Research Update

Evolutec Group PLC 03 January 2007 Wednesday 3 January 2007 Evolutec Group plc ('Evolutec' or 'Company') Primary Endpoint Not Met in Phase II rEV131 Trial in Post-Cataract Inflammation Evolutec Group plc (AIM: EVC), the biopharmaceutical company developing novel products for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announces that rEV131 did not meet its primary endpoint in the Phase II post-cataract inflammation trial. In the trial, rEV131, dosed twice-a-day, was compared to prednisolone, the standard of care, dosed four times-a-day, and placebo. The primary endpoint was inflammation 14 days after cataract surgery. There were no significant differences between rEV131 and placebo whereas prednisolone performed as anticipated. Evolutec will announce its preliminary results for 2006 on 27 February 2007 and expects to report cash and held-to-maturity investments as at 31 December 2006 of £8.7 million. Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive of Evolutec, said: 'Following this disappointment, no more investment will be made by Evolutec in rEV131. Whilst we continue to explore partnering opportunities with rEV576, all strategic options to realise value for shareholders are under consideration. rEV576 has demonstrated exciting preclinical results in myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome where there are currently no curative therapies.' Enquiries: Evolutec 0118 922 4480 Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Badman, Chief Financial Officer www.evolutec.co.uk Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 David Yates Ben Brewerton Notes for Editors: 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. rEV576, the Company's second product development candidate is a complement inhibitor which has demonstrated preclinical activity against the autoimmune diseases myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, asthma and acute myocardial infarction ('AMI') (heart attack). Evolutec has established a research collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, to undertake further preclinical work with rEV576 in myasthenia gravis. The Company expects to commence clinical trials with rEV576 in 2007. The rights to Evolutec's vaccine technology for animals are partnered with Merial. Merial is currently undertaking work in tick-borne diseases. Evolutec is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and develops therapeutics originally 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 host immunity. These stealth molecules have undergone millions of years of natural evolution to select a promising efficacy, potency and safety profile. Evolutec employs the tick's evolutionary stealth technology to offer the potential of treating human diseases. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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