COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its innovative TransCon™ technology to address significant unmet medical needs, today announced its support of “Children’s Growth Awareness Week” taking place September 16-22, 2018, as a part of the company’s commitment to patients and to improving the lives of people with growth disorders. This initiative will be celebrated worldwide as “International Children's Growth Awareness Day” on September 20, 2018.

In July 2014, the U.S. Senate passed S. Res. 489, a resolution recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of a “Growth Awareness Week,” to increase awareness in the community about the importance of what a child’s growth pattern can say about overall health. During Children’s Growth Awareness Week, the public is encouraged to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of growth disorders and the need for early diagnosis.

Jonathan Leff, M.D., Ascendis Pharma’s Chief Medical Officer said, “Growth is critical to a child’s overall health. Growth hormone is needed not only to achieve normal adult height, but also for optimal bone, muscle, heart and brain development. When children aren’t growing properly, it may be an indication of a treatable medical condition.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately one in 4,000 to one in 10,000 children have Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD). Children with GHD are characterized by short stature, metabolic abnormalities, cognitive deficiencies and poor quality of life.

“Height is nature’s early warning signal, so early detection is important to ensure a child’s healthy future. Children have a short time to grow and a lifetime to live with those results,” said Teresa Tucker, co-founder and patient advocate for the MAGIC Foundation. “Our organization is committed to raising awareness of growth disorders so that no child goes undiagnosed.”

Parents and caregivers can learn more about the importance of measuring their child’s growth patterns and discussing any potential issues with their doctor. Visit www.ascendispharma.com for more information about the Children’s Growth Awareness initiatives.

Children’s Growth Awareness Week was initiated by the MAGIC Foundation, a national nonprofit organization committed to educating the public about children’s growth, providing support to families and helping those searching for answers about their undiagnosed child.

About Ascendis Pharma A/S

Ascendis Pharma is applying its innovative platform technology to build a leading, fully integrated biopharma company focused on making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. Guided by its core values of patients, science and passion, the company utilizes its TransCon™ technology to create new and potentially best-in-class therapies.

Ascendis Pharma currently has a pipeline of three wholly-owned, independent rare disease endocrinology product candidates in clinical development. Additionally, Ascendis Pharma has multi-product collaborations with Sanofi in diabetes and Genentech in the field of ophthalmology and continues to expand into additional therapeutic areas for both internal and external development.

Ascendis is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with offices in Heidelberg, Germany and Palo Alto, California. 

For more information, please visit www.ascendispharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding our future operations, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to (i) our ability to apply our platform technology to build a leading, fully integrated biopharma company, (ii) our expectations regarding our ability to create potentially best-in-class therapies and (iii) our product pipeline. We may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make, including the following: unforeseen safety or efficacy results in our TransCon hGH, TransCon PTH and TransCon CNP or other development programs; unforeseen expenses related to the development of TransCon hGH, TransCon PTH and TransCon CNP or other development programs, general and administrative expenses, other research and development expenses and our business generally; delays in the development of TransCon hGH, TransCon PTH and TransCon CNP or other development programs related to manufacturing, regulatory requirements, speed of patient recruitment or other unforeseen delays; dependence on third party manufacturers to supply study drug for planned clinical studies; and our ability to obtain additional funding, if needed, to support our business activities. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to our business in general, see our current and future reports filed with, or submitted to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017, which we filed with the SEC on March 28, 2018. Forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future in-licensing, collaborations, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments we may enter into or make. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Ascendis, Ascendis Pharma, the Ascendis Pharma logo, the company logo and TransCon are trademarks owned by the Ascendis Pharma group.© September 2018Ascendis Pharma A/S.

Internal contact:
Scott T. Smith
Chief Financial Officer
(650) 352-8389
ir@ascendispharma.com

Media contact:
Ami Knoefler
Head of Global Communications
(650) 739-9952
ack@ascendispharma.com

Investor contact:
Patti BankWestwicke Partners
(415) 513-1284
patti.bank@westwicke.com