SAN DIEGO, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATYR) (“aTyr” or the “Company”), a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, today announced that the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate, efzofitimod, will be featured in the Best of CHEST Journals session at the CHEST 2024 Annual Meeting, which is scheduled to take place October 6 – 9, 2024, in Boston, MA.

“We are very pleased to have efzofitimod featured in this year’s Best of CHEST session, which speaks to the high quality of the data from the Phase 1b/2a study that was previously published in the journal,” said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. “We believe the findings from this study, which showed the ability of efzofitimod to reduce—and in some cases eliminate— steroid use in patients while controlling symptoms, are an important step forward in developing a potential new treatment for sarcoidosis.”

Details of the presentation appears below.

Title: Efzofitimod for the Treatment of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis
Presenter: Daniel A. Culver, D.O., Chair of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cleveland Clinic
Session Title: Best of CHEST Journals, Presented by CHEST, CHEST Critical Care, and CHEST Pulmonary
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. EDT
Location: Convention Center 256

The presentation will review data supporting the efficacy of efzofitimod in pulmonary sarcoidosis, including findings from a Phase 1b/2a study for key efficacy endpoints including measures of steroid reduction, lung function, sarcoidosis symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers that were published in CHEST and a post hoc analysis of the Phase 1b/2a study that evaluated time-to-first-relapse and relapse rate for steroid use that was published in the European Respiratory Journal.

Efzofitimod is currently being investigated in the global pivotal Phase 3 EFZO-FIT™ study in 268 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Topline data from the study are expected in the third quarter of 2025.

About Efzofitimod

Efzofitimod is a first-in-class biologic immunomodulator in clinical development for the treatment of interstitial lung disease (ILD), a group of immune-mediated disorders that can cause inflammation and fibrosis, or scarring, of the lungs. Efzofitimod is a tRNA synthetase derived therapy that selectively modulates activated myeloid cells through neuropilin-2 to resolve inflammation without immune suppression and potentially prevent the progression of fibrosis. aTyr is currently investigating efzofitimod in the global Phase 3 EFZO-FIT™ study in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, a major form of ILD, and in the Phase 2 EFZO-CONNECT™ study in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc, or scleroderma)-related ILD. These forms of ILD have limited therapeutic options and there is a need for safer and more effective, disease-modifying treatments that improve outcomes.

About aTyr

aTyr is a clinical stage biotechnology company leveraging evolutionary intelligence to translate tRNA synthetase biology into new therapies for fibrosis and inflammation. tRNA synthetases are ancient, essential proteins that have evolved novel domains that regulate diverse pathways extracellularly in humans. aTyr’s discovery platform is focused on unlocking hidden therapeutic intervention points by uncovering signaling pathways driven by its proprietary library of domains derived from all 20 tRNA synthetases. aTyr’s lead therapeutic candidate is efzofitimod, a first-in-class biologic immunomodulator in clinical development for the treatment of interstitial lung disease, a group of immune-mediated disorders that can cause inflammation and progressive fibrosis, or scarring, of the lungs. For more information, please visit www.atyrpharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are usually identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," “believes,” “designed,” “can,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by such safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements and are making this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the clinical development for efzofitimod, including the potential of efzofitimod to reduce or eliminate steroid use in patients while controlling symptoms and the potential for efzofitimod to be a new treatment for sarcoidosis. These forward-looking statements also reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, as reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements, are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations, strategies or prospects will be attained or achieved. All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by our management that, although we believe to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control including, without limitation, uncertainty regarding geopolitical and macroeconomic events, risks associated with the discovery, development and regulation of efzofitimod, risks associated with clinical trials and their resulting data generally, the risk that we or our partners may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development activities for efzofitimod for a variety of reasons (including difficulties or delays in patient enrollment in planned clinical trials), the possibility that existing collaborations could be terminated early, and the risk that we may not be able to raise the additional funding required for our business and product development plans, as well as those risks set forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other SEC filings. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:
Ashlee Dunston
Director, Investor Relations and Public Affairs
adunston@atyrpharma.com