SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN) is pleased to announce that William G. Kaelin, Jr., who serves on the company’s Scientific Advisory Board, has been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The Nobel Assembly announced this morning that the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine would be awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin, Jr., Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, and Gregg L. Semenza for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. These discoveries have already led to the development of new drugs targeting this oxygen sensing mechanism, with roxadustat being the first drug of this class to be approved for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease.
“Bill’s transformative discovery led to an elucidation of the molecular signaling pathway that enables cells to respond to changing oxygen levels by regulating gene expression,” said Gail Walkinshaw, FibroGen’s Vice President, Research. “With this knowledge, we have been able to explore ways to therapeutically harness the natural adaptive mechanisms that have evolved to respond to altered oxygen levels in the body.”
Jim Schoeneck, FibroGen’s Interim CEO, “We are proud of our long-standing relationship with Bill, who, as a compassionate physician and meticulous scientist, applies a rigorous scientific approach to investigation of clinical problems. Bill’s research, identifying key components of the body’s oxygen-sensing pathway, has been fundamental to the development of a new field of therapeutics with far-reaching application, including our first in class HIF-PH inhibitor, roxadustat.”
About FibroGen
FibroGen, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, with subsidiary offices in Beijing and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, is a leading biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics. The company applies its pioneering expertise in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) biology, and clinical development to advance innovative medicines for the treatment of anemia, fibrotic disease, and cancer. Roxadustat, the company’s most advanced product candidate, is an oral small molecule inhibitor of HIF prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) activity completing worldwide Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD), is approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China for CKD patients on dialysis and not on dialysis, and by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) in Japan for CKD patients on dialysis. Roxadustat is in Phase 3 clinical development in the U.S. and Europe and in Phase 2/3 development in China for anemia associated with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and in a Phase 2 U.S. trial for treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia. Pamrevlumab, an anti-CTGF human monoclonal antibody, is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pancreatic cancer, and is currently in a Phase 2 trial for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). FibroGen is also developing a biosynthetic cornea in China. For more information, please visit www.fibrogen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding our strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements regarding the development of the company’s product candidates, the potential safety and efficacy profile of our product candidates, and our clinical, regulatory plans, and those of our partners. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations and contentions, and are not historical facts and typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “on track,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties related to the continued progress and timing of our various programs, including the enrollment and results from ongoing and potential future clinical trials, and other matters that are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and our quarterly report on 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the risk factors set forth therein. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press release, except as required by law.
Contact:
FibroGen, Inc.
Investor Relations
1.415.978.1433
ir@fibrogen.com