Prolong Pharmaceuticals to Present at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Prolong Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing products to treat several diseases and their debilitating comorbidities associated with reduced quality of life, increased medical cost, and significant mortality, announced today that Glenn Kazo, its president and chief operating officer, will present an overview of the company at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Ronald Jubin, Ph.D., vice president of research & development, is also in attendance to provide an update on Prolong's recent clinical and non-clinical research developments.

Prolong recently announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase II study to evaluate SANGUINATE(®) in the treatment of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). SANGUINATE(®) is a first-in-class oxygen-delivery agent that is in development to treat localized and systemic hypoxia. Vaso-occlusive crisis is a complication of sickle cell disease that results in severe, debilitating pain that impacts the quality of life for patients.

About VOC

Sickle cell disease is a group of chronic genetic disorders that affects an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 Americans.(1) Vaso-occlusive crisis, the most common complication of SCD, is an extremely painful, potentially deadly condition. It is caused by abnormal hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to tissues and organs in the body and carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs.(2,3) Cells affected by VOC become sickle- or crescent-shaped, a deformity that prevents them from flowing freely through blood vessels, which severely limits blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues, thereby causing excruciating pain and other symptoms that may lead to death.(4 )VOC results in approximately 197,000 emergency department visits each year in the U.S. and costs an estimated $356 million annually for pain management alone.(5 )

About SANGUINATE(®)

SANGUINATE(®) is an investigational drug that has been designed to act as an oxygen-transfer agent to deliver oxygen to hypoxic, or oxygen-deprived, cells. Prolong is developing SANGUINATE(®) for the treatment of VOC in patients with SCD, and has received an Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA for treatment of SCD. Many of the comorbidities of SCD are caused by a spiraling cycle of sickling, hemolysis, and blood vessel inflammation. These comorbidities include VOC, acute chest syndromes, and both pediatric and adult stroke.

About Prolong Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in South Plainfield, New Jersey, Prolong Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to treat several diseases and their debilitating comorbidities associated with reduced quality of life, increased medical cost, and significant mortality. Prolong's senior management team includes inventors of the most successful drug-delivery technology in pharmaceutical history, PEGylation, which is now responsible for the development of a dozen drugs improving the quality of life for sufferers of hepatitis, kidney disease, and a number of other life-threatening diseases.

References

(1)Genetics Home Reference. Sickle cell disease. 2016. https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/sickle-cell-disease#diagnosis.
(2)National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Evidence-based management of sickle cell disease. Expert panel report. 2014. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/guidelines/sickle-cell-disease-guidelines.
(3)National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.( )NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms. 2017. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=45108.
(4)National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is sickle cell disease? 2016. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca.
(5)Wilson BH, Nelson J. Sickle cell disease pain management in adolescents: a literature review. Pain Manag Nurs. 2015;16(2):146-151.

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SOURCE Prolong Pharmaceuticals, LLC