With Final Documentation Submitted for International Patent Applications, Bionor Pharma ASA Sees Promise of Two Core Platform Technologies

OSLO, NORWAY--(Marketwire - January 23, 2012) -

News Summary

• Bionor Pharma ASA has previously submitted two international patent applications for the Company’s core platform technologies, supporting all products in the pipeline.
• Bionor today announces that final additional data have been submitted for both applications, within the deadline of 12 months.

Bionor Pharma ASA (OSLO: BIONOR) today announced that its submission has been completed for two applications of Intellectual Property that will provide general platform protection for the Company’s development of peptide vaccines for cellular immunity (such as the HIV therapeutic vaccine Vacc-4x) and humoral immunity (such as the HIV therapeutic / preventive vaccine Vacc-C5).

About the platform patent technologies
The immune system induces cellular immunity to kill virus infected cells, and humoral immunity to generate antibodies that can bind virus particles and aid in their elimination.

The submitted data complete the international patent applications of the two platform technologies that were made on December 2nd, 2010 and January 6th, 2011 respectively.

Bionor Pharma’s technology is based on identification of conserved peptide regions on proteins important for viral propagation, followed by modifications of these peptides to enhance immune responses. The data submitted supports properties to be protected by the platform patents involving general means to enhance these immune responses. These common properties have been used in the development of current and future specific vaccines, such as for HIV (Vacc-4x and Vacc-C5), Influenza A (Vacc-Flu) and Hepatitis C (Vacc-HCV).

“The submission of these new additional data creates a solid foundation for Bionor’s current and future IP,” said Steen Krøyer, CEO of Bionor Pharma. “Since an essential part of our company’s assets are intellectual property, we therefore believe this will strongly benefit the funding of our clinical programs and bring value to the partnering processes.”

About the vaccine products, developed from the two platform technologies

HIV/AIDS
The therapeutic HIV vaccine Vacc-4x is the Company’s lead investigational product, and has completed a Phase IIb multinational, placebo controlled double-blind trial, which found a statistically significant reduction in viral load in treated subjects. Patients given the vaccine were 70 percent more likely to remain off ART (conventional medicine) two years after being injected with the vaccine.

Vacc-C5 is developed to induce antibodies to HIV that can reduce immune hyper activation associated with HIV infection. Bionor intends to bring Vacc-C5 into the clinic in 2Q 2012. Because researchers have already found that patients with antibodies to the C5 region on HIV have little virus in their blood and slow disease progression, Bionor anticipates that Vacc-C5 will offer an important weapon towards finding a functional cure for HIV.

Vacc-4x in combination with Vacc-C5 can potentially revolutionize the management of HIV infection and could form the basis for a preventive HIV vaccine.

Influenza A
Vacc-Flu is in preclinical research, which is expected to finish by the end of 2012. Vacc-Flu will then be prepared for clinical development and partnering process.

Vacc-Flu is a universal Influenza vaccine that researchers hope will be effective against all variations of the Influenza A virus, and lasting for several years before revaccination is necessary.

Hepatitis C
Vacc-HCV is also in preclinical phase which is expected to be finalized during 2012. Vacc-HCV will then be prepared for clinical development and partnering process.

“Because Vacc-Flu and Vacc-HCV are based on peptides with similar vaccine design as for Bionor’s other vaccines, which have shown no serious side effects in human trials, we are optimistic that also these candidates will be continued into human trials,” said Mr. Krøyer.

About Bionor Pharma

Bionor Pharma ASA is a Norwegian biopharmaceutical company based in Oslo, Norway.

The Company’s innovative peptide vaccine technology platforms are well suited to the development of vaccines for a wide range of viral diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, Influenza, HCV (Hepatitis C) and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus).

Bionor’s proprietary technology platforms are developed following more than ten years of research on peptides. The vaccines are designed to safely activate each person’s immune system to combat a specific viral disease.

Bionor seeks to create positive cash flow at an early stage of development by signing partnering deals with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. This includes short-term out-licensing of products with royalty payments or direct funding of clinical trials, such as Bionor’s agreement signed in August 2011 with one of the world’s largest biotech companies. The collaboration includes a clinical trial on patients with HIV using a combination of Vacc-4x, and the cancer drug Revlimid® (Lenalidomide).

More information about Bionor Pharma, its research and products, is available at www.bionorpharma.com.

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