Mr. Richard Muruve reports

ARCH BIOPARTNERS ANNOUNCES ROYAL COLUMBIAN HOSPITAL HAS DOSED ITS FIRST PATIENT IN ITS PHASE II CARDIAC SURGERY-ASSOCIATED AKI TRIAL

Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) has dosed its first patient in Arch Biopartners Inc.'s continuing phase II trial evaluating LSALT peptide as a new drug to prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery (CS).

Royal Columbian Hospital, located in New Westminster and part of Fraser Health, is the fourth site to dose patients in Canada.

Patient recruitment into the trial is continuing at Toronto General Hospital, part of University Health Network; St. Michael's Hospital, part of Unity Health Toronto; and the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine.

"Royal Columbian Hospital dosing its first patient is another meaningful step forward for the company's phase II CS-AKI trial," said Richard Muruve, chief executive officer of Arch Biopartners. "Arch continues to make steady progress toward the goals of the study and establishing LSALT peptide as a new drug to reduce the incidence of AKI and the need for dialysis and kidney transplants."

To increase clinical awareness of LSALT peptide and further expand the trial, the company is in feasibility discussions with leading cardiac surgery centres in Canada and the United States, including four prospective sites in the United States and one additional site in Ontario.

About the CS-AKI Phase II Trial

Cardiac-surgery-associated acute kidney injury is a common complication following on-pump (heart-lung machine) cardiac surgery and can lead to longer hospital stays and worse outcomes. The trial is designed to evaluate whether LSALT peptide can reduce the rate of AKI in this setting.

The CS-AKI phase II trial is a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of LSALT peptide with a recruitment target of 240 patients. The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the percentage of subjects with acute kidney injury within seven days following on-pump cardiac surgery, as defined by the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria.

About Arch Biopartners Inc.

Arch Biopartners is a therapeutic biotechnology company developing novel drugs for acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The company is advancing an integrated program that includes new treatments targeting inflammation- and toxin-related kidney injury.

Arch's development pipeline includes:

• LSALT peptide: in a phase II trial targeting cardiac-surgery-associated AKI;
• Cilastatin: a repurposed drug in a phase II trial targeting toxin-induced AKI;
• CKD platform: next-generation therapeutics targeting chronic kidney disease.

These assets represent distinct, mechanism-based approaches to treating and preventing common causes of kidney damage. Together, they target unmet needs in kidney care across both chronic and acute indications, affecting more than 800 million people around the world. Both lead programs are currently enrolling patients at Canadian clinical sites, with additional North American sites in development.

We seek Safe Harbor.