Veru Inc. Added to the Russell 2000 and 3000 Indices

MIAMI, June 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veru Inc. (NASDAQ: VERU), an oncology and urology biopharmaceutical company with a focus on developing novel medicines for the management of prostate cancer, today announced that it has been added to the Russell 2000 Index and the Russell 3000 Index, effective as of the open of the market today, following Russell's annual reconstitution of its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indices.

“We are very pleased with Veru’s addition to the Russell 2000 and the Russell 3000 Indices,” said Mitchell Steiner, M.D., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Veru. “We believe our inclusion on these platforms increases both our visibility and our exposure to the investment community and signifies the value we are creating for our shareholders.”

The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. The Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index and represents approximately 10 percent of the total market capitalization of that Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies, which represents approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.  Russell US Indices are the leading US equity benchmarks for institutional investors. This broad range of US indices allow investors to track current and historical market performance by size, investment style and other market characteristics. The reconstitution process, which occurs annually, is designed to capture and to reflect market shifts that have occurred in the past year to ensure investors continue to have the most accurate US equity market benchmarks.   

About Veru Inc.
Veru Inc. is an oncology and urology biopharmaceutical company with a focus on developing novel medicines for the management of prostate cancer. The Veru prostate cancer pipeline includes VERU-111, VERU-100, and Zuclomiphene citrate. VERU-111 is an oral, first-in-class, new chemical entity that targets, crosslinks, and disrupts alpha and beta tubulin subunits of microtubules. VERU-111 is being evaluated in an open label Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical study in men with metastatic castration and androgen-blocking agent resistant prostate cancer. The Phase 1b clinical study completed enrollment of 39 men and is ongoing. The Phase 2 clinical study is enrolling approximately 39 men who have metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer and who have also become resistant to novel androgen blocking agents, such as abiraterone or enzalutamide, but prior to proceeding to IV chemotherapy. VERU-111 is also being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of VERU-111 in combating COVID-19. VERU-100 is a novel, proprietary peptide formulation designed to address the current limitations of commercially available androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) for advanced prostate cancer. VERU-100 is a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist administered as a small volume, subcutaneous 3-month depot injection without a loading dose. VERU-100 immediately suppresses testosterone with no testosterone surge upon initial or repeated administration --- a problem which occurs with currently approved luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists used for ADT. There are no GnRH antagonists commercially approved beyond a one-month injection. A Phase 2 study to evaluate VERU-100 dosing is anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2020.  Zuclomiphene citrate is an oral nonsteroidal estrogen receptor agonist being developed to treat hot flashes, a common side effect caused by ADT in men with advanced prostate cancer. Following an End of Phase 2 meeting with the FDA, the Company plans to advance Zuclomiphene Citrate to a Phase 3 clinical trial in men with advanced prostate cancer who experience moderate to severe hot flashes.