New York, NY, April 18, 2024 – Pathway to Cures (P2C) announced today its collaborative partnership with Afimmune to support the development of Epeleuton as a potential therapeutic for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
Pathway to Cures is the venture philanthropy fund of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) focused on investing in companies developing cures, therapies, or enabling technologies in support of the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community. In addition to SCD, inheritable blood and bleeding disorders include rare and ultra-rare blood disorders, hemophilia A and B, von Willebrand disease, anemia, clotting disorders, and other hematological disorders, affecting more than 20 million people worldwide. Afimmune Limited is a clinical stage, private biotech, developing novel therapeutics for Sickle Cell Disease as well as other rare blood disorders.
“Being able to support Afimmune in its clinical-stage research is a step in the right direction in addressing health equities, diversity, and inclusion in clinical research for inheritable blood and bleeding disorders,” said Teri Willey, Managing Director, and Officer for Pathway to Cures. “Afimmune’s unique scientific approach combined with NBDF’s focus on understanding the challenges specific to the community of patients living with an inheritable blood disorder is critical in addressing the health disparities through innovative treatments.”
“Afimmune welcomes the partnership with Pathway to Cures, an organization we are fully aligned with in our shared goal to support the development of new potential therapies for patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease. We look forward to the results of our North American Phase 2 study in Sickle Cell Disease patients, expected early next year” said Dr. John Climax, Chairman and CEO of Afimmune.
About Epeleuton
Epeleuton is a 15-hydroxy eicosapentaenoic acid (15(S)-HEPE) ethyl ester, a novel synthetic fatty acid drug product. Epeleuton has been shown to have a unique dual mechanism of action for the treatment of SCD, targeting factors affecting severity, course of disease, and vaso-occlusive crisis risk. Afimmune is developing Epeleuton for SCD due to its novel disease-modifying preclinical efficacy, first-in-class opportunity, and a significantly reduced regulatory pathway. Epeleuton has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of SCD from the FDA.
A phase 2 study of Epeleuton is currently being enrolled in sites across North America. For more information, please visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05861453.
About Sickle Cell Disease
SCD is a group of inherited, progressive blood disorders carried by the β allele of the hemoglobin gene with an expected 30-year reduced life expectancy. The disease is characterized by abnormal polymerization of hemoglobin during oxygenation which results in the sickling of red blood cells. The disease is rare, with an estimated prevalence of only ~100,000 people affected in the U.S.
About Afimmune
Afimmune, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a clinical stage drug discovery and development company working on new medicines to improve the quality of life for people with rare and inflammatory diseases. For more information on Afimmune, visit www.afimmune.com.
About Pathway to Cures
Pathway to Cures (P2C) is the venture philanthropy fund of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation created to accelerate the development of cures across all inheritable blood and bleeding disorders. In collaboration with other organizations, P2C invests in innovative therapies and technologies, leveraging the deep resources and scientific community relationships of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. By reinvesting proceeds from investments back into the Fund, P2C will amplify the investment impact, support promising companies, and build a portfolio of investments that further the mission of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. For more information, visit www.pathwaytocures.org or contact Renee Peck at rpeck@pathwaytocures.org.
About National Bleeding Disorders Foundation
The National Bleeding Disorders Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for inheritable blood and bleeding disorders and to preventing complications through research, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit hemophilia.org.