Appointment of Biresh Roy as CFO and Board member

Verona Pharma plc ("Verona Pharma" or the "Company") Appointment of Biresh Royas CFO and member of the Board of Directors 30 September 2014, Cardiff - Verona Pharma plc (AIM: VRP.L), the drugdevelopment company focused on first-in-class medicines to treat respiratorydiseases, today announces the appointment of Biresh Roy as Chief FinancialOfficer and member of the Board of Directors with immediate effect. He takesover from Richard Bungay whose appointment was part-time and a non-board role. Biresh Roy, aged 51, has a strong track record in executing and financinginternational M&A deals, growth and company turnarounds. He has particularexperience with pharma, biotech and medical device companies. In December 2012,Biresh founded Ebury Capital and Growth Solutions, a professional services andinvestment boutique focused on executing change and investing in AIM andprivately backed companies. Between 2004 and 2011, Biresh was adviser toseveral venture capital and private equity firms. During this time he alsoacted as Chief Financial Officer for several companies, including Enigmadiagnostics, Xytis, Morphochem and Santhera. This was preceded by a period as amanagement consultant at AT Kearney and PWC, which included assignments with anumber of Pharma companies. Biresh qualified as a Chartered Accountant withPrice Waterhouse. Dr. Jan-Anders Karlsson, Chief Executive Officer of Verona Pharma, commented: "Having successfully raised significant capital earlier this year, we lookforward to having Biresh on our team. His experience will be invaluable as webuild the Company and seek to develop the full potential of RPL554 inrespiratory disease to create significant shareholder value. "The Board would like to thank Richard for his significant contributions andcounsel to Verona Pharma, especially during the recent fundraising and wish himwell for the future." Mr. Roy commented: "I am very pleased to be joining my new colleagues at Verona Pharma. I amconfident that together we will be able to create significant value for ourinvestors, and ultimately benefits for patients, by advancing novel medicinessuch as RPL554." Biresh Roy is a current director of both Ebury Bridge Management Limited andEbury Restructuring Partners Limited. During the past five years Biresh Roy wasa director of Future Metals (Europe) Limited, which was dissolved byshareholders. Save as disclosed in this announcement, there are no furtherdisclosures required under Rule 17 or Schedule 2 (g) of the AIM Rules forCompanies. -Ends- For further information please contact: Verona Pharma plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7863 3300Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO N+1 Singer Tel: +44 (0)20 7496 3000Aubrey Powell / Jen Boorer FTI Consulting Tel: +44 (0)20 3727 1000Julia Phillips / Simon Conway Notes to Editors About Verona Pharma plc Verona Pharma is developing first-in-class drugs to treat respiratory disease,such as COPD and asthma. The Company currently has two drug programmes, one ofwhich is in Phase II trials for two diseases. The lead programme, RPL554, is an innovative dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and4 inhibitor with both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory properties. In itssecond programme, Verona Pharma is investigating novel anti-inflammatorymolecules, called NAIPs, for a wide range of respiratory and inflammatorydiseases. About RPL554 for the treatment of COPD and Asthma Verona's lead drug, RPL554, is a dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and 4 inhibitorbeing developed as a novel treatment for chronic obstructive airways diseasesuch as COPD and asthma with bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory effects. Botheffects are essential to improve symptoms in patients with COPD or asthma.RPL554 is currently in Phase II for both diseases. COPD is a chronic lung disease with significant unmet need for which currenttreatment is far from optimal, as it often has unwanted side-effects and/orlimited effectiveness. COPD is most commonly characterised by fixed airflowobstruction and chronic airways inflammation resulting from exposure toirritants like tobacco smoke. Asthma, which remains one of the most commonchronic diseases in the world, is characterised by recurrent breathing problemsand symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing.The combined market for COPD and asthma drugs is currently estimated to beGBP20 billion (source: visiongain).