SAN DIEGO, Feb. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:CNAT) will host a conference call and webcast presentation at 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 20, with liver disease expert Paul Pockros, M.D., director of the Liver Disease Center at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA. Dr. Pockros will address the unmet medical need in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients who have achieved a sustained viral response (SVR) through treatment with antiviral drugs, but who still suffer from residual liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Conatus President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Steven J. Mento, Ph.D., will discuss the design and potential outcomes of the company’s ongoing Phase 2b clinical trial in post orthotopic liver transplant (POLT) HCV-SVR patients, for which top-line results are expected in the second quarter of 2018. Roth Capital Partners managing director and biotechnology research analyst Yasmeen Rahimi, Ph.D., will moderate the call and lead the Q&A session.
“While the new direct-acting antiviral drugs have provided tremendous benefit for HCV patients, we believe those achieving SVR after development of advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis may be cleared of the virus, but still not cured of the underlying liver damage,” said Dr. Mento. “As we approach the completion of the POLT-HCV-SVR trial, we want to remind people of the patient population, the trial design and endpoints, and the potential paths forward in related populations depending on results.”
About the POLT-HCV-SVR Clinical Trial
The double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b POLT-HCV-SVR clinical trial was initiated in May 2014 and enrolled approximately 60 patients with Ishak Fibrosis Scores of 2 to 6 (mid-stage fibrosis to advanced-stage cirrhosis). Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either 25 mg of emricasan or placebo orally twice daily for 24 months and to be followed for another month post-treatment. The primary endpoint in this exploratory proof-of-concept trial is the change in the Ishak Fibrosis Score compared with placebo. The trial will also evaluate histological markers of inflammation, key serum biomarkers, and the safety and tolerability of emricasan in the target patient population.
Conference Call/Webcast/Presentation
Conatus will host a one-hour conference call and webcast at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, February 20. To access the conference call, please dial 877-312-5857 (domestic) or 970-315-0455 (international) at least five minutes prior to the start time and refer to conference ID 1196579. A replay of the conference call will be available until Tuesday, February 27, at (855) 859-2056 or (800) 585-8367 (domestic) or at (404) 537-3406 (international) using the same conference ID. An associated presentation and live and archived webcast of the call will be available in the Investors section of the company’s website at www.conatuspharma.com. Questions may be submitted by email to ir@conatuspharma.com, and will be addressed during the call on a selective basis as time permits.
About Conatus Pharmaceuticals
Conatus is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat liver disease. In collaboration with Novartis, Conatus is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease. Emricasan is a first-in-class, orally active pan-caspase inhibitor designed to reduce the activity of enzymes that mediate inflammation and apoptosis. Conatus believes that by reducing the activity of these enzymes, caspase inhibitors have the potential to interrupt the progression of a variety of diseases. For additional information, please visit www.conatuspharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward looking statements, including statements regarding: the timeline to announce results from the POLT-HCV-SVR clinical trial; HCV-SVR patients not being cured of underlying liver damage; the potential paths forward in related populations; and caspase inhibitors' potential to interrupt the progression of a variety of diseases. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those risks described in the company’s prior press releases and in the periodic reports it files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The events and circumstances reflected in the company’s forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, the company does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
CONTACT: Alan Engbring
Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(858) 376-2637
aengbring@conatuspharma.com