Appointments of U.S. finance adviser and auditor

25 January 2016

Motif Bio plc

("Motif" or the "Company")

Appointments of U.S. corporate finance adviser and auditor

Motif Bio plc (LSE: MTFB), the clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specialising in developing novel antibiotics, announces today the appointment of U.S. healthcare investment bank MTS Health Partners (MTS) to advise on its future financing options within the U.S. market. A NASDAQ listing continues to be an option for Motif in order to be aligned with several peer companies.

The Company has appointed as its auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), one of the top four multinational professional services firms in the world.

Considerable progress has also been made with plans to identify strategic partners who are interested in licensing our Phase III asset, iclaprim, outside the U.S.

Graham Lumsden, CEO of Motif, said: "For Motif to continue to grow and become a leading antibiotic company, and in order to continue to build value for our existing shareholders, it is important that we explore the capital markets in the U.S., including the potential for a NASDAQ listing. With the appointment of MTS, we can make the right decisions on how to proceed during 2016.

"The accomplishments in 2015 - listing on AIM in April, raising £25 million including the follow-on in July, being granted QIDP designation for iclaprim by the FDA, and completing the manufacture of clinical trial supplies, have strengthened the Company and positioned us for continued success in 2016."

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Notes to Editors:

Motif is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, specialising in the development of novel antibiotics that are designed to be effective against serious and life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. Our lead product candidate, iclaprim, is being developed for the treatment of the most common and serious bacterial infections such as acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) and hospital acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), including those caused by resistant strains such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Two Phase III ABSSSI clinical trials are on track to be completed in 2017 and if approved, iclaprim could be ready for commercialization in 2018. The Company is in discussions with pharmaceutical companies and universities to build a pipeline of innovative antibiotics targeting Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. For additional information about Motif please visit www.motifbio.com.