San Francisco-Based VIA Pharmaceuticals to Merge with Corautus Genetics

San Francisco --  VIA Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-based drug development company, said on Thursday that it has agreed to merger with Corautus Genetics, an Atlanta-based developer of gene therapy products for cardiovascular disease. Under the deal, VIA stockholders will own approximately 76.4% of the combined company, with Corautus' stockholders owning the remainder. "The merger is expected to create a drug development company focused on compounds that target inflammation in the blood vessel wall as an innovative approach to the treatment of cardiovascular disease," said a press release on Thursday announcing the deal. The combined company's lead product candidate will be a small-molecule drug that targets inflammation in the blood vessel wall, which is believed to be a key disease process in atherosclerosis.
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