Disc Medicine, Inc.

WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Disc Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRON), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases, today presented positive additional data from an ongoing Phase 1b study of DISC-0974 in patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) and anemia, including results from the 40 mg and 60 mg single ascending dose (SAD) cohorts. The data presented at the 2024 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week in San Diego, CA demonstrated that a single dose of DISC-0974 results in sustained suppression of hepcidin and mobilization of iron, and increased erythropoiesis and levels of hemoglobin in NDD-CKD patients with anemia. “We are pleased to present these updated results, which provide the first clinical evidence in CKD anemia that reducing hepcidin through hemojuvelin translates into increased erythropoiesis and hemoglobin. Importantly, we were able to observe activity following only a single dose of DISC-0974, which will enable us to efficiently explore dose regimens in the multiple-dose portion of the Phase 1b study,” said John Quisel, JD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Disc Medicine. “We have now shown that DISC-0974 can improve anemia in the settings of both myelofibrosis and chronic kidney disease. This speaks to the much broader potential for DISC-0974 to address anemia caused by a range of inflammatory and chronic diseases, each of which are associated with elevated hepcidin, and we look forward to providing our plans to access these indications.” In the SAD portion of this study, participants with Stage 2-5 NDD-CKD were given a single dose of placebo (n=7) or DISC-0974 subcutaneously (SC) at 28 mg (n=9), 40 mg (n=6), or 60 mg (n=6). Dose escalation is ongoing in the SAD. This interim data set demonstrated: Substantial, durable, dose-dependent reduction in hepcidin from baseline compared to placebo across dose levels, with median reduction greater than 75% from baseline at highest dose levelMeaningful and sustained increase in transferrin saturation from baseline compared to placebo across dose levels, with median increase up to 3x from baseline at highest dose levelEarly and sustained increase in mean reticulocyte hemoglobin from baseline across all dose groups through Day 22 and beyond Maximal mean values through Day 22 of +1.14 pg at 28 mg, +1.49 pg at 40 mg, and +1.53 pg at 60 mg, compared with +0.21 pg on placebo Increase in mean hemoglobin from baseline across dose groups over the study period Change greater than placebo: +0.35 g/dL at 28 mg, +0.54 g/dL at 40 mg, and +0.55 g/dL at 60 mg Mean maximal increase in hemoglobin of +0.8 g/dL at 40 mg and +0.7 g/dL at 60 mg compared with +0.2 g/dL on placebo Maximal observed individual increase in hemoglobin up to +0.95 g/dL at 28 mg, +1.5 g/dL at 40 mg, and +1.8 g/dL at 60 mg DISC-0974 demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability at all evaluated dose levels The majority of adverse events were deemed not related to DISC-0974 and all adverse events assessed as treatment-related were Grade 1 or 2 DISC-0974 is an investigational agent and is not approved for therapeutic use in any jurisdiction worldwide. About Anemia of Chronic Kidney Disease Chronic kidney disease is a global, widespread disease characterized by progressive loss of kidney function and may lead to end-stage renal disease or kidney failure. CKD affects over 37 million patients in the United States and an estimated 700 million patients worldwide. Anemia is a serious and frequent complication of CKD, as patients are unable to produce sufficient red blood cells and hemoglobin. It affects approximately 5 to 6 million patients in the U.S. alone, may result in fatigue, shortness of breath, and reduced physical and cognitive function, and can be associated with a higher risk of mortality, hospitalization and other complications. Elevated hepcidin is a primary cause of anemia in CKD patients and prevents erythropoiesis by depriving developing red blood cells of iron. Hepcidin accumulates at high levels in CKD patients because its production is stimulated by inflammation and its clearance is reduced due to impaired renal function. Most CKD patients do not receive any treatment for their anemia due to the complexity of outpatient administration and potential safety concerns related to the current treatments. In severe cases, patients may receive blood transfusions, but use may lead to increased administrative burden, safety risks and the potential for immune sensitization which precludes eligibility for kidney transplantation. About Disc Medicine Disc Medicine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for patients who suffer from serious hematologic diseases. We are building a portfolio of innovative, potentially first-in-class therapeutic candidates that aim to address a wide spectrum of hematologic diseases