CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc.^® (Nasdaq: FULC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Alan A. Musso as chief financial officer, effective August 7, 2023. A 30-year veteran in the life sciences industry, Mr. Musso has held numerous financial and operational leadership positions over the course of his career.

“We are delighted to welcome Alan to our executive leadership team,” said Alex C. Sapir, president and chief executive officer at Fulcrum Therapeutics. “Alan’s wealth of industry experience and impressive track record will be invaluable as we move into our next phase of growth and continue to advance our mission of delivering transformative therapies. Having known and worked with Alan for many years, I am confident his insights, leadership, and passion to help patients will make him a great addition to our organization."

Prior to joining Fulcrum, Alan served for several years as chief financial officer of ReViral, which was acquired by Pfizer in 2022. Previously, he was the chief financial officer and treasurer at Peloton Therapeutics Inc., where he secured a $150 million mezzanine financing and prepared the company for an IPO until the company was acquired by Merck & Co. Alan also served as CFO and treasurer of other biopharmaceutical companies, including Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Targacept, and Duramed Pharmaceuticals. He spent the early part of his career as a senior internal auditor for Pfizer as well as a certified public accountant (CPA) for KPMG International. Alan received a B.S. in Accounting from Saint Mary’s College of California, and a master's degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He currently serves on the board of directors of Lung Therapeutics, Inc., a private company.

“I am thrilled to join Fulcrum at this exciting time in the company’s trajectory,” said Mr. Musso. “As the company builds on progress made in the rare neuromuscular and hematologic disease spaces, I look forward to leveraging my experience to help bring critical new medicines to patients.”

About Fulcrum Therapeutics

Fulcrum Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Fulcrum’s two lead programs in clinical development are losmapimod, a small molecule for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), and FTX-6058, a small molecule designed to increase expression of fetal hemoglobin for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) and other hemoglobinopathies, which is currently under a full clinical hold issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company’s proprietary product engine, FulcrumSeek™, identifies drug targets that can modulate gene expression to treat the known root cause of gene mis-expression. For more information, visit www.fulcrumtx.com and follow us on Twitter @FulcrumTx and LinkedIn.

About FTX-6058

FTX-6058 is an investigational oral small-molecule inhibitor of Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) that was discovered using FulcrumSeek™, Fulcrum’s proprietary discovery engine. Inhibition of EED leads to potent downregulation of key fetal globin repressors, including BCL11A, thereby causing an increase in fetal hemoglobin (HbF). FTX-6058 is being developed for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) and other hemoglobinopathies. Initial data in SCD demonstrated proof-of-concept and achieved absolute levels of HbF increases associated with potential overall patient benefit. Through the March 2023 data cutoff date, FTX-6058 has been generally well-tolerated in people with SCD with up to three months of exposure, with no serious treatment-emergent adverse events reported. FTX-6058 has been granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation and Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of SCD. FTX-6058 is currently under a full clinical hold issued by the FDA.

About Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder of the red blood cells caused by a mutation in the HBB gene. This gene encodes a protein that is a key component of hemoglobin, a protein complex whose function is to transport oxygen in the body. The result of the mutation is less efficient oxygen transport and the formation of red blood cells that have a sickle shape. These sickle shaped cells are much less flexible than healthy cells and can block blood vessels or rupture cells. People with SCD typically suffer from serious clinical consequences, which may include anemia, pain, infections, stroke, heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, kidney failure, liver disease, and reduced life expectancy.

About Losmapimod

Losmapimod is a selective p38α/β mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor. Fulcrum exclusively in-licensed losmapimod from GSK following Fulcrum’s discovery of the role of p38α/β inhibitors in the reduction of DUX4 expression and an extensive review of known compounds. Results reported from the Phase 2b ReDUX4 trial demonstrated slowed disease progression and improved function, including positive impacts on upper extremity strength and functional measures supporting losmapimod’s potential to be a transformative therapy for the treatment of FSHD. Although losmapimod had never previously been explored in muscular dystrophies, it had been evaluated in more than 3,600 subjects in clinical trials across multiple other indications, with no safety signals attributed to losmapimod. Losmapimod has been granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation and Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of FSHD. Losmapimod is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 multi-center randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week parallel-group study in people with FSHD (NCT05397470).

About FSHD

FSHD is a serious, rare, progressive and debilitating disease for which there are no approved treatments. It is characterized by fat infiltration of skeletal muscle leading to muscular atrophy involving primarily the face, scapula and shoulders, upper arms, and abdomen. Impact on patients includes relentless and accumulating muscle and functional loss impacting their ability to perform activities of daily living, loss of upper limb function, loss of mobility and independence and chronic pain. FSHD is one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy and has an estimated patient population of 16,000 to 38,000 in the United States alone.

Contact:

Investors:
Chris Calabrese
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
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917-680-5608

Media:
Dee Smith
Executive Director, Corporate Communications
Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc.
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202-746-1324