Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Chief Financial Officer William “Bill” Hornung to Present at 2018 BIO Investor Forum

Over 1,000 Attendees Expected; Opportunity to Learn About Company’s FDA Approval for Phase 2 On-Ambulance Stroke Trial and Phase 3 GMB Brain Cancer Trial Enrollment

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: DFFN), a cutting-edge biotechnology company developing new treatments for life-threatening medical conditions by improving the body’s ability to bring oxygen to the areas where it’s needed most, announced today that Chief Financial Officer William “Bill” Hornung will join leaders from the world’s top pharmaceutical, life sciences, and technology companies to present at the 2018 BIO Investor Forum on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 1:15PM EST/10:15AM PST. The Forum will be held on October 17-18, 2018 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California. Designed to “explore investment trends and opportunities in life sciences, with a focus on venture-stage growth and emerging public companies,” the BIO Investor Forum brings industry innovators and leading investors together for an opportunity to learn about the latest industry trends and news.

Mr. Hornung’s presentation is part of a growing momentum for the Company, with the recent news that Diffusion has received FDA approval to enroll patients in an ambulance-based Phase 2 clinical trial testing its lead drug, Trans Sodium Crocinate (TSC), for the treatment of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The Company is also currently enrolling patients in its Phase 3 INTACT program, using TSC to target inoperable GBM brain cancer.

“Diffusion’s dedication to fueling life and developing treatment for some of our most challenging medical conditions means we have a responsibility to engage with other leaders in the investing and life sciences communities,” said David Kalergis, Chairman and CEO of Diffusion. “At the 2018 BIO Investor Forum, we’ll share our progress with innovators from around the globe. Bill Hornung, who has decades of industry experience, and is a critical member of our leadership team, is exactly the right voice to share our news and our values with this worldwide audience.”

“I’m excited to join with other leaders at the 2018 Investor Forum, which is a chance to show all of Diffusion’s great work to a growing and engaged group of investors, experts, and industry professionals,” said Bill Hornung, Chief Financial Officer of Diffusion. “San Francisco is a hub of groundbreaking work being done in the pharmaceutical and life science industries. Diffusion is proud to be a BIO member, and we’re looking forward to their first-rate, San Francisco-based conference which will allow us to meet with other executives as we continue to pursue strategic opportunities and partnerships for our company.”

The 2018 BIO Investor Forum is sponsored by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) – the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. The 2017 Forum included 168 private and public company presentations to over 1,000 attendees, with an additional 2,700 partnering meetings scheduled. To listen to Mr. Hornung’s presentation live, you can go to the Investor Relations section of the Diffusion Pharmaceuticals website at www.diffusionpharma.com. An archived webcast of the presentation will also be available on the Company’s website for a period of time.

About Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company developing new treatments that improve the body’s ability to bring oxygen to the areas where it’s needed most —offering new hope for the treatment of life-threatening medical conditions.

Diffusion’s lead drug, Trans Sodium Crocinate (TSC), was originally developed in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research, which was seeking a way to treat hemorrhagic shock caused by massive blood loss on the battlefield. 

Evolutions in research have led to Diffusion’s focus today: Fueling Life by taking on some of medicine’s most intractable and difficult-to-treat diseases, including stroke, GBM brain cancer, pancreatic cancer, and brain metastases. In each of these diseases, hypoxia – when essential tissue in your body is deprived of oxygen – has proved to be a significant obstacle for medical providers and the target for TSC’s novel mechanism.

In 2018, the Company began enrolling patients in its Phase 3 INTACT program, using TSC to target inoperable GBM brain cancer. It’s on-ambulance Phase 2 acute stroke protocol was granted FDA clearance to proceed in September, 2018.  Additional pre-clinical data supports the potential use of TSC as a treatment for other conditions where hypoxia plays a major role, such as myocardial infarction, respiratory diseases such as COPD, peripheral artery disease, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

In addition, RES-529, the Company’s PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitor that dissociates the mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes, is in the preclinical testing phase for GBM.

Diffusion is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia—a hub of advancement in the life science and biopharmaceutical industries and is led by CEO David Kalergis, a 30-year industry veteran and company co-founder. 

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent any statements made in this news release deal with information that is not historical, these are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the company's plans, objectives, expectations  and intentions with respect to future operations and products, the potential of the company's technology and product candidates, the anticipated timing of future clinical trials, and other statements that are not historical in nature, particularly those that utilize terminology such as "would," "will," "plans," "possibility," "potential," "future," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "continue," "expects," other words of similar meaning, derivations of such words and the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Uncertainties and risks may cause the company's actual results to be materially different than those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Particular uncertainties and risks include: general business and economic conditions; the company's need for and ability to obtain additional financing or partnering arrangement; the difficulty of developing pharmaceutical products, obtaining regulatory and other approvals and achieving market acceptance; and the various risk factors (many of which are beyond Diffusion’s control) as described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Diffusion’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. Diffusion undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:        
Rob Corradi
rob@penpublicaffairs.com
410-212-5483