Nov 11, 2017 – NT219 works by overcoming drug resistance of pancreatic cancer to various oncology drugs. Kitov Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KTOV; TASE: KTOV), an innovative biopharmaceutical company, has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) response to the NT219’s pre-IND meeting package. FDA has agreed to the proposed Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), preclinical, and clinical development plans for NT219. For the clinical development plan, the FDA agreed with TyrNovo’s proposed development plan to test NT219 in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. The FDA further agreed that the initial clinical trial with NT219 will be a Phase I/II clinical trial, and that “the overall design of proposed first-in-human trial appears reasonable”. The FDA further agreed that one-month animal toxicology studies for NT219 would be sufficient to support the IND and that no toxicology studies of NT219 together with gemcitabine would be necessary.
Dr. Hadas Reuveni, TyrNovo’s Founder and CTO added: “According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US and is known to be one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer types. NT219 works by overcoming drug resistance and can be combined with various oncology drugs. Our drug’s efficacy was demonstrated in preclinical patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with various oncology therapies such as chemotherapy agents, EGFR Antibodies, MEK and mTOR inhibitors, and also in combination with immuno-oncology agents such as Keytruda®. We will initially be clinically testing NT219 in combination with gemcitabine on advanced pancreatic cancer patients, based on our consistent encouraging results in preclinical PDX models. Our long-term strategy is to develop NT219 in combination with other oncology drugs and for additional oncology indications in collaboration with potential strategic partners, who have expressed solid preliminary interest in NT219.”
Kitov Pharmaceuticals acquired of a majority stake in TyrNovo Ltd., a privately held developer of novel small molecules in the immuno-oncology therapeutic field at the beginning of 2017. TyrNovo is led by its CEO, Dr. Hadas Reuveni, a co-inventor of the TyrNovo technology, who received her Ph.D., Summa Cum Laude, for anti-cancer drug discovery from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has nearly two decades of R&D experience in Biotechnology. Hadas Reuveni working with Prof Levitzki’s laboratory in the Hebrew University’s Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences was involved in discovering a family of small organic molecules with high potential in fighting metastatic human melanoma.
Source: http://kitovpharma.investorroom.com/news-releases?item=59
