Positive pre-clinical data for lead asset SFX-01

Evgen Pharma plc

 ("Evgen" or the "Company")

Positive pre-clinical data in Glioma for lead asset SFX-01

Evgen Pharma plc (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company, announces that its collaboration with a prominent European university has generated highly positive data for SFX-01 in pre-clinical models of glioma and glioblastoma. 

Glioma is the most common form of brain tumour affecting around 5 per 100,000 people. The more severe, grade IV classification, glioblastoma, is a very serious form of brain tumour representing 45% of all cases and has a poor prognosis with median survival of around 14 months. The five-year survival of the severe grades is 5%.

The data generated for SFX-01 in standard pre-clinical models and orthotopic models (where glioma cells are implanted in brain tissue representing a more disease-relevant model) show tumour shrinkage and significantly extended survival times. SFX-01 was also found to potentiate (i.e. substantially increase) the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy in these models.

The therapeutic options for glioma are limited to surgery, radiotherapy and the one drug widely available, temozolomide. There is a clear unmet need for more treatments for use in conjunction with the current standard of care.

Dr Huw Jones, Evgen CEO, commented: "We are excited by this compelling new data in a type of cancer which has severely limited therapeutic options for the patient. The positive tolerability profile of SFX-01 makes it a viable option for use in addition to current treatments. Our plan is to expand upon these pre-clinical data in this and new collaborations, and start the process of designing an appropriate Phase II clinical trial."

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About Evgen Pharma plc 

Evgen Pharma is a clinical stage drug development company developing sulforaphane based medicines for the treatment of multiple diseases. 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.

Clinical data from the Company's open-label Phase II STEM trial has shown that SFX-01 can halt the growth of progressing tumours in patients with oestrogen-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer, and in some cases significantly shrink the tumour, whilst causing very few side effects.

The Company 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 joined the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in October 2015 and trades under the ticker symbol EVG.  

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