AiCuris to cooperate with Cyclenium Pharma to Develop Novel Anti-Infectives

Wuppertal, Germany and Montreal, Canada, October 1^st, 2018 - AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH, a leading company in the discovery and development of innovative drugs targeting infectious diseases, and Cyclenium Pharma Inc., an emerging pharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery of novel therapeutics based on its proprietary CMRT(TM) macrocyclic chemistry technology, announced today the signing of a collaboration agreement focused on finding new pharmaceutical compounds for the treatment and prevention of bacterial and viral diseases. The collaboration will capitalize on AiCuris' proven track record in identifying and developing promising anti-infective drug candidates and Cyclenium's novel QUEST Library(TM) of next generation synthetic small-molecule macrocycles and unparalleled expertise in drug discovery with such structures.

Within the collaboration, Cyclenium will perform synthetic and medicinal chemistry activities to generate and optimize new macrocyclic molecules effective against specific anti-infective targets chosen by AiCuris. AiCuris will be responsible for pharmacological characterization, further compound optimization, pharmaceutical profiling and development of these new chemical entities. In addition, AiCuris will gain worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of all clinical candidates resulting from this collaboration. In return, Cyclenium will receive an upfront payment, research funding, development and sales milestones, as well as royalties for any marketed products.

"We at AiCuris are constantly looking for new approaches and novel compound classes with new modes of action to develop drugs that have the potential to successfully fight the threat of infections of the 21st century," said Dr. Holger Zimmermann, CEO of AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH. "We are very impressed by the potential of Cyclenium's CMRT(TM) Technology and its QUEST Library(TM) of macrocyclic molecules. These compounds constitute a chemical class that provides an attractive alternative to the typical heterocyclic small molecules that dominate current pharmaceutical compound collections."

"We are thrilled to begin this collaboration with AiCuris, a leading innovator in the development of medicines to combat infectious diseases," stated Helmut Thomas, Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer of Cyclenium Pharma. "We are very confident that the unique macrocycles produced through our versatile CMRT(TM) Technology combined with the expertise of AiCuris' superb research team offer excellent potential for the discovery and development of novel anti-infective therapeutics."

Both companies have multiple international partnerships. AiCuris has formed alliances with Merck & Co. (USA), Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology (Germany), and is part of an EU funded Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) consortium. Cyclenium has previously announced collaborations with Ono Pharmaceuticals (Japan), Haplogen Biosciences GmbH (Austria), German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Gordon Cancer Research Centre (Canada), among others.

About AiCuris Anti-infective Cures GmbH

AiCuris was founded in 2006 as a spin-off from Bayer and focuses on the discovery and development of drugs targeting infectious diseases. SANTO Holding is the Company's majority investor. PREVYMIS(TM) (letermovir), a first-in-class non-nucleoside cytomegalovirus (CMV) inhibitor acting via a novel mechanism of action that was licensed to MSD in 2012, received market approval in the U.S., Europa and Japan for the prevention of CMV infections in adult recipients of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The Company develops drugs for the treatment of viruses such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and adenoviruses. In the field of antibacterials, AiCuris seeks to develop innovative treatment options for life-threatening, (multidrug)-resistant hospital-treated pathogens.

About Cyclenium Pharma Inc.

Cyclenium Pharma is an emerging, privately-held pharmaceutical research and development company exploiting its proprietary next generation CMRT(TM) macrocyclic drug discovery technology and QUEST(TM) screening library for the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutic agents to address areas of unsatisfied medical need. Cyclenium is building value through progression of internal programs in oncology, infectious diseases and inflammation/pain. In addition, Cyclenium makes advantageous use of its almost 20 years of experience, extensive knowledge base and unparalleled expertise in macrocyclic chemistry in risk-sharing partnerships with leading academic and research driven non-profit organizations, as well as collaborations with innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies world-wide seeking to modulate unique and difficult disease targets in diverse therapeutic areas. For more information see: .

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