Exhibit 99.1

                              N E W S R E L E A S E

             APHTON ANNOUNCES 53% INCREASED MEDIAN SURVIVAL TIME IN
               EUROPEAN PHASE III CLINICAL TRIAL FOR MONOTHERAPY
                    TREATMENT OF PANCREATIC CANCER WITH G17DT

                                October 28, 2002

Miami,  FL - Aphton  Corporation  (NASDAQ NMS:  APHT) - Aphton  announced  today
results of a randomized, double-blind,  controlled, statistically powered, phase
III clinical  trial  conducted in European  countries.  Patients  with  advanced
pancreatic  cancer who had received no previous therapy were treated either with
Aphton's anti-gastrin immunogen G17DT as a monotherapy, or with the control. The
primary efficacy measure was survival time from the date of randomization.

A summary of the results  follows:  a) patients with stage IV pancreatic  cancer
treated with G17DT had a median survival time that was 53% longer than the stage
IV patients in the control arm; b) 25% of the patients  with stage IV pancreatic
cancer who were treated with G17DT had a survival time that was 106% longer than
the control arm; and c) The overall Hazard Ratio was 0.7; that is to say, at any
point in time,  patients  on G17DT had a 143%  higher  likelihood  of  surviving
longer than patients on the control.

Aphton  believes  these are  pivotal  phase III  clinical  trial  results and is
formulating  its  strategy  for  selection  of  jurisdictions  and the timing of
regulatory  filings for  marketing  approvals  therein.  Aphton  believes  these
results will prove to be a decisive  turning  point in its  development  and the
pursuit of its  corporate  objectives.  Aphton  does not want to  prejudice  the
review of this trial by  regulatory  authorities  in the various  jurisdictions;
therefore, any additional information regarding either the trial or its strategy
will be provided by means of a public news release at the appropriate times.

It is estimated that approximately 88,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be
diagnosed  in the US and  Europe  this  year.  The  prognosis  for most of these
patients is very poor.  The great  majority of patients has advanced  disease at
the time of diagnosis which is considered incurable,  with a very short survival
time. Surgery, when possible, and chemotherapy are the primary treatment options
currently available,  but have shown only very limited benefit.  Aphton believes
that its  anti-gastrin  targeted  immunotherapy  approach  has the  potential to
extend patient survival time significantly, without adding toxicity.

Aphton is  conducting a  randomized,  double  blind,  controlled,  statistically
powered,  combination therapy, Phase III clinical trial in the US and Europe for
patients with





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advanced pancreatic cancer; a Phase II clinical trial for patients with advanced
gastric  (stomach)  cancer;  and a Phase II  clinical  trial for  patients  with
prostate cancer. Aphton expects to initiate Phase II dose-ranging/indications of
efficacy  clinical  trial for treating  patients  with  gastrointestinal  reflux
disease (GERD), in the near future.

Aphton's  anti-gastrin targeted therapy induces antibodies in patients that bind
to both gastrin 17 and gly-gastrin and remove them from circulation  before they
can bind to the cancer cell and initiate cell growth.  (Aphton  believes this is
the optimum  method for achieving  "growth factor  inhibition.")  Gastrin 17 and
gly-gastrin  are  believed  to be  central  growth  factors,  or the  initiating
signals, for cell growth, cell proliferation and metastasis (spread) in gastric,
i.e. stomach, pancreatic, esophageal, colorectal and other gastrointestinal (GI)
system cancers. This signaling program is accomplished by gastrin binding to the
large numbers of gastrin  receptors which appear, de novo, in the great majority
of  cases,  on tumor  cell  surfaces  throughout  the  gastrointestinal  system.
Interrupting  this process by immunizing the patient with Aphton's  anti-gastrin
immunogen is a precisely "targeted" immunotherapy. This specificity of targeting
only cancer cells occurs  because  gastrin is not normally  secreted and gastrin
receptors  are not normally  found on "healthy"  cells in the GI system,  unless
they are malignant, or on the path to malignancy (except for cells involved with
normal acid secretion).

Recent  findings  have shown that  inhibiting  gastrin  not only  inhibits  cell
growth,  proliferation  and metastasis  directly,  but also "unblocks" a central
pathway leading to cell-suicide  (apoptosis).  This tilts the balance, from cell
growth, to cell suicide. This effect is amplified  synergistically when Aphton's
drug is given  together with a  chemotherapeutic.  Gastrin also  stimulates  the
secretion  and  expression  of other  important  growth  factors and  receptors,
including  epidermal  growth  factor  (EGF),  within and on the  surfaces of the
cancer cells involved in tumor growth. Hence, inhibiting gastrin inhibits all of
the  foregoing   factors   contributing  to  tumor  growth  and  spread,   while
simultaneously opening a central pathway to cell suicide.  Aphton's anti-gastrin
targeted   therapy   adds  a   biological   dimension   to  the   treatment   of
gastrointestinal cancers, whether as monotherapy or combination therapy.

Aphton Corporation is a biopharmaceutical  company developing products using its
innovative  targeted  immunotherapy  technology for  neutralizing  hormones that
participate  in  gastrointestinal  system  and  reproductive  system  cancer and
non-cancer  diseases;  and the  prevention  of  pregnancy.  Aphton has strategic
alliances  with Aventis  (NYSE:  AVE) for treating  gastrointestinal  system and
other  cancers with G17DT in North  America and Europe;  GlaxoSmithKline  (NYSE:
GSK) for  reproductive  system cancer and  non-cancer  diseases  worldwide;  and
others.

Except for the historical  information  herein, the matters discussed herein are
forward-looking  statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and
are not a guarantee of future performance. Future results may vary significantly
based on a  number  of  factors  including,  but not  limited  to,  intellectual
property  risks,  risks in regulatory and market  acceptance of new products and
continuing  demand for same,  the impact of  competitive  products  and pricing,
changing  economic  conditions  and other risk  factors that are inherent in the
drug development process and the company's business including those set forth in
Aphton's  most recent 10-K and other  filings with the  Securities  and Exchange
Commission. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risk factors that
could cause actual  results to differ from expected or historical


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results.  The company's  actual results could differ from these  forward-looking
statements  and the company  undertakes  no  obligation  to update  publicly any
forward-looking statement.

Contact: Aphton Corporation; Investor Relations, J.L. Whitmore, 305-374-7338.












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