WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KYTH) today announced that it has entered into separate license agreements with Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and the University of Pennsylvania for a novel approach for the treatment of hair loss, which together could enable KYTHERA to bring a new treatment to the very large and still highly unsatisfied hair loss market.

"These two licenses build on KYTHERA's focus on developing and commercializing high-value, self-pay aesthetic products that have the promise to yield high patient satisfaction and enhanced self image," said Keith Leonard, KYTHERA's president and CEO. "Based on several years of research and clinical work already accomplished, we believe we have the possibility of reaching initial proof-of-concept data in a very capital efficient manner."

Under the terms of the agreement with Actelion, KYTHERA Holdings Ltd., a wholly-owned Bermuda subsidiary of KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., licensed the worldwide rights to setipiprant, a clinical-stage selective and potent oral antagonist to the prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) receptor. As part of the agreement, Actelion will be eligible to receive up to $27 million in potential development and regulatory milestones, as well as royalties on sales if setipiprant is successfully commercialized.

Under the terms of the agreement with the University of Pennsylvania, KYTHERA Holdings Ltd., acquired exclusive worldwide rights to certain patent rights owned by the University of Pennsylvania covering the use of PGD₂ receptor antagonists for the treatment of hair loss (often presenting as male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia) under a license agreement facilitated by the Penn Center for Innovation. The discovery of the relationship between PGD₂ and hair loss was made in the laboratory of Dr. George Cotsarelis and published in late 2011¹. KYTHERA has been supporting research in Dr. Cotsarelis' lab at the University of Pennsylvania over the last two years under sponsored research and option agreements to further develop and elucidate the initial reported observations.

"The University of Pennsylvania's discovery and associated intellectual property assets, combined with access to the PGD₂ antagonist setipiprant, provide KYTHERA a strong foundation for this novel approach to hair loss," said Frederick Beddingfield, III, M.D., Ph.D., KYTHERA's Chief Medical Officer. "These observations are potentially the most innovative new thinking in hair loss over the last two decades. Setipiprant is believed to directly affect this hair loss pathway, and our own preclinical and in vitro human hair models confirmed this effect. It is a well-characterized molecule with a large safety database and we believe we can quickly initiate a development program to study it in hair loss. Putting these two pieces of the puzzle together is ideal and represents an example of our approach to scientifically sound and efficient drug development."

KYTHERA plans to conduct a human proof-of-concept study to establish the efficacy of setipiprant in male subjects with androgenic alopecia (AGA).

About Setipiprant

Setipiprant is a selective oral antagonist to the prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) receptor. The elevation of PGD₂ levels in certain regions of the male scalp is associated with hair loss in those regions. In early research studies, PGD₂ inhibitors were found to extend the anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle, thereby promoting the growth of hair.

Setipiprant had previously been studied as a potential allergic inflammation treatment and had undergone eight clinical trials, including a Phase III study in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients and a Phase II proof of concept study in asthma patients, resulting in a safety database of more than 1,000 patients. Actelion suspended the development of setipiprant due to a lack of efficacy seen in the above-mentioned clinical trials for inflammatory disorders. Treatment in all studies was well tolerated across all treatment groups and no serious adverse events were reported.

About the Penn Center for Innovation

The Penn Center for Innovation (PCI) is devoted to commercial partnering, licensing and advancement of University of Pennsylvania technologies, innovations and intellectual property. PCI seamlessly connects Penn researchers with business and industry partners. For more information on PCI, please visit www.pci.upenn.edu.

About KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel prescription products for the aesthetic medicine market. KYTHERA's lead product candidate, ATX-101, is currently in late-stage clinical development for the reduction of submental fat, which commonly presents as a double chin, and is a potential first-in-class submental contouring injectable drug. KYTHERA submitted its New Drug Application for ATX-101 in May 2014, and will have a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of May 13, 2015. KYTHERA also maintains an active research interest in hair and fat biology, pigmentation modulation and facial contouring. Find more information at www.kytherabiopharma.com.

A background presentation is available under the Investors section of Company's website.

Forward Looking Statements

To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding KYTHERA, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including KYTHERA's development plans for setipiprant and its belief that it can quickly initiate the development program, the potential to achieve initial proof-of- concept in a capital efficient manner, and the potential for setipiprant to be an effective and novel treatment for hair loss. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to the research and development process, the uncertainties inherent in the clinical drug development process, including the regulatory approval process, the potential need for additional financing to achieve the Company's goals, enforcement of the Company's intellectual property rights and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of setipiprant. KYTHERA undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company in general, see KYTHERA's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

¹ Science Translational Medicine, Med 21 March 2012:Vol. 4, Issue 126, p. 126ra34