Appointment of Dr Muhunthan Thillai

RNS Number : 4774L

Nuformix PLC

06 September 2019

 

6th September 2019

Nuformix plc

("Nuformix" or "the Group"),

Appointment of Dr Muhunthan Thillai to Nuformix's Scientific

Advisory Board

Nuformix, the pharmaceutical development company using cocrystal technology to unlock the therapeutic potential of approved small molecule drugs today announced that it has appointed Dr Muhunthan Thillai to Nuformix's Scientific Advisory Board.

The appointment reflects progress made with Nuformix's NXP002 programme as a treatment for Idiopathic Lung Fibrosis (IPF) as it finalises its clinical development plans. Muhunthan joins the Scientific Advisory Board with immediate effect.

Dr. Thillai is the Lead Clinician for the Cambridge Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, where he is also currently appointed as a Consultant. Dr Thillai began his training in London and Oxford where he gained Membership of the Royal College of Physicians. He was awarded a personal Research Training Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust. This allowed him to undertake three years of scientific research into sarcoidosis, in which Muhunthan specialises in addition to IPF. 

He continued his medical training in lung transplantation and pulmonary hypertension at Royal Papworth and then in respiratory and general medicine at Addenbrooke's Hospital. He subsequently completed an observership in sarcoidosis at the Cleveland Center in the USA before being appointed in 2015 as a Consultant within the Papworth Interstitial Lung Diseases Unit with a specific interest in sarcoidosis and IPF.

Dr Muhunthan Thillai, commenting, said: "It is a pleasure to be joining the Nuformix team at this point. The data generated to date in human IPF tissue slices versus current therapies demonstrates real promise in preventing disease progression and extending life free from side effects. Current therapies lack meaningful efficacy and their side effects can be so severe that some patients elect to stop treatment. Nuformix's approach offers the potential to move rapidly into clinic and allows us to explore other unmet needs in interstitial lung disease together."

Commenting, Dr Dan Gooding, Chief Executive Officer, Nuformix, said: "I'm delighted to announce Dr Thillai's appointment as he is a unique individual. Muhunthan has a complete understanding of IPF patients, from those newly diagnosed to those receiving lung transplants at end stage and runs the UK's second largest IPF patient clinic at Royal Papworth. His in-depth understanding of patients' needs and the short-comings of existing therapies will enable Nuformix to identify how our NXP002 programme can offer greatest benefit for his patients. Muhunthan has already contributed to numerous IPF clinical studies and is currently developing new technologies and novel imaging biomarkers that improve assessment of disease progression. On top of this, he is highly respected by his peers and well connected with the major academic and pharmaceutical players in IPF. Muhunthan will provide invaluable experience in the design and execution of future Nuformix clinical studies in IPF for our NXP002 programme."

Dr Andy Richards CBE Chair of the Nuformix Scientific Advisory Board added: "I am excited to be working with Dr Thillai as a member of the Nuformix SAB. It is very encouraging that the data generated and the progress made to date for NXP002 warrant building up clinical expertise in IPF for further development. Muhunthan, brings deep knowledge of this important disease and his insight into biomarkers of IPF progression will be especially invaluable for clinical trial design. His dynamism coupled to his proximity to the Nuformix team in his role at at Royal Papworth will facilitate real impact on NXP002 development"

The Company has entered into an agreement with Muhunthan whereby he will be granted options to subscribe for up to 6,000,000 new ordinary shares of 0.1 pence in the capital of the Company, conditional upon the achievement of various clinical development milestones, at an exercise price of 50% of the trailing 30-day average share price on the date of achievement of each milestone and subject to a lock-in agreement.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure. Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 until the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service and accordingly, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Enquiries:

Nuformix plc Dr Dan Gooding, Chief Executive Officer	[phone]
Optimum Strategic Communications Mary Clark, Supriya Mathur Email: [e-mail]	[phone]

About Nuformix plc  www.nuformix.com 

Nuformix is a pharmaceutical development company using cocrystal technology to unlock the therapeutic potential of approved small molecule drugs. Nuformix's risk-mitigated development strategy has resulted in a pipeline of discoveries through which it has developed and patented novel cocrystal forms of approved small molecules.

Nuformix has created an IP portfolio of granted patents covering cocrystal forms of five small molecule drugs.  Nuformix is targeting high-value unmet needs with its lead programmes in oncology supportive care: NXP001 and fibrosis: NXP002.

Nuformix was established in Cambridge in 2009 and has invested in pharmaceutical cocrystal R&D, establishing world-class capability and know-how in cocrystal discovery and development, yielding multiple product opportunities. 

Nuformix plc shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange's Official List under the ticker: NFX.L.

About Fibrosis

Fibrotic disease is typically associated with high patient mortality, increasing prevalence and a lack of safe and effective treatments. Whilst, fibrosis treatments are in their infancy the emerging lung fibrosis market demonstrates their blockbuster potential. Markets for other fibrotic conditions are under-developed, with large and growing patient populations (e.g. the global liver disease market is predicted to reach $12.1 billion by 2022). IPF is classified as a rare disease, and presents a global commercial market that is forecast to grow to $5bn by 2025.

 

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