by targeting fundamental biological pathways of red blood cell biology, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. For more information, please visit www.discmedicine.com. Disc Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, express or implied statements regarding Disc’s expectations with respect to its phase 1b clinical study of DISC-0974 in NDD-CKD patients with anemia, including the multiple dose portion of this clinical study and the results thereof; and the potential for expansion opportunities in anemia associated with other inflammatory diseases. The use of words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,” “potential,” “continue,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “anticipate,” or “could” or the negative of these terms and other similar words or expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on Disc’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of Disc’s business, future plans and strategies, clinical results and other future conditions. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements Disc may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of material risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: the adequacy of Disc’s capital to support its future operations and its ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials; the nature, strategy and focus of Disc; the difficulty in predicting the time and cost of development of Disc’s product candidates; Disc’s plans to research, develop and commercialize its current and future product candidates; the timing of initiation of Disc’s planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; the timing of the availability of data from Disc’s clinical trials; Disc’s ability to identify additional product candidates with significant commercial potential and to expand its pipeline in hematological diseases; the timing and anticipated results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials and the risk that the results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies or clinical trials and may not support further development and marketing approval; and the other risks and uncertainties described in Disc’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. None of Disc, nor its affiliates, advisors or representatives, undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Media Contact Peg RusconiDeerfield Grouppeg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com Investor Relations Contact Christina TartagliaPrecision AQchristina.tartaglia@precisionaq.com

WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Disc Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRON), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from serious hematologic diseases, today announced upcoming clinical data to be presented at the 2024 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week, which will be held in San Diego, CA on October 24-27, 2024. The poster will report on additional SAD cohorts from the Phase 1b, randomized, placebo-controlled study of DISC-0974 in patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD CKD) and anemia. This study was designed to assess safety as well as changes to hepcidin, iron, and key hematologic parameters. “We are excited to present an update from our ongoing Phase 1b SAD study of DISC-0974 in NDD-CKD patients with anemia at the upcoming Kidney Week,” said John Quisel, J.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Disc. “At the meeting, we’ll be sharing data from the 40mg and 60mg dose cohorts on safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of DISC-0974 on hepcidin, iron and anemia.” The abstract is now available through the ASN Kidney Week conference website. Details of Presentation Abstract Number: 4126178 Title: A Phase 1b, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of DISC-0974, an Anti-Hemojuvelin Antibody, in Patients with Non-Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease and Anemia Date / Time: Friday, October 25, 10:00am – 12:00pm PST Presenter: Pablo Pergola, M.D., Ph.D. About Disc Medicine Disc Medicine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for patients who suffer from serious hematologic diseases. We are building a portfolio of innovative, potentially first-in-class therapeutic candidates that aim to address a wide spectrum of hematologic diseases by targeting fundamental biological pathways of red blood cell biology, specifically heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis. For more information, please visit . Disc Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, express or implied statements regarding Disc’s expectations with respect to its phase 1b clinical study of DISC-0974 in NDD-CKD patients with anemia, the results thereof, and anticipated timing of release of data; and projected timeline for the initiation of the MAD portion of this clinical study. The use of words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “future,” “potential,” “continue,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “anticipate,” or “could” or the negative of these terms and other similar words or expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on Disc’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of Disc’s business, future plans and strategies, clinical results and other future conditions. