Conatus Posters at EASL Meeting Address MELD Score

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNAT ) announced that two posters co-authored by Conatus employees are being presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2017, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 19-23, 2017. The posters are the result of a collaborative data analysis study with senior author W. Ray Kim, M.D., Professor of Medicine, and lead author Ajitha Mannalithara, Ph.D., Engineering Research Associate, both of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University Medical Center.

Poster #FRI-485 entitled, “Model for end stage liver disease [MELD] score dynamics in NASH [nonalcoholic steatohepatitis] patients awaiting liver transplantation and waitlist outcomes,” and poster #FRI-486 entitled “Model for end stage liver disease score dynamics in patients awaiting liver transplantation and waitlist outcomes,” will be displayed today, Friday, April 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CET. The full posters are available in the Liver Disease Resources tab in the Data section of the Conatus website at www.conatuspharma.com .

Summary of MELD Score Dynamics Evaluations Analyses presented in both posters were based on data extracted from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, for adults on the liver transplant waiting list on or after January 1, 2010. For the -486 poster, patient outcomes were assessed by the primary cause of cirrhosis (hepatitis C virus, NASH, alcoholic liver disease, or unknown). For the -485 poster, NASH cirrhosis patients were analyzed by baseline MELD score (<15, 15-20, or >20). The different groups were then analyzed for the ability of MELD score changes over a 12-week period to predict transplant-free survival over two years.

Regardless of etiology and regardless of baseline MELD score, patients whose MELD scores decreased by 2 points or more had a lower incidence of death or liver transplantation. Patients whose MELD scores increased had progressively higher incidences of death or liver transplantation which correlated with the degree of MELD score increase.

“One of the challenges to developing drugs in decompensated cirrhosis patients in general, and specifically in patients with NASH cirrhosis, is to identify an endpoint that predicts long-term patient outcomes and is supported by clinical data,” said David T. Hagerty, M.D., Executive Vice President of Clinical Development of Conatus, “so we were eager to work with Drs. Kim and Mannalithara in evaluating whether MELD score progression or improvement could predict long-term patient outcomes. Dr. Kim is an internationally recognized expert on the MELD score and the knowledge provided by these efforts has helped us to design the planned ENCORE-LF clinical trial in decompensated NASH cirrhosis patients.”

About Conatus Pharmaceuticals Conatus is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat liver disease. Conatus is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease. Emricasan is designed to reduce the activity of enzymes that mediate inflammation and apoptosis. Conatus believes that by reducing the activity of these enzymes, emricasan has the potential to interrupt the disease progression across the spectrum of liver disease. For additional information, please visit www.conatuspharma.com .

Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward looking statements, including statements regarding:  the planned ENCORE-LF clinical trial; and emricasan’s potential to reduce caspase activity and interrupt disease progression across the spectrum of liver disease. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including:  Conatus’ ability to initiate and successfully complete current and future clinical trials; the risk that the preclinical results may not be predictive of future clinical results; the uncertainty of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s and other regulatory agencies’ approval processes and other regulatory requirements; and those risks described in Conatus’ prior press releases and in the periodic reports it files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The events and circumstances reflected in Conatus’ forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, Conatus does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

CONTACT: Alan Engbring Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (858) 376-2637 aengbring@conatuspharma.com