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Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Vistagen on Track to Deliver Topline Data From Fasedienol PALISADE-3 Phase 3 Trial for Acute Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder in the Fourth Quarter of This Year
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vistagen (Nasdaq: VTGN), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering neuroscience with nose-to-brain neurocircuitry to develop and commercialize a new class of intranasal product candidates called pherines, today provides an update on the timeline for the ongoing clinical trials in its U.S. registration-directed PALISADE Phase 3 Program evaluating fasedienol for acute treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). The Company's PALISADE-3 Phase 3 clinical trial remains on track for expected topline data in the fourth quarter of this year. Topline results for its PALISADE-4 Phase 3 clinical trial are expected in the first half of 2026. 'We are very encouraged by the progress of our PALISADE-3 trial, which remains on track for a topline readout in the fourth quarter of this year, and our PALISADE-4 trial, for which we expect topline results in the first half of 2026,' said Shawn Singh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vistagen. 'Patient and physician enthusiasm for our PALISADE trials continues to be strong, and we remain focused on meticulous patient recruitment. With social anxiety affecting millions and rising, we are energized by fasedienol's potential to meet the clear and growing unmet need and bring meaningful relief to patients, all while delivering long-term value to shareholders.' Vistagen reported positive results from its PALISADE-2 Phase 3 trial of fasedienol for acute treatment of SAD in 2023. The Company's ongoing PALISADE-3 and PALISADE-4 Phase 3 trials involve the same public speaking challenge study design as its successful PALISADE-2 Phase 3 trial, as well as certain protocol and operational enhancements related to site training, surveillance and subject selection. These strategic enhancements, which have extended certain timelines in the PALISADE Phase 3 program, were designed with the objective of replicating the success of PALISADE-2. Vistagen believes either PALISADE-3 or PALISADE-4, if successful, together with the positive results from PALISADE-2, may establish substantial evidence of the effectiveness of fasedienol in support of a potential fasedienol New Drug Application (NDA) submission to the U.S. FDA for the acute treatment of SAD. About Social Anxiety Disorder Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent, serious, and sometimes life-threatening psychiatric mental health disorder affecting over 30 million adults in the U.S. With onset typically early in life, usually during adolescence, SAD persists for many years thereafter, with a reported mean duration of about 20 years. While often a long-term disorder, SAD can manifest acutely when triggered by anxiety-provoking social and performance situations during which individuals with SAD experience extreme anxiety, distress, fear, and impairment due to their feelings of embarrassment, judgment, humiliation, negative evaluation, and scrutiny. The disorder can significantly disrupt family and social life, diminish self-esteem, and hinder work performance. Anxiety associated with SAD often results in avoidance of everyday interactions and opportunities in academic, social, and vocational settings and an increased risk of serious and life-threatening co-morbid depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicide. About Fasedienol Nasal Spray for the Acute Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder Fasedienol is Vistagen's potential first-in-class, investigational neurocircuitry-focused pherine nasal spray designed to have rapid onset with a novel mechanism of action (MOA) that is differentiated from all currently approved anxiety medications. Fasedienol is designed to regulate the olfactory-amygdala neural circuits of fear and anxiety and attenuate the tone of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system without systemic absorption, potentiation of GABA-A receptors, or binding to neurons in the brain. The U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track designation for the development of fasedienol for the acute treatment of SAD. About Vistagen's U.S. Registration-directed PALISADE Phase 3 Program for Acute Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder The ongoing clinical trials in Vistagen's U.S. registration-directed PALISADE Phase 3 Program for fasedienol for the acute treatment of SAD include its PALISADE-3 and PALISADE-4 Phase 3 trials and a small Phase 2 repeat dose study, which is being conducted at the FDA's request to further elucidate fasedienol's dose response and MOA. PALISADE-3 and PALISADE-4 are multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials designed similarly to PALISADE-2 to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the acute administration of fasedienol to relieve anxiety symptoms in subjects with SAD induced by a public speaking challenge conducted in a clinical setting. PALISADE-3 remains on track for topline data in the fourth quarter of 2025. Topline results for PALISADE-4 and the repeat dose study are expected in the first half of 2026. Vistagen believes either PALISADE-3 or PALISADE-4, if successful, together with the positive results from PALISADE-2, may establish substantial evidence of the effectiveness of fasedienol in support of a potential fasedienol New Drug Application (NDA) submission to the U.S. FDA for the acute treatment of SAD. About Vistagen Headquartered in South San Francisco, CA, Vistagen (Nasdaq: VTGN) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging a deep understanding of nose-to-brain neurocircuitry to develop and commercialize a broad and diverse pipeline of clinical-stage product candidates from a new class of intranasal therapies called pherines. Pherines specifically and selectively bind as agonists to peripheral receptors on human nasal chemosensory neurons, and are designed to rapidly activate olfactory bulb-to-brain neurocircuits believed to regulate brain areas involved in behavior and autonomic nervous system