Synairgen plc Grant of Options (3201V)

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RNS Number : 3201V

Synairgen plc

05 April 2019

Press Release

Synairgen plc

('Synairgen' or the 'Company')

Grant of options

Southampton, UK - 5 April 2019: Synairgen plc (LSE: SNG), the respiratory drug discovery and development company, announces that on 4 April 2019 the Board of Synairgen granted options ('Options') over 2,649,696 ordinary shares of one pence each in the capital of the Company ('Ordinary Shares') at an exercise price of one pence per Ordinary Share. The Options represent in aggregate 2.42 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital.

The Options are issued under the Company's existing Long Term Incentive Plan and are exercisable between 4 April 2022 and 3 April 2029, subject to achievement of performance criteria related to the increase in the total shareholder return of the Company. Following this grant, Synairgen has 8,737,515 options in issue, representing 7.98 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital.

Included in the number of Options granted on 4 April 2019, the following Options were issued to directors:

 
 Director           Options Issued 
 Richard Marsden           772,167 
                   --------------- 
 Dr. Phillip 
  Monk                     557,679 
                   --------------- 
 John Ward                 600,575 
                   --------------- 
 

Following the issue of the Options, the interests of the directors of the Company at

4 April 2019 are as follows:

 
                                                                           Percentage 
                                                                           holding of 
                          Total options    Ordinary                     fully diluted 
 Director                        issued      shares   Total interest    share capital 
 Richard Marsden              3,043,022     310,682        3,353,704            2.84% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Dr. Phillip Monk             1,594,099     230,314        1,824,413            1.54% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 John Ward                    2,099,315     339,006        2,438,321            2.06% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Simon Shaw                           -   1,474,096        1,474,096            1.25% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Iain Buchanan                  212,765     112,741          325,506            0.28% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Dr. Bruce Campbell                   -     294,259          294,259            0.25% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Paul Clegg                     250,000     204,244          454,244            0.38% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 Prof. Stephen Holgate                -     858,360          858,360            0.73% 
                         --------------  ----------  ---------------  --------------- 
 

Jody Brookes and Victoria Tear, also persons disclosing managerial responsibilities, were granted 124,312 and 119,166 Options respectively.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 ('MAR')

For further information, please contact:

Synairgen plc

Richard Marsden, Chief Executive Officer

John Ward, Finance Director

Tel: + 44 (0) 23 8051 2800

finnCap

Geoff Nash, Max Bullen-Smith (Corporate Finance)

Alice Lane (ECM)

Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7220 0500

Consilium Strategic Communications (Financial Media and Investor

Relations)

Mary-Jane Elliott / Sue Stuart / Olivia Manser

[e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Notes for Editors

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 asthma and COPD, uses its differentiating human biology BioBank platform and world-renowned international academic KOL network to discover and develop novel therapies for respiratory disease. Leveraging its scientific and clinical facilities at Southampton General Hospital, the Company uses in vitro and ex vivo models to progress opportunities into clinical development. The BioBank of human samples is used in these models to increase confidence in the likelihood of successful drug development.

Synairgen is currently conducting a two-part Phase II trial evaluating SNG001, the Company's inhaled interferon beta (IFN-beta) product. The Phase II trial, called SG015, has been designed to assess the safety of SNG001 in COPD patients and its clinical benefit in these patients when they have a cold or flu infection, a major driver of COPD exacerbations.

Core to Synairgen's business strategy is the realisation of value via licensing transactions. In August 2015 the Company entered into a collaboration with Pharmaxis to develop an oral LOXL2 inhibitor to reduce fibrosis in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In December 2017, the collaboration agreement was amended as Pharmaxis took on full responsibility for the programme, with Synairgen receiving a GBP5 million upfront payment and a share of at least 17% (net of allowable expenses) of any receipts from any onward licensing by Pharmaxis of the LOXL2 inhibitors in fibrotic indications.

