• Data supported selection of EP262 as a potent, highly selective development candidate
• Clinical development of EP262 recently initiated as a novel treatment for a broad range of mast cell mediated diseases including chronic spontaneous and inducible urticarias

Escient Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company advancing novel small molecule therapeutics for the potential treatment of a broad range of neurosensory-inflammatory disorders, today announced the presentation of preclinical data related to the company's EP262 development program at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual meeting being held in San Antonio, TX, February 24-27, 2023.

EP262 is a potent, highly selective antagonist of MRGPRX2 which inhibits agonist-induced mast cell degranulation and represents a novel potential treatment for a broad range of mast cell-mediated disorders. The presentation highlights preclinical data demonstrating that EP262 potently inhibits MRGPRX2-mediated degranulation of human mast cells and inhibits mast cell degranulation-induced vascular permeability in proprietary humanized MRGPRX2 transgenic mice.

Details of the presentation are shown below:

Presentation Title: MRGPRX2 Antagonist EP262 Potently Inhibits Agonist-Induced Mast Cell Degranulation In Vitro and In Vivo
Presenter: Joshua Wollam, PhD, Associate Director, Translational Biology and Drug Discovery, Escient Pharmaceuticals
Session Title: Novel Mast Cell Targets to Treat Allergic Disease
Session Date and Time: Sunday, February 26, 2023, 2:00-3:15 PM CST
Conference website: https://annualmeeting.aaaai.org/

The abstract is available on Escient's website (under Scientific Presentations) here: https://www.escientpharma.com/science/publications/

About EP262

EP262 is a potent, highly selective once-daily small molecule antagonist of MRGPRX2, a receptor expressed on mast cells that is activated by numerous ligands, including many peptides released from sensory neurons as well as other cell types. In response to MRGPRX2 activation, mast cells release histamine, tryptase, chymase, chemokines and cytokines, which can cause itchy hives, angioedema, type 2 inflammation (through engagement of the adaptive immune system) and chronic pruritus and pain. Escient's preclinical data demonstrates that, by blocking activation of MRGPRX2, EP262 has the potential to effectively treat a broad range of mast-cell-mediated diseases, with an initial focus on chronic urticarias and atopic dermatitis.

About Chronic Urticaria

Chronic urticaria, defined as urticaria persisting for more than 6 weeks, manifests with very itchy hives that may vary in size and can significantly impact a patient's quality of life by interfering with sleep and daily activities. Some patients with chronic urticaria may also develop swelling deeper under the skin or in other tissues (angioedema). There are two main forms of chronic urticaria. In chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), hives occur spontaneously, without known triggers. In chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU), hives are induced by specific triggers such as cold exposure (cold urticaria) or touch (symptomatic dermographism), among others.

About Escient Pharmaceuticals

Escient Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company focused on developing novel therapeutics to address a broad range of neurosensory-inflammatory disorders. The company's pipeline includes two first-in-class small molecule antagonists targeting MRGPRX2 for the treatment of various mast cell mediated disorders and MRGPRX4 for cholestatic pruritus. Based in San Diego, California, Escient is led by an experienced management and scientific team and funded by top-tier life science investors.

Visit www.escientpharma.com to learn more.

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