Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Partners with NHL Hall-of-Famer Henrik Lundqvist to Raise Awareness of Recurrent Pericarditis


Campaign to elevate experiences from the recurrent pericarditis community and provide resources to patients and caregivers –

HAMILTON, Bermuda, June 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Nasdaq: KNSA) (Kiniksa), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of immune-modulating assets designed to target a spectrum of cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, today announced a partnership with National Hockey League (NHL) Hall-of-Famer, Henrik Lundqvist, to raise awareness in support of patients suffering from recurrent pericarditis. Lundqvist has faced the challenges of living with this painful and debilitating chronic autoinflammatory cardiovascular disease. The campaign will kick off in September of this year.

Pericarditis is marked by a profound inflammation of the pericardial tissue in the multi-layered sac that surrounds the heart. The associated sharp chest pain frequently requires urgent care and hospitalization, and patients often believe they are having a heart attack. Patients experiencing recurrent pericarditis flares suffer wide-ranging effects on quality of life, physical activity, and overall well-being.

“Despite the significant impact of recurrent pericarditis on patients’ lives, the limited understanding of the disease often results in delayed diagnosis and treatment,” said Sanj K. Patel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kiniksa. “We are honored to collaborate with Henrik Lundqvist to raise awareness of the realities of suffering from recurrent pericarditis. We believe this collaboration will help educate and inspire individuals to take proactive steps to access appropriate medical care early on to prevent future flares.”

For more information on recurrent pericarditis, visit whatispericarditis.com. To learn about the first and only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for recurrent pericarditis, visit arcalyst.com.

About Recurrent Pericarditis
Recurrent pericarditis is a painful and debilitating chronic autoinflammatory cardiovascular disease marked by inflammation of the pericardium and is often associated with changes in electrical conduction and sometimes buildup of fluid around the heart, called pericardial effusion. Recurrent pericarditis symptoms have an impact on quality of life, limit physical activities, and lead to frequent emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Data show that approximately 40,000 patients in the U.S. seek and receive treatment for recurrent pericarditis each year. Of that group, approximately 14,000 patients experience two or more recurrences due to persistent underlying disease or inadequate response to conventional therapies, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), colchicine and corticosteroids.

About Kiniksa
Kiniksa is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing, and commercializing therapeutic medicines for patients suffering from debilitating diseases with significant unmet medical need. Kiniksa’s immune-modulating assets, ARCALYST®, abiprubart, and mavrilimumab, are based on strong biologic rationale or validated mechanisms, target a spectrum of underserved cardiovascular and autoimmune conditions, and offer the potential for differentiation. For more information, please visit www.kiniksa.com.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT ARCALYST

  • ARCALYST may affect your immune system and can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Serious infections, including life-threatening infections and death, have happened in patients taking ARCALYST. If you have any signs of an infection, call your doctor right away. Treatment with ARCALYST should be stopped if you get a serious infection. You should not begin treatment with ARCALYST if you have an infection or have infections that keep coming back (chronic infection).
  • While taking ARCALYST, do not take other medicines that block interleukin-1, such as Kineret® (anakinra), or medicines that block tumor necrosis factor, such as Enbrel® (etanercept), Humira® (adalimumab), or Remicade® (infliximab), as this may increase your risk of getting a serious infection.
  • Talk with your doctor about your vaccine history. Ask your doctor whether you should receive any vaccines before you begin treatment with ARCALYST.
  • Medicines that affect the immune system may increase the risk of getting cancer.
  • Stop taking ARCALYST and call your doctor or get emergency care right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction.
  • Your doctor will do blood tests to check for changes in your blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Common side effects include injection-site reactions (which may include pain, redness, swelling, itching, bruising, lumps, inflammation, skin rash, blisters, warmth, and bleeding at the injection site), upper respiratory tract infections, joint and muscle aches, rash, ear infection, sore throat, and runny nose.

For more information about ARCALYST, talk to your doctor and see the Product Information.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward- looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation, statements regarding: the timing of the campaign, our belief that our collaboration will help educate and inspire individuals to take proactive steps to access appropriate medical care early on to prevent future flares and our belief that all of our product candidates offer the potential for differentiation.

These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our and our partners’ achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

These and other important factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the caption “Risk Factors” contained therein, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Every Second Counts! ®

Kiniksa Investor and Media Contact
Rachel Frank
(339) 970-9437
rfrank@kiniksa.com