PHARMACY MARKET
TC BioPharm | November 23, 2022
TC Biopharm a clinical stage biotechnology company developing platform allogeneic gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer today announced the dosing of its first three patients within its Phase 2b clinical trial of OmnImmune®, an allogeneic unmodified cell therapy focused on treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
The initial 5 patients in the trial are deemed a "safety cohort", spaced two weeks apart with safety review by an oversight board to confirm no drug related toxicity issues, subsequent to 5 patients being dosed the study will advance to open enrollment. This safety cohort is in line with TCBP's step-wise clinical trial advancement, moving from donor matching in the Phase 1b to a universal donor model with no HLA matching of donor to patient.
"The launch of our Phase 2B trial is a key milestone in the development of our lead therapeutic, OmnImmune®, for patients with AML and for TC BioPharm's emerging pipeline of 'off-the-shelf' gamma-delta T cell therapies. This study design includes a 5 patient safety cohort prior to open enrollment, we expect to complete the safety cohort before the end of 2022. The next step in the study is a 19 patient interim review, which will allow TCBP to review dosing and increase dosing to a higher level should our team deem it necessary for efficacy, or we can elect to maintain our current dosing level of 7x10^7 or 700 million cells per dose. We look forward to moving ahead with our Phase 2b trial with a target for open enrollment in January 2023, as well as our efforts to expand our clinical efforts in the US in the first half of 2023."
Bryan Kobel, CEO of TC BioPharm
TC BioPharm's Phase 2B trial, dubbed ACHIEVE, will enroll adults diagnosed with AML who have either relapsed or are refractory to prior treatments as well as a cohort for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes conditions that can occur when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 37 patients.
About TC BioPharm PLC
TC BioPharm is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of gamma-delta T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer with human efficacy data in acute myeloid leukemia. Gamma-delta T cells are naturally occurring immune cells that embody properties of both the innate and adaptive immune systems and can intrinsically differentiate between healthy and diseased tissue. TC BioPharm uses an allogeneic approach in both unmodified and CAR modified gamma-delta T cells to effectively identify, target and eradicate both liquid and solid tumors in cancer.
TC BioPharm is the leader in developing gamma-delta T cell therapies, and the first company to conduct phase II/pivotal clinical studies in oncology. The Company is conducting two investigator-initiated clinical trials for its unmodified gamma-delta T cell product line - Phase 2b/3 pivotal trial for OmnImmune® in treatment of acute myeloid leukemia using the Company's proprietary allogenic CryoTC technology to provide frozen product to clinics worldwide. TC BioPharm also maintains a robust pipeline for future indications in solid tumors as well as a significant IP/patent portfolio in the use of CARs with gamma-delta T cells and owns our manufacturing facility to maintain cost and product quality controls.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
KSQ Therapeutics | January 30, 2023
KSQ Therapeutics, a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, recently announced that Ono Pharmaceutical (ONO) has acquired multiple research-stage DNA damage response (DDR) programs. The programs were identified using KSQ's CRISPRomics platform technology. All of the programs are new and have the potential to be first-in-class therapies.
ONO's Discovery & Research Executive Director/ Senior Executive Officer Toichi Takino commented, "ONO appreciates the ability of KSQ's CRISPRomics platform technology to discover novel therapeutic targets with high selectivity for cancer cells." He added, "Through this acquisition agreement, we expect that the programs acquired from KSQ will lead to the creation of innovative medicines that will help treat cancer patients."
(Source – Business Wire)
KSQ's Chief Executive Officer Qasim Rizvi commented, "This acquisition of multiple research-stage oncology programs by ONO is further validation of the power of our platform to identify novel oncology targets and develop potential first-in-class programs." He added, "This is an important transaction for KSQ, enabling us to focus on our other programs. We look forward to watching ONO's progress as they advance these programs toward clinical studies."
(Source – Business Wire)
As per the terms of the agreement, ONO will pay KSQ a double-digit million upfront payment, prospective near-term milestone payments with potential long-term value in the triple-digit millions, and net sales-based royalties.
About KSQ Therapeutics
Founded in 2015, KSQ Therapeutics is a clinical-stage firm using its CRISPRomics® discovery platform to systematically decode the genome and identify optimal gene targets for oncology and autoimmune disease. It utilizes the platform for innovative drug development across diverse therapeutic domains and is actively creating a proprietary pipeline of tumor- and immune-focused drug candidates. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, KSQ was formed by functional genomics thought leaders and CRISPR screening technology pioneers.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc | November 29, 2022
BT BeaMedical Technologies a private company developing a next-generation laser-based platform for epilepsy and cancer surgery, has notified Innovation Pharmaceuticals that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for its MANTA surgical laser family. The clearance is an important milestone for BeaMed in its development of an advanced laser technology with respect to shaping energy and matching it to patient specific anatomy, a novel concept that BeaMed is proving a reality. Innovation Pharmaceuticals made a strategic investment to acquire a minority stake in BeaMed in June 2022.
BeaMed is the inventor and developer of the StingRay Laser System a novel laser-based thermal ablation technology designed for treatment of previously inoperable cases of epilepsy and for improvement of outcomes and enablement of new treatment options for oncology procedures, including those treating brain, prostate, liver, breast, and lung cancers. The StingRay Laser System will utilize the MANTA laser family as its core energy generation devices coupled to new fiber optic technology, allowing a perfect match between the exact structure of tumors and epileptic focal points and the energy delivery, while protecting vital functional areas against thermal damage.
The MANTA surgical laser family was cleared by the FDA including five different wavelengths and soft tissue use in a very wide set of clinical specialties, including Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery, Urology, Thoracic Surgery, Pulmonary Surgery, Gynecology, General Surgery, ENT/Head and Neck, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedics, Arthroscopy, Ophthalmology, Radiology, and Oral Surgery.
BeaMed expects to soon make requisite submissions to the FDA for clearance of its fiber optics for use in multiple medical indications.
“We are excited with the speed of progress BeaMed is making towards introduction of its new platform product with the potential to help millions of patients globally suffering from epilepsy and cancer in multiple specialties. The execution of this submission and the speed of clearance speaks volumes to the commercialization strategy and the exceptional capabilities of the regulatory team at BeaMed,”
Leo Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer at Innovation Pharmaceuticals
“This is an exciting and important milestone for our company. This clearance gives us two key achievements. First, U.S. market access to a wide range of potential laser energy sources, each allowing us different and unique tissue interaction, an achievement which will have wide clinical implications. The second is a very wide set of intended uses covering many key potential markets for our technology. This underscores the clear regulatory strategy of BeaMed, which goes hand in hand with our broad impact business vision of revolutionizing key treatments, including brain tumors, epilepsy, lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and more,” said Gil Shapira, co-founder of BeaMed.
BeaMed was founded by Moshe Eshkol and Gil Shapira, both highly experienced specialists in surgical lasers and medical devices. BeaMed and the development of the StingRay system are also supported by a special prestigious grant from the BIRD Foundation a bi-national organization supporting Israel-US collaboration. Gil Shapira brings forward 26+ years of engineering and product development and management experience, with over 17 years in the surgical laser industry. Gil owns and manages neoLaser, a company he founded in 2012, and led to revenue growth and profitability, with a 43% CAGR on its way to more than 1200 global installations and performing 50,000+ surgeries annually in over 30 countries. Previously, Gil led product development and marketing at OmniGuide, a successful high-growth laser-based medical device spin-off out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About Innovation Pharmaceuticals
Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of innovative therapies addressing multiple areas of unmet medical need, including inflammatory diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases. The Company is also active in evaluating other potential investment opportunities that can add value and diversify its portfolio.
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