MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Versartis, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAR), an endocrine-focused biopharmaceutical company that is developing somavaratan (VRS-317), a novel, long-acting form of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for growth hormone deficiency (GHD), today announced it has gathered a panel of internationally renowned pediatric endocrinologists to share their perspectives, experiences and expertise regarding Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency with analysts and investors at a meeting in New York City on September 15, 2015.
The meeting will provide in-depth insight from pediatric GHD specialist physicians from the US, Western Europe and Japan in a presentation and panel discussion entitled "Global Perspectives on Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency." Topics to be discussed include current GHD treatment approaches in the three market geographies, the issue of catch-up growth in GHD children, and an overview of the current data and experience to date with somavaratan in pediatric GHD. A question and answer session with the pediatric GHD physician presenters and Versartis clinical experts will follow the formal presentations.
Jay Shepard, Versartis Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are very excited to bring together this international group of key opinion leaders in pediatric growth hormone deficiency, which we hope will provide further education about this serious condition in each major market globally, as well as illuminate to the investment community the unmet medical need for a new long-acting treatment for this patient population."
Physician Presenters:
Philippe Backeljauw, MD – Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Jan-Maarten Wit, MD, PhD – Professor Emeritus, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
Noriyuki Namba, MD, PhD – Chief of Pediatrics, Japan Community Health Care Organization (JCHO) Osaka Hospital
Brad Miller, MD, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, University of Minnesota
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15 from 8:00am to 10:00am ET at the NASDAQ MarketSite located on W. 43rd St and Broadway in New York City. To register for this event, please send an email request to IR@versartis.com with your name, company and phone number.
About Versartis, Inc.
Versartis, Inc. is an endocrine-focused biopharmaceutical company initially developing somavaratan (VRS-317), a novel, long-acting form of recombinant human growth hormone for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Somavaratan is intended to reduce the burden of daily injection therapy by requiring significantly fewer injections, potentially improving compliance and, therefore, treatment outcomes. The Company completed the Phase 2a stage of a Phase 1b/2a trial evaluating weekly, twice-monthly and monthly dosing regimens of somavaratan in children with GHD in June 2014 and initiated a global Phase 3 registration trial, VELOCITY, in GHD children in January 2015. In addition, the Company initiated a Phase 2/3 trial in Japan for children with GHD in April 2015. Additional information on Versartis clinical trials can be found at www.versartistrials.com. Further information on Versartis can be found at www.versartis.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward Looking-Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions or current expectations concerning, among other things, plans and timing of our clinical trials and the potential for eventual regulatory approval of somavaratan. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: our success being heavily dependent on somavaratan; somavaratan being a new chemical entity; the risk that somavaratan may not have favorable results in clinical trials or receive regulatory approval; potential delays in our clinical trials due to regulatory requirements or difficulty identifying qualified investigators or enrolling patients; the risk that somavaratan may cause serious side effects or have properties that delay or prevent regulatory approval or limit its commercial potential; the risk that we may encounter difficulties in manufacturing somavaratan; if somavaratan is approved, risks associated with its market acceptance, including pricing and reimbursement; potential difficulties enforcing our intellectual property rights; our reliance on our license of intellectual property from Amunix Operating, Inc. and our need for additional funds to support our operations. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2015, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.