Verona Pharma announces David Ebsworth to its Board of Directors as upcoming Non-Executive Chairman

– UK, Cardiff – Verona Pharma plc (AIM: VRP.L), the drug development company focused on first-in-class medicines to treat respiratory diseases, today announces the appointment of David Ebsworth, PhD, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors with effect from 1 December 2014, succeeding Professor Clive Page who has held the role since founding the Company in 2006.

Dr. David Raymond Ebsworth, aged 60, is an experienced pharmaceutical executive who has worked at Board and Senior Management level at a number of companies internationally. He has extensive experience of product development and life cycle management and has been involved in successful product approvals in the US and Europe. From October 2009 to August 2014, Dr Ebsworth served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vifor Pharma, based in Zürich, the Specialty Pharma division of Galenica AG Group, the leading pharmaceutical wholesaler and retailer in Switzerland. Dr Ebsworth was also named as CEO of Galenica AG in 2011. He continues as advisor to the CEO of Vifor Pharma and Galenica Santé, the two companies which are preparing to separate out of the Galenica Group as announced in August 2014. During his tenure with the Galenica Group, its value increased from CHF 2.4 billion to CHF 5.6 billion, with, most notably, two FDA approvals and one EMA approval.

Dr Jan-Anders Karlsson, the CEO of Verona Pharma, said, “As well as being the founder of Verona Pharma, Clive has made an enormous contribution to the Company over the years, with his extensive knowledge of respiratory medicines and international reputation in the field. We thank him for all his achievements, as we welcome David to the Board. David’s significant expertise in the pharma industry strongly supports Verona Pharma’s focus on high value commercial opportunities and future growth.”

Dr Ebsworth commented, “I am looking forward to working closely with Verona Pharma’s Board and Management to guide the Company towards success. I shall use my background and experience in both international pharma and biotech to support this innovative company within the hugely rewarding respiratory space.”

Dr Ebsworth’s career spans over 35 years in the global pharmaceutical industry, largely with Bayer AG covering senior management roles in Leverkusen, Germany, the US and Canada. Aside from Bayer, where he worked for over 19 years having joined as a product manager in 1983, Dr Ebsworth spent two years as Chairman of A&D Pharma-Holdings NV in Bucharest, Romania. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Glycosciences (OGS), a biotech company listed on the LSE and NASDAQ stock exchanges, which was acquired by Celltech plc (now part of UCB) in 2003. OGS was the world leader in proteomics and had development compounds for Gaucher’s disease and cancer.

Dr Ebsworth has served on a number of Boards within the pharma, biotech and venture capital sectors, in the UK, Germany, the US, Austria, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, and Japan During the past five years Dr Ebsworth has held directorships at Xention Ltd, Wilex AG and Intercell AG.

About Verona Pharma plc

Verona Pharma plc is a UK-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative prescription medicines to treat respiratory diseases with significant unmet medical needs, such as COPD, asthma and cystic fibrosis. Verona Pharma’s lead drug, RPL554, is a first-in-class drug currently in Phase II trials as a nebulised treatment for acute exacerbations of COPD in the hospital setting. The drug is a dual phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3/4 inhibitor and therefore has both bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory effects, which are essential to the improvement of patients with COPD and asthma. Verona Pharma is also building a broader franchise around RPL554 to maximise its value, both to patients and to investors. This includes the very significant markets for COPD and asthma maintenance therapy. The Company is also exploring the potential of the drug in different diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, where it is in pre-clinical testing and has recently received a Venture and Innovation Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

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