MELBOURNE, Australia and NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Welcome to the Mesoblast 2017 Annual General Meeting.

It has been a significant year for Mesoblast. Our proprietary and leading-edge cell therapy technology platform has demonstrated consistent and durable clinical outcomes across multiple difficult-to-treat diseases where we believe our technology offers unique benefits and could achieve commercial blockbuster potential. Our three most advanced product candidates are fast approaching major Phase 3 outcomes, bringing our goal of commercializing cellular medicines close to fruition.

We look forward to reporting shortly on the Phase 3 results of our cell therapy for the most devastating complication of bone marrow transplants in children with blood cancers. This product candidate is well poised to become the first industrially manufactured allogeneic cellular medicine commercially available in the United States, extending on the success of our technology platform in Japan.

In parallel with our clinical progress, the United States has recognized the tremendous potential of regenerative medicine through the enactment of the 21st Century Cures Act that may facilitate earlier market entry for our cellular therapies. We intend to take full advantage of the convergence of this new regulatory framework for cellular medicines with our strong clinical results in active partnership discussions with companies that share our vision and commercial objectives.

We could not have attained this strong progress without the support of you, our shareholders. We would like to thank our major institutional and retail shareholders for your patience, financial backing and recognition of the key clinical achievements that we have made this year. Your participation in the retail and institutional entitlement offers, as well as the recent absorption of the overhang in the marketplace, is deeply appreciated.

The Board and the management team remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver key milestones that have the potential to drive shareholder value over the short, medium, and longer term.

At this important junction in the Company’s growth and commercial plans, the Board is focused on complementing the existing skill sets with additional international biopharmaceutical and commercial expertise, as well as succession planning. We expect to report on Board renewal in 2018. 

I would now like to ask our Chief Executive Silviu Itescu to provide a detailed insight into our corporate strategy and operational activities.

Thank you.

Brian Jamieson                                                                                                

November 16, 2017


About Mesoblast
Mesoblast Limited (Nasdaq:MESO) (ASX:MSB) is a global leader in developing innovative cell-based medicines. The Company has leveraged its proprietary technology platform, which is based on specialized cells known as mesenchymal lineage adult stem cells, to establish a broad portfolio of late-stage product candidates. Mesoblast’s allogeneic, ‘off-the-shelf’ cell product candidates target advanced stages of diseases with high, unmet medical needs including cardiovascular conditions, orthopedic disorders, immunologic and inflammatory disorders and oncologic/hematologic conditions.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We make such forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and actual results may differ from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material and adverse. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Mesoblast’s preclinical and clinical studies, and Mesoblast’s research and development programs; Mesoblast’s ability to advance product candidates into, enroll and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; Mesoblast’s ability to advance its manufacturing capabilities; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities, if any; the commercialization of Mesoblast’s product candidates, if approved; regulatory or public perceptions and market acceptance surrounding the use of stem-cell based therapies; the potential for Mesoblast’s product candidates, if any are approved, to be withdrawn from the market due to patient adverse events or deaths; the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and Mesoblast’s ability to enter into and maintain established strategic collaborations; Mesoblast’s ability to establish and maintain intellectual property on its product candidates and Mesoblast’s ability to successfully defend these in cases of alleged infringement; the scope of protection Mesoblast is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its product candidates and technology; estimates of Mesoblast’s expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and its needs for additional financing; Mesoblast’s financial performance; developments relating to Mesoblast’s competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Mesoblast’s product candidates, if approved. You should read this press release together with our risk factors, in our most recently filed reports with the SEC or on our website. Uncertainties and risks that may cause Mesoblast’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:
                                   
Julie Meldrum
Corporate Communications
T: +61 3 9639 6036
E: julie.meldrum@mesoblast.com

Schond Greenway
Investor Relations
T: +1 212 880 2060
E: schond.greenway@mesoblast.com