Faisal Khashid

Faisal Khashid asked how investors should think about the launch curve for hypothalamic obesity (HO), particularly relative to Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) or other rare disease launches, given the identified target physicians and patients.

Answer

Jennifer Lee, EVP, Head of North America, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, highlighted the strong foundation from the BBS launch, including payer education and team readiness. She noted that, similar to other rare diseases, the lack of prior therapy meant less incentive for diagnosis, which would impact the ramp-up. David Meeker, Chairman, CEO and President, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, added that HO patients are more distributed among community endocrinologists than PWS patients (often in specialized centers), but the higher diagnosis rate in BBS compared to HO means more early opportunity for HO.

Faisal Khashid asked for insights into the expected launch curve for hypothalamic obesity (HO), comparing it to Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) or Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), given the 2,400 target physicians and 2,000 identified patients.

Answer

Jennifer Lee, EVP, Head of North America, highlighted the strong foundation from the BBS launch, including payer understanding and team readiness. She noted that, similar to other rare diseases, diagnosis takes time without available therapy. David Meeker, Chairman, CEO and President, added that HO patients are more distributed than PWS patients but have a higher diagnosis rate than BBS, suggesting more early opportunities.

Faisal Khashid asked about the company's early thoughts on potential partnerships for the STAT6 degrader program (KT61).

Answer

Founder, President, and CEO Nellie Monofi stated that the company is not currently considering partnerships for KT61. She affirmed that Chimera believes it is best positioned to advance the program through Phase 2B development internally and will only evaluate options as it approaches Phase 3.