Bristol-Myers Squibb Completes Amira Acquisition

Bristol-Myers Squibb said Thursday that it has completed its acquisition of privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

The deal was originally announced on July 21, and has met all customary regulatory approval obligations. As a result of the acquisition, Amira has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

The acquisition of Amira Pharmaceuticals' fibrosis program, including the lead asset AM152, an orally available lysophosphatidic acid 1 receptor antagonist which has completed Phase I clinical studies and is now poised for Phase Iia proof-of-confidence studies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and systemic Sclerosis, or scleroderma, marks Bristol-Myers Squibb's entrance into fibrotic diseases. Bristol-Myers Squibb also has obtained Amira's preclinical autotaxin program, which may be useful in the treatment of neuropathic pain and cancer metastases.