SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocept, Inc.
(NASDAQ: BIOC), a leading commercial provider of liquid biopsy
tests designed to provide physicians with clinically actionable
information to improve the outcomes of cancer patients, announces a
collaboration with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for the provision of
Biocept's Target Selector™ platform to screen patients diagnosed
with LEMS for early onset or recurrence of small cell lung cancer
(SCLC). Specifically, Biocept's liquid biopsy tests will be
offered by Catalyst Pharmaceuticals at no cost to all patients
enrolled in its ongoing Phase III clinical trial designed to
demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Firdapse®
(amifampridine phosphate) for the
treatment of LEMS. These patients will also have access to
Biocept's liquid biopsy testing in the long-term extension study
phase of the trial allowing for testing every six months for up to
two years to monitor for early signals of SCLC. Terms of the
agreement were not disclosed.
LEMS is a rare autoimmune disease with primary symptoms of
muscle weakness, fatigue, muscle aches and autonomic dysfunction,
such as impotence, dry mouth and constipation. LEMS is estimated to
affect approximately 3,000 individuals in the United States. About 50% of
patients have a paraneoplastic form of LEMS often associated with
SCLC and, in approximately 90% of patients with this form of LEMS,
a tumor was detected within two years following diagnosis. Therapy
for LEMS includes the use of symptomatic treatments, as well as
anti-tumor treatment with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or kinase
inhibitors if an underlying malignancy is determined.
"Catalyst's focus is on providing all LEMS patients with access
to an approved treatment while identifying other ways that we can
offer benefits," said Gary Ingenito,
MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals.
"We see Biocept's technology being of great benefit for patients
with LEMS and have decided to offer advanced liquid biopsy
screening to LEMS patients enrolled in our late-stage trial for
Firdapse®. About half of LEMS patients have an
underlying cancer associated with their disease, and we understand
that this can be a source of patient anxiety. Therefore, we are
taking the extra step to enable our patients to determine if they
express circulating tumor cells, so that further assessment can be
performed."
"One of our priorities is to enter into collaborations with
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to aid in the
development of new therapies, and to validate the clinical utility
of our liquid biopsy platform," said Michael Nall, Biocept's President and Chief
Executive Officer. "Our agreement with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals
provides an opportunity to utilize our Target Selector™ CTC tests
to screen a high-risk patient population and to identify those with
early-stage disease enabling them to seek treatment as soon as
possible. We look forward to working with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals,
and the potential to help their patients with LEMS achieve better
health outcomes."
About Biocept
Biocept, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company with
commercialized assays for lung, breast, gastric, colorectal and
prostate cancers, and melanoma. The Company uses its proprietary
liquid biopsy technology to provide physicians with clinically
actionable information for treating and monitoring patients
diagnosed with cancer. The Company's patented Target Selector™
liquid biopsy technology platform captures and analyzes
tumor-associated molecular markers in both circulating tumor cells
(CTCs) and in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). With thousands of
tests performed, the platform has demonstrated the ability to
identify cancer mutations and alterations to inform physicians
about a patient's disease and therapeutic options. For additional
information, please visit www.biocept.com.
About Catalyst Pharmaceuticals
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused
on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for people
with rare debilitating diseases. Catalyst is developing
amifampridine phosphate for the treatment of LEMS, a rare
neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder frequently associated with SCLC.
Catalyst also believes that amifampridine phosphate has the
potential to treat other neuromuscular disorders such as congenital
myasthenic syndromes and some cases of myasthenia gravis that are
refractory to currently approved therapies. Catalyst is also
developing a highly potent GABA-aminotransferase (GABA-AT)
inhibitor, designated CPP-115, for the treatment of infantile
spasms, a rare form of debilitating epileptic seizures that
presents in infants. For more information, visit
www.catalystpharma.com. Follow Catalyst on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/catalystpharma.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements that are based
upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of
assumptions about future events. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the
assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, we can give
no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to
have been correct. Forward-looking statements are generally
identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should,"
"could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend,"
or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on
these words or comparable terminology. To the extent that
statements in this release are not strictly historical, including
without limitation statements as to our ability to improve the
outcomes of cancer patients, , and our ability to validate the
clinical utility of our liquid biopsy platform, such statements are
forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to
numerous risk factors as set forth in our Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) filings. The effects of such risks and
uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from
the forward-looking statements contained in this release. We do not
plan to update any such forward-looking statements and expressly
disclaim any duty to update the information contained in this press
release except as required by law. Readers are advised to review
our filings with the SEC, which can be accessed over the Internet
at the SEC's website located at www.sec.gov.
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SOURCE Biocept, Inc.