Torrance CA, July 23, 2020 - Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: EMMA), a leader in sickle cell disease treatment, announced today the opening of its regional office in Dubai. The Dubai office will be utilized to enhance Emmaus’ relationships with clinicians and patient groups at major hospitals and other government sponsored health care facilities in communities throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. These partnerships are intended to accelerate Emmaus’ path to registration and commercialization of Endari® and to ensure that the estimated 100,000 potentially treatable sickle cell disease patients in the MENA region have access to the product information and real time assistance needed to effectively treat their disease.
The opening of its Dubai office is an important step in Emmaus’ overall strategy for the MENA region which will include the following:
- Initially target the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the commercialization of Endari® and partner with local distributors.
- Leverage the regulatory resources of the local distributors to facilitate product registration and marketing authorization and to manage the delivery of Endari® to customers as well as payment processing.
- As product registration and marketing authorization are obtained, deploy local medical science liaisons (MSLs) and account managers to call on local hospitals and clinics.
- Beginning in 2021, expand within the rest of the MENA region.
Dr. Yutaka Niihara, M.D., M.P.H., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus, commented “We are very pleased to announce the opening of our Dubai office as it represents further progress in providing increased access to Endari® to the large and underserved sickle cell disease patient population in the MENA region.”
George Sekulich, Senior Vice President of Global Commercialization of Emmaus, added “This is the next step in our long-term plan to ensure that we maximize patient access to Endari® in this important region. We expect that our Dubai location will become the main point of contact for clinicians and hospitals across the MENA region in the treatment of sickle cell disease patients.”
About Emmaus Life Sciences
Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, marketing and sale of innovative treatments and therapies, including those in the rare and orphan disease categories. For more information, please visit www.emmausmedical.com.
About Endari® (prescription grade L-glutamine oral powder)
Indication (U.S.) - Endari® is indicated to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in adult and pediatric patients five years of age and older.
Important Safety Information
The most common adverse reactions (incidence >10 percent) in clinical studies were constipation, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, cough, pain in extremities, back pain, and chest pain.
Adverse reactions leading to treatment discontinuation included one case each of hypersplenism, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, burning sensation, and hot flash.
The safety and efficacy of Endari® in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease younger than five years of age has not been established.
For more information, please see full Prescribing Information of Endari® at: www.ENDARIrx.com/PI.
About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder characterized by the production of an altered form of hemoglobin which polymerizes and becomes fibrous, causing red blood cells to become rigid and change form so that they appear sickle shaped instead of soft and rounded. Patients with sickle cell disease suffer from debilitating episodes of sickle cell crises, which occur when the rigid, adhesive and inflexible red blood cells occlude blood vessels. Sickle cell crises cause excruciating pain as a result of insufficient oxygen being delivered to tissue, referred to as tissue ischemia, and inflammation. These events may lead to organ damage, stroke, pulmonary complications, skin ulceration, infection and a variety of other adverse outcomes. Sickle cell disease is a significant unmet medical need, affecting approximately one hundred thousand patients in the U.S. and millions worldwide, the majority of which are of African descent. An estimated 1-in-365 African American children are born with sickle cell disease.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding the plans to commercialize Endari® in the MENA region. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which change over time, including the risk that Emmaus will not achieve significant sales of Endari® in the MENA region and uncertainties related to Emmaus’ working capital and ability to carry on its existing operations and obtain needed financing and other factors previously disclosed in the company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and actual results may differ materially. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Emmaus assumes no duty to update them, except as may be required by law.
Company Contact: Investor Relations Contact:
Emmaus Life Sciences, Inc. LifeSci Advisors
Joseph (Jay) C. Sherwood III Bruce Mackle
Chief Financial Officer (929) 469-3859
(310) 214-0065, Ext. 3005 bmackle@lifesciadvisors.com
jsherwood@emmauslifesciences.com