SAN DIEGO, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mast
Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MSTX), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company, today announced that data from MST-188
(vepoloxamer), its lead product candidate, will be featured at the
American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2014.
Data will be presented as a poster during the session "Heart
Failure Pharmacology: From the Membrane to the Mitochondria." The
AHA conference is being held at the McCormick Place Convention
Center in Chicago through November
19.
Brian M. Culley, Chief Executive
Officer, said: "These data further support the MST-188 development
rationale in heart failure and reinforce our belief that MST-188
represents a novel approach to treating a condition that results in
over one million hospitalizations each year in the U.S.
alone. We look forward to exploring the potential of MST-188
in this area of significant unmet medical need through a Phase 2
study in patients with acute decompensated heart failure, which we
expect will begin recruiting patients in the first half of
2015."
The poster presented at AHA includes new data from the Company's
randomized, placebo-controlled, nonclinical study of MST-188
(vepoloxamer) (low dose and high dose) in a model of chronic heart
failure. In the study, a single, two-hour infusion of MST-188
significantly reduced plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α
(TNF-α), interlukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and matrix
metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), at both one week and two weeks after
MST-188 administration. Earlier this year, the Company
reported that, in the same study, MST-188 significantly improved
key metrics of left ventricular systolic function, which
improvements were immediate (at the end of MST-188 administration)
and remained significant at one week (and, in some cases, at two
weeks) post-treatment. In addition, data from the same study
revealed that MST-188 significantly reduced troponin-I and plasma
N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), at both one
week and two weeks post-treatment.
Poster Information:
- The poster entitled "Short (2 hour) Intravenous Infusion of
Vepoloxamer (MST-188) Elicits Prolonged (1-2 weeks) Improvement in
Biomarkers in Dogs with Advanced Heart Failure" will be presented
by Hani N. Sabbah, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine & Director of
Cardiovascular Research at the Henry Ford Health System in
Detroit, Michigan
- The poster is available on the Company's website at:
http://www.masttherapeutics.com/technology/publications/
About Mast Therapeutics
Mast Therapeutics, Inc. is a
publicly traded biopharmaceutical company headquartered in
San Diego, California. The
Company is leveraging the MAST (Molecular Adhesion and Sealant
Technology) platform, derived from over two decades of clinical,
nonclinical and manufacturing experience with purified and
non-purified poloxamers, to develop MST-188 (vepoloxamer), its lead
product candidate, for serious or life-threatening diseases and
conditions typically characterized by impaired microvascular blood
flow and damaged cell membranes.
The Company is enrolling subjects in EPIC, a pivotal Phase 3
study of MST-188 in sickle cell disease, and in a Phase 2 study to
evaluate whether MST-188 improves the effectiveness of recombinant
tissue plasminogen activator therapy in patients with acute limb
ischemia. The Company also is planning to initiate a Phase 2
clinical study of MST-188 in patients with acute decompensated
heart failure in the first half of 2015. More information can be
found on the Company's web site at www.masttherapeutics.com.
(Twitter: @MastThera)
Mast Therapeutics™ and the corporate logo are trademarks of Mast
Therapeutics, Inc.
Forward Looking Statements
Mast Therapeutics cautions
you that statements included in this press release that are not a
description of historical facts are forward-looking statements that
are based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions.
Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
statements relating to prospects for successful development of the
Company's product candidates, including MST-188 (vepoloxamer) in
heart failure, and anticipated timing of achievement of development
milestones, including commencement of clinical studies. Among the
factors that could cause or contribute to material differences
between the Company's actual results and the expectations indicated
by the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties that
include, but are not limited to: the uncertainty of outcomes in
ongoing and future studies of the Company's product candidates and
the risk that its product candidates, including MST-188, may not
demonstrate adequate safety, efficacy or tolerability in one or
more such studies, including EPIC; delays in the commencement or
completion of clinical studies, including as a result of
difficulties in obtaining regulatory agency agreement on clinical
development plans or clinical study design, opening trial sites,
enrolling study subjects, manufacturing sufficient quantities of
clinical trial material, being subject to a "clinical hold," and/or
suspension or termination of a clinical study, including due to
patient safety concerns or lack of funding; the potential for
institutional review boards or the FDA or other regulatory agencies
to require additional nonclinical or clinical studies prior to
initiation of a planned clinical study of a product candidate; the
risk that, even if clinical studies are successful, the FDA or
other regulatory agencies may determine they are not sufficient to
support a new drug application; the potential that, even if
clinical studies of a product candidate in one indication are
successful, clinical studies in another indication may not be
successful; the Company's reliance on contract research
organizations (CROs), contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs),
and other third parties to assist in the conduct of important
aspects of development of its product candidates, including
clinical studies, manufacturing, and regulatory activities for its
product candidates, and that such third parties may fail to perform
as expected; the Company's ability to obtain additional funding on
a timely basis or on acceptable terms, or at all; the potential for
the Company to delay, reduce or discontinue current and/or planned
development activities, including clinical studies, partner its
product candidates at inopportune times or pursue less expensive
but higher-risk and/or lower return development paths if it is
unable to raise sufficient additional capital as needed; the risk
that, even if the Company successfully develops a product candidate
in one or more indications, it may not realize commercial success
with its products and may never generate revenue sufficient to
achieve profitability; the risk that the Company is not able to
adequately protect its intellectual property rights relating to the
MAST platform and MST-188 or AIR001 and prevent competitors from
duplicating or developing equivalent versions of its product
candidates; and other risks and uncertainties more fully described
in the Company's press releases and periodic filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's public filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available at
www.sec.gov.
You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date when made. Mast
Therapeutics does not intend to revise or update any
forward-looking statement set forth in this press release to
reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof,
except as may be required by law.
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/LA22456LOGO-a
SOURCE Mast Therapeutics