Immupharma PLC
27 April 2007
For Immediate Release 30 April 2007
ImmuPharma PLC
Board Appointment
ImmuPharma PLC (LSE:IMM), ('ImmuPharma' or the 'Company'), the specialist drug
discovery and development company, today announces the appointment of Ajay
Agrawal (42) as a non-executive director.
Dr Agrawal has almost 20 years' experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical
industry worldwide. He was a founder of polyMASC Pharmaceuticals plc, London in
1995, the first UK biotech company, derived from a university that was directly
listed on AIM, raising approximately $40 million in 1995, and subsequently
merged with a NASDAQ-listed company, Valentis Inc (USA) in 1999 to become one of
the biggest companies in the delivery of biologics at that time.
He currently sits on the editorial advisory board of three international trade
journals, Current Drug Delivery, Infectious Disorders- Drug Targets, and Recent
Patents on Drug Delivery and Formulation, Bentham Press, California, USA.
Richard Warr, Chairman, commented on the appointment:
'We are pleased to welcome Dr Agrawal to the Board and look forward to utilising
his experience in the sector.'
There is nothing further to disclose in relation to the appointment of Ajay
Agrawal under paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules.
For further information please contact:
ImmuPharma PLC:
Dimitri Dimitriou, Chief Executive +44 20 7152 4080
Officer
Richard Warr, Chairman +44 20 7152 4080
Buchanan Communications + 44 20 7466 5000
Lisa Baderoon
Rebecca Skye Dietrich
Notes to Editors:
About ImmuPharma
ImmuPharma PLC is a drug discovery and development company headquartered in
London, UK and quoted on AIM of the London Stock Exchange (LSE:IMM). It has
research operations in France (ImmuPharma (France) SA) and Switzerland
(ImmuPharma AG). ImmuPharma is dedicated to the development of novel drugs,
largely based on peptide therapeutics, to treat serious medical conditions such
as autoimmune diseases characterised by:
* blockbuster potential in niche markets
* low promotional costs in few specialised physicians and centres and
* lower risk of drug development and lower development costs
ImmuPharma is a currently developing drug candidates for three different medical
conditions, each of which would represent a significant breakthrough in its
field. The furthest advanced drug candidate targets Lupus, a disease for which
there is currently no cure or specific treatment. The other two address moderate
to severe pain (such as that experienced by cancer sufferers and post-operative
patients), and MRSA and similar severe hospital-acquired resistant infections.
All three have significant sales potential as well as low marketing costs and a
relatively low risk of development failure. One or more have the potential to be
fast-tracked by the US Food and Drug Administration according to 'Guidance for
Industry: Fast Track Drug Development Programs - Designation, Development and
Application Review' issued July 2004 and could therefore obtain their market
authorization by 2010.
Key to the potential success of ImmuPharma is its unique collaborative agreement
with Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France's scientific research
institution. This agreement grants ImmuPharma worldwide exclusive rights to
exploit certain key discoveries.
In addition to its three leading drug candidates, ImmuPharma has a drug
development pipeline using its rights to a virtual chemical library of hundreds
of thousands of molecules as well as an innovative technology for converting
peptides to drug candidates.
ImmuPharma has the option to commercialise its assets itself or to license them
to other pharmaceutical companies at an earlier stage.
The products
Treatment of Lupus (IPP-201101)
This is a long-term treatment for Lupus, a chronic, life-threatening autoimmune
disease where the immune system attacks healthy cells. There is currently no
cure and existing medications only treat the symptoms whereas ImmuPharma's drug
candidate has the potential to produce remission of the disease in a substantial
proportion of patients.
Based on independent forecasts, the value of ImmuPharma's Lupus drug is
estimated to be 'substantial' with peak annual sales forecast to generate in
excess of $4 billion.
Severe pain relief (IPP-102199)
ImmuPharma is developing a potential non-addictive compound for relieving
moderate to severe pain, such as experienced by cancer sufferers and
post-surgical patients. Most existing treatments are derived from the opiate
morphine and tend to have serious side effects. ImmuPharma's new treatment is
based on met-enkephalin, the body's internal analgesic. IPP-102199 is being
developed to have major advantages over morphine such as longer pain relief
duration and reduced side effects. The market for chronic opioids in the US
currently exceeds $3.5 billion and is growing by more than 10 to 20 per cent a
year.
Antibiotic for MRSA and similar highly resistant infections (IPP-203101)
This is a novel antibiotic to combat MRSA and other severe hospital-acquired,
resistant infections which affect some two million people in the US, according
to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ImmuPharma's drug
candidate is targeted at disrupting the membrane potential of the bacterial
pathogens. It is hoped this novel approach will reduce their potential to become
resistant.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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