Anthera's A-001 Receives Orphan Drug Status for the Prevention of Acute Chest Syndrome in Patients With Sickle Ce...(cell disease acute chest syndrome. Acute...),Health

Date:12/18/2007

cell disease, acute chest syndrome. Acute chest syndrome is a form of acute lung injury and is the leading cause of death in sickle cell disease patients. It commonly follows admission to the hospital for other reasons, especially an episode of bone pain (a prominent feature of sickle cell disease). Recent academic clinical studies have demonstrated that serum secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) levels rise in advance of acute chest syndrome, and therefore help identify patients at-risk. This creates a unique opportunity for early intervention for a serious inflammatory lung disease with a potent inhibitor of sPLA2 such as A-001. Worldwide, nearly 200,000 suffer from some form of sickle cell disease. It accounts for an estimated 60,000 hospitalizations per year and significantly reduces life expectancy.

"Current treatment options are limited for even the common complications of sickle cell disease. As such, discovery of sPLA2 as a potential therapeutic target for patients at risk for acute chest syndrome has opened new prevention and treatment opportunities," says Clark Brown, M.D., Ph.D., IMPACTS investigator at Emory University, and a physician at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "The IMPACTS study represents a promising step forward in the care of patients with sickle cell disease."

Further information about this clinical trial, sickle cell disease, and acute chest syndrome can be found at http://www.IMPACTStrial.com

About Orphan Drug Designation

Orphan Drug designation grants special status to promising new therapies that treat conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States and entitles seven years of market exclusivity. Additionally, the sponsor of the product is offered incentives which include eligibility for research grants, certain tax benefits, protocol assistance and possible exemptions or reduc
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SOURCE Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Copyright©2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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