GBT and Sickle Cell Disease Association of America to Host 9th Annual Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Therapeutics Conference

Keynote Address by U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D.

Discussion to Focus on SCD Treatment Progress and Management During COVID-19 Pandemic

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and BALTIMORE, Sept. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT) (NASDAQ: GBT) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) will host the 9^th Annual Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Therapeutics Conference on Tuesday, September 15. The virtual conference, which takes place during National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the SCD Therapeutics Conference website and the Facebook page of Sickle Cell Warriors, an SCD community organization.

Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will deliver the keynote address. The event will feature discussions about the latest advances and future trends in the treatment of SCD, and the impact of COVID-19 on this vulnerable patient population.

“As a community, we have made tremendous progress in advancing the treatment of SCD in recent years. However, people with SCD continue to be misunderstood, mistreated, and fail to receive the care they deserve. We have a responsibility to improve health outcomes for the SCD community,” said Ted W. Love, M.D., president and CEO of GBT. “The SCD Therapeutics Conference, which we are honored to co-host with SCDAA, will bring together members of the SCD community to discuss the future of SCD care and ways we can make a lasting impact on how individuals with SCD are seen and treated.”

The program will include panel discussions featuring leading physicians from around the world, patients, advocates, and policy makers, as well as updates from GBT’s 2020 Access to Excellent Care for Sickle Cell Patients (ACCEL) Grant recipients, who are focused on delivering high-quality healthcare to people living with SCD.

“We are privileged to unite industry leaders from around the world to highlight important and timely topics such as the impact of COVID-19 and how patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers can best manage care in light of the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic,” said Beverley Francis-Gibson, president and CEO of the SCDAA. “The conference will provide a critical platform for the SCD community to learn, share, and discuss SCD-related topics, issues, and solutions.”

The 9^th Annual SCD Therapeutics Conference will feature the following speakers and panelists:

Biree Andemariam, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, SCDAA
Nnenna Badamosi, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Augusta University Sickle Cell Program
Kevin Baxter, Sickle Cell Patient Advocate
Mary Bentley LaMar, Founder and Executive Director, The Sickle Cell Association of New Jersey
Raffaella Colombatti, M.D., Ph.D., Physician Azienda, Ospedaliera-Università di Padova
Lori Crosby, Psy.D., Professor, University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Beverley Francis-Gibson, M.A., President and CEO, SCDAA
Admiral Brett P. Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Kristina Harrell, M.D., M.S., Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Levine Children’s Blood Disorders Clinic, Atrium Health
Dima Hendricks, Sickle Cell Patient Advocate
Dennis McCullum, Sickle Cell Patient
Shirley Miller, M.A., Sickle Cell National Patient Advocate
Kay Saving, M.D., Professor and Division Head, OSF HealthCare, Children’s Hospital of Illinois
Aimee Smith, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, East Carolina University Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program

Additionally, multiple companies that are developing treatments for patients with SCD will present at the conference. They include Agios Pharmaceuticals, Bluebird Bio, Cyclerion Therapeutics, GBT, Imara, Inc., and Vertex Pharmaceuticals/CRISPR Therapeutics.

For more information about the conference or to register to attend, visit http://www.scdconference.com. Follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SCDTC. After the event, GBT will post videos on its corporate YouTube channel.

About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States and millions of people throughout the world, particularly among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa.¹ It also affects people of Hispanic, South Asian, Southern European, and Middle Eastern ancestry.¹ SCD is a lifelong inherited blood disorder that impacts hemoglobin, a protein carried by red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues and organs throughout the body.² Due to a genetic mutation, people with SCD form abnormal hemoglobin known as sickle hemoglobin. Through a process called hemoglobin polymerization, red blood cells become sickled – deoxygenated, crescent-shaped, and rigid.^2-4 The sickling process causes hemolytic anemia (low hemoglobin due to red blood cell destruction) and blockages in capillaries and small blood vessels, which impede the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body. The diminished oxygen delivery to tissues and organs can lead to life-threatening complications, including stroke and irreversible organ damage.^4-6

About Global Blood Therapeutics
Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and delivery of life-changing treatments that provide hope to underserved patient communities. Founded in 2011, GBT is delivering on its goal to transform the treatment and care of sickle cell disease (SCD), a lifelong, devastating inherited blood disorder. The company has introduced Oxbryta^® (voxelotor), the first FDA-approved treatment that directly inhibits sickle hemoglobin polymerization, the root cause of red blood cell sickling in SCD. GBT is also advancing its pipeline program in SCD with inclacumab, a p-selectin inhibitor in development to address pain crises associated with the disease. In addition, GBT’s drug discovery teams are working on new targets to develop the next generation of treatments for SCD. To learn more, please visit www.gbt.com and follow the company on Twitter @GBT_news.

About SCDAA
SCDAA’s mission is: To advocate for people affected by sickle cell conditions and empower community-based organizations to maximize quality of life and raise public consciousness while advancing the search for a universal cure. Visit www.sicklecelldisease.org.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/data.html. Accessed June 3, 2019.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Sickle Cell Disease. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sickle-cell-disease. Accessed August 5, 2019.
Rees DC, et al. Lancet. 2010;376(9757):2018-2031.
Kato GJ, et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2018;4:18010.
Kato GJ, et al. J Clin Invest. 2017;127(3):750-760.
Caboot JB, et al. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2014;15(1):17-23.