Results of cholesterol human volunteer study

7 April 2016

OptiBiotix Health plc

 ("OptiBiotix" or  "the Company")

Results of cholesterol human volunteer study

OptiBiotix Health plc (AIM: OPTI), a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high

cholesterol and diabetes, announces that further to its announcement of successful humans studies on its capsular supplement to reduce cholesterol on 28 July 2015, more detail on the results of the study.

The twelve week double blind placebo controlled study recruited fifty volunteers and was designed to establish safety, compliance, and the extent of the cholesterol lowering potential of OptiBiotix's Lactobacillus plantarum strain in mildly hypercholesterolaemic adults.

When volunteers taking placebo were compared to those taking OptiBiotix's capsular supplement the results showed a:-

· 7.2% reduction in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) averaged across the whole test group

· 12.4% reduction in LDL cholesterol in females volunteers

· 15% reduction in the 50-55 age groups (both sexes)

· 36.7% reduction in volunteers' who had total cholesterol levels higher than 6mmol/L

· A 6mmHg (5.1%) reduction in systolic blood pressure averaged across the OptiBiotix group 

No safety, compliance, or tolerance issues were reported by volunteers during the study in either group.

The results of this independent, blinded study provide early evidence that OptiBiotix's strain has commercial potential as a safe, easy to use, low cost, cholesterol reducing supplement. These results suggest efficacy across all volunteers similar or greater to 1.5 - 2.4 g plant sterols/stanols per day, and in volunteers with total cholesterol level greater than 6mmol/L an efficacy more typically associated with pharmaceuticals.

Stephen O'Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented: "We are really pleased with the results of this study which opens up opportunities for a single product for both conditions (high cholesterol and high blood pressure) or two different products targeting separate conditions.  Given the market opportunity and limitations of existing products such as statins, the commercial potential for this product looks promising. Commercial discussions are progressing with potential partners best positioned to fully exploit the opportunity as a cholesterol and/or hypertension supplement, in isolation, or in combination with existing approaches."

About OptiBiotix Health PLC - www.optibiotix.com

OptiBiotix was formed in March 2012 to develop compounds which modify the human microbiome - the collective genome of the microbes in the body - to prevent and manage human disease.

The aim of OptiBiotix is to discover and develop microbial strains, compounds and formulations, which modulate the human microbiome and can be used as food ingredients and supplements or active compounds for the prevention and management of human metabolic diseases, examples of which include obesity, cholesterol and lipid distribution and diabetes.

OptiBiotix has established a pipeline of microbiome modulators that can impact on lipid and cholesterol management, energy harvest and appetite suppression. The development pipeline is fuelled by its proprietary OptiScreen® and OptiBiotic® platform technologies designed to identify metabolic pathways and compounds that impact on human physiology and bring potential health benefits. These platforms are applicable across a wider range of other human diseases.