LEXINGTON, Mass., June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agenus Inc.
(NASDAQ: AGEN), an immuno-oncology company with an extensive
pipeline of agents designed to activate immune response to cancers
and infectious diseases, announced today the FDA's clearance of
AgenTus' IND application for an allogeneic iNKT therapy. AgenT-797
was submitted by AgenTus Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Agenus. A
clinical trial for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 is
expected to commence shortly. Agenus previously reported the FDA
clearance of the IND for the use of allogeneic iNKTs for patients
with cancer.
"We are excited to evaluate this novel allogeneic iNKT cell
therapy platform as a potential therapy for patients in moderate to
severe respiratory distress from COVID-19," said Koen van Besien, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of
Medicine and Director of the Stem Cell Transplant program at Weill
Cornell Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital.
"The preclinical data reveal the potential of iNKTs to eliminate
virus, dampen harmful inflammation, and promote protection from
reinfection. These are all particularly important features as we
attempt to overcome COVID-19."
Separately, Agenus indicated that it is contemplating several
options regarding its AgenTus Therapeutics subsidiary. These
options include the potential of spinning out AgenTus and issuing a
portion of its holdings in AgenTus to Agenus shareholders in the
form of a stock dividend. Agenus expects that such a decision will
be made by the end of this year.
About AgenTus Therapeutics, Inc.
AgenTus Therapeutics
is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development, and commercialization of breakthrough allogeneic iNKT
cells in the unmodified and modified with engineered receptors,
such as T cell receptors (TCRs) and Chimeric Antigen Receptors
(CARs), designed to supercharge the human immune system cells to
seek and destroy cancer. AgenTus also aims to advance
adoptive cell therapy formats which would enable off-the-shelf
living drugs. AgenTus has locations in Lexington, MA and Cambridge, UK. For more information,
please visit www.agentustherapeutics.com.
About Agenus
Agenus is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the
discovery and development of therapies that engage the body's
immune system to fight cancer. The Company's vision is to expand
the patient populations benefiting from cancer immunotherapy by
pursuing combination approaches that leverage a broad repertoire of
antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell therapies (through its AgenTus
Therapeutics subsidiary), and proprietary cancer vaccine platforms.
The Company is equipped with a suite of antibody discovery
platforms and a state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facility with
the capacity to support clinical programs. Agenus is headquartered
in Lexington, MA. For more
information, please visit www.agenusbio.com and our Twitter handle
@agenus_bio. Information that may be important to investors will be
routinely posted on our website and twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including
statements regarding the anticipated therapeutic benefit of iNKTs
for COVID-19 patients, clinical development plans and timelines,
the potential spinning out of AgenTus therapeutics and issuing a
portion of Agenus' holdings in AgenTus to Agenus shareholders in
the form of a stock dividend, and the expectation to make such a
decision by the end of 2020. These forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among
others, the factors described under the Risk Factors section of our
most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form
10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Agenus
cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the
forward-looking statements contained in this release. These
statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and
Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements,
other than to the extent required by law. All forward-looking
statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this
cautionary statement.
Contact:
Agenus Inc.
Jennifer
Buell, PhD
781-674-4420
Jennifer.Buell@agenusbio.com
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SOURCE Agenus Inc.