28th Feb 2005 07:03
Evolutec Group PLC28 February 2005 For immediate release 28 February 2005 EVOLUTEC GROUP PLC ("Evolutec" or "the Company") Agreement signed with Cambrex to develop a commercial manufacturing process forrEV131 Evolutec Group plc (AIM: EVC), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in developingnovel products for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmunediseases, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with CambrexBio Science Baltimore, Inc. ("Cambrex") to manufacture rEV131, Evolutec's leadcompound, for Phase III clinical trials and planned marketing. rEV131 has been manufactured to date according to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)standards for the Phase II clinical trials planned for 2005 in allergic rhinitisand post-operative cataract surgery. The current GLP process produces goodyields of rEV131. The agreement with Cambrex covers process development work, during which Cambrexwill develop a robust, scaleable, current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP)process for purified rEV131, with the goal of optimising the process yield. Theagreement then provides for Cambrex to scale-up the cGMP process. Mark Carnegie Brown, Evolutec's Chief Executive, said: "This agreement, with amarket leader, represents a significant endorsement of Evolutec's core assetrEV131 and serves to support planned clinical trials and marketing." Steven Klosk, Chief Operating Officer, Cambrex Biopharma business, commented: "We are pleased that Evolutec has selected Cambrex for the manufacture of theirlead compound rEV131. Our extensive experience developing scaleable processesand dedication to quality will be key features of the project's success. Welook forward to working on this exciting new therapeutic." ENDS For further information: Evolutec 01865 784070 Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive OfficerNicholas Badman, Chief Financial Officerwww.evolutec.co.uk Cambrex +1 201 804 3062 Anne-Marie Hess, Director Investor Relations [email protected] Corporate Communications Collins Stewart 020 7523 8350 Chris Howard Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000 Mark Court/Tim Anderson/Mary-Jane Johnson Notes for Editors: About Evolutec Evolutec, which is based in Oxford, UK, is a clinical stage biopharmaceuticalcompany with a focus on allergy, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. The Company's lead product, rEV131, is a histamine-binding protein that hasprogressed to Phase II trials in allergic conjunctivitis, rhinitis and ocularinflammation. Positive pre-clinical data has also been generated in asthma.rEV131 is understood to be the only product currently in clinical trials thatimpacts the recently discovered H4 receptor, a receptor implicated in many formsof inflammatory disease. The Company intends to carryout proof of concept PhaseII clinical trials with rEV131 in allergic rhinitis and post-cataract surgery in2005. The Company has two further products in pre-clinical development: rEV598, whichis being evaluated in carcinoid syndrome and CINV (chemotherapy-induced nauseaand vomiting), and rEV576, a complement inhibitor. Evolutec was founded in 1998 to exploit research carried out by the NaturalEnvironment Research Council. Evolutec's drugs were first isolated from thesaliva of ticks. The tick remains undetected by its hosts, including humans, byinjecting an array of molecules into the skin that suppresses normal defencemechanisms. These stealth molecules have evolved over millions of years toenable the tick to take a blood meal from its host. Evolutec employs the tick'sevolutionary stealth technology to offer the potential of treating humandiseases. About Cambrex Bio Science Baltimore Cambrex Bio Science Baltimore, Inc., a subsidiary of Cambrex Corporation (NYSE:CBM), is a contract manufacturer of bulk biopharmaceuticals. The companyprovides pre-clinical, Phase I to III and commercial-scale production ofbiopharmaceutical vaccines and therapeutics. Projects are taken from processdevelopment through manufacturing and long-term supply. The Company hasextensive experience in scale-up and commercial production of recombinantproteins, vaccines and plasmid DNA. Ancillary services include formulationdevelopment, stability studies, process and analytical validation and regulatorysupport. For more information, go to www.cambrex.com/biopharma. Cambrex Corporation is a global, diversified life science company dedicated toproviding high quality products and services that accelerate the development andcommercialization of human therapeutics. The Company employs approximately 1900worldwide. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.cambrex.com. Safe Harbour statement: this news release may contain forward-looking statementsthat reflect the current expectations of the Company regarding future events.Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events coulddiffer materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factorsincluding the success of the Company's research strategies, the applicability ofthe discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinicalstudies, the uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the successfulintegration of completed mergers and acquisitions and achievement of expectedsynergies from such transactions, and the ability of the Company to identify andconsummate suitable strategic and business combination transactions. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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