OREANDA-NEWS. June 29, 2015. ImmuPharma PLC (LSE:IMM), ("ImmuPharma" or the "Company"), the specialist drug discovery and development company is delighted to announce that Dr Sylviane Muller the key inventor of Lupuzor™ and Research Director at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ("CNRS"), has received "The CNRS Medal of Innovation"  for her discoveries made on the mechanism of action of Lupuzor™ and its applications to other autoimmune diseases.

The CNRS Medal of Innovation, created in 2011, rewards outstanding scientific research with innovative applications in the technological, therapeutical and societal fields, thus promoting French scientific research. Every year, a jury hands out up to five medals to researchers and engineers, either from CNRS or within other research organizations, universities and higher-education institutions, or to industrial partners involved in research initiatives.

Lupuzor™ (also known as Rigerimod, IPP-201101 and P140), is ImmuPharma's lead compound for the treatment of Lupus, (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or "SLE"), a chronic, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. LupuzorTM has been granted Fast Track status by the US FDA and approved to start Phase III trials under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) due to its strong safety and efficacy profile. ImmuPharma is now working with Simbec-Orion Group Limited a leading international contract research organisation for the execution of ImmuPharma's Pivotal Phase III clinical study of Lupuzor™.

This award for Dr Muller follows on from former recognition of her works in the field of Lupus and other autoimmune diseases where she received the CNRS silver medal in 2009 and was awarded Chevalier de la L?gion d'Honneur by President Sarkozy in 2010. A very large part of her discoveries in the Lupuzor field were financially supported by CNRS, Robert Zimmer privately and later by ImmuPharma. Sylviane is also one of the first co-founders of the precursor of ImmuPharma just after it was founded by Robert Zimmer in 2002.