DURECT Corporation to Present at the 2021 Epigenetic Therapeutic Targets Virtual Summit

CUPERTINO, Calif., July 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — DURECT Corporation (Nasdaq: DRRX) today announced it will present at the Epigenetic Therapeutic Targets Summit, being held virtually July 13-15, 2021. 

Our President and Chief Executive Officer, James E. Brown, D.V.M., will discuss the mechanism of action of our lead drug candidate and epigenetic regulator (DUR-928), the previously reported positive results from our Phase 2a clinical study in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), in addition to providing an overview of our ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international, multi-center Phase 2b study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DUR-928 in approximately 300 hospitalized subjects with severe AH .

Presentation Details:
Title:                   DUR-928, DNMTs and Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis
Presenter:          James Brown, D.V.M., President and CEO of DURECT
Date/Time:         July 15, 2021, 1 p.m. EST

A copy of the presentation will be available on DURECT’s corporate website here at the conclusion of the conference.

About DUR-928
DUR-928 is an endogenous sulfated oxysterol and an epigenetic regulator. Epigenetic regulators are compounds that regulate patterns of gene expression without modifying the DNA sequence. DNA hypermethylation, an example of epigenetic dysregulation, results in transcriptomic reprogramming and cellular dysfunction, and has been found to be associated with many acute (e.g., AH) or chronic diseases (e.g., NASH). As an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3a and 3b), DUR-928 inhibits DNA methylation, which subsequently regulates expression of genes that are involved in cell signaling pathways associated with stress responses, cell death and survival, and lipid biosynthesis. This may ultimately lead to improved cell survival, reduced inflammation, and decreased lipotoxicity. As an epigenetic regulator, the proposed mechanism of action provides further scientific rationale for developing DUR-928 for the treatment of acute organ injury and certain chronic diseases.

About Epigenetic Regulation
Epigenetic regulation influences the expression of genes through the silencing or initiation of gene activity without modifying the DNA sequence. For instance, methylation of cytosine nucleotides in promoter regions of DNA, facilitated by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), will generally result in downregulation of gene expression, while demethylation generally results in upregulation. DNA methylation/demethylation can thus regulate the expression of relevant genes, especially clusters of master genes that further modulate crucial cellular activities.

About DURECT Corporation
DURECT is a biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the treatment of acute organ injury and chronic liver diseases by advancing novel and potentially lifesaving therapies based on its endogenous epigenetic regulator program. DUR-928, the company’s lead drug candidate, is in clinical development for the potential treatment of alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) for which FDA has granted a Fast Track Designation. The Company is conducting a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b clinical trial called AHFIRM, evaluating DUR-928’s lifesaving potential compared to the current standard of care in patients with severe AH. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is also being explored. In addition, POSIMIR^® (bupivacaine solution) for infiltration use, a non-opioid analgesic utilizing the innovative SABER® platform technology, is now FDA-approved. Full prescribing information about POSIMIR, including the Boxed Warning, can be found at www.posimir.com. For more information about DURECT, please visit www.www.durect.com and follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DURECTCorp.

DURECT Forward-Looking Statement

The statements in this press release regarding the potential for DUR-928 to treat patients with AH, NASH, and other diseases, such as acute organ injury, ongoing and planned clinical trials of DUR-928, and the commercial potential of POSIMIR are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks that the clinical trial of DUR-928 in AH (AHFIRM) takes longer to conduct than anticipated due to COVID-19 or other factors, the risk that clinical trials of DUR-928, including AHFIRM, do not confirm the results from earlier clinical or pre-clinical trials, or do not demonstrate the safety or efficacy or the lifesaving potential of DUR-928 in a statistically significant manner, risks that we or a third-party licensee may not commercialize POSIMIR successfully, if at all, and risks related to our ability to obtain capital to fund operations and expenses. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in DURECT’s Form 10-Q filed on May 5, 2021 under the heading “Risk Factors.”

NOTE: POSIMIR^® and SABER^® are trademarks of DURECT Corporation.  Other referenced trademarks belong to their respective owners.  DUR-928 is an investigational drug candidate under development and has not been approved for commercialization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other health authorities for any indication. Full prescribing information for POSIMIR, including its Boxed Warning, can be found at www.posimir.com.

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SOURCE DURECT Corporation

Corporate, Mike Arenberg, DURECT, Chief Financial Officer, +1-408-346-1052, mike.arenberg@durect.com; Media, Mónica Rouco Molina, Ph.D., LifeSci Communications, +1-929-469-3850, mroucomolina@lifescicomms.com