Aratana Therapeutics Awarded "Best Pipeline 2014" by Animal Pharm

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETX), a pet therapeutics company focused on the licensing, development and commercialization of innovative biopharmaceutical products for companion animals, today announced it has received the "Best Pipeline 2014" award from Animal Pharm, a leading online business intelligence service for the animal health sector.  Animal Pharm noted that Aratana was selected for the award based on "the depth of its pipeline and the potentially lucrative opportunity the firm faces."

Steven St. Peter, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aratana Therapeutics, commented, "The 'Best Pipeline 2014' award from Animal Pharm is very gratifying for Aratana as it highlights our ability to take a truly unique vision – transforming the pet therapeutics industry through the development and commercialization of innovative biopharmaceutical products – and make it a reality.  Today, Aratana has a diversified pipeline consisting of biologics and small molecules targeting multiple therapeutic indications for dogs and cats, each of which represents a potential breakthrough for veterinary medicine. Looking ahead, we are focused on advancing our pipeline and commercial operations, while continuing to expand our portfolio via potential in-licensing and acquisition opportunities."

Aratana's diversified portfolio consists of more than 18 therapeutic candidates. Representative of the company's progress and potential for continued growth, in the past month, Aratana has announced important advances with three of its products:

• AT-004:  Aratana received a full license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the company's canine-specific monoclonal antibody targeting CD20 as an aid in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma in dogs. Aratana believes that this represents the only full license for a species-specific monoclonal antibody within the animal health industry. AT-004 is exclusively partnered with a third-party for commercialization in the U.S. and Canada.
• AT-001:  Aratana announced positive results from its pivotal field study of AT-001 (Grapiprant), the company's innovative drug for treating pain in dogs with osteoarthritis.  In the study, dogs receiving AT-001 demonstrated improvements in pain assessment scores that were statistically significant compared to placebo (p<0.05) at a once-daily oral dose.  Aratana expects to commence commercialization upon FDA approval, which Aratana anticipates in 2016.
• AT-003:  Aratana initiated the pivotal field effectiveness study for AT-003, the company's innovative drug for treating post-surgical pain in dogs. AT-003 is an extended release injectable formulation of bupivacaine, a drug licensed from Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

About Aratana Therapeutics         
Aratana Therapeutics is a pet therapeutics company focused on licensing, developing and commercializing innovative biopharmaceutical products for companion animals. Aratana believes that it can leverage the investment in the human biopharmaceutical industry to bring therapeutics to pets in a capital and time efficient manner. The company's pipeline includes therapeutic candidates targeting pain, inappetence, cancer, viral diseases, allergy and other serious medical conditions.  Aratana believes the development and commercialization of these therapeutics will permit veterinarians and pet owners to manage pets' medical needs safely and effectively, resulting in longer and improved quality of life for pets. For more information, please visit www.aratana.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements with respect to expectations regarding the timing of discussions with the FDA and/or USDA and approval and licensure of products; expectations regarding development programs, trials, studies and commercial opportunity; expectations regarding in-licensing initiatives and collaborations; and expectations regarding the Company's plans and opportunities.

These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our limited operating history and expectations of losses for the foreseeable future; our lack of commercial sales; our failure to obtain any necessary additional financing; market conditions and our ability to raise capital under the shelf registration statement from the sale of our securities; our substantial dependence on the success of certain of our lead product candidates, our inability to identify, license, develop and commercialize additional product candidates; our inability to obtain regulatory approval for our existing or future product candidates; the lack of commercial success of our current or future product candidates; uncertainties regarding the outcomes of studies regarding our products; our inability to realize all of the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions of Vet Therapeutics and Okapi Sciences; the uncertainty of outcomes of the development of pet therapeutics, which is a lengthy and expensive process; effects of competition; our failure to attract and keep senior management and key scientific personnel; our reliance on third-party manufacturers, suppliers, partners and other third parties which conduct our target animal studies and certain other development efforts; our lack of a sales organization; our significant costs of operating as a public company; our current exemption from the requirement to maintain internal control over financial reporting, and any failure to achieve or maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future; changes in distribution channels for pet therapeutics; consolidation of our customers; impacts of generic products; limitations on our ability to use our net operating carryforwards; unanticipated safety or efficacy concerns; our limited patents and patent rights; our failure to comply with our intellectual property license obligations; our infringement of third party patents and challenges to our patents or rights; our failure to comply with regulatory requirements; our failure to report adverse medical events related to our products; legislative or regulatory changes; the volatility of our stock price; our status as an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act; the potential for dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in future financings; the significant control over our business by our principal stockholders and management; the potential that a significant portion of our total outstanding shares could be sold into the market in the near future; effects of anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law; and our intention not to pay dividends. These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 26, 2014, and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 12, 2014, along with our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release.  Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Contacts:

For investor inquires:
Aratana Therapeutics, Inc.
Craig Tooman
[email protected]; (913) 353-1026

For media inquiries:
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Andrew Mielach
[email protected]; (212) 375-2694

SOURCE Aratana Therapeutics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.aratana.com