Cytokinetics and the ALS Association Renew Partnership to Advance the Fight Against ALS
02 May 2018 - 11:09PM
Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq:CYTK) and The ALS Association
today announced the continuation of their partnership in the fight
against ALS. Cytokinetics is renewing its Gold Level Sponsorship of
the National Walks to Defeat ALS® and Premier Level National ALS
Advocacy Conference Sponsorship as well as Platinum Level
Sponsorship for initiatives led by The ALS Association Golden West
Chapter, including grant funding for care services for people with
ALS in the Bay Area.
“We have enjoyed our longstanding, successful
collaboration with The ALS Association and look forward to
continuing our partnership to support the ALS community,” said
Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive
Officer. “Our shared mission to improve the lives of people living
with ALS and for their caregivers motivates and inspires us every
day as we also pursue our clinical development program to hopefully
bring forward much-needed new therapies.”
In the past year, Cytokinetics has been involved
in several initiatives with The ALS Association, including the
IMPACT-ALS survey, a collaboration between The ALS Association,
Cytokinetics, and other industry partners to better understand the
concerns of people living with ALS, as well as other programs
focused on better understanding the disease, accelerating the
conduct of clinical trials and increasing awareness of ALS.
Additionally, later this month representatives from Cytokinetics
will attend the National ALS Advocacy Conference along with
advocates from across the country to meet with legislators on
Capitol Hill.
Cytokinetics also supported local events led by
The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. Continuing this tradition,
Cytokinetics employees will take part in several community events
in the upcoming year, including the “Champions for Care and a Cure”
Gala, ALS Awareness Day with the San Francisco Giants, the Every
Drop Adds Up campaign, the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and the
South Bay Walk to Defeat ALS.
“We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with
Cytokinetics for several years now, and we’re delighted to continue
our partnership,” said Calaneet Balas, President and CEO of The ALS
Association. “We greatly appreciate their support and ingenuity in
drug development as well as their support of initiatives related to
awareness, public education and public policy.”
“Cytokinetics’ involvement in chapter events and
support of care services demonstrates their dedication and
commitment to people living with ALS in the local community, and
we’re grateful to continue our partnership with such a great
champion for people affected by ALS,” said Fred Fisher, MSW,
President and CEO of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter.
About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a
progressive neurodegenerative 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. The average life
expectancy of an ALS patient is approximately three to five years
after diagnosis and only 10 percent 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 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 is collaborating
with Amgen Inc. (“Amgen”) to develop omecamtiv
mecarbil, a novel cardiac muscle activator. Omecamtiv
mecarbil is the subject of GALACTIC-HF, an international Phase
3 clinical trial in patients with heart
failure. Amgen holds an exclusive worldwide license to
develop and commercialize omecamtiv mecarbil with a
sublicense held by Servier for commercialization
in Europe and certain other
countries. Cytokinetics is collaborating
with Astellas Pharma Inc. (“Astellas”) to
develop reldesemtiv (CK-2127107), a next-generation fast
skeletal muscle troponin activator
(FSTA). Reldesemtiv has been granted orphan drug
designation by the FDA for the potential treatment of
spinal muscular atrophy. Reldesemtiv is the subject of
three ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials enrolling patients with
spinal muscular atrophy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Astellas is also conducting a Phase
1b clinical trial of reldesemtiv in elderly adults with
limited mobility. Astellas holds an exclusive worldwide license to
develop and commercialize reldesemtiv. Licenses held
by Amgen and Astellas are subject
to Cytokinetics' specified co-development and
co-commercialization rights. Cytokinetics continues its
20-year history of innovation with three new muscle biology
directed compounds advancing from research to development in 2018.
For additional information about Cytokinetics,
visit 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 of Cytokinetics’ product
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 the
risks related to Cytokinetics' business outlined in 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:CytokineticsDiane WeiserVice President,
Corporate Communications, Investor Relations(650) 624-3060
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