Business
Imara Announces First Patient Dosed in Ardent Phase 2b Clinical Trial of IMR-687 in Sickle Cell Disease
Highly selective, potent, small molecule inhibitor of PDE9 that is an oral, once-a-day, potentially disease-modifying treatment for sickle cell disease
About this update from Enliven Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Highly selective, potent, small molecule inhibitor of PDE9 that is an oral, once-a-day, potentially disease-modifying treatment for sickle cell disease\nBOSTON, Aug. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imara Inc. (Nasdaq: IMRA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat patients suffering from rare inherited genetic disorders of hemoglobin, today announced dosing of the first patient in the company’s Ardent Phase 2b clinical trial of IMR-687 for adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). \n “There remains an unmet need for differentiated oral treatment options for patients with sickle cell disease,” said Jo Howard, M.D., Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Professor in Haemoglobinopathies at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom, and the national coordinating principal investigator for the Ardent trial. “IMR-687 has demonstrated the potential to directly and selectively inhibit PDE9 and may offer distinct advantages over other therapies, including fetal hemoglobin induction, a multimodal mechanism and a once daily oral dosing regimen. I look forward to leading Guy’s and St Thomas’ participation in this important clinical trial.” “Dosing of the first patient in the Ardent clinical trial represents a critical step forward as we advance IMR-687 into Phase 2b testing, a clinical trial that will test higher doses and longer durations of IMR-687,” said Rahul Ballal, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Imara. “Specifically, the 300 mg and potentially 400 mg dose levels to be administered in the Ardent trial are designed to provide meaningful exposure to IMR-687 that could be up to two-fold higher than administered in our ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial. We believe that this increased exposure could have a meaningful impact on the therapeutic effect of IMR-687 on patients enrolled in this trial.” Dr. Ballal continued, “I’d like to thank the sickle cell disease community, our clinical trial partners and investigators and the Imara team for their important efforts to support the initiation of this trial amidst the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting pressures on healthcare systems and access to care.” Imara previously announced data from the second planned interim analysis of its ongoing Phase 2a clinica...