News Release

Pre-IND meeting date set with HPB

Date: August 17, 2000

CDNX Trading Symbol: WXI
World Wide Web: http://www.wextech.ca
E-mail: wex@wextech.ca

International Wex Technologies Inc. (the "company" ) is pleased to announce that Health Protection Branch Canada (HPB) has confirmed via a Sponsor Notification of Scheduled Meeting that a meeting is to take place on August 31, 2000 in Ottawa. The Therapeutic Products Programs (TPP) of HPB will be the party with whom the company will present and discuss our information, findings and planned program package towards Phase 1 clinical.

This Pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting offers the company the opportunity to present their research, through top management and expert advisors in their specialty, material on Tetrodin and receive guidance and suggestions from the TPP before bringing forward a complete and full IND Application. At the end of this meeting the company should have a clear idea as to the time lines for an IND Application filing.

The significance of this first meeting must not be minimized. With this presentation the company will know if management's time lines that were set last January 17th can be met. There will be confirmation as to whether the validations currently being carried out in Canada with the various laboratories will be enough to satisfy the regulatory authorities. All documentation that the company places before the TPP will represent the first time the company has presented their Chinese translated documentation to the 'West'. This is a very, very important meeting for the company as it establishes the first major step for Tetrodin in a Global market.

Tetrodin(HT) has been developed by the company primarily as a treatment for the symptoms associated with withdrawal from all opiate addictions such as morphine, opium, heroin and methadone. It is a non-narcotic pharmaceutical that has proven to be safe and effective and functions well in both primary withdrawal treatment and abstinence maintenance (longer term use) of drug addiction. The company has also begun tests on the usage of Tetrodin(HT) as a potent analgesic.

For additional information on Tetrodin(HT), view the IWT website at http://www.wextech.ca or call Howard Milne , V. P. Shareholder Communications, at 604-683-8880 or 1-800-722-7549.

Per: Donna Shum, Corporate Secretary

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