SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portola Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:PTLA) today announced that William Lis, chief executive officer, will present at the Cowen and Company 34th Annual Health Care Conference on Monday, March 3, 2014, at 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time in Boston.
The presentation will be webcast live and available for replay from Portola's website at www.portola.com in the Investor Relations section.
About Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Portola Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics in the areas of thrombosis and hematology.
Betrixaban
Portola's wholly-owned lead compound, betrixaban, is a novel, oral, once-daily Factor Xa inhibitor in Phase 3 development for extended-duration prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acute medically ill patients. Betrixaban's properties may be uniquely suited to potentially demonstrate efficacy without significantly increasing bleeding in this patient population. Currently, there is no anticoagulant approved for extended-duration VTE prophylaxis in acute medically ill patients.
Andexanet Alfa*
Portola's second lead development candidate, andexanet alfa (PRT4445), has the potential to be a first-in-class reversal agent to directly reverse the effects of Factor Xa inhibitors in patients who suffer a major bleeding episode or who require emergency surgery. Portola has entered into clinical collaboration agreements with all of the manufacturers of direct Factor Xa inhibitors, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer (Eliquis® [apixaban]), Bayer HealthCare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (XARELTO® [rivaroxaban]), and Daiichi Sankyo (Savaysa™ [edoxaban]), while retaining all commercial rights to the program. Andexanet alfa has been designated as a breakthrough therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Cerdulatinib* (PRT2070) and PRT2607
Portola's third wholly-owned product candidate, cerdulatinib (PRT2070), is an orally available kinase inhibitor that uniquely inhibits two validated tumor proliferation pathways -- spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and janus kinase (JAK). It is currently being studied in patients with leukemias or lymphomas with a focus on genetically-defined subtypes, as well as in patients who have failed therapy due to relapse or acquired mutations. Portola's fourth program is partnered with Biogen Idec and is focused on the development of PRT2607, a selective Syk inhibitor.
For more information, visit www.portola.com and follow the company on Twitter @Portola_Pharma.
*Andexanet alfa and cerdulatinib are proposed International Nonproprietary Names (pINN).