EXHIBIT 99.2


NEWS RELEASE


              SONUS ANNOUNCES EMEA COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW ECHOGEN(R)
                     EMULSION MEDICAL MARKETING APPLICATION

      COMPANY ALSO ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH FDA TO DISCUSS RECENT REQUEST FOR
           MORE INFORMATION REGARDING ECHOGEN(R) NEW DRUG APPLICATION


BOTHELL, WASH., March 16, 1998 --SONUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq-NNM: SNUS),
today announced that it has been notified that the Committee for Proprietary
Medicinal Products (CPMP) is scheduled to review the EchoGen(R) Emulsion Medical
Marketing Application (MMA) at its March meeting later this month. The CPMP is
the review arm of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA). The committee
makes recommendations to the EMEA which typically accepts and ratifies the
committee's opinions. EchoGen(R) is the Company's proprietary ultrasound
contrast agent being investigated for use in cardiology and radiology
applications.

"We are looking forward to this meeting of the CPMP," said Steven C. Quay, M.D.,
Ph.D, president and CEO of SONUS. "The opinion by the CPMP is the next step
toward a Marketing Authorization by the European Commission (EC) which covers
the 15 nations of the European Union, including the United Kingdom, Ireland,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Greece and Austria."

The Company also announced that a meeting has been scheduled with the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 27, 1998. The purpose of this meeting is
to discuss the FDA's recent notification requiring additional information
regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for EchoGen(R). While SONUS continues
to prepare the information to be submitted in response to the FDA's request, the
Company is unable to predict the timing of such a submission until this meeting
has taken place.

EchoGen(R) ultrasound contrast agent is a fluorocarbon-based liquid emulsion
that turns into a gas microbubble upon syringe activation and injection into the
body (a process known as PhaseShift(TM) technology). EchoGen(R) microbubbles
travel in the blood stream and enhance the reflected ultrasound signal of the
blood resulting in improved ultrasound images.



                                    (-More-)


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SONUS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. - ANNOUNCES CPMP MEETING
MARCH 16, 1998
PAGE 2


SONUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Bothell, Wash., is engaged in the research
and development of ultrasound contrast agents and drug delivery systems based on
its proprietary PhaseShift(TM) and fluorocarbon technology. The Company's
products are being investigated to improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart
disease, cancer and other debilitating conditions.

Contact:       Investors                           Media
               Gregory Sessler                     Kelly Ford
               SONUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.         SONUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
               (425) 487-9500                      (425) 487-9500

Certain of the statements made in this news release are forward looking such as
those relating to the regulatory approval of EchoGen(R). As discussed in SONUS'
annual report on Form 10-K filed March 19, 1997, actual results could differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of
the following factors, among others: EchoGen(R) will require final regulatory
approval, which approval is subject to certain regulatory requirements and could
be lengthy; and market acceptance of EchoGen(R) will depend on a number of
factors, including safety, efficacy, ease of administration and the presence of
competitive imaging products or technologies. There can be no assurance that the
EC or FDA will approve EchoGen(R).

NOTE: SONUS Pharmaceuticals' press releases are available via PR Newswires'
Company News on Call service. To receive previous SONUS press releases via fax,
dial 1-800-758-5804, ext. 108377. SONUS releases also can be accessed on the
Internet at http://prnewswire.com. Additional information about SONUS can be
accessed at the SONUS Home Page, http://www.sonuspharma.com.

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