FLORHAM PARK, N.J. and
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BASF Corporation
(BASF) and Mast Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MSTX) have
agreed to collaborate in the development of a higher purity
poloxamer 188. Currently, excipient-grade poloxamer 188 NF,
marketed by BASF under the Kolliphor® P188 brand, is a
polymer used in a variety of pharmaceutical and biological
applications, such as a shear protectant in cell culture
production. Poloxamer 188 is the starting material for Mast's lead
product candidate. Under the agreement between BASF and Mast, BASF
will develop a higher purity poloxamer 188 and provide Mast
with clinical quantities of the new material to be used for
specific therapeutic indications.
"The work we are doing with Mast is one example of our
collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to develop high purity
poloxamers for a variety of applications for the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology value chains," said Daniele
Piergentili, Head of Global Marketing and R&D, BASF
Pharma Ingredients and Services. "Our work with Mast will enable
them to develop new products intended to treat patients with
life-threatening illnesses."
"As the leader in the use of poloxamer compounds to treat human
disease, we are pleased to be working with BASF, the world's
leading chemical company to enhance the purity of our starting
material. We believe that our relationship with BASF will
enable us to develop an improved product with application in a
variety of therapeutic indications," said Brian M. Culley, Chief Executive Officer of
Mast. "We already have been successful in advancing a
second-generation poloxamer 188, known as vepoloxamer, which is
being tested in a 388-patient clinical trial in sickle cell
disease, and we are excited to explore further improvements in this
class of compounds to treat other serious or life-threatening
conditions, such as heart failure and stroke."
"BASF is committed to innovate with companies such as Mast in
order to achieve the best possible solutions for our partners and
ultimately for their patients" said Scott
Thomson, Head of BASF Pharma Ingredients and Services.
In addition to poloxamer 188 NF, BASF also offers comprehensive
solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for both small and large
molecule formulation needs.
About Mast Therapeutics, Inc.
Mast Therapeutics, Inc.
is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company headquartered in
San Diego, California. The
Company is leveraging its molecular adhesion and sealant technology
(MAST) platform, derived from over two decades of clinical,
nonclinical and manufacturing experience with purified and
non-purified poloxamers, to develop vepoloxamer (also known as
MST-188), 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 also developing AIR001, a sodium nitrite solution for
inhalation via nebulizer, for the treatment of heart failure with
preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Vepoloxamer is an investigational new drug being tested in a
pivotal Phase 3 study called EPIC for the treatment of
vaso-occlusive crisis in patients with sickle cell disease. The
Company also plans to initiate a Phase 2 study of vepoloxamer in
chronic heart failure later this month. AIR001 is an
investigational new drug being tested in two institution-sponsored
Phase 2a studies in patients with HFpEF. 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.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in
Florham Park, New Jersey, is the
North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,000 employees
in North America, and had sales of
$20.6 billion in 2014. For more
information about BASF's North American operations, visit
www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150
years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance
products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the
world's leading chemical company, we combine economic success with
environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science
and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to
meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and
solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition
and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution
in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable
future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around
113,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on
BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements included in this
press release that are not a description of historical fact are
forward-looking statements that are based on Mast Therapeutics'
current expectations and assumptions and involve a number of risks
and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include
statements about the development of new therapeutic products and
their potential to treat serious or life-threatening conditions,
and the Company's rights, expectations and future activities
related to the development of such products. For such statements,
Mast claims the protection of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results may differ materially
from the Company's expectations. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, the following: risks related to
relying on collaborative arrangements and performance of third
parties; the risk that collaborative arrangements may be modified
or terminated at a time or in a manner that could cause the Company
to delay or discontinue a development program, or otherwise harm
its business strategy and/or prospects; risks inherent in
developing and commercializing drug products, including clinical
development, regulatory, manufacturing and supply issues, including
the potential for significant delays or discontinuation of one or
more programs; the risk that investigational drugs may not meet
safety, efficacy or other regulatory requirements or otherwise be
suitable for further research and development or commercialization;
Mast's ability to obtain patents, or exclusive rights to use
third-party patents, or otherwise adequately protect its products
from competitors and the risk that Mast's products or manufacturing
processes for its products may infringe the proprietary rights of
others; the Company's ability to obtain adequate funding for its
operations on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, or at all.
Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by Mast's forward-looking
statements are disclosed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
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 when made,
except as may be required by law.
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SOURCE Mast Therapeutics, Inc.