Arana Therapeutics Expands Clinical Research Team

View announcement at arana.com

Monday, 28 July 2008 Sydney, Australia:
Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited (ASX: AAH) today announced the appointment of Dr Alan Scott as Vice President, Clinical Research. The appointment is an important step in Arana’s development, with several new clinical trials expected to commence in the next 18 months.

Arana’s next scheduled clinical trial will be the Phase II rheumatoid arthritis dose-ranging study for its leading anti-inflammatory compound ART621, which is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Reporting to Dr David Fuller, Arana’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Scott’s primary responsibility will be the operational management of Arana’s expanding clinical trial program. Dr Scott holds a PhD from Glasgow University and has over 12 years international experience in clinical development of new medicines in Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

Prior to joining Arana he was Director of Site Start Up for the leading contract research organization Quintiles Transnational. In this role he was responsible for ensuring rapid and efficient start-up of all clinical trials in the Asia Pacific Region. He was also a member of the Quintiles Asia Pacific senior management team. Before entering the clinical research industry, Dr Scott held a post-doctoral position in biochemistry at the University of Oxford, England, followed by work in clinical operations and project management in Europe in the pharmaceutical, biotech and CRO environments.

Arana CEO Dr John Chiplin said: “This is a very exciting time for Arana as we continue our maturation into a clinical stage international antibody company, with several new trials planned for the next 18 months. Dr Scott’s appointment provides us with the clinical bandwidth to help develop our pipeline. He is a globally experienced research professional who will be pivotal in the management of Arana’s clinical program and commercialisation of our exciting antibody assets.”

About Arana Therapeutics:

Arana Therapeutics (ASX: AAH) is an international biopharmaceutical company formed through the merger of Peptech and EvoGenix in August 2007. The company uses superior technology to develop next generation drugs that will improve the lives of patients with inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Arana Therapeutics’ innovative engineering technologies provide the basis for clinical development in the antibody space, a market which draws on high demand. Arana Therapeutics has the financial stability and management expertise to accelerate its clinical programs, and is on track to have at least 3 clinical stage assets within three years

The pipeline consists of four lead drug programs: ART621 to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases; ART010 to treat osteoporosis and bone cancer; ART104 to treat solid tumours in colorectal cancer; and ART150 for lung cancer and melanoma. Additionally the company has earlier stage products in development for the treatment of a range of conditions including age related macular degeneration, psoriasis, colorectal cancer, and leukaemia.

Arana has recurring revenues from commercial and development partnerships with six international companies including GSK, CSL, Centocor (J&J) and Abbott
Laboratories.

For further information: www.arana.com

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