8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

_______________________

FORM 8-K

_______________________

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): February 27, 2017

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LA JOLLA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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California	1-36282	33-0361285
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

10182 Telesis Court, 6th Floor, San Diego, California 92121

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (858) 207-4264

_______________________

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

ITEM 8.01    OTHER EVENTS.

On February 27, 2017, La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing positive top-line results from the ATHOS-3 Phase 3 Study of LJPC-501. The press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1.

Also, on February 27, 2017, the Company also made available on its website a copy of an investor presentation regarding the top-line results of the ATHOS-3 Phase 3 study. A copy of this presentation is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.2.

ITEM 9.01    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

(d) Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed with this report on Form 8-K:

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated February 27, 2017
99.2	Investor Presentation dated February 27, 2017

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
Date:	February 28, 2017	/s/    Dennis M. Mulroy
		Dennis M. Mulroy
		Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.1

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Announces Positive Top-Line Results from ATHOS-3 Phase 3 Study of LJPC-501

-- Primary efficacy endpoint analysis highly statistically significant (p<0.00001)

-- Trend toward longer survival observed

-- New Drug Application planned for second half of 2017

-- Company to host conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017

SAN DIEGO – Feb. 27, 2017 - La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (Nasdaq: LJPC) (La Jolla), today announced positive top-line results from the ATHOS-3 (Angiotensin II for the Treatment of High-Output Shock) Phase 3 study of LJPC-501 (angiotensin II) in patients with catecholamine resistant hypotension (CRH).

The analysis of the primary efficacy endpoint, defined as the percentage of patients achieving a pre specified target blood pressure response, was highly statistically significant: 23% of the 158 placebo treated patients had a blood pressure response compared to 70% of the 163 LJPC-501-treated patients (p<0.00001). In addition, a trend toward longer survival was observed: 22% reduction in mortality risk through day 28 [hazard ratio=0.78 (0.57-1.07), p=0.12] for LJPC-501-treated patients.

Throughout the study, safety outcomes were followed by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). The DSMB recommended that the study continue as originally planned. In this critically ill patient population: 92% of placebo-treated patients compared to 87% of LJPC-501-treated patients experienced at least one adverse event, and 22% of placebo-treated patients compared to 14% of LJPC-501-treated patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. In collaboration with the investigators, La Jolla plans to present and publish detailed results from the ATHOS-3 study later this year.

ATHOS-3 was conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in which the company and FDA agreed on the study design, study endpoints and study analyses.

“These study results support that angiotensin II, a molecule first synthesized by Dr. Irvine Page at the Cleveland Clinic, improves outcomes in distributive shock patients requiring high-dose catecholamines. Given the high mortality from this condition, it is important to offer physicians another potential treatment option,” said Daniel Sessler, M.D., the Michael Cudahy Professor and Chair of the Department of Outcomes Research at Cleveland Clinic.

“We are grateful to the patients, their families and the dedicated medical teams who contributed to this successful study,” said George F. Tidmarsh, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of La Jolla. “We also are very appreciative of the FDA’s advice and contributions in the development of LJPC-501

and look forward to meeting with the FDA to discuss our NDA submission planned for the second half of this year.”

Conference Call at 8:30 a.m. EST on Monday, February 27, 2017

La Jolla will host a conference call and webcast at 8:30 a.m. EST (5:30 a.m. PST) on Monday, February 27, 2017. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 877-359-9508 for domestic callers and 224-357-2393 for international callers. Please provide the operator with the passcode 78311826 to join the conference call or click herefor the webcast. A slide presentation accompanying today’s press release and the conference call may also be found on La Jolla’s website at www.ljpc.comunder the investor relations section. An archive of the conference call and webcast will be available on La Jolla’s website for 30 days following the call.

About the ATHOS-3 Study

The ATHOS-3 study ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28215131) was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 clinical study of LJPC-501 in patients with catecholamine resistant hypotension. A total of 344 patients were randomized across nine countries, 321 of whom received study treatment and are included in the primary analysis. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either LJPC-501 or placebo on a background of standard-of-care vasopressors selected by the investigators. Randomized patients received their assigned treatment via continuous intravenous infusion.

The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of patients with a mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥ 75 mmHg or a 10 mmHg increase from baseline MAP at 3 hours following the initiation of study treatment without an increase in standard-of-care vasopressors. The study was conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreed to with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015. The SPA stipulates that a study of this size and design could provide sufficient safety and efficacy signals and an adequate evaluation of the risk/benefit to the patients to support FDA review and consideration for marketing approval.

About LJPC-501

LJPC-501 is La Jolla’s proprietary formulation of synthetic human angiotensin II. Angiotensin II, the major bioactive component of the renin-angiotensin system, serves as one of the body’s central regulators of blood pressure. LJPC-501 is being developed for the treatment of patients with catecholamine resistant hypotension (CRH). LJPC-501 is the first synthetic human angiotensin II product candidate to be tested in a Phase 3 study.

