Akcea Therapeutics Named Among Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts for Second Consecutive Year

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. AKCA, an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious cardiometabolic diseases caused by lipid disorders, announced today that it has been named one of the top 100 women-led businesses in Massachusetts, marking the company's second year being included in the ranking. About half of Akcea's senior leadership team and board of directors are women.

Now in their sixteenth year, these rankings are prepared by the Commonwealth Institute, a non-profit organization devoted to advancing businesswomen in leadership positions, in partnership with The Boston Globe. Akcea was ranked number 35 out of 100 in 2017 rising from number 62 in 2016.

"Companies that seek to do business within Massachusetts do so in very large part to access the top talent, diverse perspectives and experiences found here. At Akcea, I am proud of the strong female and male leaders, Board members and employees who work tirelessly toward our mission to helping patients in need," said Paula Soteropoulos, president and chief executive officer of Akcea Therapeutics. "Let's continue to be a state that leads by example, understanding that embracing gender balance and providing greater advancement opportunities for women of all backgrounds will only fuel innovation, strengthen our business operations and help to build a stronger economy for years to come."

Businesses included in this ranking were selected by the Commonwealth Institute after consideration of a number of factors including revenue or operating budget and other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity, and innovative projects.

ABOUT AKCEA THERAPEUTICS

Akcea Therapeutics, an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious cardiometabolic diseases caused by lipid disorders. Akcea is advancing a mature pipeline of four novel drugs, including volanesorsen, AKCEA-APO(a)-LRx, AKCEA-ANGPTL3-LRx and AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx, all with the potential to treat multiple diseases. All four drugs were discovered by and are being co-developed with Ionis, a leader in antisense therapeutics, and are based on Ionis' proprietary antisense technology. The most advanced drug in its pipeline, volanesorsen, is under regulatory review in the U.S., EU and Canada for the treatment of familial chylomicronemia syndrome, or FCS, and is currently in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of familial partial lipodystrophy, or FPL. Akcea is building the infrastructure to commercialize its drugs globally with a focus on lipid specialists as the primary call point. Akcea is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Additional information about Akcea is available at www.akceatx.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the business of Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. and the therapeutic and commercial potential of volanesorsen and other products in development. Any statement describing Akcea's goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. Akcea's forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Akcea's forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Akcea. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Akcea's programs are described in additional detail in its final prospectus for its initial public offering and its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which is on file with the SEC.

In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise, "Ionis", "Akcea," "Company," "Companies" "we," "our," and "us" refers to Ionis Pharmaceuticals and/or Akcea Therapeutics.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals™ is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Akcea Therapeutics™ is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Investor and Media Contact

Kathleen Gallagher

Head of Communications, Akcea Therapeutics

E: kgallagher@akceatx.com

T: +1 617 207 8509