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Filings under Rule 425
under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed under Rule 14a-6
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
Filing by: Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Subject Company: Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
SEC File No.: 001- 36003
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CONTACT: Keith Marshall
Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(858) 376-2600
IR@conatuspharma.com
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CONTACT: Eileen Brandt
Histogen Inc.
(858) 526-3106
ebrandt@histogen.com
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Histogen Publishes Preclinical Data on its HST 004 Spinal Disc Program
SAN DIEGO, May 14, 2020 Histogen Inc., a regenerative medicine company with a novel biological platform that replaces and
regenerates tissues in the body, announced today the publication of data on HST 004, its patented, naturally-derived material for spinal disc repair in the Journal of Medicine and Surgical Sciences.
Histogen has developed a cell conditioned media (CCM) that is embryonic-like in composition and that has been shown to stimulate stem cells in vivo. The
material expresses stem cell-associated proteins, including nodal, brachyury, nestin and Oct4, and has the potential to reduce inflammation and stimulate autologous intravertebral disc (IVD) cells, which can lead to the repair of IVD matrix.
In a spinal disc study, HST 004 reversed inflammation and protease activity and stimulated aggrecan secretion in the thrombin-induced rabbit ex vivo model. In
vivo studies in the rabbit degenerative disc model showed that, in as little as 4 weeks post treatment with HST 004, disc height increased as compared to the control. MRI analysis demonstrated regeneration of the disc tissue (Pfirrmann grading
analysis p<0.05).
Disc degeneration due to traumatic injury is associated with inflammation and breakdown of the disc tissue, said
Dr. Gail K. Naughton, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Histogen. We are very excited that studies with HST 004 demonstrated a significant and rapid reduction in inflammation and degradation markers, and a stimulation of disc
cells to produce new matrix. The in vivo model results support the regeneration of the disc to a pre-damaged state.
Pain associated with degenerative disc disease or spinal disc injury affects 21 million patients in the U.S. With surgical intervention considered a last
resort and utilized in only 5% of cases, a minimally invasive treatment that helps to restore cartilage and reduce inflammation could fill a significant unmet need.
We are encouraged by this data on HST 004 and we look forward to generating additional pre-clinical data later
this year in anticipation of filing an investigational new drug application on spinal disc repair in 2021, said Richard Pascoe, Chairman and CEO of Histogen.
The research paper entitled A Novel Bioengineered Material to Reverse Intervertebral Disc Degeneration has been published in Volume 2, Issue 1 of
Journal of Medicine and Surgical Sciences, and is currently available electronically at https://escientificpublishers.com/a-novel-bioengineered-material-to-reverse-intervertebral-disc-degeneration-JMSS-02-0018.
Histogens Planned Merger with Conatus Pharmaceuticals
On January 28, 2020, Histogen announced that it entered into a definitive agreement with Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: CNAT) pursuant to which
Histogen will merge with and into a wholly-