Esperion Therapeutics Receives $6.2 Million Loan

Ann Arbor, Mich. (PROTEXT) - Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., today announced it has received a $6.2 million loan from Industrifonden, the Swedish Industrial Development Fund, to fund clinical development of Esperion's initial cardiovascular product candidate, recombinant human apoA-I Milano phospholipid complex ("AIM"). "This loan represents a significant milestone in Esperion's evolution, as it is our first investment from outside the founding venture capital investors," stated Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Esperion. "We view this relationship with Industrifonden as additional validation for our company. It is also a unique opportunity to establish a subsidiary in Sweden that will help guide the production and clinical development of AIM and our other product candidates." AIM has been shown in preclinical testing to boost HDL levels, transport cholesterol back to the liver, and to be an effective treatment in animal models of atherosclerosis. AIM is initially being developed as an acute treatment for acute coronary syndromes (stable and unstable angina) and to prevent restenosis associated with coronary artery bypass grafts and balloon angioplasty, a complication that affects between 20 to 40 percent of patients undergoing either treatment option. Esperion intends to begin Phase I clinical studies with AIM in the second quarter of 2000. The Swedish government established the Swedish Industrial Development Fund in 1979 to stimulate industrial growth in Sweden by investing capital and management expertise. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., was founded in July 1998 with the goal of becoming the leader in the research, development, and commercialization of new medicines to treat metabolic diseases that may stem from low levels of plasma high density lipoprotein ("HDL" or the "good cholesterol"). These metabolic diseases include atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, stroke, and Alzheimer's Disease. Esperion's senior management team is made up of scientists from Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia & Upjohn (PNU). Roger Newton, Ph.D., Esperion's President and CEO, was the co-discoverer and product champion of Lipitor(R) and, together with his team, developed two other product candidates in clinical development at Parke-Davis, while the PNU team has excelled in both large-scale production of recombinant proteins and clinical research. David Scheer, President of Scheer and Company, Inc., was a co-founder of Esperion and helped attract venture capital from Oak Investment Partners, TL Ventures, and HealthCap KB. ots Original Text Service: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Roger Newton, Ph.D., President & CEO, (USA) 734-332-0506, ext. 207; or Tim Mayleben, Vice President, CFO, (USA) 734-332-0506, ext. 224, both of Esperion; or Juliane Snowden, (USA) 212-510-9286, or John Walker, (USA) 212-510-3946, both of Thomson Financial Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. PROTEXT