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Aeterna Zentaris Expands Promotion of APIFINY® into Florida

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS) (TSX: AEZ) (the “Company”) today announced that it is expanding its promotion of APIFINY®, the only cancer-specific, non-PSA blood test available to assess the risk for the presence of prostate cancer, into the important Florida market pursuant to its exclusive promotional agreement with Armune BioScience, Inc. (“Armune”), the owner of the product. The expansion into Florida follows Armune’s receipt of a clinical laboratory license from the State of Florida.

“Our sales and marketing teams are well positioned to leverage the opportunity in the Florida market. We believe APIFINY® provides significant value in aiding clinicians to more accurately determine the optimal clinical pathway for men at risk of prostate cancer by means of its non-PSA based measurement of risk for the presence of prostate cancer. APIFINY® helps meet the needs of achieving value in today’s shifting healthcare environment that involves improving outcomes and patient experiences while lowering overall costs,” commented Jude Dinges, Chief Commercial Officer of the Company.

“We are excited to enter the Florida market with the recent approval of our laboratory license by the State of Florida,” said David Esposito, President and Chief Executive Officer of Armune. “With over 7,000 tests ordered since the launch of APIFINY®, we anticipate significant demand being generated from the Florida market. Given the current concerns of PSA testing throughout the world, APIFINY® is well positioned to offer clinicians additional information in the assessment of prostate cancer risk. In addition, we are confident that APIFINY® will help to address our healthcare system’s demand for improved outcomes at lower costs.”

About Prostate Cancer

Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The American Cancer Society predicted that 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States would occur in 2015, that there would be 27,540 prostate cancer deaths during the year and that one man in seven would be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Approximately 60% of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men aged 65 or older, and it is rare before age 40. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.9 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.

About APIFINY®

APIFINY® is the only cancer-specific, non-PSA blood test that may aid clinicians in the assessment of risk for the presence of prostate cancer. APIFINY® technology measures specific biological markers known to be associated with the immune system’s response to prostate cancer and is based on the measurement of eight prostate-cancer-specific autoantibodies in human serum. These autoantibodies are produced and amplified by the immune system in response to the presence of prostate cancer cells. The autoantibodies are stable and, because of their amplification, are likely to be abundant and easy to detect, especially with small tumors characteristic of early-stage cancers. The autoantibody markers span a range of biological functions integral to prostate cancer progression. APIFINY® is offered as a lab developed test by Armune BioScience in its CLIA regulated laboratory located in Ann Arbor, MI.

About Armune BioScience

Armune is a medical diagnostics company that develops and commercializes unique proprietary technology exclusively licensed from the University of Michigan for diagnostic and prognostic tests for cancer. The Armune BioScience Laboratory is a commercial reference laboratory, certified and regulated by the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) law established in 1988. The laboratory’s CLIA Certificate permits it to perform APIFINY® and other high-complexity medical tests. Armune, a private company, has a corporate headquarters in Kalamazoo, MI and a research and commercial laboratory in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information, visit www.armune.com.

About Aeterna Zentaris Inc.

Aeterna Zentaris is a specialty biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing and commercializing novel treatments in oncology, endocrinology and women’s health. We are engaged in drug development activities and in the promotion of products for others. We are now conducting Phase 3 studies of two internally developed compounds. The focus of our business development efforts is the acquisition of licenses to products that are relevant to our therapeutic areas of focus. We also intend to license out certain commercial rights of internally developed products to licensees in territories where such out-licensing would enable us to ensure development, registration and launch of our product candidates. Our goal is to become a growth-oriented specialty biopharmaceutical company by pursuing successful development and commercialization of our product portfolio, achieving successful commercial presence and growth, while consistently delivering value to our shareholders, employees and the medical providers and patients who will benefit from our products. For more information, visit www.aezsinc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the US Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” and similar terms that relate to future events, performance, or our results. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue R&D projects and clinical trials, the successful and timely completion of clinical studies, the risk that safety and efficacy data from any of our Phase 3 trials may not coincide with the data analyses from previously reported Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 clinical trials, the rejection or non-acceptance of any new drug application by one or more regulatory authorities and, more generally, uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the ability of the Company to efficiently commercialize one or more of its products or product candidates, the degree of market acceptance once our products are approved for commercialization, the ability of the Company to take advantage of business opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, the ability to protect our intellectual property, the potential of liability arising from shareholder lawsuits and general changes in economic conditions. Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and US securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements. We disclaim any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except if required to do so.

Contacts:

Aeterna Zentaris Inc.
Philip A. Theodore, 843-900-3223
Senior Vice President
ir@aezsinc.com

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