Vantia Therapeutics Raises £4 Million to Fund Clinical Development of its Lead Compounds

SOUTHAMPTON, England, July 6, 2011 -

Vantia Therapeutics, an emerging pharmaceutical company
developing novel, small molecule drugs targeting large areas of
unmet medical need, today announces it has raised £4 million ($6.5
million) in a series B round. The round was co-led by Novo A/S and
SV Life Sciences, and included MVM Life Science Partners, all
existing investors in Vantia. The funds have been raised to advance
the development of Vantia’s two clinical candidates, VA106483 for
nocturia and VA111913 for dysmenorrhoea, both of which are in Phase
II trials.

Andrew Crockett, CEO, said: “I am delighted that our investors
have committed these further funds to enable us to advance the
development of our lead clinical candidates. We believe both these
candidates have the potential to be important drugs in patients who
currently have limited treatment options.”

Dr Martin Edwards, Senior Partner at Novo Ventures and Chairman
of Vantia Therapeutics, said: “Vantia has delivered some very
encouraging initial clinical results with its lead programmes and
we are pleased to continue supporting the Company as it moves these
novel compounds forward.”

An exploratory Phase II trial of VA111913 in the treatment of
dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) showed promising evidence of
reduced pain levels in patients receiving the drug candidate.
VA111913 was well tolerated in the study and statistically
significant differences between VA111913 treatment and placebo were
seen for a number of efficacy endpoints, including treatment
preference, and a trend to efficacy was seen in all other relevant
endpoints. The study also identified a significant target
population that derived a substantial reduction in period pain from
VA111913 treatment.

VA106483 is currently being investigated as a new treatment for
nocturia in a 30-patient clinical trial to evaluate the
dose-response in men aged over 65 years with benign prostatic
hypertrophy (BPH). This population forms the largest part of the
nocturia market and represents the greatest unmet need. The results
of this trial are expected in the second half of 2011 and will be
used to support the design of pivotal clinical trials. Data from
previous clinical trials, presented at the American Urological
Association meeting in 2010, demonstrated a dose-dependent
pharmacological effect and suggested that VA106483 has the
potential to be an effective and well tolerated antidiuretic for
the treatment of nocturia.

About Vantia Therapeutics:

Vantia Therapeutics is an emerging pharmaceutical company
developing novel, small molecule drugs targeting large areas of
unmet medical need. Its strong clinical pipeline includes VA106483
for nocturia and VA111913 for dysmenorrhoea, which directly target
indications that together affect many millions of people, are
poorly treated and represent billion dollar markets. Vantia’s
strategy is to develop its proprietary drug candidates through
Phase II clinical testing and then commercialise through
partnerships. The Company was founded in 2008 and is backed by
specialist life science investors Novo A/S, SV Life Sciences and
MVM Life Science Partners.

href="www.vantiatherapeutics.com/">www.vantiatherapeutics.com

VA106483 - Nocturia

VA106483 is a novel small molecule drug candidate discovered by
Vantia Therapeutics and is in Phase II trials to treat nocturia, a
common condition that causes sufferers to wake frequently during
the night in order to urinate, thus interrupting sleep. VA106483
acts directly in the collecting ducts of the kidney by binding to
vasopressin V2 receptors.

Nocturia increases markedly with age and is often the presenting
symptom in men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), affecting
at least 70% of the more than 15 million BPH patients in the United
States and Europe. Treatments for BPH, such as alpha-blockers, have
little effect on nocturia and given the significant limitations of
other therapies, there are few options available to patients.

VA111913 - Dysmenorrhoea

VA111913 is a small molecule oral drug candidate, discovered by
Vantia Therapeutics, and in clinical development for the treatment
of dysmenorrhoea, a condition characterised by abnormal
contractions of the uterus during menstruation causing severe, and
often debilitating pain.

VA111913 acts by blocking vasopressin V1a receptors in the
uterus wall to reduce abnormal contraction, thereby offering the
potential to be the first drug that directly targets the cause of
the pain associated with dysmenorrhoea.

There are currently no targeted therapies for dysmenorrhoea and
treatments in common use include over-the-counter painkillers or
oral contraceptives used ‘off-label’. The market opportunity for a
targeted drug for the management of dysmenorrhoea is estimated to
be in excess of US$1 billion per year.

Contact details:
Vantia Therapeutics
Andrew Crockett, CEO : +44(0)238-076-3456
/+44(0)787-255-9676
info@vantia.com

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner / Mark Swallow / Nina Enegren :
+44(0)207-638-9571
vantia@citigatedr.co.uk

.