WPD Pharmaceuticals’ Licensor Announces 100% Survival Achieved in Osteosarcoma Lung Metastases Animal Model of Annamycin Dr...
February 05 2021 - 7:30AM
WPD Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: WBIO)(FSE: 8SV1)
(the “
Company” or “
WPD”) a
clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce that
that Moleculin Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ:MBRX)
(“
Moleculin”), the company that sublicenses the
compound Annamycin to WPD for 29 countries mainly in Europe,
announced that a preclinical study in animals demonstrated a
potentially significant therapeutic benefit of Annamycin against
metastatic osteosarcoma. The Moleculin press release of February 2,
2020 states, “This appears to be the result of the high cytotoxic
potential of Annamycin previously demonstrated in vitro against
sarcoma cells in combination with its high uptake by the lungs
where the tumors in this study are localized. Computerized
tomography (CT) scans demonstrated that animals treated with
Annamycin exhibited significant suppression of tumor growth and not
a single death was observed in the treated animals, whereas
significant tumor burden contributed to the rapid death of 90% of
untreated animals. While the study continues, as of day 130, the
survival rate for animals treated with Annamycin was 100%, compared
with only 10% for untreated animals.
Osteosarcoma is among a class of tumors that
initiate in the bone of patients, with bone-related sarcomas
representing the second most common form of sarcoma after soft
tissue sarcoma. While many bone sarcomas can be addressed through
surgical removal, it is estimated that as many as 40% of bone
sarcomas will eventually metastasize to the lungs, where treatment
can become more problematic. Researchers have more recently
referred to the lungs and certain other vital organs as "sanctuary
sites" for cancer where tumors can develop out of reach from
conventional chemotherapies.
Once metastasized to the lungs, if tumors cannot
be surgically removed, the primary chemotherapy regimen is the
anthracycline doxorubicin (also known as Adriamycin). While 10% to
30% of patients with sarcoma lung metastases may initially respond
to doxorubicin, most will relapse leaving the majority of these
patients without an alternative chemotherapy. Moleculin recently
announced findings from its sponsored research showing that
doxorubicin has a limited ability to accumulate in the lungs of
animals, which may help explain its limited efficacy in this
sanctuary site. Treatment options are further limited because of
the inherent cardiotoxicity of currently approved anthracyclines,
including doxorubicin, which limits the amount of anthracycline
that can be given to patients.
Annamycin is a "next generation" anthracycline
that has recently been shown in animal models to accumulate in the
lungs at up to 34 times the level of doxorubicin, which may account
for the 100% survival rate attained in this most recent
osteosarcoma lung metastases study. Importantly, Annamycin has also
demonstrated a lack of cardiotoxicity in recently conducted human
clinical trials of Annamycin for the treatment of acute myeloid
leukemia, so the use of Annamycin may not face the same dose
limitations imposed on doxorubicin.
Moleculin recently announced that the FDA has
allowed the Company's request for investigational new drug (IND)
status in order to study Annamycin for the treatment of soft tissue
sarcoma metastasized to the lungs. In addition, the FDA granted
Orphan Drug Designation for Annamycin for the treatment of soft
tissue sarcomas.
Moleculin also stated that it expects that one,
and potentially two, clinical trials in sarcoma lung metastases
should commence in 2021."
WPD has not conducted its own independent
confirmation testing of Annamycin and is relying solely on the
information contained in Moleculin’s news releases dated February
2, 2021 in providing this information to WPD’s
shareholders.
About WPD Pharmaceuticals
WPD is a biotechnology research and development
company with a focus on oncology and virology, namely research and
development of medicinal products involving biological compounds
and small molecules. WPD has licensed in certain countries 10 novel
drug candidates with 4 that are in clinical development stage.
These drug candidates were researched at medical institutions, and
WPD currently has ongoing collaborations with Wake Forest
University and leading hospitals and academic centers in
Poland.
WPD has entered into license agreements with
Wake Forest University Health Sciences and sublicense agreements
with Moleculin Biotech, Inc. and CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
respectively, each of which grant WPD an exclusive, royalty-bearing
sublicense to certain technologies of the licensor. Such agreements
provide WPD with certain research, development, manufacturing and
sales rights, among other things. The sublicense territory from CNS
Pharmaceuticals and Moleculin Biotech includes for most compounds
30 countries in Europe and Asia, including Russia.
On Behalf of the Board
‘Mariusz Olejniczak’
Mariusz Olejniczak CEO, WDP Pharmaceuticals
Contact:
Investor Relations Email:
investors@wpdpharmaceuticals.com Tel: 604-428-7050 Web:
www.wpdpharmaceuticals.com
Cautionary Statements:
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that
contemplate activities, events or developments that the Company
anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking
statements in this press release include that WPD’s drugs could be
developed into novel treatments for cancer. These forward-looking
statements reflect the Company’s current expectations based on
information currently available to management and are subject to a
number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ
materially from those projected. Factors which may prevent the
forward looking statement from being realized is that the
technology may not provide the benefits expected and we may not
engage them further; competitors or others may successfully
challenge a granted patent and the patent could be rendered void;
that we are unable to raise sufficient funding for our research;
that we may not meet the requirements to receive the grants
awarded; that our drugs don’t provide positive treatment, or if
they do, the side effects are damaging; competitors may develop
better or cheaper drugs; and we may be unable to obtain regulatory
approval for any drugs we develop. The Company assumes no
obligation to update them except as required by applicable law.
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