Altavant Sciences Presents Patient-Centric Approach to Drug Development at PHA's Annual PHPN Symposium

CARY, N.C. and BASEL, Switzerland, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Altavant Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on patient-centric drug development in rare respiratory diseases, today announced a poster presentation describing the company's unique, patient-centric drug development process at the Pulmonary Hypertension Association's Annual PH Professional Network (PHPN) Symposium taking place September 5-7, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Patient centricity was at the forefront during protocol development for the ELEVATE 1 proof-of-concept clinical trial for Altavant's lead candidate, rodatristat ethyl, in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The approach began with a focus on empowering patients to make an informed decision on participation in the study by developing educational content that is compelling and relatable. Showing appreciation for individual participation was also prioritized through a partnership with Greater Gift, a nonprofit organization that donates a vaccine to a person in need in honor of each ELEVATE clinical trial participant. Altavant plans on expanding the patient-centric framework by looking for opportunities to engage individuals with PAH through social media channels, advisory boards and via advocacy organizations, and allowing those engagements to influence its future clinical development work.

"We believe that patient involvement in the clinical trial design and implementation process is crucial in the development of new medicines," explained William T. Symonds, Pharm.D., Chief Executive Officer of Altavant. "Published literature suggests that trials designed with patient input enroll faster, potentially lowering development costs. In addition, patient feedback is more positive and retention is greater compared to industry standards. We look forward to implementing these patient-centric practices across our development programs and evaluating their impact."

A copy of the poster, titled "A Framework for Engaging PAH Patients in the Drug Development Process," will be available on the Publications page of the Altavant website following the PHPN Symposium.

About Rodatristat Ethyl
Rodatristat ethyl is a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitor designed to reduce the body's peripheral production of serotonin. A significant body of scientific evidence supports dysregulated peripheral serotonin production as a trigger of aberrant proliferation and constriction of the smooth muscle cells in the wall of the pulmonary arteries, causing them to restrict blood flow in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). By lowering circulating serotonin levels, it is believed that rodatristat ethyl may halt or reverse the pathology of diseases that are driven by excessive serotonin production, such as PAH, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and sarcoidosis. Altavant is currently testing this mechanism of action in the ELEVATE 1 proof-of-concept Phase 2a study of rodatristat ethyl in patients with PAH.

About Altavant Sciences
Altavant Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on elevating patient-centric drug development in rare respiratory diseases with an initial focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Altavant's lead candidate, rodatristat ethyl, is a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitor that reduces the body's peripheral production of serotonin, thereby lowering circulating serotonin levels in diseases where excessive production of the hormone has been implicated in pathogenesis - including PAH, certain types of cancer, GI disorders, fibrosis and inflammation. Rodatristat ethyl is currently being investigated in the ELEVATE 1 Phase 2 study in patients with PAH. For more information, please visit www.altavant.com.

About Roivant Pharma
Roivant Pharma is the biopharmaceutical business unit of Roivant Sciences. Roivant Pharma is focused on end-to-end biopharmaceutical company creation, launch, and oversight. Roivant Pharma companies include Altavant, Aruvant, Axovant, Dermavant, Enzyvant, Genevant, Immunovant, Metavant, Myovant, Respivant, Urovant, and Arbutus.

About Roivant Sciences
Roivant aims to improve health by rapidly delivering innovative medicines and technologies to patients. Roivant does this by building Vants – nimble, entrepreneurial biotech and healthcare technology companies with a unique approach to sourcing talent, aligning incentives, and deploying technology to drive greater efficiency in R&D and commercialization. For more information, please visit www.roivant.com.

Contact:
Chelcie Lister THRUST Strategic Communications
[email protected]

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SOURCE Altavant Sciences