Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALTU)

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Altus Pharmaceuticals Realigns Product Development Priorities and Focuses on Long-Acting Growth Hormone Candidate ALTU-238
Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTU) announced a strategic realignment of product development priorities to focus on the advancement of the Company’s breakthrough, long-acting, recombinant human growth hormone candidate, ALTU-238, as a once-per-week treatment for adult and pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency. To conserve capital resources, Altus will discontinue its Trizytek program activities. This discontinuation will result in the transfer of certain Trizytek intellectual property rights and regulatory filings to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in accordance with Altus’ 2001 agreement with CFFT. In addition, Altus is evaluating the feasibility of moving forward its early-stage clinical and pre-clinical programs and will make future decisions on these programs depending upon the availability of resources.

As a result of this realignment, Altus will implement a workforce reduction of approximately 75%, primarily in functions related to the Trizytek program as well as certain general and administrative positions. In connection with the restructuring, Chief Medical Officer, Burkhard Blank, M.D.; Chief Financial Officer, Jonathan Lieber; and, Vice President, Business Development, John M. Sorvillo, Ph.D., will be leaving the Company. Employees affected by the reduction will be offered severance benefits. Following the staff reductions, Altus will have approximately 35 employees at its headquarters in Waltham, MA