activity. They are designed to achieve therapeutic benefits without requiring absorption into the blood or uptake into the brain, giving them the potential to be a safer alternative to other pharmacological options. Vistagen's neuroscience pipeline also includes an oral prodrug with potential to impact certain neurological conditions involving the NMDA receptor. Vistagen is passionate about developing transformative treatment options to improve the lives of individuals underserved by the current standard of care for multiple highly prevalent indications, including social anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and multiple women's health conditions, including vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) associated with menopause. Connect at Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict and include all matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as 'may,' 'could,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'outlook,' 'strategy,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'seek,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'potential,' 'strive,' 'goal,' 'continue,' 'likely,' 'will,' 'would' and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Vistagen and its management, are inherently uncertain. As with all pharmaceutical products, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that any of Vistagen's product candidates, including fasedienol, will successfully complete ongoing or future clinical trials within estimated timelines or at all, receive regulatory approval or be commercially successful. Other factors that may cause such a difference include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to conducting and/or completing ongoing clinical trials, including that are a part of Vistagen's PALISADE Phase 3 program, as currently expected or at all; submission of a NDA to the U.S. FDA for any of Vistagen's product candidate, including fasedienol; the ability of any clinical trial information submitted by Vistagen to the U.S. FDA to successfully support a NDA; Vistagen's dependence on third-party collaborators for the development, regulatory approval, and/or commercialization of its product candidates and other aspects of its business, which are outside of Vistagen's full control; risks associated with current and potential future healthcare reforms; the scope and enforceability of Vistagen's patents, including patents related to Vistagen's pherine product candidates and AV-101; fluctuating costs of materials and other resources and services required to conduct Vistagen's ongoing and/or planned clinical and non-clinical trials; market conditions; the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally; and other technical and unexpected hurdles in the development, manufacture and commercialization of Vistagen's product candidates. These risks are more fully discussed in the section entitled 'Risk Factors' in Vistagen's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2024, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Vistagen's SEC filings are available on the SEC's website at You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing Vistagen's views as of any subsequent date. Vistagen explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements other than as may be required by law. If Vistagen does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that Vistagen will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Health
- Business Upturn
Protagonist and Takeda Announce ASCO Plenary Presentation Highlighting Full 32-Week Results from Phase 3 VERIFY Study of Rusfertide, Showing Reductions in Phlebotomy, Improved Hematocrit Control in Polycythemia Vera
Osaka, Japan & Cambridge, Mass., Newark, Calif., United States: Rusfertide plus current standard of care more than doubled clinical response rates across high- and low-risk PV groups, significantly reducing phlebotomy eligibility compared to placebo plus current standard of care, which was the primary endpoint All key secondary endpoints met with statistical significance, including a nearly three-fold reduction in the proportion of patients requiring phlebotomy and a four-fold improvement in hematocrit control in rusfertide arm compared to placebo arm, as well as improvements in patient-reported outcomes No serious adverse events considered related to rusfertide were reported Rusfertide has received Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation from the U.S. FDA Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. ('Protagonist') (NASDAQ:PTGX) and Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced detailed results from the Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled VERIFY study evaluating rusfertide in patients with polycythemia vera (PV), which met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. The data will be presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the 61st American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting Plenary Session (LBA3) at 2:09 pm CDT today. PV is characterized by overproduction of red blood cells (erythrocytosis), which may increase blood viscosity, or thickness, potentially resulting in life threatening thrombotic events such as stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. People with PV can experience burdensome symptoms, including severe fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, night sweats and pruritus, which may negatively impact their daily functioning and quality of life. Hematocrit is the ratio of red blood cells to total amount of blood in the body. Achieving and maintaining controlled hematocrit levels of <45% is the primary treatment goal in PV to prevent thrombotic events and alleviate symptoms, but many patients still experience uncontrolled hematocrit levels with current standard of care treatments. Rusfertide, an investigational, first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide therapeutic, is under evaluation in the Phase 3 VERIFY study for its potential to regulate iron homeostasis and red blood cell production to control hematocrit levels in patients with PV. In the study, patients dependent on frequent phlebotomy, with or without treatment with cytoreductive therapy, were randomized to receive once-weekly rusfertide or placebo, as an add-on to current standard of care treatment. 