Sorrento Therapeutics Announces Entry Into Option Agreement to Exclusively License MPRO Inhibitors Against SARS-CoV-2 and Variants of Concern, Including Delta, From Texas A&M University
August 24 2021 - 10:44AM
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento") today
announced that it has entered into an option agreement (“Option”)
with The Texas A&M University System (“TAMUS”) for exclusive
rights to the intellectual property covering highly potent main
protease (MPro) inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. This latest
agreement bolsters Sorrento’s wide-ranging portfolio of preclinical
and clinical therapeutic candidates targeting COVID-19, including
new and emerging variants of concern of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Under
the terms of the agreement, Sorrento has an exclusive option to
exclusively license patents covering the MPro inhibitor drug
candidates.
Discovered and developed by Dr. Wenshe Ray Liu and
his research team at Texas A&M University, the MPro inhibitors
have demonstrated strong cellular antiviral potency against
SARS-CoV-2 in preclinical studies. Several MPro inhibitors were
identified that exhibited antiviral effects against diverse
SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Indian (Delta), UK (Alpha),
Brazilian (Beta) and South Africa (Gamma) variants of concern. The
potential advantage of using small molecules, in oral and/or
intravenous administration, that target MPro is that they are not
affected by mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which may
enable MPro drugs to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 and its
variants of concern (VOCs), as well as against other coronaviruses
that currently exist or might emerge in the future.
“MPro is a SARS-CoV-2 enzyme that catalyzes the
formation of a number of essential proteins for the viral
reproduction. MPro inhibitors block this catalytic process to
inhibit the viral replication in human cell hosts achieving the
eradication of the virus,” according to Dr. Liu.
“We are excited to be collaborating with Dr. Liu
and his team at Texas A&M and look forward to advancing the
development of these novel drug candidates to address COVID-19, and
a multitude of other respiratory viruses,” stated Dr. Henry Ji,
Chairman and CEO of Sorrento. “This agreement further strengthens
our dynamic COVID-19 product portfolio and is well aligned with our
overall strategic plan to combat COVID-19 through a combination of
potent small molecules and antibodies, cellular therapies and
vaccines.”
Sorrento may exercise its right to enter into a
worldwide exclusive license agreement at any time during the option
period.
About Sorrento Therapeutics,
Inc.
Sorrento is a clinical stage, antibody-centric,
biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to treat cancers
and COVID-19. Sorrento's multimodal, multipronged approach to
fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology
platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies
(“G-MAB™ library”), clinical stage immuno-cellular therapies
(“CAR-T”, “DAR-T™”), antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”), and
clinical stage oncolytic virus (“Seprehvir™”). Sorrento is also
developing potential antiviral therapies and vaccines against
coronaviruses, including COVIGUARD™, COVI-AMG™, COVISHIELD™,
Gene-MAb™, COVI-MSC™ and COVIDROPS™; and diagnostic test solutions,
including COVITRACK™, COVISTIX™ and COVITRACE™.
Sorrento's commitment to life-enhancing therapies
for patients is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a
first-in-class (TRPV1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small
molecule, resiniferatoxin (“RTX”), and SP-102 (10 mg, dexamethasone
sodium phosphate viscous gel) (SEMDEXA™), a novel, viscous gel
formulation of a widely used corticosteroid for epidural injections
to treat lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica, and to
commercialize ZTlido® (lidocaine topical system) 1.8% for the
treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. RTX has completed a Phase IB
trial for intractable pain associated with cancer and a Phase 1B
trial in osteoarthritis patients. SEMDEXA is in a pivotal Phase 3
trial for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica.
ZTlido® was approved by the FDA on February 28, 2018.
For more information visit
www.sorrentotherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any statements made for and
during any presentation or meeting contain forward-looking
statements related to Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., under the safe
harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements
regarding Sorrento’s pipeline and plans with respect to its
preclinical and clinical COVID-19 programs, including the MPro
inhibitors to which Sorrento has certain exclusive license option
rights; the antiviral properties of these MPro inhibitors,
including MPI8, and the potential advantage the MPro inhibitors
offer against SARS-CoV-2, its variants of concern and other
coronaviruses; Sorrento’s plans to develop the MPro inhibitors to
address COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses; and Sorrento’s
strategic plan to address COVID-19 with a combination of treatments
and therapies, including small molecules and antibodies, cellular
therapies and vaccines. Risks and uncertainties that could cause
our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those
expressed in our forward-looking statements, include, but are not
limited to: risks related to Sorrento's technologies and prospects,
including, but not limited to risks related to seeking regulatory
approval for MPro inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2, its variants of
concern and other respiratory viruses; clinical development risks,
including risks in the progress, timing, cost, and results of
clinical trials and product development programs; risk of
difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals; risks
that clinical study results may not meet any or all endpoints of a
clinical study and that any data generated from such studies may
not support a regulatory submission or approval; risks that prior
test, study and trial results may not be replicated in future
studies and trials; risks of manufacturing and supplying drug
product; risks related to leveraging the expertise of its
employees, subsidiaries, affiliates and partners to assist Sorrento
in the execution of its therapeutic antibody product candidate
strategies; risks related to the global impact of COVID-19; and
other risks that are described in Sorrento's most recent periodic
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including Sorrento's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2020, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the
risk factors set forth in those filings. Investors are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements,
which speak only as of the date of this release and we undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press
release except as required by law.
Media and Investor Relations
ContactAlexis Nahama, DVM (SVP Corporate
Development)Email: mediarelations@sorrentotherapeutics.com
Sorrento® and the Sorrento logo are registered
trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
G-MAB™, DAR-T™, SOFUSA™, COVIGUARD™, COVI-AMG™,
COVISHIELD™, Gene-MAb™, COVIDROPS™, COVI-MSC™, COVITRACK™,
COVITRACE™ and COVISTIX™ are trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics,
Inc.
SEMDEXA™ is a trademark of Semnur Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
ZTlido® is a registered trademark owned by Scilex
Pharmaceuticals Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
©2021 Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
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