Cytokinetics and The ALS Association Renew Partnership to Advance the Fight Against ALS
July 27 2016 - 1:00PM
Cytokinetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYTK) and The ALS Association today
announced the continuation and expansion of their partnership in
the fight against ALS, including Cytokinetics’ renewal of its Gold
Level Sponsorship of the National Walks to Defeat ALS® and Platinum
Level Sponsorship for initiatives led by The ALS Association Golden
West Chapter.
“We are proud to continue and scale up our
long-standing partnership with The ALS Association at both the
national and local levels,” said Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’
President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our commitment to people
fighting ALS is unwavering. Joining forces with leading
advocates, we believe we can increase education, awareness and
fundraising to combat this devastating disease as we further our
mission to develop a potential new medicine that may make a
clinically meaningful impact.”
Cytokinetics is participating in initiatives
conducted by The ALS Association intended to accelerate the
execution of clinical trials through innovative design approaches,
and to pave the way for faster approvals of new medicines for
people living with ALS. The company also recently joined The ALS
Association on Capitol Hill in meetings with government officials
to advocate for patients with ALS and their caregivers.
In June, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter
honored Cytokinetics with the “Commitment to a Cure” Award at the
chapter’s “Champions for Care and a Cure” celebration. This
prestigious award was presented not only for the company’s
dedication to ALS drug development, but also for its many
contributions to support the ALS community and ongoing
participation in community outreach events. Staff from Cytokinetics
will participate in the Golden West Chapter’s upcoming ALS
Awareness Day with the San Francisco Giants as well as the South
Bay Walk to Defeat ALS and Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS.
“Cytokinetics is an invaluable collaborator of
the Golden West Chapter, and we value their leadership and
continuing support of vital care services for the ALS community
that we serve,” said Fred Fisher, MSW, President and CEO of The ALS
Association Golden West Chapter.
“Our partnership with Cytokinetics is anchored
in our shared goal to help everyone affected by ALS,” said Barbara
Newhouse, President and CEO of The ALS Association. “We are
grateful for their tireless work in the search for an effective
treatment for ALS and their commitment to our mission and
vision.”
About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a
progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease that afflicts
approximately 30,000 people in the United States and a comparable
number of patients in Europe. Approximately 6,000 new cases of ALS
are diagnosed each year in the United States. In people living with
ALS, motor neurons progressively die and the brain can no longer
communicate with the muscles through the spinal cord. As muscles
are used less and less frequently, they can atrophy, causing people
with ALS to lose the ability to perform everyday activities, such
as walking, speaking, and eating. The average life expectancy of an
ALS patient is approximately three to five years after diagnosis
and only 10% of patients survive for more than 10 years. Death is
usually due to respiratory failure because of diminished strength
in the skeletal muscles responsible for breathing. Few treatment
options exist for these patients, resulting in a high unmet need
for new therapies to address functional deficits and disease
progression.
About Tirasemtiv
Tirasemtiv, a novel skeletal muscle activator,
selectively activates the fast skeletal muscle troponin complex by
increasing its sensitivity to calcium and, in preclinical studies
and early clinical trials, demonstrated increases in skeletal
muscle force in response to neuronal input and delays in the onset
and reductions in the degree of muscle fatigue. Tirasemtiv has been
studied in clinical trials that have enrolled over 1000 people
internationally. Tirasemtiv is the subject of a Phase 3 clinical
trial program designed to confirm and extend findings on measures
of respiratory function and muscle strength from prior studies.
About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national
non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every
front. By leading the way in global research, providing
assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of
chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified
clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The
Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while
aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For
more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at
www.alsa.org.
About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a late-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing
first-in-class muscle activators as potential treatments for
debilitating diseases in which muscle performance is compromised
and/or declining. As a leader in muscle biology and the mechanics
of muscle performance, the company is developing small molecule
drug candidates specifically engineered to increase muscle function
and contractility. Cytokinetics’ lead drug candidate is tirasemtiv,
a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator, for the potential
treatment of ALS. Tirasemtiv has been granted orphan drug
designation and fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and orphan medicinal product designation by the
European Medicines Agency for the potential treatment of ALS.
Cytokinetics retains the right to develop and commercialize
tirasemtiv, subject to Astellas’ option. Cytokinetics is
collaborating with Amgen Inc. to develop omecamtiv mecarbil, a
novel cardiac muscle activator, for the potential treatment of
heart failure. Cytokinetics is collaborating with Astellas Pharma
Inc. to develop CK-2127107, a fast skeletal muscle activator, for
the potential treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and ALS. Amgen holds an exclusive
license worldwide to develop and commercialize omecamtiv mecarbil
and Astellas holds an exclusive license worldwide to develop and
commercialize CK-2127107. Both licenses are subject to
Cytokinetics' specified development and commercialization
participation rights. For additional information about
Cytokinetics, visit http://www.cytokinetics.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995 (the “Act”). Cytokinetics disclaims any
intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements,
and claims the protection of the Act’s Safe Harbor for
forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include,
but are not limited to, statements relating to Cytokinetics’ and
its partners’ research and development activities, and the
properties and potential benefits of Cytokinetics' drug
candidates. Such statements are based on management's current
expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to
various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to
further clinical development of tirasemtiv in ALS patients which
will require significant additional funding,
and Cytokinetics may be unable to obtain such additional
funding on acceptable terms, if at all; the FDA and/or other
regulatory authorities may not accept effects on slow vital
capacity as a clinical endpoint to support registration of
tirasemtiv for the treatment of ALS; potential difficulties or
delays in the development, testing, regulatory approvals for trial
commencement, progression or product sale or manufacturing, or
production of Cytokinetics' drug candidates that could
slow or prevent clinical development or product approval, including
risks that current and past results of clinical trials or
preclinical studies may not be indicative of future clinical trials
results; and patient enrollment for or conduct of clinical trials
may be difficult or delayed. For further information regarding
these and other risks related to Cytokinetics' business,
investors should consult Cytokinetics' filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance,
and Cytokinetics' actual results of operations, financial
condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in
which it operates, may differ materially from the forward-looking
statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking
statements that Cytokinetics makes in this press release
speak only as of the date of this press
release. Cytokinetics assumes no obligation to update its
forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, after the date of this press
release.
Contact:
Cytokinetics
Diane Weiser
Vice President, Corporate Communications, Investor Relations
(415) 290-7757
The ALS Association
Carrie Munk
Senior Vice President, Communications & Marketing
(571) 319-3047
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