Kura Oncology Reports Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results - Preliminary data from first-in-human trial of menin inhibitor KO-539 accepted for oral presentation at ASH - - Encouraging safety, tolerability and activity wi

Kura Oncology Reports Third Quarter 2020

- Preliminary data from first-in-human trial of menin inhibitor KO-539 accepted for oral presentation at ASH -

- Encouraging safety, tolerability and activity with KO-539 highlighted in ASH abstract -

- Preclinical data support expansion opportunity for tipifarnib plus PI3K inhibitor in HRAS- and/or PI3K-dependent tumors -

- $325.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments provide runway into 2023 -

- Management to host webcast and conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET -

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 5, 2020 - Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today reported third quarter 2020 financial results and provided a corporate update.

"Our team is focused on developing novel therapies for patients with cancer," said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. "With our menin inhibitor, KO-539, we are encouraged by the early evidence of activity in our KOMET-001 Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and look forward to presenting updated data from the trial in an oral presentation at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting next month. With tipifarnib, in addition to conducting our ongoing AIM-HN registration-directed trial of tipifarnib in recurrent or metastatic HRAS mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we recently presented preclinical data that underscore the potential to combine tipifarnib with a PI3K inhibitor to treat between 25% and 50% of HNSCC patients, and look forward to initiating a combination trial of these two targeted therapies in mid-2021."

Conference Call and Webcast

Kura's management will host a webcast and conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 a.m. PT today, November 5, 2020, to discuss the financial results for the third quarter 2020 and provide a corporate update. The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 516-3514 for domestic callers and +1 (281) 973-6129 for international callers and entering the conference code: 7456326. A live webcast of the call will be available from the Investors and Media section of the Company's website at www.kuraoncology.com, and will be archived there for 30 days.

Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company's pipeline consists of two wholly-owned, small-molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to improve outcomes by identifying those patients most likely to benefit from treatment. Kura's most advanced drug candidate is tipifarnib, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable farnesyl transferase inhibitor currently in a registration-directed trial (AIM-HN) in patients with recurrent or metastatic HRAS mutant HNSCC. The Company's pipeline is also highlighted by KO-539, a potent and selective inhibitor of the menin-KMT2A(MLL) protein-protein interaction currently in a Phase 1/2A clinical trial (KOMET-001) in patients with relapsed/refractory AML. For additional information about Kura, please visit the Company's website at www.kuraoncology.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic potential of Kura's drug candidates, tipifarnib and KO-539, progress and expected timing of Kura's drug development programs and clinical trials and submission of regulatory filings, the presentation of data from clinical trials, plans regarding regulatory filings and future clinical trials, the regulatory approval path for tipifarnib, the strength of Kura's balance sheet and the adequacy of cash on hand. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include the risk that compounds that appeared promising in early research or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in later preclinical studies or clinical trials, the risk that Kura may not obtain approval to market its drug candidates, uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials, regulatory filings, applications and other interactions with regulatory bodies, the risks associated with reliance on third

parties to successfully conduct clinical trials, the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital requirements, the risks associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic, and other risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "promise," "potential," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "continues," "designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, please refer to the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date they are made, and Kura assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Vice President, Investor Relations &

Corporate Communications

Canale Communications