Ceapro Receives Final Court Approval for Merger with Aeterna Zentaris

TORONTO and EDMONTON, March 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS) (TSX: AEZS) ("Aeterna") and Ceapro Inc. (TSX-V: CZO; OTCQX: CRPOF) (“Ceapro”) are pleased to announce that the Court of King's Bench of Alberta has issued a final order approving the arrangement described in the previously announced definitive agreement to combine the operations of Ceapro and Aeterna in an all-stock merger of equals transaction (the “Transaction”).

The parties anticipate completing the Transaction in the second quarter of 2024, subject to obtaining all required approvals and satisfying all required conditions.

Further disclosure on the Transaction can be found in the respective management information circulars filed by Aeterna and Ceapro which are available under each company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca or, as regards Aeterna, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

About Aeterna Zentaris Inc.

Aeterna is a specialty biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing a diversified portfolio of pharmaceutical and diagnostic products focused on areas of significant unmet medical need. Aeterna's lead product, macimorelin (Macrilen; Ghryvelin), is the first and only U.S. FDA and European Commission approved oral test indicated for the diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD). Aeterna is leveraging the clinical success and compelling safety profile of macimorelin to develop it for the diagnosis of childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency (CGHD), an area of significant unmet need.

Aeterna is also dedicated to the development of its therapeutic assets and has established a pre-clinical development pipeline to potentially address unmet medical needs across a number of indications, including neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), Parkinson's disease (PD), hypoparathyroidism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig's disease). For more information, please visit www.zentaris.com and connect with Aeterna on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Ceapro Inc.

Ceapro is a Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology and the application of this technology to the production of extracts and active ingredients from oats and other renewable plant resources.

Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and therapeutics products for humans and animals. Ceapro has a broad range of expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit Ceapro's website at www.ceapro.com.