Laval, Québec, CANADA – October 4, 2011 – Acasti Pharma Inc.(Acasti) (TSX.V:APO), a subsidiary of Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. (Neptune), announces the initiation of the clinical stage of its development by enrolling the first patients in its phase II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of its prescription drug candidate, CaPre®, for patients with hypertriglyceridemia.  This corporate milestone aligns with Acasti’s goal ofcreating higher value for its shareholders, by allowing the Company to advance into the clinical stage of its drug development program, having successfully completed the preclinical stage, and having obtained Canadian regulatory and ethical committee approvals.
 
“CaPre® is a novel compound that has repeatedly demonstrated preclinical significant lipid management activity superior to existing treatment options for high triglycerides. Preclinical results have shown that CaPre®, at a low human equivalent dose of 0.5 to 2g per day, is safe and effective in managing cardiometabolic disorders by reducing triglycerides by 60% while significantly increasing HDL, reducing LDL and controlling glucose intolerance in the animal models” stated Dr. Tina Sampalis, President. “Once approved, CaPre® could be targeting 93% of more than 40 million Americans with moderately high to very high triglycerides compared to only 7% targeted by the leading prescription omega-3 drug in the USA, making it an attractive future opportunity for pharmaceutical alliances” she added.
 
“We are very pleased to enroll the first patients to be treated with CaPre®. The CaPre® clinical study will give us a first look at the potential benefits of CaPre® in this large patient population of individuals with hypertriglyceridemia. We believe CaPre® will further benefit this dyslipidemic population with a concurrent LDL (bad cholesterol) reduction and HDL (good cholesterol) increase, in comparison to existing options that reduce triglycerides with minimal affect on HDL and increasing LDL, making CaPre® a potential best-in-class” stated Dr. Harlan Waksal, Executive Vice-President.  “The AHA 2006 to 2010 statistical fact sheets updates reported that more than 145 million Americans have been diagnosed with cardiometabolic disorders and, according to the 2009 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, the estimated direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease and stroke in the United States totaled USD 475 billion, of which USD 52 billion was spent only on medications representing a great market opportunity for CaPre®” he added.

The Principal Investigator of the trial, Dr. Jacques Genest stated, “This study was designed with input from world renowned experts in the field and reviewed by Health Canada.  Elevated triglycerides are an independent risk factor; it is important to understand the clinical utility of phospholipid omega-3 fatty acids and how they might differentiate from existing treatment options. This study of CaPre® will contribute significantly to our knowledge of this new drug class.”