About Catecholamine Resistant Hypotension

Catecholamine resistant hypotension (CRH) is a life-threatening syndrome in patients with distributive shock (dangerously low blood pressure with adequate cardiac function) who cannot achieve target mean arterial pressure (MAP) despite adequate fluid resuscitation and treatment with currently available vasopressors (catecholamines and/or vasopressin). There are approximately 500,000 distributive shock cases in the United States per year, an estimated 200,000 of which develop CRH. More than 50% of CRH patients die within 30 days.

About La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies intended to significantly improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. The company has several product candidates in development. LJPC-501 is La Jolla’s proprietary formulation of synthetic human angiotensin II for the potential treatment of catecholamine resistant hypotension. LJPC-401 is La Jolla’s proprietary formulation of synthetic human hepcidin for the potential treatment of conditions characterized by iron overload, such as hereditary hemochromatosis, beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease and myelodysplastic syndrome. LJPC-30S is La Jolla’s next-generation gentamicin derivative program that is focused on the potential treatment of serious bacterial infections as well as rare genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. For more information on La Jolla, please visit www.ljpc.com.

Forward Looking Statement Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events or the company’s future results of operations. These statements are only predictions or statements of current expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, that may cause actual results to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forwardlooking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these risks, uncertainties, and other factors are described in greater detail in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all of which are available free of charge on the SEC’s web site www.sec.gov. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks relating to: the timing of the NDA submission for LJPC-501 and prospects for approval of the NDA; risks that the full data set from the ATHOS-3 study will not be consistent with the top-line results of the study; risks relating to the scope of product labels (if approved) and potential market sizes, as well as the broader commercial opportunity; the anticipated timing for regulatory actions; the success of future development activities; potential indications for which the company’s product candidates may be developed; and the expected duration over which the company’s cash balances will fund its operations. Subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth in the company’s reports filed with the SEC. The company expressly disclaims any intent to update any forward-looking statements.

Company Contacts

Sandra Vedrick

Associate Director, Investor Relations & Human Resources

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company

Phone: 858-256-7910

Email: svedrick@ljpc.com

and

Dennis M. Mulroy

Chief Financial Officer

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company

Phone: 858-433-6839

Email: dmulroy@ljpc.com

Media Contact

Matt Middleman, M.D.

LifeSci Public Relations

Phone: 646-627-8384

Email: matt.middleman@lifescipublicrelations.com

EX-99.2

ATHOS-3 Phase 3 Study of LJPC-501 Positive Topline Results February 27, 2017

Forward-Looking Statement These slides contain forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events or the company’s future results of operations. These statements are only predictions or statements of current expectations and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, that may cause actual results to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Certain of these risks, uncertainties, and other factors are described in greater detail in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all of which are available free of charge on the SEC’s web site www.sec.gov. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks relating to: the timing of the NDA submission for LJPC-501 and prospects for approval of the NDA; risks that the full data set from the ATHOS-3 study will not be consistent with the top-line results of the study; risks relating to the scope of product labels (if approved) and potential market sizes, as well as the broader commercial opportunity; the anticipated timing for regulatory actions; the success of future development activities; potential indications for which the company’s product candidates may be developed; and the expected duration over which the company’s cash balances will fund its operations. Subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth in the company’s reports filed with the SEC. The company expressly disclaims any intent to update any forward-looking statements. 2

Mission Statement La Jolla is dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases by discovering and developing innovative therapies

Catecholamine Resistant Hypotension (CRH) Remains a Major Unmet Medical Need

Shock MORTALITY RATES COMPARED Shock: Deadly, Costly and Prevalent 1. Vincent JL, De Backer D. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(18):1726-1734. 2. Sviri S, Hashoul J, Stav I, van Heerden PV. J Crit Care. 2014;29(1):157-160. 3. Readmissions and deaths-national. Data.Medicare.gov website. https://data.medicare.gov/Hospital- Compare/Readmissions-and-Deaths-National/qqw3-t4ie/data. Accessed January 10, 2017 Abbreviations: AMI=acute myocardial infarction; CHF=congestive heart failure. 5 • A well-characterized syndrome1 § Occurs when the organs and tissue of the body do not receive an adequate flow of blood (oxygen) due to a lack of blood pressure (hypotension) • Deadly § Mortality rate exceeds that of most acute conditions requiring hospitalization2 § Can kill old and young alike within hours2 • Costly § Estimated costs are 2-3 times greater compared to other conditions • Prevalent § Affects one-third of patients in the intensive care unit1 30-day mortality rate3 14% 12% 16% AMI CHF Pneumonia ≥50% mortality in patients with shock in the ICU2

CMS Covered Charges for CRH Population Are Much Greater Than for Other Acute Hospital Conditions 6 Source: CMS FY14 Inpatient Public Use File (IPUF) $87,282 $42,243 $31,453 $30,702 CRH AMI CHF Pneumonia Weighted Average CMS Covered Charges Abbreviations: AMI=acute myocardial infarction; CHF=congestive heart failure.