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. Disc may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of material risks and uncertainties including but not limited to: the adequacy of Disc’s capital to support its future operations and its ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials; the nature, strategy and focus of Disc; the difficulty in predicting the time and cost of development of Disc’s product candidates; Disc’s plans to research, develop and commercialize its current and future product candidates; the timing of initiation of Disc’s planned preclinical studies and clinical trials; the timing of the availability of data from Disc’s clinical trials; Disc’s ability to identify additional product candidates with significant commercial potential and to expand its pipeline in hematological diseases; the timing and anticipated results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials and the risk that the results of Disc’s preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies or clinical trials and may not support further development and marketing approval; and the other risks and uncertainties described in Disc’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. None of Disc, nor its affiliates, advisors or representatives, undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Media Contact Peg Rusconi Deerfield Group peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com Investor Relations Contact Christina Tartaglia Precision AQ christina.tartaglia@precisionaq.com

→ The top leadership at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals is still undergoing a major makeover as president and COO Jeff Wade heads for the exit on Sept. 30 after 25 years with the Texas-based biotech. Wade won’t be around for the outcome of Lexicon’s latest attempt at an FDA nod in type 1 diabetes for sotagliflozin , which has a Dec. 20 decision date. The drug has already been approved for heart failure and is marketed as Inpefa . Lexicon laid off about 75 people in its sales and commercial teams in August “to right-size our promotional efforts around Inpefa for heart failure and reallocate resources to prepare for our potential launch” in type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, CEO Mike Exton said in a statement. Exton succeeded Lonnel Coats as CEO a month earlier. → Sarepta Therapeutics has appointed Genmab chair Deirdre Connelly to the board of directors. Connelly had a 26-year career with Eli Lilly before pivoting to GSK in 2009 as president, North America pharmaceuticals until her retirement in 2015. She’s also a board member at Macy’s and Lincoln Financial Group . Like Janet Woodcock before him, CBER Director Peter Marks helped Sarepta cross the goal line with a label expansion in June for its Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment Elevidys — overruling his own staff and befuddling experts. → Mitchell Chan has replaced Vit Vasista as CFO of Regenxbio at a time when the company plans to start a pivotal study for its own Duchenne gene therapy. It’s another big change for Regenxbio after Ken Mills became executive chairman and Curran Simpson succeeded Mills as CEO on July 1. Chan spent a year with Catalio Capital Management as operating partner after he was elevated to the CFO post at Viela Bio. Vasista had been finance chief since 2009 and will be an advisor until Jan. 3. → Here’s a look at some CEO news that we covered earlier this week: Former Kite Pharma commercial chief Warner Biddle has succeeded Peter Maag as CEO of Kyverna Therapeutics , which also added ex-Kite CEO Christi Shaw to the board. Shares $KYTX of Kyverna have taken a precipitous fall since its $319 million IPO in February. Ochre Bio co-founder Jack O’Meara is calling it quits after five years as CEO, but he tells Lei Lei Wu that he has an Alzheimer’s startup in the works. In a LinkedIn post announcing his departure, O’Meara also said that former F-star CEO and current Levicept chief Eliot Forster will be interim executive chair. And Shilpa Sambashivan has been promoted to CEO of Nura Bio , which stapled an additional $68 million to its Series A — bringing its total to $141 million. Sambashivan was a project team lead at Amgen before becoming a founding member at Nura Bio. → Matt Kane is taking the top spot at Celyad Oncology , a Belgian biotech that has seen considerable turnover at the top. Celyad co-founder Michel Lussier filled in as interim CEO for a second time after Georges Rawadi ’s sudden exit last December; he