Completion of Phase 1 Study

ARK THERAPEUTICS GROUP PLC

Completion of the dose ranging Phase I section of refractory angina clinical study

Enrolment into Phase IIa stage expected to begin Q3 2012

London, UK, 16 May 2012 - Ark Therapeutics Group plc (AKT: LSE) ("Ark" or "the Company") is pleased to announce completion of the dose ranging Phase I section of the academic study of Ark's VEGF-D adenoviral vector treatment for refractory angina. The study is being carried out in collaboration with the AIV Institute in Finland. The subsequent Phase IIa controlled efficacy stage will comprise 15 additional patients to be treated with the optimal dose identified from Phase I and will also compare with controls for indicators of both safety and efficacy. The Phase IIa stage is expected to enrol its first patient in Q3 2012.

Refractory angina is a consequence of insufficient blood supply to the areas of heart muscle damaged by a heart attack. Ark's adenoviral vector carrying a transgene for expression of pro-angiogenic human VEGF-D is designed to treat the condition by stimulating new blood vessel generation at the ischemic heart muscle to which it is directly administered. 

Professor Ylä-Herttuala, Consultant Director of Molecular Medicine at Ark commented:

"This is an important step in the development of this new local therapy for severe refractory angina and coronary heart disease patients. Ark's gene drug delivery is accomplished with a precision catheter system directly into myocardium thus lowering the required dose and targeting the vector directly to the ischemic area where it is needed."

Martyn Williams, Chief Executive of Ark commented:

"This important milestone is further evidence of progress in our portfolio of gene-based therapeutics using our established adenoviral delivery system to treat hitherto intractable conditions."

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Ark Therapeutics Group plc

Ark Therapeutics Group plc is an innovative gene-based medicine company with operations in the UK and Finland that seeks to capitalise through partnerships on its pipeline of programmes in high value areas of unmet medical need within vascular disease and cancer, and to exploit its unrivalled viral manufacturing capability based in Kuopio, Finland. Ark Therapeutics' biological manufacturing operations provide process development and manufacturing for a growing number of third party clients for a variety of stages of therapeutic development, as well as for its own internal programmes.

Ark's research is focused on discovering new approaches to gene delivery using viral vectors with particular emphasis on genes that control tissue vascularisation, especially VEGF, and is based on the work of its two world-leading research centres in Kuopio and London. The Finnish group is led by Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala and is expert in the exploitation of viral technology to address serious medical problems, while Professor John Martin leads a team in London who have complementary skills in the understanding of biological structures and the development of small molecule agonists and antagonists. This combination of skills has resulted in Ark identifying and bringing forward a number of attractive programmes in gene therapeutics and small molecules

Ark's shares were first listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2004 (AKT.L).

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