Amira Pharmaceuticals to Present Preclinical Data from LPA1 Receptor Antagonist Program at FASEB Summer Research ...( SAN DIEGO June 15 /- Amira Pharmace...),Health

SAN DIEGO, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it will present preclinical data from its LPA1 receptor antagonist program on June 30, 2009 at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference in Carefree, Arizona.

The LPA1 receptor is part of the Phosphatidic Acid/Lysophosphatidylcholine pathway, which among other things is associated with cell to cell communication. In recent studies, it has been shown to potentially play a role in fibrotic disease, specifically Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

"Our data not only confirms that this pathway may play a role in fibrotic diseases such as IPF, but that we are well on our way to developing an orally available antagonist which could be studied in a human clinical setting," said Peppi Prasit, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. "While a great deal of work remains on this program, we are particularly excited since we believe this could be a novel, first-in-class therapy."

Bob Baltera, Chief Executive Officer, added, "Our LPA1 program is particularly important for Amira. IPF is a specialty focused disease setting and presents the opportunity for Amira to develop a therapeutic through commercialization without the assistance of a strategic partner. Most importantly, IPF is a grievous disease with minimally effective therapeutic options for patients today."

About Amira

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Diego, Amira Pharmaceuticals is a small molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory disease. Our discovery team is building on unparalleled insights into bioactive lipid pathways and complex signaling processes controlling many conditions including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular and fibrotic diseases.

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