IMM Immupharma Plc

RNS Number:8371Q
Immupharma PLC
07 February 2007


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            7 FEBRUARY 2007




                                   ImmuPharma


                                 Board Changes



ImmuPharma PLC (LSE:IMM), ("ImmuPharma" or the "Company"), the specialist drug
discovery and development company, announced today the following changes to its
Board and a senior management appointment.


Douglas Paterson, senior non executive director and chairman of the audit
committee is stepping down by mutual agreement.


Tony Johnson is also stepping down from his non-executive directorship to assume
a scientific advisory role for the Company's development and licensing projects.
Tony Johnson has over 30 years experience in the pharma sector, most recently as
Senior Director, Scientific Licensing at GlaxoSmithKline.


ImmuPharma welcomes Dr. Franco Di Muzio, aged 69, as a non executive director.
Dr. Di Muzio has 40 years experience in the pharmaceutical and other industries,
encompassing international management experience in business development,
strategic marketing, international finance, M & A and re-engineering businesses.
After graduating in Economics and Business in 1963, Dr Di Muzio worked for
Colgate Palmolive and Nestle before joining Squibb (now Bristol Myers Squibb)
for eight years. Dr Di Muzio became Executive Vice President of BMS' medical
equipment and products division, Weck International Inc., in charge of Europe,
Asia, Middle East and Africa. In 1990, he joined Glaxo Wellcome plc. (now
GlaxoSmithKline plc) in London as Area Managing Director and Head of all GW's
business in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Following early retirement from
Glaxo Wellcome, in the beginning of 1998, he joined Alza International, the then
world leader in drug delivery systems, as Managing Director, based in London, in
charge of the company's business expansion in all markets outside the US and
remained there until the end of 2000.


In addition to the above board changes, Tracy Weimar is joining ImmuPharma as
Vice-President of Operations. She has spent over 8 years at GlaxoSmithKline and
her most recent position was Director, Worldwide Business Development where she
was involved in a number of corporate licensing deals. Ms Weimar holds an MBA
from the London Business School and a BA in Economics from the University of
California, Berkeley. Ms Weimar has also spent 5 years as tax consultant in a
major accounting firm in the US and the UK.


All changes are with immediate effect.


There is nothing further to disclose in relation to the appointment of Dr Di
Muzio under paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules.



ImmuPharma's Chairman, Richard Warr, said: "We wish to thank Douglas Paterson
for his support and advice during the formative period for ImmuPharma and wish
him every success in his future endeavours. Similarly we look forward to working
with Tony Johnson in his new scientific advisory role.


ImmuPharma has progressed with the clinical trials of its lead compound for
Lupus to the point where it is appropriate to plan ahead for the final trials,
marketing and likely negotiations with potential licensing partners. Franco di
Muzio's experience and relationships will be of invaluable assistance to
ImmuPharma when addressing these key decisions. Ms Weimar's financial and
commercial experience will augment ImmuPharma's capabilities."





For further information please contact:

ImmuPharma PLC:
Dimitri Dimitriou, Chief Executive Officer                      +44 20 7152 4080
Richard Warr, Chairman                                          +44 20 7152 4080
Dr Robert Zimmer, President & Chief Scientific Officer         + 33 389 32 76 50

Buchanan Communications                                        + 44 20 7466 5000
Lisa Baderoon
Rebecca Skye Dietrich



Notes to Editors:


About ImmuPharma


ImmuPharma PLC is a drug discovery and development company headquartered in
London, UK and quoted on AIM of the London Stock Exchange (LSE:IMM). It has
research operations in France (ImmuPharma (France) SA) and Switzerland
(ImmuPharma AG). ImmuPharma is dedicated to the development of novel drugs,
largely based on peptide therapeutics, to treat serious medical conditions such
as autoimmune diseases characterised by:


*           blockbuster potential in niche markets


*           low promotional costs in few specialised physicians and centres and


*           lower risk of drug development and lower development costs


ImmuPharma is a currently developing drug candidates for three different medical
conditions, each of which would represent a significant breakthrough in its
field. The furthest advanced drug candidate targets Lupus, a disease for which
there is currently no cure or specific treatment. The other two address moderate
to severe pain (such as that experienced by cancer sufferers and post-operative
patients), and MRSA and similar severe hospital-acquired resistant infections.


All three have significant sales potential as well as low marketing costs and a
relatively low risk of development failure. One or more have the potential to be
fast-tracked by the US Food and Drug Administration according to "Guidance for
Industry: Fast Track Drug Development Programs - Designation, Development and
Application Review" issued July 2004 and could therefore obtain their market
authorization by 2010.


Key to the potential success of ImmuPharma is its unique collaborative agreement
with Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France's scientific research
institution. This agreement grants ImmuPharma worldwide exclusive rights to
exploit certain key discoveries.


In addition to its three leading drug candidates, ImmuPharma has a drug
development pipeline using its rights to a virtual chemical library of hundreds
of thousands of molecules as well as an innovative technology for converting
peptides to drug candidates.


ImmuPharma has the option to commercialise its assets itself or to license them
to other pharmaceutical companies at an earlier stage.



The products


Treatment of Lupus (IPP-201101)


This is a long-term treatment for Lupus, a chronic, life-threatening autoimmune
disease where the immune system attacks healthy cells. There is currently no
cure and existing medications only treat the symptoms whereas ImmuPharma's drug
candidate has the potential to produce remission of the disease in a substantial
proportion of patients.


Based on independent forecasts, the value of ImmuPharma's Lupus drug is
estimated to be "substantial" with peak annual sales forecast to generate in
excess of $4 billion.



Severe pain relief (IPP-102199)


ImmuPharma is developing a potential non-addictive compound for relieving
moderate to severe pain, such as experienced by cancer sufferers and
post-surgical patients. Most existing treatments are derived from the opiate
morphine and tend to have serious side effects. ImmuPharma's new treatment is
based on met-enkephalin, the body's internal analgesic. IPP-102199 is being
developed to have major advantages over morphine such as longer pain relief
duration and reduced side effects. The market for chronic opioids in the US
currently exceeds $3.5 billion and is growing by more than 10 to 20 per cent a
year.



Antibiotic for MRSA and similar highly resistant infections (IPP-203101)


This is a novel antibiotic to combat MRSA and other severe hospital-acquired,
resistant infections which affect some two million people in the US, according
to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ImmuPharma's drug
candidate is targeted at disrupting the membrane potential of the bacterial
pathogens. It is hoped this novel approach will reduce their potential to become
resistant.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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