MSTX newswire. Mast Therapeutics Engages ESC Advisors To Identify Partnering Opportunities For MST-188
SAN DIEGO, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mast Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MSTX) today announced that it has engaged ESC Advisors, a division of the investment banking firm KEMA Partners LLC, to serve as its exclusive financial advisor to identify potential partners for MST-188 and advise the Company in transaction discussions.
Brian M. Culley, Chief Executive Officer, said: "Given the high unmet need and limited treatment options, sickle cell disease is experiencing significant levels of interest from strategic partners. MST-188 is now the only new molecular entity in phase 3 development in sickle cell disease. Based on its stage of development, the absence of competitive, novel and late-stage products, its designation as an orphan drug in the U.S. and Europe and its potential utility in additional indications, we believe there will be substantial interest in MST-188 from potential partners, both in the U.S. and globally, and we intend to pursue strategic alliances aggressively. ESC's experience in transactions involving orphan product candidates will complement our internal capabilities and expand the scope of our current and future partnering discussions."
About Mast Therapeutics
Mast Therapeutics, Inc. is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company headquartered in San Diego, CA. The Company is leveraging the MAST (Molecular Adhesion and Sealant Technology) platform, derived from over two decades of clinical, nonclinical and manufacturing experience with purified and non-purified poloxamers, to develop MST-188, its lead product candidate, for serious or life-threatening diseases with significant unmet needs. MST-188 is a cytoprotective, hemorheologic, anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic agent that has potential utility in diseases or conditions characterized by microcirculatory insufficiency (endothelial dysfunction and/or impaired blood flow).
The Company is recruiting subjects in EPIC, a pivotal phase 3 study of MST-188 in sickle cell disease. The Company plans to initiate a phase 2 clinical study of MST-188 in acute limb ischemia, a complication of peripheral arterial disease, in late 2013 or early 2014. More information can be found on the Company's web site at www.masttherapeutics.com.
