Helix BioPharma Form 20-F Registration Statement Declared Effective by SEC

    AURORA, Ontario, March 12 /CNW/ -- Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX, FSE:
"HBP") announced that its registration statement on Form 20-F has been
declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").Accordingly, Helix's common shares are now registered with the SEC
pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Registration of Helix's shares in the United States allows its shares to be
solicited and traded by licensed brokers in the United States in compliance
with SEC regulations and blue sky requirements in various states in the United
States."We are excited for this registration which we believe provides us with a
necessary foundation as we plan to move toward larger capital markets," said
John Docherty, president of Helix BioPharma. "We are continuing to evaluate
our options for our next step as we look to broaden our U.S. investor base and
trading liquidity."The Company's registration statement on Form 20-F is a full registration
of the Company's common shares with the SEC as a foreign private issuer
similar to a Form 10 filing for a domestic issuer in the United States.
Helix's registration statement, as amended, has been filed with the SEC and
Canadian Securities Administrators and is available online at
www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml and www.sedar.com, respectively.As a result of the registration statement being declared effective, Helix
will be obligated to file continuous disclosure documentation applicable to
foreign private issuers with the SEC and will be obligated to prepare a
reconciliation of its annual financial statements to generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States.About Helix BioPharma Corp.Helix BioPharma Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the
field of cancer therapy. The Company is actively developing innovative
products for the prevention and treatment of cancer based on its proprietary
technologies. Helix's product development initiatives include its Topical
Interferon Alpha-2b and its novel L-DOS47 new drug candidate. Helix is listed
on the TSX under the symbol "HBP".For further information contact:Investor & Media Relations
    Ian Stone                         Robert Flamm, Ph.D.
    Russo Partners LLC                Russo Partners LLC
    Tel:  [phone]              Tel: [phone]
    Fax:  [phone]              Email: [e-mail]
    Email: [e-mail]    www.russopartnersllc.comThe Toronto and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges have not reviewed and do not
accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News
Release. This News Release contains certain forward-looking statements and
information regarding the registration of Helix's common shares with the U.S.
Securities & Exchange Commission and Helix's business, which statements and
information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such
as "believe," "look," "next", "will," "future", "anticipation", "plan",
"developing", or variations thereon, or comparable terminology referring to
future events or results. Forward looking statements and information are
statements and information about the future and are inherently uncertain.
Helix's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements and information as a result of numerous risks and
uncertainties including without limitation: uncertainty whether Helix's shares
will be actively solicited and traded by licensed brokers in the U.S. or that
Helix's liquidity and U.S. investor base will be expanded, which may not occur
due to a number of factors including potential lack of demand for Helix's
shares, the fact that Helix's shares will be "penny stock" and subject to
certain restrictions, and the state of the financial and stock markets
generally; uncertainty whether the Company's products under development,
including Topical Interferon Alpha-2b and L-DOS47 will be successfully
developed and commercialized as a drug or at all; the need for additional
clinical trials, the occurrence and success of which cannot be assured;
product liability and insurance risks; research and development risks; the
risk of technical obsolescence; the need for further regulatory approvals,
which may not be obtained in a timely matter or at all; intellectual property
risks; marketing/manufacturing and partnership/strategic alliance risks; the
effect of competition; uncertainty of the size and existence of a market
opportunity for Helix's products; as well as a description of other risks and
uncertainties affecting Helix and its business, as contained in news releases
and filings with the securities regulatory authorities, including its latest
Annual Information Form, at www.sedar.com and Form 20-F at
www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, any of which could cause actual results to vary
materially from current results or Helix's anticipated future results.
Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs,
assumptions, opinions and expectations of Helix's management at the time they
are made, and Helix does not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions,
opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required by
law.

For further information: Ian Stone, Tel: [phone], Fax:
[phone], or [e-mail], Robert Flamm, Ph.D.,
[phone], or [e-mail], both of Russo Partners
LLC for Helix BioPharma Corp.