partnering, licensing, and development discussions involving bucillamine for infectious disease and pandemic-preparedness opportunities.

North American Patent Filings Advance Bucillamine for Nerve-Agent Exposure

Revive has also filed U.S. and Canadian national phase patent applications under PCT/CA2024/000008 for "Compositions, Methods and Uses of Bucillamine in the Treatment of a Victim Exposed to a Chemical Warfare Agent." The nerve-agent filings include U.S. application No. 19/518,001 and Canadian application No. 3,304,264.

Revive believes these filings expand bucillamine's potential role as a medical countermeasure candidate and support the Company's broader strategy of evaluating bucillamine in defence, emergency-response, and biothreat-related applications.

Bucillamine Potential

Bucillamine is a thiol-based drug with a substantial clinical history, including more than 30 years of use in rheumatoid arthritis in Japan and South Korea. Revive believes bucillamine's antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and thiol-donating properties may support its evaluation across multiple areas where oxidative stress, inflammation, and tissue injury are believed to play important roles.

Revive has also previously advanced bucillamine through late-stage human clinical development, providing the Company with meaningful operational, regulatory, and clinical-development experience. Combined with its intellectual property portfolio and DRDC research collaboration, Revive believes bucillamine has the potential to become a broader platform opportunity in infectious diseases, defence, and medical countermeasures.

Strategic Path Forward

Revive's bucillamine expansion strategy includes:

1. Advancing additional preclinical studies in infectious disease, nerve-agent exposure, and other defence or biothreat-related applications;

2. Strengthening the bucillamine intellectual property portfolio across infectious diseases, nerve-agent exposure, and related medical countermeasure opportunities;

3. Pursuing government and defence partnerships to support research, development, and potential procurement pathways;

4. Exploring potential stockpiling opportunities where bucillamine may align with government preparedness priorities; and

5. Positioning bucillamine as a potential franchise asset for future pandemics, biothreats, chemical threats, and other high-need public-health or defence applications.

Revive believes this expanded strategy has the potential to reposition bucillamine from a single-asset infectious disease program into a broader medical countermeasure platform. The Company intends to provide further updates as additional preclinical studies are initiated, DRDC findings become available for disclosure, and partnership discussions advance.

About Revive Therapeutics Ltd.

Revive Therapeutics is a life sciences company focused on the research and development of therapeutics for infectious diseases and medical countermeasures. Revive prioritizes its drug-development efforts to take advantage of regulatory incentives that may be available for important unmet medical needs. The Company is currently exploring the use of bucillamine for infectious diseases, nerve agent exposure and long COVID, among other potential applications. For more information, visit www.ReviveThera.com.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Frank
Chief Executive Officer
Revive Therapeutics Ltd.
Tel: 1 888 901 0036
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.revivethera.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the potential therapeutic, commercial, regulatory, defence, public-health, or medical-countermeasure value of bucillamine; the Company's plans to initiate additional preclinical studies; the potential expansion of bucillamine into infectious diseases, nerve-agent exposure, chemical threats, biothreats, future pandemics, defence applications, or stockpiling programs; the potential for government partnerships, procurement opportunities, non-dilutive funding, or preparedness mandates; the potential value and scope of the Company's patent portfolio; the timing, completion, interpretation, authorization, or disclosure of DRDC study results; and the potential for bucillamine to become a franchise asset. Forward-looking information is based on Revive's current expectations, beliefs, and assumptions and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that bucillamine will demonstrate safety or efficacy in any new indication, that preclinical studies will be successful, that DRDC final pathology results will be positive, that DRDC will authorize the release of any findings, that any government partnership, funding, procurement, or stockpiling opportunity will be secured, or that any regulatory approval or commercial opportunity will be achieved. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Revive undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information except as required by applicable securities laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Reference is made to the risk factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended December 31, 2025 ("MD&A"), dated February 25, 2026, which is available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca

SOURCE: Revive Therapeutics Ltd.

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O.Ouellet--SMC