MeiraGTx to Host Parkinson’s Disease R&D Day in New York

LONDON and NEW YORK, Dec. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MeiraGTx Holdings plc (NASDAQ: MGTX), a vertically integrated, clinical stage gene therapy company, today announced it will host a Parkinson’s disease-focused R&D Day on December 13, 2019 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. ET in New York. The program will focus on MeiraGTx’s investigational gene therapy candidate AAV-GAD in development for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

The day will consist of speaker presentations, a moderated panel, and an audience Q&A session. MeiraGTx’s president and CEO, Alexandria Forbes, Ph.D., will be joined by additional members of the senior leadership team, in addition to leading clinicians and researchers, to discuss the current Parkinson’s disease treatment landscape and results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of AAV-GAD.

Featured guests for the event include:

• Ali Rezai, M.D., Executive Chair, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute; Vice President of Neuroscience; and Professor of Neuroscience, West Virginia University School of Medicine
• Jamie Eberling, Ph.D., Director, Research Programs, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
• Jalpa A. Doshi, Ph.D., Director, Economic Evaluations Unit, Center for Evidence-based Practice; Director, Value-based Insurance Design Initiatives, Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics; and Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kaplitt, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair, Research, Neurological Surgery and Professor of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College

A live webcast will be available on the Investors page of the Company’s website at www.investors.meiragtx.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for approximately 90 days following the presentation.

About AAV-GAD
AAV-GAD is an investigational gene therapy medicine designed to deliver the GAD gene to the subthalamic nucleus in order to increase production of GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain. GAD is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of GABA. Therefore, the Company believes that increasing subthalamic nucleus GAD expression through gene therapy has the potential to result in normalization of motor circuits and improve motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients without affecting other brain regions that can be responsible for complications associated with existing therapies.

About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease affects nearly one million Americans with 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.¹ Parkinson’s disease is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There currently is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.

About MeiraGTx
MeiraGTx (NASDAQ: MGTX) is a vertically integrated, clinical stage gene therapy company with six programs in clinical development and a broad pipeline of preclinical and research programs. MeiraGTx has core capabilities in viral vector design and optimization and gene therapy manufacturing, as well as a potentially transformative gene regulation technology. Led by an experienced management team, MeiraGTx has taken a portfolio approach by licensing, acquiring and developing technologies that give depth across both product candidates and indications. MeiraGTx’s initial focus is on three distinct areas of unmet medical need: inherited retinal diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and severe forms of xerostomia and xerophthalmia. Though initially focusing on the eye, central nervous system and salivary gland, MeiraGTx intends to expand its focus in the future to develop additional gene therapy treatments for patients suffering from a range of serious diseases.

For more information, please visit www.meiragtx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
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 regarding product candidate development, growth expectations or efficacy, as well as statements that include the words "expect,” "intend,” "plan,” "believe,” "project,” "forecast,” "estimate,” "may,” "should,” "anticipate” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. 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 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, our incurrence of significant losses; any inability to achieve or maintain profitability, acquire additional capital, identify additional and develop existing product candidates, successfully execute strategic priorities, bring product candidates to market, expansion of our manufacturing facilities and processes, successfully enroll patients in and complete clinical trials, accurately predict growth assumptions, recognize benefits of any orphan drug designations, retain key personnel or attract qualified employees, or incur expected levels of operating expenses; failure of early data to predict eventual outcomes; failure to obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for product candidates within expected time frames or at all; the novel nature and impact of negative public opinion of gene therapy; failure to comply with ongoing regulatory obligations; contamination or shortage of raw materials; changes in healthcare laws; risks associated with our international operations; significant competition in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; dependence on third parties; risks related to intellectual property; litigation risks; and the other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2019, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These and other important factors 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, unless required by law, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. Thus, one should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. 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.

References
¹ https://www.parkinson.org/

Contacts

Investors:
MeiraGTx
Elizabeth Broder
(646) 860-7983
Investors@meiragtx.com
or
Media:
W2O pure
Christiana Pascale
(212) 257-6722
cpascale@purecommunications.com