La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Announces LJPC-401

SAN DIEGO, May 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (Nasdaq: LJPC ), a leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies intended to significantly improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases, today announced that there will be two presentations on LJPC-401 (synthetic human hepcidin) at the 23 ^rd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) to be held June 14 - 17, 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. Abstracts for these presentations were made publicly available today and can be found on the EHA website and by clicking the titles below.

Presentation Details: 

About LJPC‑401

LJPC-401, a clinical-stage investigational product, is La Jolla’s proprietary formulation of synthetic human hepcidin. Hepcidin, an endogenous peptide hormone, is the body’s naturally occurring regulator of iron absorption and distribution. In healthy individuals, hepcidin prevents excessive iron accumulation in vital organs, such as the liver and heart, where it can cause significant damage and even result in death. La Jolla is developing LJPC-401 for the potential treatment of iron overload, which occurs as a result of primary iron overload diseases such as hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), or secondary iron overload diseases such as beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease (SCD) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has designated LJPC‑401 as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of beta thalassemia intermedia and major and SCD.

In September 2016, La Jolla reported positive results from a Phase 1 study of LJPC-401 in patients at risk of iron overload suffering from HH, thalassemia and SCD. In this study, single, escalating doses of LJPC-401 were associated with a dose-dependent, statistically significant reduction in serum iron. LJPC-401 was well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities. Injection-site reactions were the most commonly reported adverse event and were all mild or moderate in severity, self-limiting and fully resolved.

In September 2016, La Jolla reached agreement with the EMA on the design of a pivotal study of LJPC-401 for the treatment of beta thalassemia patients suffering from iron overload, a major unmet need in an orphan patient population. This study, also known as LJ401-BT01, was initiated in December 2017. If this study is successful, La Jolla anticipates filing an MAA for LJPC-401 in Europe. Also in December 2017, La Jolla announced the initiation of LJ401-HH01, a Phase 2 clinical study of LJPC‑401 in patients with HH. LJ401-HH01 is a multinational, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, Phase 2 study that is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LJPC-401 as a treatment for HH.

About La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies intended to significantly improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. GIAPREZA™ (angiotensin II), formerly known as LJPC-501, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 2017 as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shock. LJPC‑401 (synthetic human hepcidin), a clinical-stage investigational product, is being developed for the potential treatment of conditions characterized by iron overload, such as hereditary hemochromatosis, beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease and myelodysplastic syndrome. For more information, please visit  www.ljpc.com .

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to expectations regarding future events or La Jolla’s future results of operations. These statements are only predictions or statements of current expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. La Jolla cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these risks, uncertainties and other factors are described in greater detail in La Jolla’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all of which are available free of charge on the SEC’s website  www.sec.gov . These risks include, but are not limited to, risks relating to: the timing, costs, conduct and outcome of clinical studies; the anticipated treatment of future clinical data by the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities, including whether such data will be sufficient for approval; the timing and prospects for approval of LJPC-401 by the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities; risks relating to the scope of product labels (if approved); potential market sizes; the success of future development activities; potential indications for which the Company’s product candidates may be developed; the anticipated timing for regulatory actions; and other risks and uncertainties identified in our filings with the SEC. La Jolla expressly disclaims any intent to update any forward‑looking statements to reflect the outcome of subsequent events.

Company Contacts

Sandra Vedrick Director, Investor Relations & Human Resources La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Phone: (858) 207-4264 Ext: 1135 Email: svedrick@ljpc.com

and

Dennis M. Mulroy Chief Financial Officer La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Phone: (858) 207-4264 Ext: 1040 Email: dmulroy@ljpc.com

Media Contact

Sylvia Wheeler Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors Email: swheeler@wheelhouselsa.com