Anthera Completes Enrollment and Dosing of Varespladib Cardiovasc...( HAYWARD Calif. Jan. 12 /- Anthera...)

HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing anti-inflammatory drugs, announced today that it has completed enrollment in its 500 patient FRANCIS (Fewer Recurrent Acute coronary events with Near-term Cardiovascular Inflammation Suppression) clinical trial designed to examine the impact of varespladib (A-002) when administered to patients within 96 hours of an Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) event.

"We are pleased with the continued progress of our varespladib cardiovascular program targeting secretory phospholipase A2," said Paul Truex, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "The multiple therapeutic impact of varespladib's mechanism of action provides us with a unique opportunity to develop a first-in-class product targeting a life-threatening coronary event for which there are limited therapeutic options."

"With the varespladib trial fully enrolled, we look forward to reporting the biomarker results and event trends later this year," said Colin Hislop, M.D., Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Based upon the positive results from varespladib's two previous Phase II clinical trials that demonstrated lipid-lowering and anti- inflammatory benefits, we look forward to examining the impact of varespladib on the hyper-inflammatory state presented by ACS patients."

Anthera's FRANCIS trial is based upon direct feedback from FDA via the Special Protocol Assessment procedure. The trial is designed to assess the impact of oral varespladib on known biological markers of cardiovascular risk. Anthera plans to enroll between 500-700 patients that will be treated for up to six months. The study is being conducted at sites across North America and Europe. The FRANCIS trial is expected to provide further insight into the prevention of secondary Major
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