Versartis, Inc. to Present at Biotech Showcase in San Francisco

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - January 11, 2010) - Versartis, Inc., an emerging company developing novel biologics with enhanced properties for patients with metabolic diseases, will present an update on the progress of its lead product, VRS-859 (exenatide-XTEN), and earlier stage product, VRS-317 (hGH-XTEN) at the Biotech Showcase on Tuesday, January 12. Biotech Showcase is the EBD Group’s annual conference for the life science industry, held during the course of the JP Morgan healthcare investor conference in San Francisco every January.

Jeffrey Cleland, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Versartis, will present the company’s corporate overview to investors, analysts, bankers, biopharmaceutical industry executives and other industry professionals at the Marines’ Memorial Club in the Heritage Room on the 10th Floor at 2:20 PM.

XTEN is a novel hydrophilic amino acid sequence that prolongs the half-life of proteins and peptides. New therapeutic compounds developed by Versartis using the XTEN technology are expected to provide enhanced stability and less frequent dosing requirements with potentially fewer patient side effects. VRS-859, a once monthly dosage form of the GLP-1 analog exenatide, is completing preclinical testing with an initial regulatory submission and Phase 1a trial in type 2 diabetes patients planned for Q2 2010. VRS-317, a once monthly dosage form of human growth hormone (hGH), has demonstrated superiority of dosing and tolerability over other long-acting hGH analogs. Clinical trials of VRS-317 in growth hormone deficient patients are planned to start by Q4 2010.

About Versartis

Versartis, Inc., which recently moved its headquarters to 500 Ellis Street, Mountain View, CA 94043, is a biotechnology company developing therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic diseases and endocrine disorders. Versartis is pursuing the development of new therapeutic proteins utilizing the Amunix Inc. novel half-life extension XTEN technology.

Versartis, a joint venture company between Amunix, Inc. and Index Ventures, owns and develops the novel drug candidates in metabolic diseases and endocrinology that it has licensed from Amunix. Versartis has preclinical proof-of-concept for three product candidates in its pipeline: exenatide and IL-1ra for diabetes, and hGH for growth hormone deficiency. Further information on Versartis can be found at www.versartis.com.