CNRS Confirms Lupuzor's (TM) Effectiveness

RNS Number : 4761W

Immupharma PLC

28 January 2013

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 JANUARY 2013

RNS REACH

CNRS Confirms Lupuzor's ^TM Effectiveness

ImmuPharma PLC (LSE: IMM), ("ImmuPharma" or the "Company"), the specialist drug discovery and development company, is pleased to announce that its key scientific collaboration partner and the inventor of ImmuPharma's lead compound, Lupuzor^TM has issued a press release confirming the effectiveness of the Lupuzor^TM peptide P140.

Lupuzor^TM is ImmuPharma's lead compound and potential blockbuster drug for Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. Lupuzor^TM has received Special Protocol Assessment and Fast Track Designation from the FDA for a Phase III trial.

CNRS Press Release : Summary

A clinical trial with 149 patients suffering from the very disabling autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus, has shown the effectiveness of a synthetic peptide developed by a team of researchers led by CNRS biologist Slyviane Muller (see notes to Editors) at the Institut de Biologie Moleculaire (IBMC) in Strasbourg, France. The peptide, known as P140/Lupuzor^TM, is well tolerated by patients and leads to regression of the disease. Under the CNRS patent, ImmuPharma-France, which funded the trial, has an exclusive license to use the peptide. Now the final phase of clinical tests should soon confirm these results and contribute to the development of a drug without the side effects of existing treatments, which use cortico-steroids and immuno-suppressants. These results are published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

For more information please see the attached PDF of the English translation of the press release or via the CNRS website:

http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/communique/823.htm or

http://www2.cnrs.fr/presse/communique/970.htm

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4761W_-2013-1-28.pdf

Ends

For further information please contact:

ImmuPharma plc	+ 44 (0) 20 7152 4080
Dimitri Dimitriou, Chief Executive Officer
Dr Robert Zimmer, President and Chief Scientific Officer
Richard Warr, Chairman
Lisa Baderoon, Head of Investor Relations	+ 44 (0) 7721 413496
Panmure, Gordon & Co., NOMAD & Broker	[phone]
Fred Walsh
Hannah Woodley

Notes to Editors

ImmuPharma

ImmuPharma is focusing on developing novel medicines with high sales potential in specialist markets with serious unmet need.  ImmuPharma has five drug candidates in development, two platform technologies and approximately 70 patents.  The Company's most advanced drug candidate, Lupuzor^TM a potential blockbuster drug for Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease has recently received the approval from the US FDA to enter phase III with a Special Protocol Assessment and "Fast Track" designation.  The Company's second potential blockbuster compound in cancer "IPP-204106" is completing  a new Phase I/ II clinical trial with the next generation of "polyplexed Nucant".  ImmuPharma was founded and is led by a commercially focused Board and management team with extensive experience. For more information on ImmuPharma please go to www.immupharma.com.

Lupuzor™ - treatment for lupus

Lupus (or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. An estimated 1.4 million people are diagnosed in the 7 major world markets (the USA, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, the UK and Italy). Lupus is an inflammatory disease, which attacks multiple organs such as the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. There is currently no cure. More information on Lupuzor^TM can be found under www.lupuzor.com.

CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche / National Center for Scientific Research)

The CNRS is Europe's largest fundamental research institution. The CNRS was founded in 1939 and is a government-funded research organization, under the administrative authority of France's Ministry of Research and has over 30,000 employees and an annual budget of over €3 billion. The CNRS has received many prestigious awards and has produced 17 Nobel laureates and 11 Fields Medal award winners.

Dr Sylviane Muller, Research Director at CNRS & Co-founder of ImmuPharma France

Sylviane Muller is Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Strasbourg (USIAS), holder of the chair of immunology and therapeutic chemistry, Distinguished class Research Director  and head of the 'Immunologie et chimie thérapeutiques' unit of the "Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique" (CNRS), the largest fundamental research organization in  Europe. She obtained her PhD at the University of Strasbourg. For two years, she was a post-doctoral fellow in Freiburg (Germany) at the Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology. Her field of expertise covers autoimmunity, immuno-peptides and synthetic vaccines. She has made 23 patented discoveries and is widely published (330 publications and reviews/chapters). She was also a founder of Neosystem, now Polypeptide-France, a leading peptide development and manufacturing company. She is the key inventor of ImmuPharma's Lupus lead drug candidate Lupuzor and has been working in this field for more than ten years.

 

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