also took over when Filippo Petti stepped down in 2022. Kane co-founded Precision BioSciences with Derek Jantz and Jeff Smith , leading the company until he joined epigenome editing startup Tune Therapeutics as CEO in 2021. Kane’s LinkedIn page indicates that he left Tune in April, a year after he hired Jantz as CSO. → Ex- Prometheus Biosciences chief Mark McKenna has found a CFO at his new I&I bet, Mirador Therapeutics . Gregg Gilbert had been a managing director in the healthcare investment banking group for Bank of America Securities since 2021 and worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for 15 years. After selling Prometheus and its inflammatory bowel disease drug to Merck for $10.8 billion , McKenna wasted little time getting Mirador off the ground with a $400 million Series A in March, one of the largest private financing rounds of 2024. → GLP-1 competitor Structure Therapeutics has promoted Blai Coll to CMO and welcomed Ashley Hall as chief development officer. Coll, who replaces Mark Boch , had led clinical development for Raymond Stevens ’ crew since May 2022 and was cardiovascular and metabolic platform lead, medical affairs at the end of a six-year stint with Amgen. Hall is an Amgen vet in her own right who held the role of development chief at Reneo Pharmaceuticals . Structure’s stock price soared in June $GPCR when it produced efficacy data with its oral GLP-1 GSBR-1290 that was on par with Eli Lilly’s obesity drug orforglipron . → Novartis and Gilead veteran Matthias Will has succeeded Edgar Braendle as chief development officer at Autolus Therapeutics . Will had led clinical development at CRISPR Therapeutics and CytomX before his most recent gig as CMO of Dren Bio . The FDA is expected to make a decision by Nov. 16 on Autolus’ CD19-directed CAR-T obecabtagene autoleucel , or obe-cel . → According to an SEC filing , Crinetics chief commercial officer Jim Hassard will pack his bags on Oct. 14 in what’s described as a “termination without cause.” The 17-year Amgen vet came to Crinetics from Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in March 2022. Phase 3 successes with its acromegaly drug paltusotine have propelled Crinetics to an NDA filing “later this year” and “an expected market launch in 2025,” CEO Scott Struthers said in the San Diego biotech’s second-quarter report. CFO Mark Wilson cited personal reasons for his own upcoming departure, which was also included in Crinetics’ Q2 update. → Allosteric drug discovery shop HotSpot Therapeutics has introduced Alison O’Neill as CMO. O’Neill is the former medical chief at Surface Oncology , which was acquired by Coherus BioSciences last year for $65 million. She had a senior leadership role in the global oncology division at Sanofi and was VP of clinical development for Radius Health . → Ex- Icosavax CEO Adam Simpson has landed at Frazier Life Sciences as a venture partner on its company creation team and will work out of Frazier’s office in San Diego. Simpson sold the vaccine developer to AstraZeneca last December, and his previous company — celiac disease specialist PvP Biologics — was purchased by Takeda in 2020. → Ruben Tommasi has been named CSO of Entact Bio , a Watertown, MA-based biotech led by ex- Ribon Therapeutics CEO Victoria Richon that is developing enhancement-targeting chimeric molecules, or ENTACs. Tommasi has also held this role at Dunad Therapeutics and AstraZeneca spinout Entasis Therapeutics . Entact Bio has kept a relatively low profile since its $81 million Series A in 2022, but it did show up in Peer Review this spring when it recruited fellow Entasis vet Michael Gutch as COO. → Third Rock ’s Treg developer Abata Therapeutics has resurfaced in Peer Review for the first time in more than a year, naming Joanne Beck as chief technical officer. The Shire and Celgene alum is the ex-technical chief at Aerium Therapeutics , the Covid biotech led by Rajeev Venkayya that recently shut down because of a surge in new variants. In April 2023, Abata poached Sonoma Biotherapeutics CMO Leonard Dragone for the same role . → Led by ex- Teva R&D chief Michael Hayden , neuro biotech Prilenia has tapped Rob Lauzen as CFO and Jason Marks as chief legal officer. Lauzen was VP, investor relations and head of financial planning & analysis at Dyne Therapeutics , which made a CMO change and lost its COO and CBO earlier this month. Marks just had a short stint with Teva as a senior legal advisor to global transactions and global finance. The Bausch Health alum has also been chief legal and compliance officer at Amarin . → San Francisco eye disease biotech Ray Therapeutics has selected Christopher Whitmore as CFO. Whitmore had held the same position with Immune-Onc Therapeutics since July 2022, and he was VP, finance & administration for Harpoon Therapeutics from 2018-21. Ray Therapeutics, which hauled in a $100 million Series A last year, will test its gene therapy RTx-015 