New Study Data

Evolutec Group PLC
12 September 2005


For immediate release                                          12 September 2005


                              EVOLUTEC GROUP PLC
                           ('Evolutec' or 'Company')

                     POSITIVE PRECLINICAL RESULT FOR rEV576
                             IN myasthenia gravis

Evolutec Group plc (AIM: EVC), the biopharmaceutical company developing novel
products for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, is
pleased to announce a positive preclinical result for one of its pipeline
proteins, rEV576, in the serious auto-immune disease myasthenia gravis.
Myasthenia gravis results in progressive fatigue, loss of muscle tone and
increasing paralysis.  There is currently no cure for myasthenia gravis.

rEV576 is a potent complement inhibitor, an exciting new class of drugs that
target the complement system. The complement system is implicated in a number of
conditions including local tissue damage following coronary thrombosis and
damage to joint surfaces in rheumatoid arthritis.

In the trial, a single dose of rEV576 completely prevented paralysis and weight
loss over a five day period.  This significant preclinical result will be
presented on the 13 September 2005 at the 10th European Meeting on Complement in
Human Disease in Heidelberg, Germany.

This result suggests that rEV576 may have potential in both acute conditions,
such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) and cardio-pulmonary bypass (heart
bypass surgery), and chronic autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid
arthritis.  The Company plans further preclinical work to select appropriate
indications for the clinic.

Mark Carnegie Brown, Evolutec's Chief Executive Officer, commented: 'This
exciting result highlights the potential of our pipeline molecule rEV576 and
underlines the novelty of Evolutec's technology.  Importantly, as rEV576
progresses towards the clinic, we begin to offer shareholders a degree of
portfolio diversification.'

Henry J. Kaminski, Professor and Vice Chair of Neurology, Case Western Reserve
University, commented:  'rEV576 demonstrated dramatic protection in this
preclinical trial.  rEV576 may prove to be a powerful agent for treating acute
exacerbations of myasthenia gravis and perhaps as a chronic autoimmune therapy.'

ENDS

For further information:

Evolutec                                                        0118 922 4480
Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive Officer
Nicholas Badman, Chief Financial Officer
www.evolutec.co.uk

Robert W. Baird                                                 020 7488 1212
Shaun Dobson/Xavier de Mol

Buchanan Communications                                         020 7466 5000
Mark Court/Tim Anderson/Mary-Jane Johnson

Notes for Editors:

About the complement system and rEV576's mechanism of action

The complement system is an essential part of the body's natural defence
mechanism against foreign invasion. It is also involved in the inflammatory
process. It comprises around 20 plasma proteins, which act as enzymes or as
binding proteins, along with multiple cell-surface receptors and several
regulatory membrane proteins.  When foreign material is detected, the complement
cascade is activated and locally acting chemical messengers are released.

rEV576's mechanism of action is by binding the C5 protein of the complement
cascade thereby preventing the release of C5a and C5b-9 (the membrane attack
complex).    C5a and C5b-9 attract white blood cells and allow them to pass
through blood vessel walls into the tissue.  The white blood cells then release
cytokines that destroy the tissue locally.

Complement can be activated inappropriately under certain circumstances leading
to undesirable local tissue destruction.  In ischemic stroke and myocardial
infarction, the body recognises the dead tissue in the brain or heart as foreign
and activates complement so causing further local damage.  Similarly in
cardiopulmonary bypass operations, the body recognises the plastic surfaces in
the machine as foreign, activates complement and can result in vascular damage.
In autoimmune diseases, the body may wrongly recognise itself as foreign and
activate complement with local tissue damage (e.g. joint destruction in
rheumatoid arthritis and muscle weakness in myasthenia gravis).

About Evolutec

Evolutec, which is based in Reading, UK, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical
company with a focus on allergy, inflammation and auto-immune diseases.

The Company has commenced a 112 patient proof of concept Phase II clinical trial
with rEV131, its lead product, in allergic rhinitis.  Evolutec intends to carry
out additional proof of concept Phase II trials with rEV131 in post-cataract
surgery and dry eye.  Positive pre-clinical 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 products in preclinical development: rEV576, a
complement inhibitor, and rEV598, which is being evaluated in carcinoid syndrome
and CINV (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting).

Evolutec 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. 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.


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