LAVAL, QC, Oct. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Prometic Life Sciences Inc. (TSX: PLI)
(OTCQX: PFSCF) (Prometic) today announced that it has received Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) Clinical Trial
Application (CTA) approval to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial of its plasminogen therapy in patients suffering from diabetic
foot ulcer (DFU).
The Phase 2 clinical trial is a prospective, dose escalation study of the safety, feasibility and initial efficacy of
subcutaneous plasminogen for the treatment of DFU in 20 adult subjects. The study will be conducted in one study center in
Sweden, under the supervision of Dr. Jan Apelqvist, an expert in
the field of diabetic foot ulcers and hard to treat wounds from the Department of Endocrinology, Division of Clinical Sciences at
Skane University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden.
"Diabetic foot ulcers comprise a serious, large and well-known area of unmet medical need where we believe plasminogen therapy
can potentially make a difference," said John Moran, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Prometic.
"Plasminogen is known to be essential for normal wound healing, and we have strong preclinical data showing that local injection
of plasminogen improves wound healing in diabetes".
Pierre Laurin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prometic, said, "Plasminogen is the key
protein involved in the healing and tissue regeneration process. It's a scientifically proven fact that the plasminogen activity
level decreases by as much as 50% in diabetic patients, which is why we believe that diabetic foot ulcer is a key indication for
us to pursue. This is a large market with total annual costs associated with the condition, including work loss and amputations
exceeding $13 billion in the U.S. alone. We have prepared a proprietary formulation to explore a
potential solution to address this large unmet medical need".
The Medical Products Agency (MPA) is the Swedish national authority responsible for regulation and oversight of the
development, manufacturing and marketing of drugs and other medicinal products.
About Plasminogen
Plasminogen is a naturally occurring protein that is synthesized by the liver and circulates in the blood. Activated
plasminogen, plasmin, is a fundamental component of the fibrinolytic system and is the main enzyme involved in the lysis of blood
clots and clearance of extravasated fibrin. Plasminogen is therefore vital in wound healing, cell migration, tissue remodeling,
angiogenesis and embryogenesis.
About Prometic Life Sciences Inc.
Prometic Life Sciences Inc. (www.prometic.com)
is a long-established biopharmaceutical company with globally recognized expertise in bioseparations, plasma-derived therapeutics
and small-molecule drug development. Prometic is active in developing its own novel small-molecule therapeutic products
targeting unmet medical needs in the field of fibrosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases/inflammation. A number of plasma-derived
and small molecule products are under development for orphan drug indications. Prometic also offers its state-of-the-art
technologies for large-scale purification of biologics, drug development, proteomics and the elimination of pathogens to a
growing base of industry leaders and uses its own affinity technology that provides for highly efficient extraction and
purification of therapeutic proteins from human plasma in order to develop best-in-class therapeutics and orphan drugs.
Headquartered in Laval (Canada), Prometic has R&D facilities in the UK, the U.S. and Canada,
manufacturing facilities in the UK and commercial activities in the U.S., Canada, Europe and
Asia.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Prometic's objectives, strategies and businesses that
involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are "forward-looking" because they are based on our current expectations about
the markets we operate in and on various estimates and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from those
anticipated in these forward-looking statements if known or unknown risks affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions
turn out to be inaccurate. Such risks and assumptions include, but are not limited to, Prometic's ability to develop,
manufacture, and successfully commercialize value-added pharmaceutical products, the availability of funds and resources to
pursue R&D projects, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the ability of Prometic to take advantage of
business opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes in
economic conditions. You will find a more detailed assessment of the risks that could cause actual events or results to
materially differ from our current expectations in Prometic's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, under the heading "Risk and Uncertainties related to Prometic's business". As a
result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize. We assume no obligation to update any
forward-looking statement even if new information becomes available, as a result of future events or for any other reason, unless
required by applicable securities laws and regulations. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless indicated otherwise.
SOURCE ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.