BioXcel Therapeutics Expands Immuno-Oncology Partnership with Nektar into Clinical Development in Pancreatic Cancer
September 24 2018 - 7:00AM
BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. (“BTI”) (Nasdaq: BTAI), a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical development company utilizing novel artificial
intelligence approaches to identify the next wave of medicines
across neuroscience and immuno-oncology, and Nektar Therapeutics
(Nasdaq: NKTR) announced today that the companies are expanding
their ongoing research collaboration into a new clinical
partnership. The collaboration will clinically evaluate the novel
combination of BTI’s BXCL701, a small molecule immune-modulator,
DPP 8/9 and FAP inhibitor; Nektar’s NKTR-214, a CD122-biased
agonist; and a checkpoint inhibitor as a potential therapy for
pancreatic cancer.
Under the terms of the expanded collaboration agreement, BTI
will be responsible for initiating and managing the clinical
program. The primary objectives of the study are to evaluate safety
and efficacy of the triplet combination of BXCL701, NKTR-214 and a
checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of patients with
unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Additionally,
correlative immune activation markers will also be evaluated in
blood and tumor tissue.
“We are excited to expand our collaboration with Nektar to
initiate a clinical program for this novel triplet combination
regimen,” said Vimal Mehta, Chief Executive Officer of BTI.
“Mechanistically, we believe the action of BXCL701 on macrophages
and neutrophils within the tumor tissue can activate the innate
immune system and then in combination with NKTR-214 and an
anti-PD1, we can then prime adaptive immune cells in order to
trigger T-cell driven anti-cancer activity and the generation of
T-cell memory. The exciting preclinical data presented at this
year’s ASCO Meeting highlighted the complementary mechanisms by
which these three agents can synergize to generate durable
responses in various animal models.”
“We believe it is essential to target multiple dimensions of the
immune system in parallel in order to address the multi-faceted
etiologies underlying cancer cell growth in difficult-to-treat
tumors such as pancreatic cancer,” said Jonathan Zalevsky, Senior
Vice President, Biology & Preclinical Development of Nektar
Therapeutics. “This experimental triplet combination regimen of
BXCL701, NKTR-214 and a checkpoint inhibitor is designed to
leverage multiple mechanisms of action at once to better fight
pancreatic cancer while potentially generating long-term cancer
immunity. We’re pleased to be working with BTI on this
program.”
BTI and Nektar Therapeutics initially announced a preclinical
research collaboration in November 2017. This collaboration focused
on utilizing the complementary mechanisms of BXCL701 and NKTR-214
to stimulate the body’s own immune system to overcome
immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment.
About BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.:BioXcel
Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company
focused on drug development that utilizes novel artificial
intelligence approaches to identify the next wave of medicines
across neuroscience and immuno-oncology. The Company's drug
re-innovation approach leverages existing approved drugs and/or
clinically validated product candidates together with big data and
proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic
indices. The Company's two most advanced clinical development
programs are BXCL501, a sublingual thin film formulation designed
for acute treatment of agitation resulting from neurological and
psychiatric disorders, and BXCL701, an immuno-oncology agent
designed for treatment of a rare form of prostate cancer and for
treatment of pancreatic cancer. For more information, please visit
www.bioxceltherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements in this press release include, but are not limited to,
statements that relate to the advancement and development of
BXCL701, the commencement of clinical trials, the availability of
data from clinical trials and other information that is not
historical information. When used herein, words such as
“anticipate”, “being”, “will”, “plan”, “may”, “continue”, and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. In addition, any statements or information that refer
to expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives,
performance or other characterizations of future events or
circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are
forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based upon
BioXcel’s current expectations and various assumptions. BioXcel
believes there is a reasonable basis for its expectations and
beliefs, but they are inherently uncertain. BioXcel may not realize
its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Actual
results could differ materially from those described or implied by
such forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including, without limitation, market conditions and the
factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” in BioXcel’s 10
Q for the Quarter ended June 30, 2018 and BioXcel’s other filings
made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently,
forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as BioXcel’s
current plans, estimates and beliefs. Investors should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BioXcel cannot
guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance
or achievements. BioXcel does not undertake and specifically
declines any obligation to update, republish, or revise any
forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future
events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrences of
unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.
Contact Information:BioXcel TherapeuticsThe
Ruth GroupLee Roth/ Janhavi Mohite646-536-7012/ 7026
lroth@theruthgroup.com/ jmohite@theruthgroup.com
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