- Established new corporate responsibility strategic pillars
and actionable goals
- Received approval for two Ionis-discovered medicines in
2023, and continued to advance a broad pipeline poised to bring a
steady cadence of important new medicines to people with serious
diseases
CARLSBAD, Calif., April 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IONS), today published its 2023 Corporate Responsibility
Report: Action for a Healthier Future. The report details Ionis'
relentless passion to create better futures for people touched by
serious disease as well as other stakeholders. In 2023, Ionis
extended its commitment to corporate responsibility (CR) through
the establishment of three strategic pillars with actionable goals.
Ionis also committed to continuing to transparently communicate the
Company's progress over time.
"At Ionis, we are focused on bringing a steady cadence of new
medicines to people with serious diseases and believe our
long-standing commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably
is core to achieving this mission," said Brett Monia, Ph.D., chief executive officer of
Ionis. "The actions outlined in our 2023 report are a testament to
the extraordinary work our colleagues do every day to innovate for
patients, maintain the highest standards of integrity, and ensure
we continue to deliver on our corporate responsibility priorities
for many years to come."
In 2023, Ionis completed its first CR materiality assessment,
which informed the new CR pillars and goals. The company also
formalized board-level oversight of the responsibility program and
expanded its CR Steering Committee to include representation from
across the Company. The 2023 Report includes the following
highlights:
Innovate to improve the lives of people with serious
diseases:
- Celebrated the U.S. approval of WAINUA™ (eplontersen) for the
treatment of polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated
amyloidosis (ATTRv-PN) and the accelerated approval of QALSODY®
(tofersen) for superoxide dismutase type 1 amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (SOD1-ALS).
- Continued to advance a broad clinical pipeline, which now
includes nine medicines in Phase 3 development for 11 serious
diseases, as well as expanded
technology capabilities.
- Worked closely with nearly 100 patient advocacy groups to
support patients and caregivers across the globe.
Empowering our employees and communities:
- Continued to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive
workplace culture by launching a new corporate DEI site and
employee VisION Awards, recognizing outstanding employees making an
impact through championing innovation, community service and
modeling Ionis' culture and core principles.
- Remained committed to volunteerism and philanthropy focused in
the areas of adaptive experiences for people with neurological
diseases, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
education and bolstering our local communities.
Operating responsibility and sustainably:
- Disclosed multi-year environmental data and continued to manage
our environmental impact as our operations grew, including breaking
ground on a new state-of-the-art research facility on our
Carlsbad, California campus, which
is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification.
- In preparation for our first independent commercial launch,
continued to focus on maintaining strong corporate governance,
compliance, and a culture of integrity, while increasing
transparency around company policies regarding the environment and
clinical trials.
For more information on the 2023 Corporate Responsibility
program, please
visit: https://www.ionispharma.com/about/corporate-responsibility/
For more information about QALSODY, visit
https://www.qalsody.com/. This indication is approved under
accelerated approval based on reduction in plasma neurofilament
light chain (NfL) observed in patients treated with QALSODY.
Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon
verification of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).
INDICATION for WAINUA™ (eplontersen)
WAINUA injection,
for subcutaneous use, 45 mg is indicated for the treatment of the
polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in
adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for WAINUA™
(eplontersen)
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Reduced Serum Vitamin A Levels and Recommended
Supplementation WAINUA leads to a decrease in serum
vitamin A levels. Supplement with recommended daily allowance of
vitamin A. Refer patient to an ophthalmologist if ocular symptoms
suggestive of vitamin A deficiency occur.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Most common adverse reactions (≥9% in WAINUA-treated patients) were
vitamin A decreased (15%) and vomiting (9%).
Please see link to U.S. Full Prescribing Information for
WAINUA.
About Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
For three decades, Ionis has invented medicines that bring
better futures to people with serious diseases. Ionis currently has
five marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology,
cardiology, and other areas of high patient need. As the pioneer in
RNA-targeted medicines, Ionis continues to drive innovation in RNA
therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing.
A deep understanding of disease biology and industry-leading
technology propels our work, coupled with a passion and urgency to
deliver life-changing advances for patients. To learn more about
Ionis, visit Ionispharma.com and follow us on X (Twitter) and
LinkedIn.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements
regarding Ionis' business and the therapeutic and commercial
potential of Ionis' commercial medicines, additional medicines in
development and technologies. Any statement describing Ionis'
goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions, or
beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an
at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and
uncertainties, including but not limited to those related to our
commercial products and the medicines in our pipeline, and
particularly those inherent in the process of discovering,
developing and commercializing medicines that are safe and
effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of
building a business around such medicines. 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 Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith
judgment of its management, these statements are based only on
facts and factors currently known by Ionis. Except as required by
law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to
rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks
concerning Ionis' programs are described in additional detail in
Ionis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31,
2023, which is on file with the SEC. Copies of this and other
documents are available
at www.ionispharma.com.
Definition of Materiality in This Report
The discussion of topics included in this report and our other
corporate responsibility and sustainability disclosures should not
be read as implying that such topics are "material" in the context
of the U.S. federal securities laws, Delaware General Corporation
Law or any other regulatory framework, even where we use words such
as "material" or "materiality. Our approach to sustainability and
other corporate responsibility disclosures is informed by
sustainability reporting frameworks, that involve broader
definitions of materiality than used for purposes of our compliance
with SEC disclosure obligations. As a result, "materiality" for
purposes of our corporate responsibility reporting includes impacts
on communities, the environment and stakeholders such as employees,
patients and suppliers, and the inclusion of topics in such
reporting, even when described as "material," does not indicate
that such topics are material to the Company's business, operations
or financial condition.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals® is a registered trademark of Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. QALSODY® is a registered trademark of
Biogen. WAINUATM is a registered trademark of the
AstraZeneca group of companies.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Investor Contact: D. Wade Walke, Ph.D. - info@ionisph.com -
760-603-2331; Ionis Pharmaceuticals Media Contact:
Hayley Soffer -
CorporateCommunications@ionisph.com - 760-603-4679
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SOURCE Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.