Evestra Onkologia Sp. Awarded R&D Grant

$4.6 million supports endometriosis drug development

SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Evestrs–Evestra, Inc.’s wholly-owned Polish subsidiary, Evestra Onkologia Sp.,
has received a major research and development grant. The $4.6 million
project, co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund,
will support development of a drug – EC313 – designed to treat
endometriosis.

Evestra is a San Antonio-based biopharmaceutical research and
development company. Evestra Onkologia Sp. z o.o. is a Poland-based
research and development company, dedicated to oncology therapeutics.

Dr. Maciej Wierzbicki and an experienced R&D team in Lodz, Poland are
spearheading Evestra Onkologia Sp. and development of EC313. They will
collaborate with Polish and international experts and opinion leaders.

“We are grateful to the Polish National Centre For Research and
Development for awarding Evestra Onkologia this prestigious grant, and
recognizing the innovative approach taken by Evestra to generate EC313
as a promising drug to treat endometriosis,” said Evestra President and
CEO Ze’ev Shaked. “This grant validates the strategic approach we have
taken to drug development since we launched Evestra in 2008.”

“EC313 was designed through intensive efforts in structure-activity
relationships (SAR), which has led to a new generation of selective
progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM) compounds and so-called
mesoprogestins,” said Evestra’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Klaus
Nickisch. “These mesoprogestins have an optimal tailor-made ratio of
agonistic to antagonistic activity, which is required for a particular
gynecological treatment.”

EC313 has demonstrated significant superiority over other SPRMs, Shaked
said. Evestra completed the discovery work on EC313 and holds an
international patent covering EC313 and other new chemical entities
(NCE).

Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition affecting an estimated
10 percent of women of childbearing age. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, endometriosis is when the kind of tissue
that normally lines the uterus grows somewhere else such as on the
ovaries, behind the uterus, on the bowels, or on the bladder. This
“misplaced” tissue can cause pain, infertility and other problems.

About Evestra

Evestra, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical research and development
company with a therapeutic focus in women’s healthcare. Evestra’s
competitive advantage is based on its founders’ extensive experience in
pharmaceutical R&D, combined with a proven track record in
commercializing women’s healthcare products. For more information about
Evestra, visit http://www.evestra.com/.

Contacts

Evestra
Ze’ev Shaked, 210-673-3300 Ext. 101
President and CEO
or
Media:
Eric
Whittington, 210-904-1400