Centessa Pharmaceuticals to Present Preclinical Data for Novel Orexin Receptor 2 (OX2R) Agonist at World Sleep Congress

Oral presentation to include preclinical profile for ORX750, Centessa’s first orexin agonist development candidate for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders

BOSTON and LONDON, Aug. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing medicines that are transformational for patients, today announced that preclinical data for ORX750, its first orexin agonist development candidate, will be featured in an oral presentation at the World Sleep Congress being held on October 20-25, 2023, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ORX750 is an orally administered, selective orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist in preclinical development for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.

In addition, Sarah Wurts Black, PhD, Head of Biology for Centessa’s orexin program, will co-chair a symposium at the Congress focused on the development of orexin receptor agonists.

“We believe ORX750 has the potential to be a best-in-class therapy to treat narcolepsy and other sleep disorders, and we are thrilled with the opportunity to share preclinical data in an oral presentation at the World Sleep Congress,” said Saurabh Saha, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa.

Details of the presentation are as follows:
Title: ORX750, an Oral Selective Orexin Receptor 2 Agonist, Promotes Wakefulness and Reduces Cataplexy in the Orexin/Ataxin-3 Mouse
Link to Abstract: https://ws2023.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/1347
Ref number: O25
Authors: Sarah Wurts Black, Tod Steinfeld, Karl Gibson, Gregory R. Ott, Emiliangelo Ratti, David Grainger, Mario Alberto Accardi, and Deborah S. Hartman
Oral Presentation: Wednesday, October 25th at 10:45 AM (local time)

Symposium: Development of hypocretin/orexin receptor agonists: a progress report (Co-chairs Sarah Wurts Black and Thomas S. Kilduff)
Link to Symposium Abstract: https://ws2023.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/sessions/315
Title: Approaches to the discovery and development of hypocretin/orexin receptor agonists
Ref number: S56
Speaker: Sarah Wurts Black
Session details: Tuesday, October 24th at 3:22 PM (local time)

Additional information about the World Sleep Congress is available at https://worldsleepcongress.com/program. Centessa plans to make its presentation available on the Centessa website at https://investors.centessa.com/events-presentations after the presentations conclude.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals  
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients. Our programs span discovery-stage to late-stage development and cover a range of high-value indications. We operate with the conviction that each one of our programs has the potential to change the current treatment paradigm and establish a new standard of care. For more information, visit http://www.centessa.com/, which does not form part of this release.  

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “aim,” “seek,” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements related to the Company’s ability to deliver impactful medicines to patients; the ability of our management team and board to drive execution of the Company’s portfolio of programs; our asset-centric business model and the intended advantages and benefits thereof; research and clinical development plans and the timing thereof; the scope, progress, results and costs of developing our product candidates or any other future product candidates; our current expectations concerning, amongst other things, the development and therapeutic potential and benefits of our product candidates, including ORX750 and other OX2R agonists; strategy; regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of initiating clinical trials, reporting clinical trial results, submitting an IND and the success of obtaining authorizations to initiate or continue clinical trials or market any products; and the market size and opportunity for our product candidates. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the safety and tolerability profile of our product candidates; our ability to protect and maintain our intellectual property position; business (including commercial viability), regulatory, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties, contingencies and assumptions about the Company; risks inherent in developing product candidates and technologies; future results from our ongoing and planned clinical trials; our ability to obtain adequate financing, including through our financing facility with Oberland, to fund our planned clinical trials and other expenses; trends in the industry; the legal and regulatory framework for the industry, including the receipt and maintenance of clearances to conduct or continue clinical testing; future expenditures risks related to our asset-centric corporate model; the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and/or commercialized; the risk that the results of non-clinical studies or clinical studies will not be predictive of future results in connection with future studies; and geo-political risks such as the Russia-Ukraine war. These and other risks concerning our programs and operations are described in additional detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our other reports, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Contact:

Kristen K. Sheppard, Esq.
SVP of Investor Relations
investors@centessa.com