CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Imara
Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel
therapies for people living with sickle cell disease and other serious,
inherited blood disorders, today announced that the company will deliver
an oral presentation on IMR-687 at the 24th Congress of the
European Hematology Association (EHA) being held from June 13 – 16,
2019, in Amsterdam. Biree Andemariam, M.D., Associate Professor and
Director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at University of
Connecticut Health, will be presenting. IMR-687 is an orally
administered, highly potent and selective phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9)
inhibitor currently being evaluated in a Phase 2a clinical trial as a
potential disease-modifying therapeutic for sickle cell disease.
The following abstract will be presented at the 24th EHA
Congress as an exchange of scientific and clinical information:
Oral
Presentation: #S854; Saturday, June 15, 2019, 12:00 – 12:15 p.m. (CEST)
IMR-687,
a highly-selective phosphodiesterase 9 inhibitor (PDE9i), demonstrates
preliminary evidence of activity on red and white cell biomarkers in a
Ph-2a interim analysis
Lead author and presenter: Dr. Biree
Andemariam
About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is a rare, genetically inherited condition that
alters hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen
throughout the body. The altered hemoglobin distorts red blood cells
into a sickle, or crescent, shape. Painful episodes can occur when
sickled red blood cells, which are stiff and inflexible, get stuck in
small blood vessels. These episodes deprive tissues and organs of
oxygen-rich blood and can lead to vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), acute
chest syndrome (ACS), and permanent damage to organs including the
liver, spleen, kidney and brain.
Sickle cell disease represents a critical unmet medical need globally,
as a rare disease in many parts of the world including in the United
States and as an endemic condition in certain African countries.
About IMR-687
IMR-687 has been designed to address the underlying pathology of sickle
cell disease. An orally administered, highly potent and selective
phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) inhibitor, IMR-687 has the potential to be a
disease-modifying therapeutic for sickle cell disease as well as other
hemoglobinopathies. Pre-clinical data demonstrate IMR-687 reduces both
the sickling of red blood cells and blood vessel occlusion that cause
debilitating pain, organ damage, and early mortality in affected
patients. In a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers, IMR-687 was
demonstrated to be well-tolerated. IMR-687 is currently in a Phase 2a
clinical trial in patients with sickle cell disease. IMR-687 has been
granted U.S. Orphan Drug Designation, U.S. Rare Pediatric Designation
and Fast Track Designation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
About Imara
Imara Inc. is committed to transforming the lives of people with sickle
cell disease and other serious hemoglobinopathies, including beta
thalassemia, by developing oral small molecule therapeutics that are
designed to be easy to administer and use across the world. Imara is
currently advancing IMR-687, a highly selective, potent small molecule
inhibitor of PDE9 with a dual mechanism of action targeting both red and
white blood cells, in an ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial in patients
with sickle cell disease. In March 2019, Imara closed a $63M Series B
with leading life science investors New Enterprise Associates, OrbiMed
Advisors, Arix Bioscience plc, RA Capital, Rock Springs Capital, Pfizer
Venture Investments, Lundbeckfonden Ventures, Bay City Capital and
Alexandria Venture Investments. For more information, please visit www.imaratx.com.
Contacts
Imara Media Contact:
Krystle Gibbs
Ten Bridge
Communications
508-479-6358
krystle@tenbridgecommunications.com
Imara Company / Investor Contact:
Michael Gray
857-320-4636
mgray@imaratx.com