Synairgen is quoted on AIM (LSE: SNG). For more information about Synairgen, please see www.synairgen.com

 
1.  Details of Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ('PDMR') / person closely associated 
     with them ('PCA') 
a)  Name                                             Richard Marsden 
2.  Reason for notification 
a)  Position / status                                Chief Executive Officer 
b)  Initial notification / amendment                 Initial Notification 
3.  Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
     or auction monitor 
a)  Name                                             Synairgen plc 
b)  LEI                                              213800IMMTOPPDF8HD24 
4.  Details of the transaction(s): 
a)  Description of the financial instrument          Options over ordinary shares of 1p each 
 
     Identification code 
                                                      GB00B0381Z20 
b)  Nature of the transaction                        Award of Options under the Synairgen LTIP 
c)  Price(s) and volume(s)                            772,167 Options awarded 
d)  Aggregated information                           n/a 
     Aggregated volume Price 
e)  Date of the transaction                          4 April 2019 
f)  Place of the transaction                         Outside a trading venue 
 
 
1.  Details of Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ('PDMR') / person closely associated 
     with them ('PCA') 
a)  Name                                             Dr Phillip Monk 
2.  Reason for notification 
a)  Position / status                                Chief Scientific Officer 
b)  Initial notification / amendment                 Initial Notification 
3.  Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
     or auction monitor 
a)  Name                                             Synairgen plc 
b)  LEI                                              213800IMMTOPPDF8HD24 
4.  Details of the transaction(s): 
a)  Description of the financial instrument          Options over ordinary shares of 1p each 
 
     Identification code 
                                                      GB00B0381Z20 
b)  Nature of the transaction                        Award of Options under the Synairgen LTIP 
c)  Price(s) and volume(s)                            557,679 Options awarded 
d)  Aggregated information                           n/a 
     Aggregated volume Price 
e)  Date of the transaction                          4 April 2019 
f)  Place of the transaction                         Outside a trading venue 
 
 
1.  Details of Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ('PDMR') / person closely associated 
     with them ('PCA') 
a)  Name                                             John Ward 
2.  Reason for notification 
a)  Position / status                                Finance Director 
b)  Initial notification / amendment                 Initial Notification 
3.  Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
     or auction monitor 
a)  Name                                             Synairgen plc 
b)  LEI                                              213800IMMTOPPDF8HD24 
4.  Details of the transaction(s): 
a)  Description of the financial instrument          Options over ordinary shares of 1p each 
     Identification code 
 
                                                      GB00B0381Z20 
b)  Nature of the transaction                        Award of Options under the Synairgen LTIP 
c)  Price(s) and volume(s)                            600,575 Options awarded 
d)  Aggregated information                           n/a 
     Aggregated volume Price 
e)  Date of the transaction                          4 April 2019 
f)  Place of the transaction                         Outside a trading venue 
 
 
1.  Details of Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ('PDMR') / person closely associated 
     with them ('PCA') 
a)  Name                                             Jody Brookes 
2.  Reason for notification 
a)  Position / status                                Head of Clinical Operations 
b)  Initial notification / amendment                 Initial Notification 
3.  Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
     or auction monitor 
a)  Name                                             Synairgen plc 

b)  LEI                                              213800IMMTOPPDF8HD24 
4.  Details of the transaction(s): 
a)  Description of the financial instrument          Options over ordinary shares of 1p each 
 
     Identification code 
                                                      GB00B0381Z20 
b)  Nature of the transaction                        Award of Options under the Synairgen LTIP 
c)  Price(s) and volume(s)                            124,312 Options awarded 
d)  Aggregated information                           n/a 
     Aggregated volume Price 
e)  Date of the transaction                          4 April 2019 
f)  Place of the transaction                         Outside a trading venue 
 
 
1.  Details of Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ('PDMR') / person closely associated 
     with them ('PCA') 
a)  Name                                             Victoria Tear 
2.  Reason for notification 
a)  Position / status                                Head of Laboratories 
b)  Initial notification / amendment                 Initial Notification 
3.  Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer 
     or auction monitor 
a)  Name                                             Synairgen plc 
b)  LEI                                              213800IMMTOPPDF8HD24 
4.  Details of the transaction(s): 
a)  Description of the financial instrument          Options over ordinary shares of 1p each 
 
     Identification code 
                                                      GB00B0381Z20 
b)  Nature of the transaction                        Award of Options under the Synairgen LTIP 
c)  Price(s) and volume(s)                            119,166 Options awarded 
d)  Aggregated information                           n/a 
     Aggregated volume Price 
e)  Date of the transaction                          4 April 2019 
f)  Place of the transaction                         Outside a trading venue 
 

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

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April 05, 2019 07:55 ET (11:55 GMT)