VRP Verona Pharma Plc

Verona Pharma plc

("Verona Pharma" or the "Company")

New clinical data on RPL554 to be presented at the 2016 ERS International Congress

Detailed data from Phase 2a “add-on” trial as “LATE-BREAKING abstract”

30 August 2016, Cardiff – Verona Pharma plc (AIM: VRP.L), the drug development company focused on first-in-class medicines to treat respiratory diseases, today announces that it will present three abstracts at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2016 International Congress in London, UK between 3-7 September. The abstracts will cover clinical data related to the Company’s lead drug, RPL554, a novel inhaled dual PDE3/PDE4 inhibitor with both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory properties. RPL554 is currently in development as a nebulised maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with moderate to severe disease and as a treatment for acute exacerbations in COPD patients in a hospital or home-care setting.

Detailed results from the Company’s Phase 2a “add-on” trial, where RPL554 produced a statistically and clinically significant additional bronchodilation on top of standard of care bronchodilators in COPD patients, will be presented for the first time in an oral presentation, by Professor Dave Singh from the Medicines Evaluation Unit, University of Manchester, during a late-breaker session on Monday, 5 September 2016, at 11:00 in Room C.

All three abstracts presented at ERS support Verona Pharma’s view that RPL554 could become an important, novel and complementary inhaled medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma and cystic fibrosis. In summary, the detailed data supports previously announced analysis of headline data which identified:

• Profound and sustained bronchodilation in healthy volunteers, COPD patients and asthmatics;
• Comparable bronchodilation to high dose nebulised salbutamol (a standard of care treatment) in asthmatics with fewer systemic effects; and
• Statistically and clinically significant improvements in lung function when administered as “add-on” treatment to existing standard of care bronchodilators in COPD patients.

All abstracts and details on timings can be accessed through the ERS website: http://erscongress.org/

The title, timing and location of the abstract presentations are as follows:

-ENDS-

About Verona Pharma

Verona Pharma plc is a UK-based clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of innovative prescription medicines to treat respiratory diseases with significant unmet medical needs, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cystic fibrosis.

Verona Pharma's lead drug, RPL554, is a first-in-class drug currently in Phase 2 trials as a nebulised maintenance treatment for COPD patients with moderate to severe disease and possibly as a treatment of acute exacerbations of COPD in the hospital setting. The drug is a dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3/4 inhibitor and therefore has both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory effects, which are essential to the improvement of patients with COPD and asthma.

Verona Pharma is also building a broader portfolio of RPL554-containing products to maximise its benefit to patients and its value. This includes the very significant markets for COPD and asthma maintenance therapy. The Company is also exploring the potential of the drug in different diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, where it is in pre-clinical testing and has received a Venture and Innovation Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

About ERS

The European Respiratory Society (ERS; www.ersnet.org) is an international organisation that brings together physicians, healthcare professionals, scientists and other experts working in respiratory medicine. It is one of the leading medical organisations in the respiratory field, with a growing membership representing over 140 countries worldwide.

ERS’s mission is to promote lung health in order to alleviate suffering from disease and drive standards for respiratory medicine globally. Science, education and advocacy are at the core of everything it does.

THE 26th ERS International Congress will take place at London’s ExCeL Centre and will host the world's largest and most influential meeting for respiratory physicians, scientists and allied health professionals. The Congress Scientific programme will present the best in science and educational sessions from distinguished researchers from across the globe. It will cover key topics in respiratory medicine from across the spectrum of disease areas including TB, lung cancer, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, COPD and asthma amongst others.

Further information on the congress can be accessed via the following weblink: http://erscongress.org/

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