Cytokinetics, Inc. and Astellas Pharma, Inc. this week announced the expansion of their collaboration in skeletal muscle activators for the inclusion of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
With the expansion, Astellas has gained the right to develop and commercialize tirasemtiv, an investigational skeletal muscle activator, from Cytokinetics. Under the amended collaboration agreement, CK-2127107 can be developed for the treatment of ALS.
“We are pleased to further expand our productive and successful collaboration with Astellas in the area of skeletal muscle activators and to align our interests with regard to tirasemtiv and ALS,” Cytokinetics’ President and CEO Robert I. Blum said. “Advancing tirasemtiv and CK-2127107 for the potential treatment of ALS reinforces our shared commitment to deliver on the promise of fast skeletal troponin activation for people living with ALS who are fighting this dreadful disease.”
Yoshihiko Hatanaka, Astellas' president and CEO, agreed.
“The expansion of our collaboration illustrates Astellas’ commitment to muscle disease as an important and focused therapeutic area for research as announced in our strategic plan,” he said. “ALS is a disease with significant unmet needs worldwide, and we are excited to expand our collaboration with Cytokinetics to include promising drug candidates in ALS which reflect our shared interests in muscle biology.”
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