Akron Biotech Signs Agreement With Synairgen plc to Supply Interferon-beta for COVID-19 Treatment

Akron Biotechnology today announced it has signed an agreement with Synairgen plc (LSE: SNG) for the provision of SNG001, Synairgen's wholly-owned inhaled interferon beta (IFN-beta) therapeutic candidate for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Akron Biotech provides cGMP-compliant solutions to support the development and commercialization of advanced therapies.

Synairgen reported positive results from its Phase II trial of SNG001 in 101 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in July 2020, indicating that its inhaled IFN-beta could provide a valuable treatment option in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the safety, biomarker, and efficacy data for SNG001 provided from the interim analysis of Synairgen's Phase II COPD trial in September 2020 was supportive of the on-going development of SNG001 in COVID-19 patients.

Akron will support the future clinical and commercial development of SNG001 through the provision of its IFN-beta in Synairgen's formulation. "Akron's expertise in recombinant protein manufacturing and large-scale production capacity add significant value to our further development and commercialisation of SNG001," commented Synairgen CEO Richard Marsden. "The ability to rapidly scale the production of SNG001 will allow Synairgen to meet expected clinical and commercial demand for the drug, ensuring that patients have access to this promising treatment."

"The agreement with Synairgen reflects our ongoing commitment to meet the growing demand for validated, cGMP-compliant solutions to advance novel therapies," said Claudia Zylberberg, PhD, Founder and CEO of Akron Biotech. "We are excited to support Synairgen in its quest to further this exciting treatment for COVID-19, bringing a promising new therapy to patients with few viable options."

About Akron Biotechnology

Akron is a leading provider of cGMP-compliant solutions to support the development of novel cell- and protein-based therapies. An ISO 13485-certified company operating in line with cGMP guidelines and international standards, Akron leverages more than 100,000 square feet of development and manufacturing capacity to provide therapy developers the scale, compliance, and regulatory support necessary to drive novel treatments from discovery to commercialization. For more information, please visit www.akronbiotech.com.

About Synairgen

Synairgen is a respiratory drug discovery and development company founded by University of Southampton Professors Stephen Holgate, Donna Davies and Ratko Djukanovic. The business, focused primarily on lung viral defense in asthma, COPD, and COVID-19, uses its differentiating human biology BioBank platform and world-renowned international academic KOL network to discover and develop novel therapies for respiratory disease. Synairgen is quoted on AIM (LSE: SNG). For more information about Synairgen, please see www.synairgen.com.