in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. → Tris Pharma has promoted VP of marketing Manesh Naidu to the role of chief commercial officer. Naidu joined the New Jersey-based company in 2023 after a stint as chief marketing officer of Althera Pharmaceutical . Naidu’s résumé also includes stints at McKinsey , Mallinckrodt , Novartis, Pfizer and Bellerophon Therapeutics . In May, Tris snagged the first liquid non-stimulant ADHD drug approval in the US. Onyda XR will be used to treat ADHD in children at least 6 years of age. → Backed by Jeff Bezos , Seattle-based Nautilus Biotechnology has named Kentaro Suzuki as chief marketing officer. Suzuki most recently served as VP and general manager of Agilent Technologies’ mass spectrometry division. Before that, he was with Takeda and Hewlett-Packard . → San Francisco-based 89bio has appointed Teresa Perney as chief regulatory and quality officer. Perney held this title at EQRx after five years with Myovant Sciences as SVP of regulatory and quality. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals finally broke through with an FDA approval for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (also referred to as NASH), and 89bio is enrolling patients for late-stage studies of pegozafermin — one for non-cirrhotic MASH and another for MASH with compensated cirrhosis. “I’m eager to leverage my experience to navigate the regulatory landscape and help bring this innovative therapy to patients worldwide,” Perney said in a statement . → There’s also a new regulatory chief at Disc Medicine : Steve Caffé spent five years with CRISPR Therapeutics as head of regulatory affairs until his departure last December. Earlier, he had numerous stops as a regulatory exec with such companies as Ra Pharmaceuticals , Sucampo Pharmaceuticals , AMAG Pharmaceuticals and MedImmune . Shares of Disc $IRON fell sharply in early April after mixed data with its drug for a rare blood disorder called erythropoietic protoporphyria, but have rebounded since. → Although AI-designed drugs haven’t exactly lived up to the hype, companies like BPGbio are trying to flip the narrative. This week, GSK alum John Beeler has joined the team as SVP of business development. Beeler comes to BPGbio from Bristol Myers Squibb , where he took on the role of business development search & evaluation lead. → Macrocycle startup Circle Pharma has brought in Marie Evangelista as SVP and head of cancer biology, and promoted Constantine Kreatsoulas to SVP and head of discovery technology sciences. Evangelista spent the last two years as VP of oncology at one of the most ambitious AI drug developers , Recursion . The longtime Genentech vet also had a brief tenure with Frontier Medicines as senior director of translation medicine. Kreatsoulas had a nine-year run at GSK and was the pharma giant’s interim head, computational toxicology before coming to Circle in 2021 as head of research and VP, research informatics and computational chemistry. Circle disclosed its $54 million Series D in an SEC filing this summer. → South San Francisco-based Ideaya Biosciences has recruited Douglas Snyder as general counsel. Snyder most recently served as chief legal officer and secretary of GW Pharmaceuticals . Earlier in his career, Snyder was general counsel and secretary at Actelion and Eisai . Back in July, Ideaya inked a $406.5 million deal with Biocytogen . → Deerfield Group has rolled out the welcome mat for two new execs: Guy Varady as EVP, integrated marketing and Bob Josefsberg as EVP, communications. Before this, Varady was SVP, management supervisor for DDB Health and held a number of roles at IPG Health and Omnicom Health Group . Meanwhile, Josefsberg was VP, corporate communications at Karuna Therapeutics and managing director at Chamberlain Healthcare Public Relations . → Tempest Therapeutics , which revealed early PFS and OS data for its liver cancer combo last October, has brought on Sheldon Mullins as VP, regulatory affairs. Mullins joins the team after gigs at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals and Ardelyx . Earlier in his career, Mullins was with Anacor Pharmaceuticals , Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Genentech. In addition to Mullins’ appointment, Darrin Bomba and Henry Johnson have been promoted to the titles of VP, development operations and VP, CMC & medicinal chemistry, respectively. → Entrada Therapeutics CEO Dipal Doshi has picked up a seat on the board of directors at āshibio , a California biotech that will push its ex-Gilead drug andecaliximab into a Phase 2/3 study for patients with an ultra-rare bone disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Āshibio came out of stealth mode this summer with a $40 million raise . → Akari Therapeutics , which is developing PAS-nomacopan for geographic atrophy, has elected former Epizyme CEO Rob Bazemore to the board of directors. Bazemore is also a board member at Ardelyx and Nuvation Bio .