Cytokinetics And The ALS Association Announce Partnership To Advance The Fight Against ALS

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated CYTK and The ALS Association announced an expanded partnership in which the company will provide Gold Level Sponsorship of the National Walks to Defeat ALS^® as well as Platinum Level Sponsorship for ALS Association Golden West Chapter initiatives.  In addition, Cytokinetics committed to a challenge grant to fund care services in the Bay Area.  Cytokinetics' increased funding coincides with the culmination of ALS Awareness Month and will support The ALS Association's programs to raise awareness of the disease, honor the perseverance of patients with ALS and caregivers, and grow momentum from last year's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

"We are pleased to expand our national and regional partnerships with The ALS Association," stated Robert I. Blum, Cytokinetics' President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Our company remains steadfast in our resolve to serve the ALS community by increasing awareness, education and care services for patients confronting this grievous illness."

"Cytokinetics' focus on finding a treatment for ALS is crucial, and we appreciate their persistent dedication to the fight against ALS," stated Barbara Newhouse, President and Chief Executive Officer of The ALS Association.  "We are grateful that the company has chosen to take its support of our activities to the next level."

"Cytokinetics' support for Chapter events, as well as the challenge grant, creates an opportunity to ensure that vital care services are available to everyone who needs them," said Fred Fisher, MSW, President and CEO, of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The disease robs people of the ability to walk, to talk and even blink an eye.  It traps them inside a body they no longer can control and ultimately prevents them from breathing as it takes their life.  There is no known cause of the disease, although military veterans are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population.

Tirasemtiv, a novel skeletal muscle activator, is the lead drug candidate from Cytokinetics' skeletal muscle contractility program. Tirasemtiv selectively activates the fast skeletal muscle troponin complex by increasing its sensitivity to calcium and, in preclinical studies and early clinical trials, demonstrated increases in skeletal muscle force in response to neuronal input and delays in the onset and reductions in the degree of muscle fatigue. In a recently completed Phase II study, tirasemtiv reduced the decline of slow vital capacity, a measure of respiratory function, in patients with ALS. Cytokinetics is developing tirasemtiv as a potential treatment for ALS and is preparing to advance tirasemtiv to a Phase III clinical development program that is designed to potentially confirm and extend results from prior clinical studies.

May was ALS Awareness Month, and this year The ALS Association celebrated the tremendous awareness generated from last summer's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the incredible impact it had on the fight against this disease. The ALS Association is grateful not only for the increased awareness about the disease but also for the $115 million in donations. Progress on how The Association is putting these dollars to work can be viewed here.

About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease on every front.  By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.  For more information about The ALS Association, visit our website at www.alsa.org.

About Cytokinetics
Cytokinetics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics that modulate muscle function for the potential treatment of serious diseases and medical conditions. Cytokinetics is developing tirasemtiv, a fast skeletal muscle activator, as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Tirasemtiv has been granted orphan drug designation and fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and orphan medicinal product designation by the European Medicines Agency for the potential treatment of ALS. Cytokinetics plans to initiate a Phase III clinical trial of tirasemtiv in patients with ALS, called VITALITY-ALS.  Cytokinetics is collaborating with Amgen Inc. to develop omecamtiv mecarbil, a cardiac muscle activator, for the potential treatment of heart failure. Cytokinetics is collaborating with Astellas Pharma Inc. to develop CK-2127107, a fast skeletal muscle activator, for the potential treatment of spinal muscular atrophy. Amgen holds an exclusive license worldwide to develop and commercialize omecamtiv mecarbil and Astellas holds an exclusive license worldwide to develop and commercialize CK-2127107. Both licenses are subject to Cytokinetics' specified development and commercialization participation rights. All of these drug candidates have arisen from Cytokinetics' muscle biology focused research activities and are directed towards the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is a complex biological infrastructure that plays a fundamental role within every human cell. Additional information about Cytokinetics can be obtained at http://www.cytokinetics.com/.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131211/MM32178LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cytokinetics-and-the-als-association-announce-partnership-to-advance-the-fight-against-als-300093808.html

SOURCE The ALS Association