Sirion Therapeutics, Inc., an
ophthalmic-focused biopharmaceuticals company, announced today that it has
begun enrollment of a phase II clinical trial, which will evaluate
fenretinide in the treatment of Geographic Atrophy (GA) in patients with
age-related macular degeneration.

The newly initiated phase II trial is a proof of concept trial being
performed as a multicenter, randomized, double-masked, placebo controlled,
dose-comparison trial in up to 225 patients at approximately 20 sites in
the United States. The fenretinide compound was acquired by Sirion in July
of this year through an acquisition of Sytera, Inc., a San Diego
biopharmaceutical company.

“Initiating patient enrollment in our phase II proof of concept trial
is an important milestone for Sirion,” said Barry Butler, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Sirion Therapeutics, Inc. “Fenretinide is a good
strategic fit with our company mission of finding treatments for sight
threatening disease. We hope that fenretinide will offer help to the almost
1 million people in the U.S. that currently suffer from GA,” concluded
Butler.

About Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.

Sirion Therapeutics is a Tampa, Florida based biopharmaceutical
company, with additional offices in La Jolla, California, dedicated to the
development and commercialization of innovative ophthalmic products. For
more information regarding Sirion and the matters announced in this press
release, please visit Sirion’s website at siriontherapeutics/.

About Geographic Atrophy (GA)

Geographic atrophy (GA) is the advanced form of atrophic AMD. According
to data published in Archives of Ophthalmology, approximately 973,000
people in the US had GA in at least one eye as of 2004. This number is
expected to increase by more than 50% by 2020. There is currently no
therapeutic treatment for GA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to
our ability to develop viable drug product candidates. Any such
forward-looking statements are only predictions, and involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual
results to differ materially. Please see our public filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission for detailed risks, uncertainties and
cautionary statements regarding our business and any forward-looking
statements.

Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.
siriontherapeutics/