Arca biopharma Announces Activation Of First Canadian Genetic-AF Clinical Trial Site

ARCA biopharma, Inc.

, a biopharmaceutical company developing genetically-targeted therapies for cardiovascular diseases, today announced the activation of the first GENETIC-AF clinical trial site in Canada. The site activation follows on the August 2014 acceptance by Health Canada of the Company's Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for the GENETIC-AF clinical trial evaluating GencaroTM as a potential treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). This site brings the total current number of active trial sites to thirty-three. ARCA plans to activate a total of approximately 60 clinical trial sites in the United States and Canada for the Phase 2B portion of the trial. ARCA is evaluating Gencaro, a pharmacologically unique beta-blocker and mild vasodilator, as a potential treatment for AF in the Phase 2B/3 GENETIC-AF clinical trial, which is now enrolling patients in the United States and Canada. ARCA has identified common genetic variations that it believes predict individual patient response to Gencaro, giving it potential to be the first genetically-targeted therapy for the prevention of atrial fibrillation. Stuart Connolly, MD, Director of the Division of Cardiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Co-Chairman of the GENETIC-AF Steering Committee, commented, “This trial is an innovative pharmacogenetic approach to evaluating the potential efficacy of bucindolol as a treatment for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a growing problem where current medical therapy does not provide adequate treatment, particularly in heart failure populations.” Jeff Healey, MD and Country Principal Investigator, commented further, “Canadian health care and its clinical trial culture is ideally suited for a trial such as GENETIC-AF, which investigates a potential advance in the unmet need areas of atrial fibrillation prevention and/or rate control in a heart failure population. I hope the Canadian GENETIC-AF trial sites will contribute a substantial number of patients to this program to help advance a potential new treatment for patients at high risk for developing, or living with, atrial fibrillation.”