Press Release: 27 July 2014Bionorica: Polish junior scientist wins German research prize in herbal medicines field

World market leader in herbal medicines awards the sum of EUR 1 million to 20 international prize winners for excellent research projects.

Majorca, Spain / Warsaw, Poland: “I think that this prize is a terrific idea because it supports young scientists in starting their own projects and transforming their research ideas into reality”, rejoices Dr Miroslaw J. Szczepanski of the Medical University of Warsaw.

Dr. Quave is one of 20 winners at the Global Research Initiative (GRI), which was honored by the Executive Board of German herbal medicines specialist Bionorica at the end of 2013. “I am pleased that so many innovative and promising entries were submitted. Such a large and high-quality response to the first-time call for submissions proves that herbal medicine is gaining further relevance among the scientific community as well,” says Dr. Michael Popp, CEO and owner of the internationally successful manufacturer of scientifically researched herbal medicines, German-based Bionorica SE.

Dr. Popp will pay out a total of one million euros for the unique herbal medicine research campaign. He is expecting that the 20 prizes of EUR 50,000 each for research will result in new stimulus for the field of herbal medicine to be able to offer patients an even greater variety of products. “In addition to new analysis processes, the focus is also the search for innovative approaches to new development of herbal medicines,” says pharmacist Dr. Popp.

The only Polish prize-winner, Dr Miroslaw J. Szczepanski, from the Faculty of ENT Medicine of the Medical University of Kiev, has chosen a very specialised field of activity. His proposed research project concerns the potential in vitro anti-carcinogenic properties of a

certain botanical pharmaceutical. The results derived could justify the potential utilisation of this preparation in chemoprevention or the concomitant treatment of cancers of the head and neck, according to the reasoning of the jury.

The 20 prize winners from 13 nations received their awards on Sunday, 27 July 2014, within the scope of the international symposium “Inflammations – Challenges and Opportunities” at the Bionorica Herbal Medicines Competence Center Sa Canova in Sa Pobla, Mallorca. The jury reviewed some 130 submissions from various treatment fields, including

respiratory diseases, osteoporosis, gynecological diseases, bladder cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among others. In addition, ideas for research methods and technologies were also honored.

Bionorica is a manufacturer of herbal medicines and is active in some 50 countries. With its unique quality concept and its focus on consistent standardization of cultivation and production, Bionorica has been able to grow into a worldwide leading company in the promising sector of herbal medicines in the past 15 years.

Media contact:Thomas EibenbergerSenior Referent Corporate CommunicationsTel.: +49 9181 231-450thomas.eibenberger@bionorica.de

Press kit and additional images available at: www.bionorica.de/research.initiative2013.

- 2 -

Global Research Award 2013/14All 20 prize winners according to category

Group 1: Respiratory System

Rebecca Clarke, Queens University Belfast, Ireland, for a novel human in-vitro model to study modulatory properties of plant-based medicines.

Dr. Claudina Perez Novo, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium, for analysis of the molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory action of an herbal preparation on chronic rhinosinusitis.

Dr. Laura Sadofsky, University of Hull, England, for researching the effect of the natural agonists and antagonists of the airway irritant receptors in vitro.

Prof. Adil Katarbayev, Kazakh State Medical University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for Preclinical studies of an herbal preparation in acute intestinal infection.

Dr. Diana Zabolotnaya, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine, for a study of an adjuvant effect of phyto products on antibody formation against influenza virus antigens in experimental animals.

Group 2: Gynaecology / Osteoporosis

Dr. Annekathrin Keiler and Dr. Oliver Zierau, Technical University Dresden, Germany, for researching the effects of a hops extract on osteoporosis in a rat model.

Dr. Anastasia Savilova, Moscow State University, Russia, for an investigation the mechanism of action of an herbal preparation on endometrial mesenchymal stromal cells.

Dr. Petra Stute, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland, for researching the impact of black cohosh on hippocampal and hypothalamic gene expression profiles in ovariectomized rats.

Group 3: Other Indications

Dr. Johanna Brandner, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, for a study on the Effects of Arnebia euchroma extracts on different stages of wound healing.

Dr. Temuujin Dansranjavin, University of Giessen, Germany, for the Characterization of the epigenetic regulation in prostatitis and prostate cancer by an herbal preparation.

Dr. Svetlana Kalinina, Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy, Russia, for researching Verbascum nigrum extract as a new complex phytotherapeutic agent. Dr. Markus Krohn, University of Magdeburg, Germany, for Defining specific extracts from St. John’s Wort for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave, Emory University Atlanta, USA, for a study on Botanical natural product inhibitors of acne biofilms.

- 3 -

Dr. Miroslaw Szczepanski, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, for Researching anti-cancer effect of an herbal preparation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Group 4: Optimisation, New Technologies and Targets

Dr. Camilla Bergonzi, University of Florence, Italy, for Innovative formulations to enhance oral bioavailability of herbal extracts. Dr. Andreas Köberle, University of Jena, Germany, for Targeting of bioactive lipid networks: a novel pharmacological strategy for anti-inflammatory phytomedicine.

Dr. Birgit Kraus, University of Regensburg, Germany, for Correlating the structure of differently substituted chalcones with transcriptome data and bioactivity in liver cells.

Dr. Denisa Margina, University of medicine and pharmacy Bucharest, Rumania, for Studies on certain biological effects of encapsulated vegetal extracts with known cardio-vascular positive outcome.

Dr. Stefan Schwaiger, University of Innsbruck, Austria, for researching Natural products with effects on the NPS/NPSR system.

Dr. Jens Wild, University of Regensburg, Germany, for researching Bactericidal/ permeability-increasing protein as potential new target for antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities.

Service:You can find images of the prize winners, brief CVs, abstracts of the selected projects and photos of the awards ceremony at: www.bionorica.de/research.initiative2013

Media contact:Thomas EibenbergerSenior Referent Corporate CommunicationsTel.: +49 9181 231-450thomas.eibenberger@bionorica.de

- 4 -