Amira Pharmaceuticals Named One of Most Promising Biotech Companies by FierceBiotech's Annual Fierce 15

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today was named one of the most promising biotech companies by FierceBiotech through its annual list, the Fierce 15.

Every year FierceBiotech evaluates hundreds of private companies for its annual list, which is based on a variety of factors such as the strength of its technology, partnerships and a competitive market position.  A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies is available online at www.fiercebiotech.com.

"The management at Amira knows how to ration its venture cash," says John Carroll, editor of FierceBiotech. "Working with a mere $28 million from four funds since it was founded five years ago, the developer struck a partnership in 2008 with GlaxoSmithKline that has helped fuel its in-house work. Amira's $425 million deal with Glaxo was a hand-off, giving GSK researchers the ball to run with. And the pharma giant has done just that, pushing the FLAP inhibitor into Phase II and reporting a pair of its latest milestone successes in July. Amira's next deal will likely be structured much like the Glaxo pact, says CEO Bob Baltera, a savvy Amgen vet, as the program is aimed at a big commercial market."

Added Bob Baltera, CEO of Amira, "We are honored to be part of the Fierce 15 this year. The team at Amira has worked diligently from the beginning to move multiple programs through early development. We now look forward to having our next program, an LPA1 antagonist, begin clinic investigation this year as a potential anti-fibrotic therapy.  We will continue our discovery and development activities in the LPA pathway for additional potential treatments of various diseases, such as scleroderma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and various cancers."

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.

Amira has a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline for the development of FLAP (5-lipoxygenase activating protein) inhibitors in respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Amira combines the rigor of a big pharmaceutical company with the ingenuity and energy of a small company, creating an environment for efficient development of novel compounds and effective pre-clinical and clinical program decisions. Its scientific founders have successfully worked together for more than a decade and were pivotal in the discovery of a number of inflammatory drugs, including Singulair®. The drug hunters at Amira are now actively leveraging their history of success to create high-value compounds for the future.  For more information, visit www.amirapharm.com.

About FierceBiotech

FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor - a free email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles, and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval and regulation, biotech company deals and more. More than 75,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Sign up is free at http://www.fiercebiotech.com.

SOURCE Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.