Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Appoints Acromegaly Expert, Peter Trainer, Vice President of Clinical Endocrinology

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNX), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for rare endocrine diseases and endocrine-related tumors, today announced the appointment of Peter Trainer, MD, FRCPE to the position of Vice President of Clinical Endocrinology.

“Dr. Trainer is a global leader in the endocrine community who has treated patients, published extensively and educated physicians on the identification and treatment of endocrine disease, particularly in the area of neuroendocrinology,” said Alan S. Krasner, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Crinetics. “He will be instrumental in contributing to the Phase 3 clinical development of paltusotine, Crinetics’ oral, nonpeptide somatostatin receptor agonist for the treatment of acromegaly. Peter and I are also excited to begin the clinical evaluation of our nonpeptide ACTH antagonist targeted to enter Phase 1 clinical development in the coming months. This compound is designed to treat diseases of ACTH excess such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia and Cushing’s disease. Peter’s extensive knowledge of adrenal disorders will be invaluable for this program.”

Prior to joining Crinetics, Dr. Trainer served as an honorary professor of endocrinology at the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK; Clinical Director of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, an Academic Health Science Centre designated by the National Institute for Health Research; Director of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (Manchester); and Associate Medical Director and Clinical Lead for endocrinology for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (The Christie). In his role at The Christie, Dr. Trainer led clinics in general endocrine diseases as well as specialty topics related to thyroid disease, neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), adrenal carcinoma and other disorders.

He has served on the senior executive committees of the Society for Endocrinology, the Endocrine Society and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE). He was chairman of the board of directors of Bioscientifica Ltd from 2014 to 2016 and served on the editorial board of Endocrine Connections, a Bioscientifica publication. In addition, he has served on editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Clinical Endocrinology, European Endocrinology and Growth Hormone & IGF Research. In 2014, ESE presented Dr. Trainer with a Special Recognition Award for his contribution to the Society and to endocrinology at large as chairman of the Society’s Education Committee. His prime areas of interest are diseases of the pituitary and adrenal glands, particularly Cushing’s syndrome and acromegaly. His research has resulted in over 200 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Trainer received his medical degree at the University of Edinburgh and undertook his general medical rotation at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. In addition, he completed a European Economic Community exchange program as a resident at the Academisch Ziekenhuis Utrecht in the Netherlands and studied at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon under a Fulbright scholarship.

Dr. Trainer added, “I’ve been involved with a number of companies developing products for endocrinology disorders during my career, and I feel that Crinetics’ ethos of science-driven innovation aligns perfectly with my interest and experience as a clinical scientist and in driving the translation of bench-top discovery through the developmental steps necessary for deployment for patient benefit. I’m looking forward to working with the Crinetics team to advance the company’s pipeline of rare endocrinology disease candidates including paltusotine for acromegaly.”

Scott Struthers, Ph.D., founder & Chief Executive Officer of Crinetics concluded, “Peter is a towering figure in the endocrine community who has spent his entire career helping patients with endocrine disorders including as an investigator on numerous clinical trials of new drug candidates for acromegaly, Cushing’s disease, growth-hormone deficiency and other indications. He is a brilliant addition to our highly talented team of in-house endocrinologists focused on advancing our pipeline of rare endocrine treatments to the patients around the world.”

About Crinetics Pharmaceuticals
Crinetics Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapeutics for rare endocrine diseases and endocrine-related tumors. The company’s lead product candidate, paltusotine (formerly CRN00808), is an oral selective nonpeptide somatostatin receptor type 2 biased agonist for the treatment of acromegaly, an orphan disease affecting more than 25,000 people in the United States. Crinetics plans to advance paltusotine into a Phase 3 program in acromegaly and a Phase 2 trial for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome associated with NETs in 2021. The company is also developing CRN04777, an oral nonpeptide somatostatin receptor type 5 (SST5) agonist for hyperinsulinism, as well as an oral nonpeptide ACTH antagonist for the treatment of Cushing’s disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and other diseases of excess ACTH. All of the company’s drug candidates are new chemical entities resulting from in-house drug discovery efforts and are wholly owned by the company. For more information, please visit https://crinetics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Crinetics cautions you that statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the company’s current beliefs and expectations. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the potential benefits of paltusotine for acromegaly patients; the potential to initiate a Phase 3 program of paltusotine in acromegaly; the planned expansion of the paltusotine development program to include the treatment of carcinoid syndrome in patients with NETs and the expected timing thereof, including initiation of a Phase 2 trial in these patients; and the potential to begin Phase 1 clinical development of Crinetics’ ACTH antagonist. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Crinetics that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Crinetics’ business, including, without limitation: advancement of paltusotine into a Phase 3 program and Crinetics’ ACTH antagonist into Phase 1 development are dependent on and subject to the receipt of further feedback from the FDA; the COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt Crinetics’ business and that of the third parties on which it depends, including delaying or otherwise disrupting its clinical trials and preclinical studies, manufacturing and supply chain, or impairing employee productivity; the company’s dependence on third parties in connection with product manufacturing, research and preclinical and clinical testing; the success of Crinetics’ clinical trials and nonclinical studies for paltusotine, its ACTH antagonist and its other product candidates; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate efficacy of the company’s product candidates that may limit their development, regulatory approval and/or commercialization; Crinetics may use its capital resources sooner than it expects; and other risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in documents the company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Crinetics undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Contacts
Investors:
Marc Wilson
Chief Financial Officer
IR@crinetics.com
(858) 450-6464

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Corey Davis
LifeSci Advisors
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(212) 915-2577

Media:
Aline Sherwood
Scienta Communications
asherwood@scientapr.com
(312) 238-8957