Celladon Corporation Named a 2012 Fierce 15 Company by FierceBiotech

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Celladon Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that FierceBiotech named Celladon as one of 2012's Fierce 15, designating it as one of the most promising private biotechnology companies in the industry. This is FierceBiotech's tenth annual Fierce 15 selection.

"You don't often find three Big Pharmas clustered together in a single venture round earmarked for a mid-stage heart-failure drug. But there they were – Pfizer, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson – all backing Celladon's big $53 million round earlier this year," says FierceBiotech Editor John Carroll. "And once you check out the positive mid-stage efficacy data for Celladon's innovative new gene therapy MYDICAR – now being tested in an expanded Phase IIb confirmatory study – you can see for yourself why they'd want a front-row seat. We'll be watching as well."

"We are proud to join this prestigious group of innovative companies and for our team's recognition as a Fierce 15 Company. There is a tremendous need for novel treatment options for patients with advanced heart failure. The Celladon team is working passionately to provide patients with this debilitating condition with a new therapeutic alternative," said Krisztina Zsebo Ph.D., President and CEO of Celladon Corporation. "Together with our investors, we are also grateful to the clinical investigators and patients who participate in novel trials and thereby make advances in medicine possible."

The Fierce 15 celebrates the spirit of being "fierce" – championing innovation and creativity, even in the face of intense competition.

An internationally recognized daily newsletter reaching more than 100,000 biotech and pharma industry professionals, FierceBiotech provides subscribers with an authoritative analysis of the day's top stories. Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual Fierce 15 list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships, venture backers and a competitive market position.

The 2012 Fierce 15 companies will be recognized today at the BioPharm America conference in Boston. A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies – the online newsletter's ninth annual selection – is available online at www.fiercebiotech.com.

About MYDICAR^®

MYDICAR is a genetically targeted enzyme replacement therapy intended to restore levels of SERCA2a, a regulator of calcium cycling in the heart and cardiac contractility. SERCA2a levels decline in all forms of late-stage heart failure resulting in deficient heart function. With MYDICAR, the SERCA2a gene is delivered using recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) as the vector. AAV is a naturally occurring virus not associated with any disease in humans. MYDICAR is delivered in a single dose directly to the heart during a routine outpatient cardiac catheterization procedure, similar to an angiogram. A recent Phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated sustained improvement at one year in cardiac function parameters and quality of life and MYDICAR is currently under clinical investigation in a 200 patient Phase 2b clinical trial in NYHA Class III/IV heart failure patients.

About Celladon

Celladon is a privately held biotechnology company founded with the goal of becoming the leader in developing molecular therapies for the treatment of heart failure. The company's lead product, MYDICAR, targets the key enzyme deficiency in advanced heart failure, SERCA2a, which regulates calcium cycling and contractility in heart muscle cells. Celladon also conducts pre-clinical research on a proprietary platform of small molecule activators of SERCA enzymes for the treatment of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Further information can be found at www.celladon.net

About FierceBiotech

FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor - a free email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles, and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval and regulation, biotech company deals and more. More than 90,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Sign up is free at www.fiercebiotech.com.

SOURCE Celladon Corporation