Elritercept

OSAKA, Japan & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Takeda ( TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK ) will host an investor R&D Day today beginning at 8:30 a.m. JST in Tokyo. The meeting will focus on programs in the company’s late-stage pipeline, the transformative value they could deliver to patients, and the market opportunities they represent. “We are focused on advancing our innovative pipeline and accelerating late-stage programs to deliver sustainable revenue growth to 2030 and beyond, building upon the strong momentum of our Growth and Launch Products,” said Christophe Weber, Takeda chief executive officer. “The first three Phase 3 programs will read out in 2025, initiating a cadence of potential filings across multiple indications over the next several years.” Eight Regulatory Filings in FY2025 – FY2029 The late-stage pipeline includes oveporexton (TAK-861), zasocitinib (TAK-279), rusfertide (TAK-121), mezagitamab (TAK-079), fazirsiran (TAK-999) and elritercept (TAK-226). Combined these programs have potential peak revenue 1 of $10B - $20B. Data from three Phase 3 programs is expected to read out in 2025: oveporexton, a potential best-in-class and first-in-class investigational oral orexin receptor 2 agonist will report Phase 3 results in narcolepsy type 1; zasocitinib, an investigational next-generation, highly selective and potent oral allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor will deliver Phase 3 results in psoriasis; and rusfertide, an investigational injectable hepcidin mimetic in development with partner Protagonist Therapeutics, will have Phase 3 results in polycythemia vera. Filings for these three indications are expected in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Five additional indication filings for late-stage programs are on pace for fiscal years 2027 through 2029: zasocitinib in psoriatic arthritis; mezagitamab, an investigational anti-CD38 antibody providing rapid, selective and sustained depletion of disease-causing immune cells that could set a new standard for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and immunoglobulin A neuropathy (IgAN); fazirsiran, an investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapy that stops the production of misfolded abnormal protein Z-AAT directly addressing the pathology of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency liver disease (AATD-LD) and; elritercept, an investigational activin inhibitor designed to treat anemia associated with certain hematologic cancers, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Takeda recently signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Keros Therapeutics to further develop, manufacture and commercialize elritercept worldwide outside of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including completion of antitrust reviews. “Takeda has established an exciting, late-stage pipeline of transformative therapies that we believe will deliver value to our company and, most importantly, to the patients we serve around the world,” said Andy Plump, president of R&D at Takeda. “As we continue scaling our capabilities and maximizing R&D investment to deliver the late-stage pipeline, we are also progressing an exciting early-stage pipeline, supporting a cutting-edge research organization, and focusing on creative business development across our therapeutic areas to sustain Takeda’s future and continue to meet significant unmet patient needs.” 2024 R&D Day Agenda The meeting includes the following presentations and speakers: A Global, Innovation-Driven Biopharmaceutical Company Christophe Weber, President & CEO R&D Strategy and Pipeline Highlights Andy Plump, President, Research and Development Neuroscience: Deep-Dive on Orexin Franchise Sarah Sheikh, Head of Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Unit and Head of Global Development Ramona Sequeira, President of Global Portfolio Division Gastrointestinal and Inflammation: Deep-Dive on Zasocitinib, Rusfertide, Mezagitamab, Fazirsiran Chinwe Ukomadu, Head of Gastrointestinal and Inflammation Therapeutic Area Unit Ramona Sequeira, President of Global Portfolio Division Oncology: Deep-Dive on Elritercept – Newly Announced Business Development Deal Teresa Bitetti, President Global Oncology Business Unit P.K. Morrow, Head of Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit Webcast Details A live webcast of the meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. JST December 13 (6:30 p.m. EST December 12). Presentations are available on the Investor Relations section of Takeda’s website where a video replay will be available following the meeting. About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com . Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, “press release” means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. 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These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda’s global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda’s operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda’s other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda’s website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings-and-security-reports/ or at www.sec.gov . Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda’s future results. Peak Sales and PTRS Estimates References in this press release to peak revenue potential ranges are estimates that have not been adjusted for probability of technical and regulatory success (PTRS) and should not be considered a forecast or target. These peak revenue potential ranges represent Takeda’s assessments of various possible future commercial scenarios that may or may not occur. References in this press release to PTRS are to internal estimates of Takeda regarding the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval for a particular product in a particular indication. These estimates reflect the subjective judgment of responsible Takeda personnel and have been approved by Takeda’s Portfolio Review Committee for use in internal planning. Medical Information This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development. Elritercept license agreement Elritercept is included for reference only. Takeda entered into an exclusive license agreement with Keros for global rights, in all territories outside of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, to Elritercept. The closing of the transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approval(s), expected in the first calendar quarter of 2025. Takeda does not currently have rights to Elritercept. ___________________________ 1 References in this presentation to peak revenue potential are estimates that have not been adjusted for probability of technical and regulatory success (PTRS) and should not be considered a forecast or target. These peak revenue ranges represent Takeda’s assessments of various possible future commercial scenarios that may or may not occur.

Keros Therapeutics said Thursday morning it has voluntarily halted two of three dosing arms of its experimental drug in a Phase 2 trial due to a safety concern. The Boston-area biotech said there was an “unanticipated observation of pericardial effusion adverse events” in the so-called TROPOS study , which is testing cibotercept (KER-012) with background therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. The rare, progressive disease is marked by high blood pressure in the lungs. Fluid builds up in the area around the heart during pericardial effusion. Kero’s stock price $KROS immediately went into free fall upon the pre-market news, sliding about 70% before the opening bell. “We are working diligently to gain a better understanding of these unanticipated findings,” Keros CEO Jasbir Seehra said in a statement. “Above all, patient safety is our top priority when conducting any clinical trial.” Seehra said the biotech will work with trial investigators, the FDA and other regulatory authorities. The trial is being conducted in 55 sites worldwide in countries like the US, Australia, Germany and South Korea, according to the clinical trial database. Cibotercept is still on track for a topline data readout in the second quarter of 2025, Keros said Thursday morning. The trial is fully enrolled and dosing continues in the 1.5 mg/kg treatment arm, Keros said, after it conducted a risk and benefit assessment. That Phase 2 readout could “inform its safety differentiation vs approved Winrevair ,” Jefferies analyst Kelly Shi wrote in a Dec. 3 note, referring to Merck’s recently greenlit PAH drug. She wrote that cibotercept could become a multibillion-dollar drug. Last week, Takeda paid $200 million upfront for the license to a different Keros drug , an experimental anemia medicine known as elritercept, and promised more than $1 billion in biobucks. The upfront payment would help fund cibotercept and other pipeline drugs, Keros said last week.