TelligentKen Vernon Simon and Garfunkel 214-420-1373Vice President

TelligentKen Vernon, describes Simon and Garfunkel 214-420-1373Vice President simon and garfunkle draws of Copyright Business Wire 2009. LEXINGTON, Mass.--(Business Wire)--NitroMed, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTMD) said today that on Friday, January 9, 2009,NitroMed received a letter from Deerfield Management increasing Deerfield`sunsolicited proposal to acquire the company from $0.50 per share in cash to$0.65 per share in cash. NitroMed also said that it is prepared to enter intodiscussions with Deerfield, subject to the obligations under NitroMed`sagreements with JHP Pharmaceuticals, LLC and Archemix Corp. There can be noassurance that any agreement will be reached with Deerfield for any transactioninvolving NitroMed.

About NitroMedNitroMed of Lexington, Massachusetts is the maker of BiDil (isosorbidedinitrate/hydralazine hydrochloride), an orally administered medicine availablein the United States for the treatment of heart failure in self-identified blackpatients i am a rock simon and garfunkel . In this population, BiDil is indicated as an adjunct to currentstandard therapies such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors andbeta blockers garfunkel . There is little experience in patients with New York HeartAssociation Class IV heart failure BiDil was approved by the U.S simon and garfunkel 'song for the asking . Food and DrugAdministration, primarily on the basis of efficacy data from the company'slandmark A-HeFT (African American Heart Failure Trial) clinical trial simon and garfunkel 'song .

For fullprescribing information, visit: On October 22, 2008, NitroMed entered into a purchase and sale agreement withJHP Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company,pursuant to which NitroMed has agreed to sell to JHP Pharmaceuticalssubstantially all of the assets related to NitroMed's BiDil and BiDil XR drugbusiness cecilia simon and garfunkel . The sale of the BiDil and BiDil XR drug business is subject toNitroMed stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions simon and gartfunkel . OnNovember 18, 2008, NitroMed and Archemix Corp., a privately-heldbiopharmaceutical company, entered into a merger agreement, pursuant to whichArchemix has agreed to merge with NitroMed in an all-stock transaction simon and carfunkel . Themerger is subject to approval by Archemix's and NitroMed's stockholders,consummation of the sale of NitroMed's BiDil and BiDil XR drug business andother customary closing conditions simon and garfankel . Important Additional Information Has Been Filed with the SECNitroMed has filed with the SEC and mailed to its stockholders a definitiveproxy statement in connection with the proposed sale of its BiDil and BiDil XRdrug business to JHP Pharmaceuticals, LLC. The proxy statement containsimportant information about NitroMed, the proposed sale of the BiDil and BiDilXR drug business and related matters. In addition, in connection with NitroMed'sproposed merger with Archemix, NitroMed has filed with the SEC a RegistrationStatement on Form S-4 containing a joint proxy statement/prospectus.

Assumingsuch Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC, the joint proxystatement/prospectus will be mailed to stockholders of NitroMed and Archemix.The joint proxy statement/prospectus will contain important information aboutNitroMed, Archemix, the transaction and related matters simon and garfunkel robinson . Investors and securityholders of NitroMed and Archemix are urged to read carefully both the definitiveproxy statement relating to the proposed sale of the BiDil and BiDil XR drugbusiness and the joint proxy statement/prospectus relating to the merger (whenit is available).Investors and security holders of NitroMed will be able to obtain free copies ofthe proxy statement for the proposed sale of the BiDil and BiDil XR drugbusiness and the joint proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed merger (whenit is available), and other documents filed with the SEC by NitroMed through thewebsite maintained by the SEC at In addition, investors andsecurity holders of NitroMed will be able to obtain free copies of the proxystatement for the proposed sale of the BiDil and BiDil XR drug business and thejoint proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed merger (when it is available)by contacting NitroMed, Inc., Attn: Secretary, 45 Hayden Avenue, Suite 3000,Lexington, MA 02421 simon and garfunkal . Investors and security holders of Archemix will be able toobtain free copies of the joint proxy statement/prospectus for the merger (whenit is available) by contacting Archemix Corp., Attn: Secretary, 300 ThirdStreet, Cambridge, MA 02142 simon . NitroMed, and its directors and executive officers, may be deemed to beparticipants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactionscontemplated by the purchase and sale agreement with JHP Pharmaceuticalsrelating to the sale of the BiDil and BiDil XR drug business, and NitroMed andArchemix, and their respective directors and executive officers, may be deemedto be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactionscontemplated by the merger agreement with Archemix simon & garfunkel tour . Information regardingNitroMed's directors and executive officers is contained in NitroMed's AnnualReport on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and its proxystatement dated April 16, 2008, both of which are filed with the SEC, and inNitroMed`s definitive proxy statement relating to the proposed sale of the BiDiland BiDil XR drug business, which was filed with the SEC on December 15, 2008.As of November 30, 2008, NitroMed's directors and executive officers, and fundsaffiliated with such individuals, owned approximately 33% of NitroMed's commonstock. A more complete description of the interests of NitroMed's directors andofficers is available in the proxy statement relating to the sale of the BiDiland BiDil XR drug business.

In addition, information regarding Archemix'sdirectors and officers and a more complete description of the interests ofNitroMed's directors and officers will be available in the joint proxystatement/prospectus relating to the merger . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking StatementsStatements in this press release regarding the proposed sale of NitroMed's BiDiland BiDil XR drug business to JHP Pharmaceuticals and the proposed mergerbetween NitroMed and Archemix, and any other statement about NitroMed'smanagement team's future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects,constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 simon and gurfunkel . Any statements that are not statementsof historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes,""plans," "could," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "plans," "should,""target," "will," "would" and similar expressions) should also be considered tobe forward-looking statements simon & garfunkel . There are a number of important factors thatcould cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicatedby such forward-looking statements, including: the risk that NitroMed is unableto complete the sale of its BiDil and BiDil XR drug business, which is acondition to the closing of the merger with Archemix; the risk that NitroMed andArchemix may not be able to complete the proposed merger; and other risks anduncertainties more fully described in NitroMed's proxy statement relating to theproposed asset sale, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December31, 2007 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September30, 2008, each as filed with the SEC, as well as the other filings that NitroMedmakes with the SEC .