As most patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) do not have access to curative therapies, the availability of drug therapies that can modify disease severity remains highly desirable. Despite an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of SCD, only four drugs are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Most drug trials in SCD have involved the use of acute pain episodes as the primary clinical endpoint. These studies have typically been to prevent or to shorten the duration …