NEW YORK, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ArTara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TARA), a clinical-stage company identifying and advancing transformative therapies for people with rare and specialty diseases, today announced that it has changed its name to Protara Therapeutics, Inc., effective immediately. As part of the name change, the Company has launched a new corporate website, www.protaratx.com. The Company’s shares will continue trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “TARA.”

“Our renaming both distinguishes Protara and reinforces our commitment to the patients we hope to serve by developing potentially transformative therapies,” said Jesse Shefferman, Chief Executive Officer of Protara. “With our diverse pipeline, we are pursuing multiple high-value opportunities in underserved areas, including a potential path to market in the U.S. for our lead program, TARA-002, for the treatment of lymphatic malformations. As we embark on this exciting next chapter, we look forward to the Company’s continued evolution and growth as we strive to establish ourselves as leaders in rare and specialty disease therapeutics.”

Protara’s lead drug candidate, TARA-002, is an investigational cell based therapy based on the broad immunostimulant OK-432, which is approved in Japan and Taiwan for lymphangiomas, including lymphatic malformations (LMs), which are rare, typically congenital, malformations of the lymphatic vasculature. The Company plans to initially pursue development of TARA-002 for the treatment of LMs. In addition to LMs, the Company is evaluating the potential of TARA-002 in oncologic indications. Protara’s portfolio also includes intravenous IV Choline Chloride, a Phase 3-ready investigational phospholipid substrate replacement therapy for patients receiving parenteral nutrition who have intestinal failure associated liver disease (IFALD). The Company’s IV Choline Chloride has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA.

About Protara Therapeutics

Protara is committed to identifying and advancing transformative therapies for people with rare and specialty diseases. Protara’s portfolio includes its lead program, TARA-002, an investigational cell therapy being developed for the treatment of lymphatic malformations, and intravenous (IV) Choline Chloride, an investigational phospholipid substrate replacement therapy for the treatment of intestinal failure associated liver disease (IFALD). For more information, visit www.protaratx.com.