'PV poses significant challenges for patients, including debilitating symptoms and the risk of serious thrombotic events, and hematocrit control is crucial to improving patient outcomes. The VERIFY study demonstrated that treatment with rusfertide controls hematocrit levels in phlebotomy-dependent patients, including patients receiving cytoreductive therapies,' said Dr. Andrew T. Kuykendall, M.D., VERIFY Lead Investigator and Associate Member in the Department of Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center. 'These results suggest rusfertide has the potential to become part of the standard of care treatment for patients with PV.' The study met its primary endpoint, which was the proportion of patients achieving a clinical response, defined as the absence of phlebotomy eligibility during study Weeks 20-32. Study results demonstrated 76.9% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care achieved a clinical response, compared to 32.9% in the placebo plus current standard of care group (p<0.0001).1 The response observed in the rusfertide arm was consistent across subgroups, regardless of risk status or type of concurrent cytoreductive therapy.1 In addition, all key secondary endpoints met statistical significance in favor of the rusfertide arm compared to the placebo arm in the VERIFY study, as follows: The mean number of phlebotomies was 0.5 phlebotomies per patient for those treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care compared to 1.8 phlebotomies per patient for those treated with placebo plus current standard of care during Weeks 0-32 (p<0.0001). 1 Only 27% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care required phlebotomy between Weeks 0-32, compared to 78% of patients who received placebo plus current standard of care. The mean number of phlebotomies during Weeks 0-32 in the rusfertide arm was reduced across subgroups, including risk status and use of concurrent cytoreductive therapy, versus the placebo arm. 62.6% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care maintained hematocrit levels below 45% versus 14.4% treated with placebo plus current standard of care (p<0.0001). 1 Rusfertide also showed statistically significant improvements in mean change from baseline to Week 32 in PROMIS Fatigue2 (p<0.03) and the MFSAF Total Symptom Score3 (p<0.03). Rusfertide is the first investigational therapy to prospectively demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in these patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of fatigue and symptom burden in patients with PV.1 Rusfertide was generally well tolerated. The majority of adverse events were low grade and non-serious and no serious adverse events considered related to rusfertide were reported. There was no evidence of increased risk of cancer in patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care compared to patients treated with placebo plus current standard of care at the time of the primary analysis. Cancer events were reported in one patient in the rusfertide arm (0.7%) and in seven patients in the placebo arm (4.8%). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were localized injection site reactions (55.9%), anemia (15.9%) and fatigue (15.2%).1 'These findings underscore rusfertide's potential as a first-in-class erythrocytosis-specific treatment for PV and validate more than a decade of scientific innovation originating from Protagonist's peptide technology platform,' said Dinesh V. Patel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Protagonist. 'We would like to thank all the patients, study staff and investigators for participating in the VERIFY study. We are pleased to partner with Takeda as we continue to advance rusfertide to potentially transform the standard of care in PV patients around the world.' 'These promising pivotal data strongly support rusfertide's potential benefit for a broad spectrum of patients with PV who may be receiving current standard of care therapies but not achieving adequate hematocrit control,' said Phuong Khanh (P.K.) Morrow, M.D., Head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit (OTAU) at Takeda. 'We look forward to receiving additional data from the VERIFY trial later this year, advancing rusfertide towards regulatory approval and continuing our collaboration with Protagonist to bring this innovative therapy to patients.' Rusfertide has received Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Takeda Investor Conference Call and Webcast Details Takeda will host an investor call regarding this update on Sunday, June 1, 6-6:45 pm CDT/ 7-7:45 pm EDT / Monday, June 2, 08:00-08:45 (JST). The call will be held using the Zoom platform and Zoom simultaneous interpretation function. Kindly pre-register from the below link: An on-demand replay will be made available on Takeda's website after the conclusion of the event. Protagonist Investor Conference Call and Webcast Details The dial-in numbers for Protagonist's investor update on Monday, June 2nd at 5:00-6:00 am PDT/ 8:00-9:00 am EDT are: US-based Investors: 1-877-300-8521 International Investors: 1-412-317-6026 Conference Call ID: 10199589 The webcast link for the event can be found here: A replay of the presentation will be available on the Protagonist Investor Relations Events and Presentations webpage following the event. About VERIFY The Phase 3 VERIFY study (NCT05210790) is an ongoing, three-part, global, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluating rusfertide in 293 patients with polycythemia vera over a 156-week period. The study is evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-weekly, subcutaneously self-administered rusfertide in patients with uncontrolled hematocrit who are phlebotomy-dependent despite current standard of care treatment, which could include hydroxyurea, interferon and/or ruxolitinib. The primary endpoint of the study was the proportion of patients achieving a response during Weeks 20-32, which was defined as the absence of 'phlebotomy eligibility.' To meet phlebotomy eligibility, patients in the study were required to have: confirmed hematocrit ≥45% that was ≥3% higher than their baseline hematocrit value, or hematocrit ≥48%. All patients have completed their