16th May 2006 07:02
Evolutec Group PLC16 May 2006 For Immediate Release 16 May 2006 EVOLUTEC GROUP PLC ("Evolutec" or "the Company") Appointment of Clinical Trials Manager Evolutec Group plc (AIM: EVC), the biopharmaceutical company developing novelproducts for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, ispleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Wilson-Campbell, an experiencedUS-based clinical trials manager. Lisa will monitor the Company's US-basedclinical trials. Evolutec sees a clear benefit in having a US-based clinical trials manager toensure the effective delivery of the clinical programmes for its lead compoundrEV131 in allergic rhinitis, post-cataract surgery and dry-eye. IND planning forthese trials is advanced and the Company anticipates starting trials in thethird quarter of 2006. Lisa will report to Dr Wynne Weston-Davies, the Company's Medical andDevelopment Director, who is based at the Company's headquarters in Reading, UK.Lisa graduated in Physiology and Pharmacology and has gained considerableexperience of clinical trials management in both the UK and the US and hasparticular expertise in ethics committee submissions, compliance and datamanagement across a range of therapeutic areas. Mark Carnegie Brown, Evolutec's Chief Executive Officer, said: "I am delightedto announce Lisa's appointment as clinical trials manager to monitor our USclinical programme. Her US location ensures that the three Phase II trials,which are of major importance to the value creation of our business, will bemonitored from close proximity." For further information: Evolutec Group plc Tel: 0118 922 4480Mark Carnegie Brown, Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Badman, Chief Financial Officerwww.evolutec.co.ukBuchanan Communications Tel: 020 7466 5000Mark Court/Mary-Jane Johnson/Catherine Breen Notes for Editors: About Evolutec Group plc Evolutec is a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for allergy,inflammation and autoimmune disease. Evolutec's lead drug candidate, rEV131 has efficacy in both acute and chronicrespiratory indications including allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma. In2005, Evolutec announced a positive result for rEV131 in a 112 patient PhaseIIa proof of concept study in allergic rhinitis. rEV131 met the primaryefficacy endpoint (p < 0.05). In addition, rEV131 showed efficacy againstmucus and congestion, the most difficult to treat symptoms of rhinitis as well as a rapid onset of action. Evolutec intends to carry out additional proof of concept Phase II trials withrEV131 in post-cataract surgery and dry eye. Positive preclinical data hasalso been generated in asthma. rEV131 is a histamine binding protein and is understood to be the only product currently in clinical trials that impacts therecently discovered H4 receptor, a receptor implicated in many forms ofinflammatory disease. The Company has a further two molecules in preclinical development. rEV576, acomplement inhibitor that was very effective in a preclinical model ofmyasthenia gravis, and rEV598, which is being evaluated in carcinoid syndromeand CINV (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting). Evolutec is working withMerial to develop anti-tick and anti-tick borne disease vaccines. Evolutec, which is based in Reading, UK, was founded in 1998 to exploit researchcarried out by the Natural Environment Research Council. Evolutec's drugs werefirst isolated from the saliva of ticks but are now manufactured by bacterial fermentation procedures. The tick remains undetected by its hosts, includinghumans, by injecting an array of molecules into the skin that suppresses normaldefence mechanisms. These stealth molecules have evolved over millions of yearsto enable the tick to take a blood meal from its host. Evolutec employs thetick's evolutionary stealth technology to offer the potential of treating humandiseases. 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 could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factorsincluding the success of the Company's research strategies, the applicabilityof the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the uncertainties related to the regulatory process, thesuccessful integration of completed mergers and acquisitions and achievement ofexpected synergies from such transactions, and the ability of the Company to identify and consummate suitable strategic and business combinationtransactions. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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