Copenhagen, 28 November 2006 Santaris Pharma, the Danish biopharmaceutical company developing RNA Targeted Medicines, announced that it has won Ernst & Young’s "Entrepreneur of the Year 2006" award in Denmark for the biotech category. Around 750 delegates attended the annual Ernst & Young ceremony in Copenhagen in late November. Presenting the award, Søren Carlsen, Managing Partner of Novo A/S and a member of the judging panel, said "Santaris Pharma has a tremendous technology platform with potential to create breakthrough results in the field of new cancer therapeutics."
Accepted the award on behalf of the Company, Henrik Stage, Vice-President and CFO, said:
"We thank the Danish jury and Ernst & Young for recognising Santaris Pharma’s successes this year. 2006 has indeed been productive for us. In March, we raised €40m of new equity investment – the second largest private placement for a biotech company in the Medicon Valley region – and In July we announced a global collaboration with Enzon Pharmaceuticals to develop 8 new cancer drugs based on our RNA inhibition technology - a deal with potential milestone revenues to Santaris of more than $200m."
Commenting on Santaris Pharma’s award, Keith McCullagh, President and CEO of Santaris Pharma, said:
"We are honoured to receive this prestigious award which is a tribute to the continued innovation and dedication of all our staff. The award also recognizes Santaris Pharma as a leading growth company in the new field of RNAi medicines, a new class of human therapeutics with the potential to bring benefit to patients across a wide range of diseases."
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Keith McCullagh Henrik Stage
President & CEO,
Santaris Pharma, Copenhagen,
Denmark Tel. +45 4517 9819
km@santaris.com
About Santaris Pharma
Santaris Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on a new class of drugs intended to switch off the expression of harmful genes. Called RNA Antagonists, these new drugs are an improved form of RNAi medicines, being developed by Santaris and its corporate partners for the treatment of cancer and metabolic disorders. Created in May 2003 and backed by a broad group of leading international life science venture capital investors, Santaris Pharma completed a Euro 40m second round of equity financing in May 2006. In July 2006, the Company entered into a global partnership with Enzon Pharmaceuticals of New Jersey to co-develop and commercialise a series of Santaris RNA Antagonists for improving the treatment of cancer.
Santaris Pharma’s RNA Antagonist drug pipeline is based on its unique LNA® technology. LNA® drugs, with their high potency and biostability, have the potential to transform the field of RNA
targeted medicines, making specific and effective gene silencing a reality in human medicine. If this potential is realised, even in part, it may be possible to design new drugs to treat the underlying genetic causes of disease rather than just the physical symptoms. Santaris Pharma holds the world wide patent rights to the exploitation of LNA® in pharmaceuticals and presently has three drugs in preclinical or clinical development. The lead drug candidate, SPC2996, is currently undergoing an international, multicentre, phase I/II clinical study in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
For further company information see
www.santaris.com
About The Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program is created and managed by the professional services firm, Ernst & Young. For 20 years, Ernst & Young has celebrated entrepreneurial excellence through the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, the world's most prestigious business award. Recognized globally, the award honours those outstanding individuals and companies who inspire others with their vision, leadership, and achievement. The Ernst & Young international programme consists of annual regional, national and global awards in over 100 cities and 35 countries.