participation in the randomized, placebo-controlled portion of the study evaluating the efficacy and safety of rusfertide plus current standard of care versus placebo plus current standard of care and are now in the open-label portions of the study. About Protagonist Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are currently in advanced Phase 3 clinical development, with New Drug Application submissions to the FDA expected in 2025. Icotrokinra (formerly, JNJ-2113) is a first-in-class investigational targeted oral peptide that selectively blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor ('IL-23R') which is licensed to JNJ Innovative Medicines ('JNJ'), formerly Janssen Biotech, Inc. Following icotrokinra's joint discovery by Protagonist and JNJ scientists pursuant to the companies' IL-23R collaboration, Protagonist was primarily responsible for development of icotrokinra through Phase 1, with JNJ assuming responsibility for development in Phase 2 and beyond. Rusfertide, a mimetic of the natural hormone hepcidin, is currently in Phase 3 development for the rare blood disorder polycythemia vera (PV). Rusfertide is being co-developed and will be co-commercialized with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide collaboration and license agreement entered into in 2024 under which the Company remains primarily responsible for development through NDA filing. The Company also has a number of pre-clinical stage oral drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including IL-17 oral peptide antagonist PN-881, an oral hepcidin program, and an oral obesity program. More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit Protagonist 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 the potential benefits of rusfertide and the timing of rusfertide regulatory submissions. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward–looking words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. 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, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to earn milestone payments under our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Takeda, our ability to use and expand our programs to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting our business can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading 'Risk Factors' contained in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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. Takeda Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, 'press release' means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ('Takeda') regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, 'Takeda' is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words 'we', 'us' and 'our' are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. Takeda Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda's future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as 'targets', 'plans', 'believes', 'hopes', 'continues', 'expects', 'aims', 'intends', 'ensures', 'will', 'may', 'should', 'would', 'could', 'anticipates', 'estimates', 'projects', 'forecasts', 'outlook' or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda's global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States and with respect to international trade relations; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including tax, tariff and other trade-related rules; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic; the success of our environmental sustainability efforts, in enabling us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions or meet our other environmental goals; the extent to which our efforts to increase efficiency, productivity or cost-savings, such as the integration of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in our business or other initiatives to restructure our operations will lead to the expected benefits; and other factors identified in Takeda's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda's other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda's website at: or at Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda's future results. Takeda Medical Information This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development. _____________________________________________________ Kuykendall A et al. Results From VERIFY, a Phase 3, Double-Blind, Placebo (PBO)-Controlled Study of Rusfertide for Treatment of Polycythemia Vera (PV). Oral presentation at: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, June 1, 2025. Chicago, IL. LBA3. PROMIS Fatigue Short Form 8a Total T-Score. MFSAF v4.0 Total Symptom Score 7. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Protagonist and Takeda Announce ASCO Plenary Presentation Highlighting Full 32-Week Results from Phase 3 VERIFY Study of Rusfertide, Showing Reductions in Phlebotomy, Improved Hematocrit Control in Polycythemia Vera
Rusfertide plus current standard of care more than doubled clinical response rates across high- and low-risk PV groups, significantly reducing phlebotomy eligibility compared to placebo plus current standard of care, which was the primary endpoint All key secondary endpoints met with statistical significance, including a nearly three-fold reduction in the proportion of patients requiring phlebotomy and a four-fold improvement in hematocrit control in rusfertide arm compared to placebo arm, as well as improvements in patient-reported outcomes No serious adverse events considered related to rusfertide were reported Rusfertide has received Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation from the U.S. FDA NEWARK, Calif. & OSAKA, Japan & CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 01, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. ("Protagonist") (NASDAQ:PTGX) and Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced detailed results from the Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled VERIFY study evaluating rusfertide in patients with polycythemia vera (PV), which met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. The data will be presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the 61st American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting Plenary Session (LBA3) at 2:09 pm CDT today. PV is characterized by