5/27/14 - Inovio Pharmaceuticals Subsidiary Sells Animal Health Assets

BLUE BELL, Pa., May 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: INO) today announced that its 90%-owned subsidiary, VGX Animal Health, Inc. (VAH), has concluded an agreement for the sale of its animal health assets to Plumbline Life Sciences, Inc. (PLS) of Korea. The assets being transferred include an exclusive license with Inovio for animal applications of its growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) technology and animal DNA vaccines plus a non-exclusive license to Inovio electroporation delivery systems. VGX Animal Health will receive $2 million in cash in multiple payments and 20% of the outstanding shares of PLS. VAH's 20% equity ownership position in PLS will be maintained without dilution up to $10 million of additional equity fundraising by PLS. Inovio Pharmaceuticals will receive milestone payments and royalties on product sales. Inovio retains the human applications of its GHRH technology. Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, said, "Inovio is sharply focused on its human immunotherapy products, consequently we own promising assets that are not being allocated appropriate resources. Our animal GHRH product candidates have notably improved cancer-related morbidity in dogs and increased herd productivity in livestock animals. We are pleased to monetize these assets with a deal that will result in a committed development of these products and market opportunities." About Plumbline Life Sciences, Inc. PLS is a venturecapital-backed animal health company based in Seoul,Korea, a strategic location in the fast-growing Asian market. The PLS management team includes experienced biotech managers from the US and Korea as well as aformer manager ofKorea Development Bank. More information about PLS can be found atwww.plumblinels.com. About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Inovio is revolutionizing vaccines to prevent and treat today's cancers and challenging infectious diseases. Its SynCon vaccines, in combination with its proprietary electroporation delivery, are generating best-in-class immune responses, with therapeutic T-cell responses exceeding other technologies in terms of magnitude, breadth, and response rate. Human data to date have shown a favorable safety profile. Inovio's lead vaccine, a therapeutic against HPV-caused pre-cancers and cancers, is in phase II. Other phase I and preclinical programs target prostate, breast, and lung cancers as well as HIV, influenza, malaria and hepatitis. Partners and collaborators include Roche, the University of Pennsylvania, NIH, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Military HIV Research Program, US Dept. of Homeland Security, and University of Manitoba. More information is available at www.inovio.com. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines and our capital resources. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications, that the studies or trials may not be successful or achieve the results desired, that pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may not commence or be completed in the time periods anticipated, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies and that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA vaccines, the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by the company or its collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that the company and its collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the company with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether the company can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of the company's technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December31, 2013, our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, and other regulatory filings from time to time. There can be no assurance that any product in Inovio's pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate. CONTACTS: Investors: Bernie Hertel, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, 858-410-3101, bhertel@inovio.com Media: Jeff Richardson, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, 267-440-4211, jrichardson@inovio.com