Board Appointment

Evolutec Group PLC
23 May 2006


For immediate release                                             23 May 2006





                              EVOLUTEC GROUP PLC

                         ('Evolutec' or 'the Company')



                     Appointment of Non-Executive Director



Evolutec Group plc (AIM: EVC), the biopharmaceutical company developing novel
products for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, is
pleased to announce the appointment of Malcolm Lawton Darvell as a Non-Executive
Director, effective from 24 May 2006.



Mr Darvell, aged 43, is currently the Chief Executive of Rontech Limited, a
privately held company that develops software for the global financial services
industry.



Mr Darvell has experience in both the financial and biotechnology sectors.  He
was previously Chief Financial Officer of Tempest Consultants Limited, a company
involved in equity market surveys, of Azur Environmental Limited, a company
supplying environmental monitoring equipment, and of Peptech Limited, the
Australian listed biotechnology company.  Prior to that, Mr Darvell was Head of
Corporate Finance Advisory at Nomura International and was instrumental in
building that franchise.



There are no further disclosures to be made in accordance with Schedule 2 (g) of
the AIM rules.



David Bloxham, Evolutec's Chairman, said: 'I welcome Malcolm to Evolutec's
Board, where his financial knowledge and experience of growing smaller companies
will be of great value as Evolutec progresses to the next stage in the Company's
development.'







For further information:


Evolutec Group plc                                          Tel: [phone]
Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive Officer
Nicholas Badman, Chief Financial Officer
www.evolutec.co.uk


Buchanan Communications                                     Tel: [phone]
Mark Court/Mary-Jane Johnson/Catherine Breen





Notes for Editors:





About Evolutec Group plc



Evolutec is a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for allergy,
inflammation and autoimmune disease.



Evolutec's lead drug candidate, rEV131 has efficacy in both acute and chronic
respiratory indications including allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma.  In
2005, Evolutec announced a positive result for rEV131 in a 112 patient Phase IIa
proof of concept study in allergic rhinitis.  rEV131 met the primary efficacy
endpoint (p < 0.05).  In addition, rEV131 showed efficacy against mucus and
congestion, the most difficult to treat symptoms of rhinitis as well as a rapid
onset of action.



Evolutec intends to carry out additional proof of concept Phase II trials with
rEV131 in post-cataract surgery and dry eye.  Positive preclinical data has also
been generated in asthma.  rEV131 is a histamine binding protein and is
understood to be the only product currently in clinical trials that impacts the
recently discovered H4 receptor, a receptor implicated in many forms of
inflammatory disease.



The Company has a further two molecules in preclinical development. rEV576, a
complement inhibitor that was very effective in a preclinical model of
myasthenia gravis, and rEV598, which is being evaluated in carcinoid syndrome
and CINV (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting). Evolutec is working with
Merial to develop anti-tick and anti-tick borne disease vaccines.



Evolutec, which is based in Reading, UK, was founded in 1998 to exploit research
carried out by the Natural Environment Research Council.  Evolutec's drugs were
first isolated from the saliva of ticks but are now manufactured by bacterial
fermentation procedures. The tick remains undetected by its hosts, including
humans, by injecting an array of molecules into the skin that suppresses normal
defence mechanisms.  These stealth molecules have evolved over millions of years
to enable the tick to take a blood meal from its host. Evolutec employs the
tick's evolutionary stealth technology to offer the potential of treating human
diseases.







Safe Harbour statement: this news release may contain forward-looking statements
that reflect the current expectations of the Company regarding future events.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could
differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors
including the success of the Company's research strategies, the applicability of
the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinical
studies, the uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the successful
integration of completed mergers and acquisitions and achievement of expected
synergies from such transactions, and the ability of the Company to identify and
consummate suitable strategic and business combination transactions.







                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange