BOSTON and CARLSBAD, Calif., Aug.
18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
(NASDAQ: AKCA), a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:
IONS), today announced that data from the Phase 2 study of
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx will be presented in a Late Breaking
Clinical Trial Session at the upcoming ESC Congress 2020, the
annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, which is
expected to be the world's largest online gathering of
cardiovascular professionals, taking place August 29-September 1, 2020.
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx is an antisense drug developed
using Ionis' proprietary
Ligand Conjugated Antisense (LICA)
technology platform and is designed to reduce the production of
apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III), a protein produced in the liver
that plays a central role in the regulation of serum triglycerides.
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx was discovered by Ionis and has been
co-developed by Akcea and Ionis. A prior Phase 1/2 study of
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx in healthy volunteers with elevated
triglyceride levels showed dose-dependent reductions in apoC-III,
triglycerides and atherogenic lipoproteins, and increase in
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) following
treatment.
Following are details about the Phase 2 study late-breaking
virtual presentation at the ESC Congress, which will be made
available on the Akcea website:
- Late-Breaking Science in Lipids: Apolipoprotein C-III Reduction
in Cardiovascular Disease by Professor Jean-Claude Tardif, Montreal Heart
Institute, University of Montreal
Oral Presentation: Saturday, August 29, 2020,
2:50 a.m. ET/8:50 a.m. CEST
ABOUT AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx is a ligand conjugated antisense
(LICA) drug designed to reduce the production of apolipoprotein
C-III, or apoC-III. ApoC-III is a protein produced in the liver
that plays a central role in the regulation of serum triglycerides.
Genetically reduced levels of apoC-III are correlated to lower
levels of triglycerides and lower risk of cardiovascular disease
whereas elevated levels of apoC-III correlate with high
triglyceride levels that have been associated with multiple
metabolic abnormalities, such as insulin resistance and/or
metabolic syndrome as well as elevated cardiovascular event risk.
AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx is in Phase 2 development for
hypertriglyceridemia and established cardiovascular disease. Akcea
and Ionis intend to pursue development in familial chylomicronemia
syndrome, or FCS, and are considering pursuing development in
additional indications.
ABOUT AKCEA THERAPEUTICS
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc., a majority-owned affiliate
of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS), is a
biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing
medicines to treat patients with serious and rare diseases. Akcea
is commercializing TEGSEDI® (inotersen) and
WAYLIVRA® (volanesorsen), as well as advancing a
mature pipeline of novel medicines, including
AKCEA-APO(a)-LRx, vupanorsen
(AKCEA-ANGPTL3-LRx), AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx, and
AKCEA-TTR-LRx, with the potential to treat multiple
diseases. All six drugs were discovered by Ionis, a leader in
antisense therapeutics, and are based on Ionis' proprietary
antisense technology. TEGSEDI is approved in the U.S., E.U.,
Canada and Brazil, and WAYLIVRA is approved in the
E.U. Akcea is headquartered in Boston and is building the infrastructure to
commercialize its medicines globally. Additional information about
Akcea is available at www.akceatx.com and you can follow
us on Twitter at @akceatx.
ABOUT IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
As the leader in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development, Ionis
has created an efficient, broadly applicable, drug discovery
platform called antisense technology that can treat diseases where
no other therapeutic approaches have proven effective. Our drug
discovery platform has served as a springboard for actionable
promise and realized hope for patients with unmet needs. We created
the first and only approved treatment for children and adults with
spinal muscular atrophy as well as the world's first RNA-targeted
therapeutic approved for the treatment of polyneuropathy in adults
with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. Our sights are set on
all the patients we have yet to reach with a pipeline of more than
40 novel medicines designed to potentially treat a broad range of
disease, including neurological, cardio-renal, metabolic,
infectious, and pulmonary diseases. To learn more about Ionis
visit www.ionispharma.com and follow us on Twitter
@ionispharma.
AKCEA AND IONIS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT
This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding
the business of Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. and Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the therapeutic and commercial
potential of AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx. Any statement describing
Akcea's or Ionis' goals, expectations, financial or other
projections, intentions or beliefs, including the commercial
potential of AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx or other of Akcea's or
Ionis' drugs in development is a forward-looking statement and
should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those
inherent in the process of discovering, developing and
commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human
therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around
such drugs. Akcea's and Ionis' forward-looking statements also
involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove
correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although
Akcea's and Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good
faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only
on facts and factors currently known by Akcea and Ionis. In
particular, we caution you that our forward-looking statements are
subject to the ongoing and developing circumstances related to the
COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a material adverse effect on our
business, operations and future financial results. As a
result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking
statements. These and other risks concerning Akcea's and Ionis'
programs are described in additional detail in Akcea's and Ionis'
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K,
which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other
documents are available from each company.
In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise,
"Ionis," "Akcea," "Company," "Companies," "we," "our," and "us"
refers to Ionis Pharmaceuticals and/or Akcea
Therapeutics.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals® is a trademark of Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Akcea Therapeutics®,
TEGSEDI® and WAYLIVRA® are
trademarks of Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
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SOURCE Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.