overproduction of red blood cells (erythrocytosis), which may increase blood viscosity, or thickness, potentially resulting in life threatening thrombotic events such as stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. People with PV can experience burdensome symptoms, including severe fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, night sweats and pruritus, which may negatively impact their daily functioning and quality of life. Hematocrit is the ratio of red blood cells to total amount of blood in the body. Achieving and maintaining controlled hematocrit levels of <45% is the primary treatment goal in PV to prevent thrombotic events and alleviate symptoms, but many patients still experience uncontrolled hematocrit levels with current standard of care treatments. Rusfertide, an investigational, first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide therapeutic, is under evaluation in the Phase 3 VERIFY study for its potential to regulate iron homeostasis and red blood cell production to control hematocrit levels in patients with PV. In the study, patients dependent on frequent phlebotomy, with or without treatment with cytoreductive therapy, were randomized to receive once-weekly rusfertide or placebo, as an add-on to current standard of care treatment. "PV poses significant challenges for patients, including debilitating symptoms and the risk of serious thrombotic events, and hematocrit control is crucial to improving patient outcomes. The VERIFY study demonstrated that treatment with rusfertide controls hematocrit levels in phlebotomy-dependent patients, including patients receiving cytoreductive therapies," said Dr. Andrew T. Kuykendall, M.D., VERIFY Lead Investigator and Associate Member in the Department of Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center. "These results suggest rusfertide has the potential to become part of the standard of care treatment for patients with PV." The study met its primary endpoint, which was the proportion of patients achieving a clinical response, defined as the absence of phlebotomy eligibility during study Weeks 20-32. Study results demonstrated 76.9% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care achieved a clinical response, compared to 32.9% in the placebo plus current standard of care group (p<0.0001).1 The response observed in the rusfertide arm was consistent across subgroups, regardless of risk status or type of concurrent cytoreductive therapy.1 In addition, all key secondary endpoints met statistical significance in favor of the rusfertide arm compared to the placebo arm in the VERIFY study, as follows: The mean number of phlebotomies was 0.5 phlebotomies per patient for those treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care compared to 1.8 phlebotomies per patient for those treated with placebo plus current standard of care during Weeks 0-32 (p<0.0001).1 Only 27% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care required phlebotomy between Weeks 0-32, compared to 78% of patients who received placebo plus current standard of care. The mean number of phlebotomies during Weeks 0-32 in the rusfertide arm was reduced across subgroups, including risk status and use of concurrent cytoreductive therapy, versus the placebo arm. 62.6% of patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care maintained hematocrit levels below 45% versus 14.4% treated with placebo plus current standard of care (p<0.0001).1 Rusfertide also showed statistically significant improvements in mean change from baseline to Week 32 in PROMIS Fatigue2 (p<0.03) and the MFSAF Total Symptom Score3 (p<0.03). Rusfertide is the first investigational therapy to prospectively demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in these patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of fatigue and symptom burden in patients with PV.1 Rusfertide was generally well tolerated. The majority of adverse events were low grade and non-serious and no serious adverse events considered related to rusfertide were reported. There was no evidence of increased risk of cancer in patients treated with rusfertide plus current standard of care compared to patients treated with placebo plus current standard of care at the time of the primary analysis. Cancer events were reported in one patient in the rusfertide arm (0.7%) and in seven patients in the placebo arm (4.8%). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were localized injection site reactions (55.9%), anemia (15.9%) and fatigue (15.2%).1 "These findings underscore rusfertide's potential as a first-in-class erythrocytosis-specific treatment for PV and validate more than a decade of scientific innovation originating from Protagonist's peptide technology platform," said Dinesh V. Patel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Protagonist. "We would like to thank all the patients, study staff and investigators for participating in the VERIFY study. We are pleased to partner with Takeda as we continue to advance rusfertide to potentially transform the standard of care in PV patients around the world." "These promising pivotal data strongly support rusfertide's potential benefit for a broad spectrum of patients with PV who may be receiving current standard of care therapies but not achieving adequate hematocrit control," said Phuong Khanh (P.K.) Morrow, M.D., Head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit (OTAU) at Takeda. "We look forward to receiving additional data from the VERIFY trial later this year, advancing rusfertide towards regulatory approval and continuing our collaboration with Protagonist to bring this innovative therapy to patients." Rusfertide has received Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Takeda Investor Conference Call and Webcast Details Takeda will host an investor call regarding this update on Sunday, June 1, 6-6:45 pm CDT/ 7-7:45 pm EDT / Monday, June 2, 08:00-08:45 (JST). The call will be held using the Zoom platform and Zoom simultaneous interpretation function. Kindly pre-register from the below link: An on-demand replay will be made available on Takeda's website after the conclusion of the event. Protagonist Investor Conference Call and Webcast Details The dial-in numbers for Protagonist's investor update on Monday, June 2nd