GENFIT: Strong U.S. Exposure for Its Biomarker Activity

LILLE, France and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111), a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of drug discovery and development, focusing on the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and associated disorders, today announced its presence at two U.S. events: the 28th J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (from January 11th to 14th, 2011) and the Biotech Showcase (from January 10th to 12th, 2011).

At these events, the Company will give a progress update on its research programs, in particular those dedicated to the theranostic field, that are based on GENFIT's proprietary microparticle capture and characterization technologies for the identification of novel biomarkers:

- The BMGFT01 program, through a translational approach combining specific preclinical models and clinical cohorts of patients at high cardiovascular risk, is dedicated to the discovery of early markers of atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaque via the analysis of plasmatic microparticle signatures.

-  The BMGFT02 program, in the field of type 2 diabetes and its early stages, aims to identify novel biomarkers of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction, in particular through two major clinical studies (DECODIAB and ABOS) involving the longitudinal follow-up of more than 1000 patients.

Jean-Francois Mouney, Chairman of GENFIT's Management Board, stated: "At a time of intense negotiations for our leading drug candidate GFT505, we are proud to present the significant progress that GENFIT has made on its programs linked to the detection of early biomarkers of diabetes and atherosclerosis. For the past two years, GENFIT has been working on the development of a breakthrough technology in this domain. This technology will provide, on the one hand, a rapid, targeted, and predictive follow-up of the efficacy of new treatments for certain metabolic pathologies, and, on the other hand, new diagnostic solutions for these same diseases at very early stages. In this context, our newsflow in the biomarker area will be particularly active this year."

About GENFIT:

GENFIT is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the Discovery and Development of drug candidates in therapeutic fields linked to cardiometabolic disorders (prediabetes/diabetes, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, inflammatory diseases...).  GENFIT uses a multi-pronged approach based on early diagnosis, preventive solutions, and therapeutic treatments and advances therapeutic research programs, either independently or in partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies (SANOFI-AVENTIS, SERVIER,...), to address these major public health concerns and their unmet medical needs.

GENFIT's research programs have resulted in the creation of a rich and diversified pipeline of drug candidates at different stages of development, including GENFIT's lead proprietary compound, GFT505, that is currently in Phase II.

With facilities in Lille, France, and Cambridge, MA (USA), the Company has approximately 100 employees. GENFIT is a public company listed on the Alternext trading market by Euronext™ Paris (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111). www.genfit.com

Items in this press release may contain forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties.  The Company's actual results could differ substantially from those anticipated in these statements owing to various risk factors which are described in the Company's prospectus.  This press release has been prepared in both French and English languages.  In the event of any differences between the two texts, the French language version shall supersede.

SOURCE GENFIT