U.S. Shock Patient Population and Treatment Paradigm 7 1. 9.42MM annualized vials (785K vials sold in January 2017 X 12); Symphony Health Solutions, 2017. 97% of vials sold for hypotensive shock; estimate based on medical literature. 13 vials used per patient; estimate based on Russell et al, N Engl J Med, 358:877-87, 2008 and Asfar et al, N Engl J Med, 370:1583-93, 2014 2. Wolters Kluwer PriceRx Pro, 2017 3. 3.01MM annualized vials (251K vials sold in January 2017 X 12); Symphony Health Solutions, 2017. 81% of vials sold for hypotensive shock; estimate based on medical literature. 10 vials used per patient; estimate based on Dunser et al, Circulation, 107:2313-2319, 2003 and Gordon et al, Crit Care Med, 42(6):1325-1333, 2014 4. Decision Resources Group market research First-Line Standard-of-Care Second-Line Standard-of-Care LJPC-501 Target Patient Population 555,479 361,684 332,189Patients Who Do Not Adequately Respond to Norepinephrine and Vasopressin Vasopressin: 244,000 Patients per Year3 $1,385 per Patient2 $338MM Sales Run Rate Norepinephrine: 703,000 Patients per Year1 $153 per Patient2 $108MM Sales Run Rate 196,000 Estimated Patients4

Randomized Study of Vasopressin 8 VASST Overall Survival1 VASST=Vasopressin and Septic Shock Trial 1. Russell JA, Walley KR, Singer J, et al. for VASST Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(9):877-887 Day 28 HR=0.90 (95%CI: 0.75-1.08) P=0.27 Day 90 HR=0.88 (95%CI: 0.76-1.03) P=0.10

LJPC-501: The First Synthetic Human Angiotensin II Tested in a Randomized Phase 3 Study

LJPC-501: The First Synthetic Human Angiotensin II Tested in a Randomized Phase 3 Study 10 • LJPC-501 is a proprietary formulation of synthetic human angiotensin II, a naturally occurring regulator of blood pressure • Angiotensin II has been shown to raise blood pressure in a pilot, randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot study in CRH1, as well as in animal models of hypotension • Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement reached with FDA for Phase 3 study design § Agreement reached that blood pressure can be the primary endpoint for approval • ATHOS-3 enrollment completed in Q4 2016 1. Chawla et al. Critical Care 2014, 18:534

Three Systems Work in Harmony to Regulate Blood Pressure Existing Treatments for Shock Only Utilize Two Systems THERAPIES AND ASSOCIATED ADVERSE EVENTS SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS ARGININE- VASOPRESSIN RENIN ANGIOTENSIN- ALDOSTERONE 11 CATECHOLAMINES1: SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS Prolonged elevated heart rate, tachyarrhythmia, acute cardiac arrest or death, pulmonary hypertension VASOPRESSIN: ARGININE-VASOPRESSIN Myocardial ischemia, decreases gut blood flow RENIN ANGIOTENSIN-ALDOSTERONE No current therapies 1. Catecholamines include: norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, phenylephrine, ephedrine

Primary endpoint Percentage of patients achieving pre-specified target blood pressure response1 ATHOS-3 (Angiotensin II for the Treatment of High-Output Shock) Study Design 12 1. Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) ≥ 75 mmHg OR a 10 mmHg increase from baseline MAP at 3 hours following the initiation of study treatment without an increase in standard-of-care vasopressors Patient population: • Adult patients with CRH • N=344 enrolled • N=321 treated Study Conducted In 74 Centers Across 9 Countries 1:1 double-blind randomization Placebo N=158 LJPC-501 N=163

ATHOS-3 Topline Results: Primary Endpoint Primary Efficacy Endpoint Placebo LJPC-501 P-Value Percentage of patients achieving pre-specified target blood pressure response1 23% 70% <0.00001 13 1. Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) ≥ 75 mmHg OR a 10 mmHg increase from baseline MAP at 3 hours following the initiation of study treatment without an increase in standard-of-care vasopressors • Analysis of primary efficacy endpoint was highly statistically significant

ATHOS-3 Topline Results: Mortality Estimated Risk Reduction Hazard Ratio 1 95% Confidence Interval P-Value 22% 0.78 0.57-1.07 0.12 1. Proportional hazards estimate (unadjusted) of mortality to Day 28 comparing placebo-treated patients to LJPC-501-treated patients 14 • Trend toward longer survival observed

ATHOS-3 Topline Results: Safety Placebo LJPC-501 Percentage of patients experiencing at least one adverse event 92% 87% Percentage of patients discontinuing treatment due to an adverse event 22% 14% 15 • Throughout the study, safety outcomes were followed by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) § The DSMB recommended that the study continue as originally planned

We plan to present and publish detailed results from ATHOS-3 later this year Thank You