Oxford Glycosciences PLC
05 November 2002

For further information please contact:



Oxford GlycoSciences Plc
Dr David Ebsworth, Chief Executive Officer
Dr Chris Moyses, Chief Medical Officer
Tel: +44 (0)1235 208000
Website:
www.ogs.com

UK: Financial Dynamics
Melanie Toyne-Sewell/Francetta Carr
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113


USA: Financial Dynamics
Contact: Leslie Wolf-Creutzfeldt
Deborah Ardern Jones
Tel: +1 212 497 9202



For Immediate Release



                      OGS announces the start of a Phase I
                          Clinical Study with OGT 923



Oxford, UK, 5 November 2002 -- Oxford GlycoSciences Plc (LSE: OGS,
Nasdaq: OGSI) today announced that a Phase I study with OGT 923 has
commenced in healthy volunteers.

OGT 923 (N-butylgalactonorjirimycin) is an iminosugar and an analogue
of ZavescaTM (OGT 918, INN: miglustat). OGT 923 has demonstrated
efficacy in in vivo studies, as well as a favourable pre-clinical
tolerability profile.  This initial study is double-blind to allow
comparison to placebo for tolerability and an escalating dose design
is being used to evaluate once and twice daily dose pharmacokinetics.


Chris Moyses, Chief Medical Officer and Development Director of OGS,
said: "The start of this OGT 923 study marks the achievement of a major
OGS objective to bring a second iminosugar into clinical development for
glycosphingolipid storage disorders. OGT 923 may be particularly suitable
for studies in diseases with nervous system involvement, such as Sandhoff
and Tay Sachs disease."

                                      ###

Notes to Editors

OGS has developed a patented technology platform in the emerging field of
proteomics, the comprehensive study of proteins, integrating proteomics
with genomics to create an innovative drug discovery platform.  OGS'
proteomics collaborations with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies include Bayer, Pioneer Hi-Bred/DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline and
Pfizer.  OGS has drug discovery and development alliances with Medarex,
NeoGenesis and BioInvent and technology development collaborations with
Applera, Cambridge Antibody Technology, Packard BioScience and The
Institute for Systems Biology.  OGS has also entered into a joint
venture, Confirmant Limited, to develop the Protein Atlas of the Human
GenomeTM.


OGS has drug research discovery programmes in central nervous system,
cancer, infectious disease and glycosphingolipid (GSL) storage disorders.


In July 2002, OGS' lead compound, Zavesca, received a positive opinion
from the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products, recommending
approval of the drug in Europe for the treatment of mild to moderate
type 1 Gaucher disease in patients for whom enzyme replacement therapy
is unsuitable. Pending final review by the European Commission, Zavesca
is an investigational drug and has not received approval for marketing
in any country.  Zavesca is undergoing further clinical investigations
in several GSL storage disorders.


This release contains forward-looking statements, such as the commercial
potential and success of OGS' collaborations and drug candidates. Factors
that could cause actual results to vary significantly from those expressed
or implied by these and other forward-looking statements include the
success of OGS' research and development strategies, the validity of its
technologies and intellectual property position and strategies, the medical
conclusions on which Zavesca is based and uncertainties related to the
regulatory process.