Avidity Biosciences Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2020 Financial Results and Recent Highlights LA JOLLA, Calif., March 15 , 2021 /PRNewswire/-- Avidity Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNA), a biopharmaceutical company p

Avidity Biosciences Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2020 Financial Results and Recent Highlights

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/-- Avidity Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNA), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new class of oligonucleotide-based therapies called Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs ), today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2020 and highlighted recent corporate progress.

"In 2020, we made significant advances across our AOC pipeline and platform. Our work supports Avidity's evolution to a clinical-stage company as we plan to advance AOC 1001 into the clinic in the second half of this year and progress our FSHD and DMD programs," said Sarah Boyce, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our discovery efforts continue to focus on expanding our AOC platform into additional muscle diseases and other tissues as we begin to realize our vision of profoundly improving people's lives by revolutionizing the delivery of RNA treatments."

"Last year we built a solid foundation for growth, anchored by our successful IPO and strong financial position with $328 million in cash at year-end," said Mike MacLean, Chief Financial Officer. "We are investing in our platform and have assembled an experienced team in RNA therapeutics and rare diseases to deliver on our discovery, clinical and commercial objectives."

AOC Platform and Pipeline Highlights

Avidity also advanced additional programs in its muscle franchise including a program for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and three programs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The AOC FSHD program and the lead AOC DMD program targeting Exon 44 are the most advanced. In 2022, following additional preparatory preclinical studies and regulatory clearance, Avidity plans to commence clinical trials for both of these programs.

Avidity is advancing beyond muscle with its own discovery efforts and through partnering, as evidenced by its strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly in immunology and MyoKardia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Meyers Squibb, in cardiac tissue.

Organizational Highlights

Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2020 Financial Results

About Avidity Biosciences

Avidity Biosciences, Inc. is driven to change lives with a new class of therapies called Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs) that are designed to overcome current limitations of oligonucleotide therapies in order to treat a wide range of serious diseases. Avidity's proprietary AOC platform combines the tissue selectivity of monoclonal antibodies and the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to access previously undruggable tissue and cell types and more effectively target underlying genetic drivers of diseases. Avidity's lead product candidate, AOC 1001, is designed to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1, and its other muscle programs are focused on the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and muscle atrophy. In addition to its muscle franchise, Avidity has research efforts focused on immune, cardiac and other cell types.

Avidity is headquartered in La Jolla, CA. For more information about Avidity's science, pipeline and people, please visit www.aviditybiosciences.com and engage with Avidity on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Avidity cautions readers that statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current beliefs and expectations. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the potential to develop a meaningful pipeline of novel AOC therapeutics; Avidity's evolution to a clinical-stage company; Avidity's plans to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of AOC 1001 in patients with DM1 and the expected timing thereof; Avidity's plans to submit a regulatory filing and commence a clinical trial of its AOC FSHD program and the expected timing thereof; Avidity's plans to submit a regulatory filing and commence a clinical trial of its AOC DMD program and the expected timing thereof; Avidity's plans to expand its AOC platform into additional muscle diseases and other tissues; and the broad potential of AOCs to treat serious diseases. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Avidity that any of these plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the business, including, without limitation: the company is early in development efforts and all of its development programs are in the preclinical or discovery stage; the company's approach to the discovery and development of product candidates based on the AOC platform is unproven, and the company does not know whether it will be able to develop any products of commercial value; potential delays in the commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials; disruption to the company's operations from the COVID-19 pandemic; the success of its preclinical studies and clinical trials for its product candidates; the results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results; the company may not be able to show utility of AOCs in cardiac or other tissue and may not realize any benefits from its collaborations; its dependence on third parties in connection with preclinical testing and product manufacturing; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate efficacy of its product candidates that may limit their development, regulatory approval and/or commercialization, or may result in recalls or product liability claims; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries, including acceptance of INDs and similar foreign regulatory filings and the proposed design of future clinical trials; risks related to integration of new management personnel; and other risks described in the company's prior press releases and in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Avidity cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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Avidity Biosciences, Inc.

Selected Condensed Financial Information

(in thousands, except per share data)