at 5:00-6:00 am PDT/ 8:00-9:00 am EDT are: US-based Investors: 1-877-300-8521 International Investors: 1-412-317-6026 Conference Call ID: 10199589 The webcast link for the event can be found here: A replay of the presentation will be available on the Protagonist Investor Relations Events and Presentations webpage following the event. About VERIFY The Phase 3 VERIFY study (NCT05210790) is an ongoing, three-part, global, randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluating rusfertide in 293 patients with polycythemia vera over a 156-week period. The study is evaluating the efficacy and safety of once-weekly, subcutaneously self-administered rusfertide in patients with uncontrolled hematocrit who are phlebotomy-dependent despite current standard of care treatment, which could include hydroxyurea, interferon and/or ruxolitinib. The primary endpoint of the study was the proportion of patients achieving a response during Weeks 20-32, which was defined as the absence of "phlebotomy eligibility." To meet phlebotomy eligibility, patients in the study were required to have: confirmed hematocrit ≥45% that was ≥3% higher than their baseline hematocrit value, or hematocrit ≥48%. All patients have completed their participation in the randomized, placebo-controlled portion of the study evaluating the efficacy and safety of rusfertide plus current standard of care versus placebo plus current standard of care and are now in the open-label portions of the study. About Protagonist Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are currently in advanced Phase 3 clinical development, with New Drug Application submissions to the FDA expected in 2025. Icotrokinra (formerly, JNJ-2113) is a first-in-class investigational targeted oral peptide that selectively blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor ("IL-23R") which is licensed to JNJ Innovative Medicines ("JNJ"), formerly Janssen Biotech, Inc. Following icotrokinra's joint discovery by Protagonist and JNJ scientists pursuant to the companies' IL-23R collaboration, Protagonist was primarily responsible for development of icotrokinra through Phase 1, with JNJ assuming responsibility for development in Phase 2 and beyond. Rusfertide, a mimetic of the natural hormone hepcidin, is currently in Phase 3 development for the rare blood disorder polycythemia vera (PV). Rusfertide is being co-developed and will be co-commercialized with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide collaboration and license agreement entered into in 2024 under which the Company remains primarily responsible for development through NDA filing. The Company also has a number of pre-clinical stage oral drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including IL-17 oral peptide antagonist PN-881, an oral hepcidin program, and an oral obesity program. More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit Protagonist 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 the potential benefits of rusfertide and the timing of rusfertide regulatory submissions. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "may," "will," "expect," or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. 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, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to earn milestone payments under our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Takeda, our ability to use and expand our programs to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting our business can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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. Takeda Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, "press release" means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, "Takeda" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. Takeda Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda's future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as "targets", "plans", "believes", "hopes", "continues", "expects", "aims", "intends", "ensures", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", "forecasts", "outlook" or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda's global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States and with respect to international trade relations; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including tax, tariff and other trade-related rules; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic; the success of our environmental sustainability efforts, in enabling us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions or meet our other environmental goals; the extent to which our efforts to increase efficiency, productivity or cost-savings, such as the integration of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in our business or other initiatives to restructure our operations will lead to the expected benefits; and other factors identified in Takeda's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda's other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda's website at: or at Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda's future results. Takeda Medical Information This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development. _____________________________________________________ Kuykendall A et al. Results From VERIFY, a Phase 3, Double-Blind, Placebo (PBO)-Controlled Study of Rusfertide for Treatment of Polycythemia Vera (PV). Oral presentation at: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, June 1, 2025. Chicago, IL. LBA3. PROMIS Fatigue Short Form 8a Total T-Score. MFSAF v4.0 Total Symptom Score 7. View source version on Contacts Protagonist Investor Relations Contact Corey Davis, Advisors+1 212 915 2577cdavis@ Protagonist Media Contact Virginia Amann, Founder/CEOENTENTE Network of Companies+1 833 500 0061 ext 1virginiaamann@ Takeda Media Contacts:Japanese Media Tsuyoshi U.S. and International Media Emy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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FDA Grants Orphan Drug Status to Beam Therapeutics Inc. (BEAM)' AATD Gene Therapy
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Sanofi (SNY)'s MenQuadfi Becomes First MenACWY Vaccine Approved for Ages 6 Weeks and Up
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