Benzinga | Apr 5, 2021 07:01AM EDT

Acceleron To Present At American Thoracic Society 2021 International Conference May 19

-- Conference to include interim results from the open-label extension of the PULSAR Phase 2 trial showing consistent or improved responses in efficacy endpoints among sotatercept-treated patients --

-- Interim results from the SPECTRA Phase 2 trial to show improvements in measures of exercise hemodynamics --

-- Sotatercept was generally well tolerated in both trials, consistent with the previously reported safety profile in PAH and in other diseases --

-- Acceleron to host investor and analyst conference call and webcast on Wednesday, May 19 --

Acceleron Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ:XLRN), a leading biopharmaceutical company in the discovery, development, and commercialization of TGF-beta superfamily therapeutics to treat serious and rare diseases, today announced that updates from the PULSAR and SPECTRA Phase 2 clinical trials of sotatercept in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) will be presented at the American Thoracic Society 2021 International Conference (ATS 2021), held virtually May 14-19. The Company will also present preclinical research on the effects of a murine version of sotatercept in animal models of PAH and pulmonary hypertension.

ATS 2021 will include interim results from the open-label extension of the PULSAR Phase 2 trial through 48 weeks. The presentation will highlight changes from baseline in a range of endpoints, including six-minute walk distance and World Health Organization (WHO) functional class. The conference will also feature interim data from the SPECTRA Phase 2 trial assessing the effect of sotatercept on peak oxygen uptake and exercise hemodynamics, as measured by invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

"It's quite gratifying to return to the ATS International Conference with new sotatercept data, having first presented topline results from the PULSAR trial during a special breaking news session at ATS 2020 Virtual," said Habib Dable, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acceleron. "The results to be shared this year strengthen our confidence in sotatercept's potential to become a backbone therapy for patients with PAH."

Clinical Presentations

Session: Come Together -- Clinical Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension: Lesson from Best Abstracts

Date: Wed, May 19, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. EDT

Title: PULSAR Study Open-Label Extension: Interim Results from a Phase 2 Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Sotatercept When Added to Standard of Care for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)

Title: The SPECTRA Study: A Phase 2a Single-Arm, Open-Label, Multicenter Exploratory Study to Assess the Effects of Sotatercept for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)

The PULSAR and SPECTRA presentations will include additional data and analyses not disclosed in the abstracts.

Preclinical ePoster Presentations

Session: A Hard Day's Night -- Novel Molecular Mechanisms and Treatment Options in PAH and Beyond: From Pulmonary Vasculature to RV

Title: Sotatercept Analog RAP-011 Alleviates Cardiopulmonary Remodeling and Inflammation in a Model of Heritable PAH Arising from Bmpr2 Haploinsufficiency

Title: Sotatercept Analog RAP-011 Reduces Right Ventricular Hypertrophy and Alleviates Pulmonary Hypertension in A ZSF1 Rat Model of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

All of the abstracts above are currently viewable on the ATS website.

The preclinical presentations will be posted to the "Publications" page under the "Science & Pipeline" section on Acceleron's website, www.acceleronpharma.com, beginning Friday, May 14, with the clinical presentations being added to the Acceleron website on Wednesday, May 19 at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

The Company will host a webcast and conference call to review the presentations of sotatercept at ATS 2021 on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

The webcast will be accessible under "Events & Presentations" on the Investors & Media page of the Company's website at www.acceleronpharma.com. Additional details, including specific timing and call-in information will be announced prior to the presentations at ATS 2021.