Evgen Pharma PLC - Recruitment of first patient in STAR trial

Evgen Pharma plc

 ("Evgen" or the "Company")

Recruitment of first patient in STAR trial

Evaluation of SFX-01 in acute respiratory distress syndrome commences

Evgen Pharma plc (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company, announces that, the first patient has now been enrolled and dosed in the STAR trial (SFX-01 treatment for Acute Respiratory Infections).

This Phase II/III trial is a randomised, placebo-controlled trial and is sponsored by the University of Dundee. It will investigate whether the Company's lead asset, SFX-01, can reduce the severity, or prevent the onset of, acute respiratory distress syndrome ("ARDS") in patients with community-acquired pneumonia who have been or are being tested for suspected COVID-19. Patients may therefore present with COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases.

SFX-01 upregulates the Nrf2 pathway which is part of the natural human defence against inflammatory and oxidative stress, such as the inflammation that occurs during a severe viral infection. Preclinical studies have shown that up-regulating the Nrf2 pathway reduces the severity of ARDS, the progressive lung damage observed in COVID-19 and pneumonia patients, which can result in the need for invasive ventilation in an intensive care unit.

Dr Huw Jones, CEO of Evgen, commented: "The initiation of enrolment is an important milestone for us and marks the first use of SFX-01 in respiratory disease, targeting the Nrf2 pathway. We remain hopeful that the outcome of this trial will reduce both the severity and duration of the disease for COVID-19 patients and those with pneumonia from other infective agents."

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

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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