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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Imara Closes $63M Series B funding round for blood disorder development

By Alaric Dearment

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Imara said Monday that it had raised the $63 million Series B funding round, led by new investors OrbiMed and Arix Bioscience. Other participants in the round included RA Capital, Rock Springs Capital and existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Pfizer Venture Investments, Lundbeckfonden Ventures, Bay City Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments.
Imara said it planned to use the money to fund development of its lead product candidate, IMR-687, which is currently in a Phase IIa trial in sickle cell disease, and move it into later-stage clinical trials. It also plans to fund the drug’s development as a potential treatment for beta-thalassemia, another blood disorder, and expand its pipeline.
“This is a transformative financing for Imara – one that will allow us to greatly expand our sickle cell disease clinical development, widen our reach into thalassemia and build an exciting pipeline,” CEO Rahul Ballal said in a statement. “We are pleased to be working with leading investors who share our vision for creating a company that helps change the lives of patients living with SCD and other hemoglobinopathies.”

IMR-687 is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-9, working on the same pathway as hydroxyurea, a generic chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat blood disorders and blood cancers. The difference, according to the company, is that it doesn’t have the safety issues that come with hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea’s label carries a boxed warning for severely reduced blood counts and carcinogenicity.
The company announced preclinical and Phase I data in September 2017 showing that IMR-687’s mechanism of action could be effective against the red and white blood cell pathologies associated with SCD and that it could be safely dosed in humans at levels shown as effective in preclinical models.

IMR-687 is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-9, working on the same pathway as hydroxyurea, a generic chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat blood disorders and blood cancers. The difference, according to the company, is that it doesn’t have the safety issues that come with hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea’s label carries a boxed warning for severely reduced blood counts and carcinogenicity.
The company announced preclinical and Phase I data in September 2017 showing that IMR-687’s mechanism of action could be effective against the red and white blood cell pathologies associated with SCD and that it could be safely dosed in humans at levels shown as effective in preclinical models.

Source. Medcitynews, Alaric Dearment, March 18, 2019

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