Publication on sulforaphane in COVID-19

Evgen Pharma Plc

("Evgen" or "the Company")

Publication on sulforaphane in COVID-19

Recent pre-print publication shows in vitro and in vivo antiviral activity of sulforaphane against the virus responsible for COVID-19

Evgen (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company focused on the treatment of cancer, inflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome notes a recent pre-print publication from Johns Hopkins University, USA¹. The publication demonstrates that sulforaphane, the active ingredient in SFX-01, prevents virus-induced cell death in vitro induced by several variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and another coronavirus.

The paper goes on to demonstrate that the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 cytotoxicity by sulforaphane occurs both when cells are pre-treated with sulforaphane and when sulforaphane is administered 24 hours after viral inoculation. The work also shows that sulforaphane acts synergistically with the antiviral drug remdesivir. The authors further established that the effects of sulforaphane, administered orally, were observed in vivo in a mouse model infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus where reduction in both viral load and lung pathology were observed. The data have been published before peer review given the urgency of the current pandemic.

Evgen's SFX-01 is a druggable, clinical grade medicine currently at the clinical trial stage containing synthetic sulforaphane in a stable complex.

Dr Huw Jones CEO of Evgen commented: "We are pleased to note these findings from Johns Hopkins University. If the data continue to demonstrate efficacy after peer review, they underpin and support the hypothesis we are testing with the University of Dundee in the STAR COVID-19 clinical study. We anticipate receiving the outcome of the interim analysis of the first 100 patients completing the study during this second quarter of 2021."

¹ Odronez et al, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.25.437060v1

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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 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

For research on the Company, please visit: http://evgen.com/investors/analyst-coverage/