AnaMar Announces Strategic Realignment and 2015 Corporate Priorities

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- AnaMar AB, a Swedish biopharmaceutical company building a selective peripheral serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) receptor platform targeting debilitating, life-threatening diseases, today announced it will focus pipeline development on severe inflammation and fibrotic conditions associated with high levels of clinical morbidity and mortality, including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Professor Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and world leading scientist in the field of fibrosis at Lund University in Sweden, commented, "Serotonin is known to play an important role in the pathophysiology of lung fibrosis by way of its proliferative and profibrotic properties, mediated predominantly via the 5-HT_2A and 5-HT_2B receptor subtypes. We have been encouraged by results of bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis modeling in mice demonstrating the prevention of onset and amelioration of established fibrosis via 5-HT_2B receptor inhibition. 5-HT_2B receptor knockout mice also demonstrate significant protection from bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis.  We are therefore excited to be collaborating with AnaMar to further confirm and characterize the potential of its pipeline of proprietary 5-HT_2B receptor antagonists for the treatment of IPF and other lethal fibrotic diseases."

Owe Garlin, AnaMar's CEO commented,"Today's announcement of AnaMar's strategic realignment follows confirmation of a correlation between serum concentration and clinical response from subgroup analyses of our recently completed Phase 2a study evaluating AnaMar's 5-HT_2B receptor antagonist, AMAP102, for treatment of mild to moderate osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Our analyses also indicated that patients taking AMAP102 required less rescue medicine as compared to placebo patients. The clinical response appears to be more pronounced in hand OA patients, possibly reflecting a more inflammatory disease phenotype. AMAP102 was generally well tolerated and reported side effects were considered to be non-serious and reversible.  Overall, we believe our Phase 2a AMAP102 OA study results support the potential of AnaMar's peripheral 5-HT receptor targeting platform and we intend to focus future pipeline development on severe inflammatory indications and life-threatening fibrosis." 

Mr. Garlin continued, "We are also evaluating AM1030-CREAM, containing a novel 5-HT_2B receptor antagonist specifically selected for its anti-inflammatory properties and cytokine reduction profile. Clinical dosing in our Phase 1/2a placebo-controlled, topical SAD/MAD, safety, tolerability and PK/PD study was commenced in November 2014, and will explore AM1030's suppression of inflammation and itching in atopic dermatitis patients."

AnaMar is actively seeking and currently evaluating potential partnerships to help leverage and maximize its proprietary peripheral 5-HT receptor platform and accelerate development and commercialization of its proprietary pipeline of therapeutic high-potential 5-HT_2B receptor antagonists.

About AnaMar's 5-HT Receptor Platform

AnaMar's unique therapeutic pipeline originates from an industry-leading proprietary research platform built over 15 years of sustained investment and in close collaboration with world renowned academic key opinion leaders and university research centers. This platform is focused on peripheral serotonin-related inflammatory diseases and life-threatening fibrotic conditions. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) is a signaling molecule best known for its role as a CNS neurotransmitter. However, most 5-HT release is found in the periphery, where it is involved in cardiovascular function, wound healing, and intestinal peristalsis. In pathological situations, peripheral 5-HT release exacerbates inflammatory processes and contributes to edema and the sensation of pain (and pruritus in inflammatory skin conditions), as well as fibrosis due to the proliferation of fibroblasts associated with chronic inflammation and tissue damage.

SOURCE AnaMar AB

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