VIFOR-PHARMA
10.12.2021 17:47:07 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Vifor Pharma today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a double-blind, randomized phase-IIa clinical trial evaluating the safety, efficacy and tolerability of vamifeport in adult patients with sickle cell disease. Vamifeport, developed by Vifor Pharma, is a novel oral ferroportin inhibitor investigated for treatment of diseases characterized by ineffective production of red blood cells and iron overload, including SCD and beta-thalassemia. It has been granted orphan drug designation from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of SCD.
Dr. Klaus Henning Jensen, Chief Medical Officer of Vifor Pharma Group commented, “Starting the phase-IIa trial is an important milestone in the clinical development of vamifeport for sickle cell disease, a debilitating orphan condition for which there are very limited treatment options. Patients worldwide continue to suffer from consequences of the disease which dramatically impacts their quality of life and life expectancy. We look forward to continuing development of our potential new treatment for these patients”.
SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders and is a genetic condition present at birth. In this disease, red blood cells carry abnormal haemoglobin, which makes them prone to rupture, causing adhesion of sickle cells and inflammatory cells to the blood vessels. This ultimately leads to an obstruction of blood flow and organ damage. There are an estimated 150,000 patients in Europe and the US combined living with sickle cell disease.
About the SCD-202 trial
The phase-IIa study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial aiming to recruit 25 patients at 14 clinical sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and Greece. The primary objective of the trial is to assess the change in markers of hemolysis (the rupturing of red blood cells) upon treatment with vamifeport. Patients will undergo initial treatment for 4 weeks, followed by an additional 4-week period with either maintenance of the dose level or a dose step-up. The study also includes a 4-week follow-up period after treatment. End of enrolment is expected mid-2022 with topline results anticipated at the end of 2022.
Further information about the study, including eligibility requirements, is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NTC04817670).
About Vifor Pharma Group
Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency, nephrology and cardio-renal therapies. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe and chronic diseases lead better, healthier lives. The company develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and consists of the following companies: Vifor Pharma and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland, and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348).
For more information, please visit viforpharma.com .
About vamifeport
Vamifeport is an oral inhibitor of ferroportin, an enzyme essential for the body’s transport of iron and plays a key role in regulating iron uptake and distribution in the body. Vamifeport binds to ferroportin and blocks it to prevent excessive iron release into the blood. As iron is needed for the formation of haemoglobin, this relative decrease in iron availability is expected to reduce the concentration of abnormal haemoglobin in red blood cells and prevent ensuing unfavorable events. Vamifeport-mediated ferroportin inhibition may lead to less haemolysis, decrease of inflammation and better blood flow with consequent improvement of both the symptoms and clinical outcomes of SCD.
Vamifeport is currently also in phase II development for beta-thalassemia, an inherited rare blood disorder that reduces the production of functional haemoglobin in red blood cells, which can lead to a lack of oxygen in many parts of the body and potentially cause anaemia.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211210005374/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
From Cutting-Edge Research to Industry: Focused Energy Plans Spin-Off of Sourcelight10.6.2026 11:38:00 CEST | Press release
Following its successful USD 240 million financing round, Focused Energy is continuing to systematically advance the industrialization of laser fusion as its core business. At the same time, the company plans to consolidate its activities in the field of laser-driven radiation sources into an independent entity under the name Sourcelight. With this move, Focused Energy is laying the groundwork for the industrial transfer of selected technological building blocks emerging from its laser fusion development. The spin-off demonstrates how cutting-edge research can give rise to new industry: scientific excellence is translated into industrial applications with strong value creation and growth potential. Sourcelight is intended to bring the LDRS (Laser-Driven Radiation Sources) technology developed by Focused Energy into targeted industrial applications. The technology combines laser-driven high-energy X-rays and neutrons in a single system. This enables not only high-resolution imaging, but
Cosylab and Heron Neutron Medical Corp. Sign Letter of Intent to Advance Global Deployment of Accelerator-Based BNCT Systems10.6.2026 11:30:00 CEST | Press release
Cosylab and Heron Neutron Medical Corp. announced today, 10 June 2026, the signing of a Letter of Intent to establish a strategic framework for joint market development to support the global deployment of Accelerator-Based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (AB-BNCT) systems. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and integration of sophisticated software solutions for use with AB-BNCT while strengthening AB-BNCT's international market access and business development. By combining Cosylab's proven expertise in mission-critical software and complex system integration with Heron's end-to-end BNCT platforms, the partnership aims to drive broader global clinical adoption of this highly targeted cancer treatment modality. "AB-BNCT is emerging as one of the most promising approaches for treating difficult-to-treat and recurrent cancers," said Mark Pleško, Chief Executive Officer of Cosylab. "This collaboration reinforces our strategic focus on advancing radiation therapy technologie
GlobalFoundries and Qualinx Demonstrate First European Sovereign Manufacturing Flow for Security‑Critical Semiconductors10.6.2026 11:25:00 CEST | Press release
First end-to-end European chip manufacturing flow proven for aerospace, defence, IoT, consumer electronics and critical infrastructure GlobalFoundries (GF) and Qualinx today announced the successful completion of the first fully European-based, end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing flow at GlobalFoundries’ Dresden fab on its FDX technology. The milestone demonstrates that security-critical chips for aerospace, defence and critical infrastructure can be designed, manufactured and delivered entirely within Europe. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260610196220/en/ In this partnership, Qualinx served as the launch customer with a sophisticated GNSS SoC design for secure Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) applications. The QLX3xx design targets sovereign GNSS-based PNT solutions for aerospace, defence and critical infrastructures—such as resilient timing and synchronization networks and highly integrated, ult
LTM Introduces BlueVerse™ Currency to Enable Outcome-Based Pricing in the Agentic AI Era10.6.2026 10:30:00 CEST | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, today introduced BlueVerse™ Currency, an AI-linked commercial model that prices enterprise work by outcomes rather than effort consumed as enterprises scale agentic AI across core processes. BlueVerse Currency brings together the full BlueVerse stack—People (expertise on demand), Accelerators (reusable assets that speed delivery), Agents (autonomous AI workforce), Platforms (orchestration layer to scale delivery), and Tokens (compute and model usage)—into a single commercial construct. It introduces outcome-linked pricing tied to measurable business results, enabling shared productivity gains so clients can capture AI-driven efficiency value. The model also supports fungible resourcing, enabling reallocation mid-contract to evolving priorities, and faster reinvestment, with savings redirected into innovation. It is underpinned by a hybrid structure with fixed and variable pricing components, supported by use-case–
Smead Capital Management Extends International Value Strategy to Global Investors Through New Fund10.6.2026 09:00:00 CEST | Press release
Firm expands access to long-standing U.S.-based international strategy, bringing disciplined, value-driven investing to a broader global audience through the Smead Global ex-US Value UCITS Fund Smead Capital Management, a Phoenix-based investment management firm and a leader in value investing, today announced the launch of the Smead Global ex-US Value UCITS Fund designed to provide global investors with access to a product modeled after the firm’s long-standing Smead International Value Strategy. The Smead Global ex-US Value UCITS Fund is domiciled in Luxembourg. Investors can access the fund through Smead Capital Management’s website and it is available to professional and qualified investors through the fund’s transfer agent. The strategy that the Smead Global ex-US Value UCITS Fund is modeled after, the Smead International Value Strategy, has been a core contributor to Smead Capital Management’s outstanding performance for over a decade. Like all Smead products, the Global ex-US Va
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom