SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., and WASHINGTON, May 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq:CYTK) and The ALS Association today announced the continuation of their partnership in the fight against ALS. Cytokinetics is a sponsor of the 2020 ALS Roundtables and ALS Focus, a patient and caregiver led survey program to learn about individual experiences with ALS. Cytokinetics is also a Platinum Level Sponsor 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 are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with The ALS Association and The ALS Association Golden West Chapter,” said Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “During these especially difficult times, people with ALS and their families are confronting new challenges and concerns, and it is now more important than ever that we reinforce our commitment to those fighting ALS and our dedication to making a real difference in their lives.”
In the past year, Cytokinetics led several initiatives with The ALS Association focused on better understanding the disease and its impact on patients and caregivers. In addition, Cytokinetics will participate in the 2020 ALS Roundtables, during which patients, caregivers, industry, researchers, insurers and clinicians convene to discuss various topics of importance to the ALS community.
As a supporter of initiatives led by The ALS Association Golden West Chapter for over 10 years, Cytokinetics employees participate in local fundraising and awareness events, including the Napa Valley Ride to Defeat ALS and the South Bay Walk to Defeat ALS. While certain events have shifted online, Cytokinetics is continuing its commitment to support the local community through active participation in these important events, regardless of their format.
“Cytokinetics has been a longstanding industry partner, and we value their alignment with our goals to improve awareness, education, public policy and access to care for the ALS community. We are grateful to have their steadfast support,” said Calaneet Balas, President and CEO of The ALS Association.
“Now and always, we are especially grateful to Cytokinetics for their strong, ongoing partnership and support of our local events and initiatives," said Fred Fisher, MSW, LCSW, President and CEO of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. “Every year the number of families facing ALS that the Golden West Chapter serves continues to grow, and we rely on supporters like Cytokinetics to help us provide critically-needed programs and services to benefit people living with ALS and their loved ones.”
About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that afflicts approximately 16,000 people in the United States and a comparable number of patients in Europe. Approximately 5,000 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 approximately 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 The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national nonprofit organization fighting ALS on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, the Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.
About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators and next-in-class muscle inhibitors 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 impact 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 an international clinical trials program in patients with heart failure including GALACTIC-HF and METEORIC-HF. 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 developing reldesemtiv, a fast skeletal muscle troponin activator (FSTA) for the potential treatment of ALS and other neuromuscular indications following conduct of FORTITUDE-ALS and other Phase 2 clinical trials. The company is considering potential advancement of reldesemtiv to Phase 3 pending ongoing regulatory interactions. Cytokinetics is collaborating with Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas) to research, develop and commercialize other novel mechanism skeletal sarcomere activators (not including FSTAs). Licenses held by Amgen and Astellas are subject to specified co-development and co-commercialization rights of Cytokinetics. Cytokinetics is also developing CK-274, a novel cardiac myosin inhibitor that company scientists discovered independent of its collaborations, for the potential treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. Cytokinetics continues its over 20-year history of pioneering innovation in muscle biology and related pharmacology focused to diseases of muscle dysfunction and conditions of muscle weakness.
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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:
Cytokinetics
Diane Weiser
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Investor Relations
(650) 624-3060