[August 24, 2016]

Visterra to Present New Clinical Results of VIS410 at the Options IX for the Control of Influenza Conference

Visterra, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced that two posters and one oral presentation related to the Company's lead product candidate, VIS410, a novel monoclonal antibody in development for the treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza A, will be presented at the Options IX for the Control of Influenza Conference in Chicago, Illinois, on August 24 - 28, 2016.

The data presented at the Options IX Conference will detail efficacy, resistance testing, and pharmacokinetic results from a Phase 2a influenza viral challenge study of VIS410. Data also will be presented that demonstrates that, in preclinical mouse models, VIS410 did not cause antibody-dependent enhancement, which is a phenomena where non-neutralizing antibodies can bind to the virus and enhance the disease.

"We look forward to sharing these encouraging clinical and preclinical data on VIS410 at this important international meeting of leaders in the influenza field," said José Trevejo, MD, PhD, Vice President of Development of Visterra. "We are very pleased by the results of our Phase 2a influenza viral challenge study, which we believe support the continued development of VIS410 as a single administration treatment for hospitalized patients with influenza A infection. Furthermore, our clinical progress to date with VIS410 demonstrates the potential value of our innovative drug discovery and development platform and its ability to create novel therapeutic candidates aimed at meeting important unmet medical needs."

The Options for the Control of Influenza Conference is held every three years and is the largest international scientific conference exclusively devoted to influenza. The VIS410 data presentations at the Options IX Conference are as follows:

Poster Number P-33: Pharmacokinetics of the Hemagglutinin (HA) Stalk-Binding Antibody, VIS410, in a Human Challenge Model of Infection with a p2009 H1N1 Virus
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2016
Location: Exhibit Hall A & B, Sheraton Grand Chicago Hotel
Viewing Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm; 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Presentation Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Poster Number P-422: Treatment with a Hemagglutinin (HA) Stem-binding Monoclonal Antibody, VIS410, Does not Cause Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE (News - Alert)) in Preclinical Models of Influenza A Virus Infection
Date: Friday, August 26, 2016
Location: Exhibit Hall A & , Sheraton Grand Chicago Hotel

Oral Presentation Title: Evaluation of Efficacy and Emergence of Resistance to VIS410, a Human Monoclonal Antibody, in a Human Challenge Model of Infection with a p2009 H1N1 Virus
Publication Number: O-71
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2016
Session: Oral Abstract Session: Clinical Science
Session Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Presentation Time: 11:15 am

About VIS410
VIS410 is a monoclonal antibody that Visterra is developing as a single-dose administration for the treatment of hospitalized patients with influenza A, regardless of the viral strain. Visterra is planning to advance VIS410 into additional clinical trials in patients with influenza A to further evaluate efficacy and safety. Visterra believes that VIS410 has the potential to effectively treat severe disease caused by all strains of influenza A, including those caused by mutated and recently emerged strains. VIS410 is directed against a Hierotope on hemagglutinin, which is a surface protein of influenza viruses used for binding and entry into cells. VIS410 is designed to prevent fusion of the virus cell membrane with the membrane of infected cells by binding to hemagglutinin and thereby terminating the viral replication cycle.

About Influenza
Influenza is an infectious disease that causes illness in humans worldwide with symptoms that range in severity from mild to life-threatening. The majority of seasonal influenza infections result in mild illness; however, some infections result in severe disease, which can involve rapidly progressive pneumonia, respiratory failure and, in some cases, death. Severe disease is more commonly observed in high-risk groups, including infants, pregnant women, the elderly, patients with underlying medical conditions, and patients with disease- or treatment-related immunosuppression. According to the CDC, approximately 35 million people suffer from influenza infections in the United States each year, resulting in as many as 400,000 hospitalizations and as many as 49,000 deaths. The World Health Organization reports that globally there are as many as five million severe influenza cases annually, leading to as many as 500,000 deaths. In addition to seasonal infections, epidemics that spread across countries and continents, or pandemics, are caused by influenza strains that have high rates of human-to-human transmission and, if the strain causes severe disease, can lead to a high mortality rate. Evolving avian influenza viruses (bird flu), such as H5N1 and H7N9, which have a high associated mortality rate and the potential to infect and readily transmit in humans, pose a major health risk. The avian H7N9 influenza strains that emerged in 2013 have mortality rates as high as 42% in infected individuals.

About Visterra
Visterra is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that uses its novel Hierotope™ platform to identify unique disease targets and to design and engineer innovative antibody-based therapies. Visterra's technology enables the design and engineering of product candidates which target a specific region of an antigen, or Hierotope, on a pathogen that is common across all strains of the pathogen and is resistant to mutation. The company believes these Hierotopes are critical to the structural and functional integrity of the pathogen, making them highly attractive therapeutic targets. The company is currently focused on developing therapeutics for infectious and non-infectious diseases and its lead product candidate, VIS410, is a human monoclonal antibody being developed for the treatment of hospitalized patients with influenza A, regardless of viral strain. The company's second product candidate, VIS513, is a human monoclonal antibody for the treatment of dengue that has been shown in preclinical studies to be effective against all four serotypes of the dengue virus. Visterra was founded on the research into the fundamentals of viral evolution and epitope characterization by our scientific founder, Dr. Ram Sasisekharan at MIT (News - Alert). For more information, please visit www.visterrainc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160824005110/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]