SFX-01 featured in SAH review paper

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Evgen Pharma plc

 ("Evgen" or "the Company")

 Lead product SFX-01 featured in SAH review paper

Evgen Pharma plc (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company focused on the treatment of cancer and neurological conditions, announces that Evgen and its lead product, SFX-01, are featured in a recently published paper entitled "Neuroprotective Role of the Nrf2 Pathway in Subarachnoid Haemorrhage and Its Therapeutic Potential". SFX-01 is the Company's synthetic formulation of stabilised sulforaphane ('SFN').

The review paper, in the journal "Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity", is co-authored by consultant neurosurgeon Diederik Bulters, Evgen's principal investigator on the Company's Phase IIb trial in subarachnoid haemorrhage ("SAH") at University Hospital Southampton. The review details the different mechanisms of injury after SAH, summarises evidence that the Nrf2 pathway is active and protective after SAH and comments on the substantial preclinical evidence for the therapeutic potential of SFN as an Nrf2 activator.

The paper states that: "In many respects, SFN would appear to be an excellent candidate as a new therapeutic for patients after SAH. The lack of a practical formulation for clinical use has prevented

trials to date. However, SFX-01 (Evgen Pharma) represents a novel solution to this by complexing SFN with α-cyclodextrin to produce a stable powder that can be used clinically."

The paper can be viewed at:  https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6218239 

Evgen recently confirmed in its financial results for the year ended 31 March 2019 that the read-out of its Phase IIb trial in SAH would be announced at the end of Q3 or early Q4 in the current calendar year.

Dr Stephen Franklin, CEO of Evgen, commented:

"This paper clearly elucidates the potential of SFX-01 in the treatment of subarachnoid haemorrhage, a condition for which there has been no material development, in terms of a new pharmacological approach, for about thirty years.  We look forward to the results of our phase II trial later this year."

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About Evgen Pharma plc

Evgen Pharma is a clinical stage drug development company whose lead programmes are in breast cancer and subarachnoid haemorrhage, a type of stroke.  The Company's core technology is Sulforadex®, a method for synthesising and stabilising the naturally occurring compound sulforaphane and novel proprietary analogues based on sulforaphane.  The lead product, SFX-01, is a patented composition of synthetic sulforaphane and alpha-cyclodextrin. 

The Group commenced operations in January 2008 and has its headquarters at The Colony, Wilmslow, Cheshire, and its registered office is at the Liverpool Science Park, Liverpool.  It is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol EVG. 

For further information, please visit: www.evgen.com