Neovacs S.A.
NEOVACS INITIATES PHASE IIb TRIAL OF IFNα-KINOID FOR THE TREATMENT OF LUPUS

PRESS RELEASE

NEOVACS INITIATES PHASE IIb TRIAL OF IFNα-KINOID FOR THE TREATMENT OF LUPUS

Enrollment of the first patients

Paris and Boston, September 24, 2015 – NEOVACS (Alternext Paris: ALNEV), a leader in active immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, announced today it has begun enrolling patients in IFN-K-002, a Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of IFNα-Kinoid, Neovacs’ lead active immunotherapy product candidate, to treat Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (“SLE” or “lupus”).

“With the initiation of this Phase IIb study, we have reached an important milestone in the development of IFNα-Kinoid. The first centers of the trial are now up and running, with more centers planned to open in the coming weeks, which will accelerate the recruitment for the study. IFN-K-002 is a key trial for Neovacs, and for our active immunotherapy approach to the treatment of lupus. Lupus affects millions of patients worldwide, most of whom have no access to biological treatments” commented Miguel Sieler, CEO of Neovacs.

Phase IIB trial design for IFN-K-002 in SLE
IFN-K-002 is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center Phase IIb clinical study to assess the biological and clinical efficacy of IFNα-Kinoid in patients suffering from SLE. The study aims to enroll 166 patients in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The co-primary endpoints for the trial are biogical efficacy and clinical efficacy nine months after first treatment with IFNα-Kinoid. Biological efficacy is defined as IFNα-signature neutralization, while clinical efficacy will be measured by the BILAG-based¹ Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) response.

Results of the clinical trial are expected in the first quarter of 2017.

¹ The British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) is a validated index to measure lupus disease activity listed in FDA guidance on lupus. See FDA Systemic Lupus Erythematosus working group report at : www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM072063.pdf#sthash.qR2f2REj.dpuf
 

About Neovacs
Created in 1993, Neovacs is today a leading biotechnology company focused on an active immunotherapy technology platform (Kinoids) with applications in autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the company’s proprietary technology for inducing a polyclonal immune response (covered by five patent families that potentially run until 2032) Neovacs is focusing its clinical development efforts on IFNα-Kinoid, an immunotherapy being developed for the indication of lupus and dermatomyositis. Neovacs is also conducting preclinical development works on other therapeutic vaccines in the fields of auto-immune diseases, oncology and allergies. The goal of the Kinoid approach is to enable patients to have access to safe treatments with efficacy that is sustained in these life-long diseases.

For more information on Neovacs, please visit www.neovacs.fr

Contacts

NEOVACS – Investor Relations
Nathalie Trépo
+33 (0)1 53 10 93 00
ntrepo@neovacs.com

Investor Relations / Financial Communications – NewCap
Valentine Brouchot / Pierre Laurent
+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94
neovacs@newcap.fr

Investor Relations / Financial Communications Germany – MC Services
Raimund Gabriel
+49-89-210228-30
raimund.gabriel@mc-services.eu

Press / U.S. Inquiries – The Ruth Group
Lee Roth
1.646.536.7023
lroth@theruthgroup.com