Vernalis to present at 14th World Congress on Pain

13 August 2012

LSE: VER

Vernalis to Present Positive Phase I Data for V158866

At 14th World Congress on Pain

Vernalis plc today announces results from its Phase I trial of V158866, its fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor will be presented at the 14th Annual World Congress on Pain Meeting, which is being held in Milan from 27th to 31st August 2012.

The poster (PT 436) will be presented by Dr Steve Pawsey, Development Director, on 28th August and will be included in a discussion session from 9.45 am to 10.45 am. 

Interim result of the double-blind, placebo controlled study were published in September 2011. The Phase I study investigating single and multiple ascending doses was conducted in healthy male volunteers. Both single dose and repeated administration for 7 days across a wide range of doses were found to be well tolerated with no safety concerns identified. There were few adverse events at any dose, including the highest dose studied, 500 mg once daily for 7 days. The pharmacokinetics of the compound were found to be straightforward, with good exposures that increased in an approximately linear fashion with oral dosing. There were clear changes in the pharmacodynamic markers (plasma FAAH activity and endocannabinoid concentrations) at all doses studied, including even the lowest single dose (5 mg).

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About Vernalis

Vernalis is a revenue generating development stage pharmaceutical company with one marketed product, frovatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine and an exclusive licensing agreement to develop and commercialise multiple novel products focussed on the US prescription cough/cold market as well as seven programmes in its NCE development pipeline. Vernalis has significant expertise in fragment and structure based drug discovery which it leverages to enter into collaborations with larger pharmaceutical companies. The Company's technologies, capabilities and products are endorsed by collaborations with Endo, Genentech, Lundbeck, Menarini, Novartis, Servier and Tris.

For further information about Vernalis, please visit www.vernalis.com

Vernalis Forward-Looking Statement

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events including the clinical development and regulatory clearance of the Company's products, the Company's ability to find partners for the development and commercialisation of its products, as well as the Company's future capital raising activities. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events could differ materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors including the success of the Company's research strategies, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the ability of the Company to identify and agree beneficial terms with suitable partners for the commercialisation and/or development of its products, as well as the achievement of expected synergies from such transactions, the acceptance of frovatriptan and other products by consumers and medical professionals, the successful integration of completed mergers and acquisitions and achievement of expected synergies from such transactions, and the ability of the Company to identify and consummate suitable strategic and business combination transactions.