Trophos SA Awarded USD 1.4 Million to Develop Promising Compounds in Preclinical Models of Ischemia-reperfusion Injury

Neurodegenerative disease specialist and academic collaborators aim to establish preclinical proof-of-concept for TRO40303 in models of ischemia-reperfusion injury

Marseille, February 28th, 2008 - Trophos SA, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of drugs for neurological disorders, announced today that the company has been awarded a two-year grant of nearly EUR 1 million by the French research agency, Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR), to support a project named IRIstop.

IRIstop aims to further evaluate the ability of the Trophos drug candidate, TRO40303, to arrest or prevent the cellular damage that occurs in preclinical models of both cardiac and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The IRIstop project will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Alain Berdeaux (University of Creteil, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, INSERM U841) and Prof. Michel Plotkine (Paris Descartes, Faculté de sciences pharmaceutiques et biologiques de Paris).

TRO40303 is representative of novel compounds identified using the proprietary neuronal cell screening platform developed at Trophos. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that these compounds promote the function and survival of neurons, cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes under various disease-relevant stress conditions, via a mitochondria-based mechanism of action. Initial data from preclinical studies employing widely accepted in vivo models of cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury support the further development of TRO40303 as an effective treatment for ischemia-reperfusion injury. The collaborative IRIstop project aims to establish the therapeutic potential and preclinical proof-of-concept for TRO40303 in both cardiac and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury models. In parallel, Trophos will complete regulatory preclinical studies that will enable TRO40303 to begin clinical development, now expected in 2009.

"We are very pleased that the ANR has chosen to support the preclinical and clinical development of TRO40303 as a potential treatment for cardiac and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, indications with significant unmet medical needs and tremendous commercial potential," said Antoine Béret, CEO at Trophos. "This would be the second Trophos product to enter the clinic with a mitochondria-based mechanism of action that is predicted to exhibit a therapeutic benefit in diseases such as neuropathic pain, ischemia-reperfusion injury and hepatotoxicity. TRO19622, our lead product, is currently enrolling patients in a Phase IIa trial in painful diabetic neuropathy and a Phase Ib study in SMA."

About Trophos: www.trophos.com
Trophos is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel therapeutic compounds to treat neurological disorders and other diseases with high unmet medical needs. The Trophos discovery strategy has enabled it to develop a portfolio of proprietary products, such as its lead product TRO19622 and drug candidate TRO40303, that confer a survival benefit upon stressed neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. This is achieved through a mitochondria-based mechanism of action with a robust therapeutic rationale predicted to exhibit a therapeutic benefit in diseases such as neuropathic pain, ischemia-reperfusion injury and hepatotoxicity. The company is focusing its efforts on the orphan indicates ALS and SMA while seeking to establish clinical proof of concept and partnerships in other indications, such as neuropathic pain, ischemia-reperfusion injury and hepatotoxicity. The company is currently performing two clinical studies with TRO19622, a Phase IIa trial in painful diabetic neuropathy and a Phase Ib study in SMA.

Trophos was founded in 1999, is based in Marseille, France and currently has 32 employees.

For further information, please contact:
Andrew Lloyd & Associates
Andrew Lloyd / Neil Hunter
Tel: +44 1273 675100
allo@ala.com  / neil@ala.com