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.
