Sorrento Announces Publication of a Series of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (MPRO) Inhibitors for Potential Treatment of COVID-19 Patients Infected With SARS-CoV-2 Variants Of Concern, Including Omicron - Seite 2

“As a selective inhibitor to both SARS-CoV-2 M^Pro and cathepsin L that is key to SARS-CoV-2 entry into the human host cell, MPI8 exerts improved potency to inhibit SARS-CoV-2. So far it is potentially one of the most potent antivirals that have been developed to treat COVID-19,” stated Dr. Wenshe Ray Liu, Gradipore Chair in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University.

About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento is a clinical and commercial stage biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to treat cancer, pain (non-opioid treatments), autoimmune disease and COVID-19. Sorrento’s multimodal, multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies (“G-MAB library”), immuno-cellular therapies (“DAR-T”), antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”), and oncolytic virus (“Seprehvec”). Sorrento is also developing potential antiviral therapies and vaccines against coronaviruses, including Abivertinib, COVIGUARD, COVI-AMG, COVISHIELD, COVI-MSC and COVIDROPS; and diagnostic test solutions, including COVITRACK, COVISTIX and COVITRACE.

Sorrento’s commitment to life-enhancing therapies for patients is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a first-in-class (TRPV1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small molecule, resiniferatoxin (“RTX”), and SP-102 (10 mg, dexamethasone sodium phosphate viscous gel) (SEMDEXA), a novel, viscous gel formulation of a widely used corticosteroid for epidural injections to treat lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica, and to commercialize ZTlido (lidocaine topical system) 1.8% for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. RTX has completed a Phase IB trial for intractable pain associated with cancer and a Phase 1B trial in osteoarthritis patients. SEMDEXA is in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica. ZTlido was approved by the FDA on February 28, 2018.

For more information visit www.sorrentotherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any statements made for and during any presentation or meeting contain forward-looking statements related to Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Sorrento’s plans with respect to its preclinical M^Pro inhibitor product candidates, including MPI8; the antiviral properties of Sorrento’s M^Pro inhibitor product candidates, including MPI8, and the potential advantage the M^Pro inhibitors offer against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern, including the Omicron variant; Sorrento’s plans to develop the M^Pro inhibitors to address COVID-19; and Sorrento’s plans to address COVID-19 variants of concern with a combination of therapeutic intervention approaches, including M^Pro inhibitors. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in our forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to: risks related to Sorrento’s technologies and prospects, including, but not limited to risks related to seeking regulatory approval for M^Pro inhibitors, including MPI8, against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern; clinical development risks, including risks in the progress, timing, cost, and results of clinical trials and product development programs; risk of difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals; risks that clinical study results may not meet any or all endpoints of a clinical study and that any data generated from such studies may not support a regulatory submission or approval; risks that prior test, study and trial results may not be replicated in future studies and trials; risks of manufacturing and supplying drug product; risks related to leveraging the expertise of its employees, subsidiaries, affiliates and partners to assist Sorrento in the execution of its therapeutic antibody product candidate strategies; risks related to the global impact of COVID-19; and other risks that are described in Sorrento’s most recent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Sorrento’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors set forth in those filings. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press release except as required by law.