GI Innovation and Panolos Bioscience Sign MOU for Joint Research on Next-Generation Multi-Target Therapies

On May 27, 2025 GI Innovation (Co-CEOs Byung-Gun Lee and Jun-Ho Hong) reported that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Panolos Bioscience (CEO Hye-Seong Lim) for joint research on developing next-generation multi-target therapies (Press release, Panolos Bioscience, MAY 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234656260]).

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The signing ceremony, held at GI Innovation’s headquarters, was attended by key executives from both companies, including Myung-Ho Jang, CSO of GI Innovation, and Hye-Seong Lim, CEO, and Hak-Rim Ju, COO of Panolos.

Under this MOU, the two companies plan to cooperate on △mutual technology exchange, △preclinical and clinical development, △global technology transfer, and △national R&D project selection.

GI Innovation specializes in the development of immuno-oncology drugs based on its dual fusion protein platform, GI-SMART. The company is currently conducting clinical trials for immuno-oncology and allergy treatments using this platform. Panolos Bioscience, a leading company in structure-based protein drug development, is conducting clinical trials for PB101, which enhances the anti-tumor immune system and normalizes blood vessels. Both companies expect to achieve various synergies based on their proprietary protein development technologies.

Junho-Hong, Co-CEO of GI Innovation, stated, "We anticipate strong synergies from combining Panolos’ αART platform with GI Innovation’s GI-SMART platform through this agreement. We hope this MOU will further promote research exchanges among domestic bio-ventures."

Hye-Seong Lim, CEO of Panolos, commented, "This joint research MOU is expected to be a crucial turning point in combining the expertise and capabilities of both companies to develop new treatment methods and innovative solutions."

Meanwhile, GI Innovation is actively conducting clinical trials for the immuno-oncology drugs GI-101 and GI-102 in Korea and the US, and for the allergy treatment GI-301 in Korea. Panolos is developing PB101, currently in clinical trials, as well as dual-target anti-cancer drug PB203 and triple-target anti-cancer drug PB301 based on PB101.

First patients in Spain to be treated with Pepaxti

On May 27, 2024 Oncopeptides, a biotech company focused on difficult-to-treat cancers, reported that the first Spanish hospital will begin treating patients with Pepaxti (Press release, Oncopeptides, MAY 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234646793]).

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The first order of the drug from a Spanish hospital follows the availability of Pepaxti in the Spanish healthcare system ("Nomenclator"), making it possible for healthcare providers to in certain cases order the product before regional access has been negotiated.

"The reception of this innovation in the medical community is a testament to the unmet medical need that this drug fills," says Sofia Heigis, CEO of Oncopeptides. "We look forward to more patients and professionals both in Spain and the rest of Europe benefitting from the clinical and quality of life results demonstrated by this treatment."

In total, 16 Spanish hospitals and more than 100 patients have participated in the clinical trials that have led to the approval of the first drug in the peptide conjugate class for the treatment of relapsed, refractory multiple myeloma.

For more information, including questions and answers for investors, please visit Oncopeptides’ website.

Datopotamab deruxtecan showed clinically meaningful overall survival improvement vs. chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in TROPION-Lung01 Phase III trial

On May 27, 2024 Astrazeneca reported that high-level overall survival (OS) results from the TROPION-Lung01 Phase III trial, which previously met the dual primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS), numerically favoured datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) compared to docetaxel in the overall trial population of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with at least one prior line of therapy (Press release, AstraZeneca, MAY 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234643720]). Survival results did not reach statistical significance in the overall trial population. In the prespecified subgroup of patients with nonsquamous NSCLC, datopotamab deruxtecan showed a clinically meaningful improvement in OS compared to docetaxel, the current standard-of-care chemotherapy.

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The final analysis of OS builds on the positive progression-free survival (PFS) results presented at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress which showed datopotamab deruxtecan demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in PFS in the overall trial population and a clinically meaningful PFS benefit in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC. In TROPION-Lung01, patient enrolment by tumour histology was balanced across treatment arms and consistent with real-world incidence with approximately 75% of patients having nonsquamous NSCLC.1,2

The safety profile of datopotamab deruxtecan in TROPION-Lung01 was consistent with the previous analysis including fewer dose reductions or discontinuations due to adverse events compared to docetaxel, and no new safety concerns identified. No new interstitial lung disease events of any grade were adjudicated as drug-related.

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "Datopotamab deruxtecan is the only investigational therapy to show a clinically meaningful survival improvement in patients with previously treated nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer versus docetaxel, which has long been unsurpassed in this post-targeted treatment and post-immunotherapy setting. These results reinforce the potential for datopotamab deruxtecan to replace conventional chemotherapy in this late-line setting and underscore our confidence in ongoing trials evaluating this therapy in first-line lung cancer."

Ken Takeshita, MD, Global Head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo, said: "The improvement in overall survival seen with datopotamab deruxtecan coupled with the previously reported clinically meaningful progression-free survival, more than doubling of overall response and prolonged duration of response compared to docetaxel suggest that this TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugate could potentially become an important new treatment for patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in this advanced setting. These data will support our ongoing discussions with regulatory authorities globally to potentially bring datopotamab deruxtecan to patients as quickly as possible and mark another step forward in creating new standards of care for patients with cancer."

Datopotamab deruxtecan is a specifically engineered TROP2-directed DXd antibody drug conjugate discovered by Daiichi Sankyo and being jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo.

The data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting and will support regulatory applications currently under review globally, including in the US and EU for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC who have received prior systemic therapy.

Notes

Advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Nearly 2.5 million lung cancer cases were diagnosed globally in 2022.3 NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases.4 Approximately 75% and 25% of NSCLC tumours are of nonsquamous or squamous histology, respectively.1 While immunotherapy and targeted therapies have improved outcomes in the 1st-line setting, most patients eventually experience disease progression and receive chemotherapy.5-7 For decades, chemotherapy has been the last treatment available for patients with advanced NSCLC, despite limited effectiveness and known side effects.5-7

TROP2 is a protein broadly expressed in the majority of NSCLC tumours.8 There is currently no TROP2-directed ADC approved for the treatment of lung cancer.9,10

TROPION-Lung01

TROPION-Lung01 is a global, randomised, multicentre, open-label Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of datopotamab deruxtecan (6.0mg/kg) versus docetaxel (75mg/m2) in adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with and without actionable genomic alterations who require systemic therapy following prior treatment. Patients with actionable genomic alterations were previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and an approved targeted therapy. Patients without known actionable genomic alterations were previously treated, concurrently or sequentially, with platinum-based chemotherapy and a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor.

The dual primary endpoints of TROPION-Lung01 are PFS as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR) and OS. Key secondary endpoints include investigator-assessed PFS, objective response rate, duration of response, time to response, disease control rate as assessed by both BICR and investigator, and safety.

TROPION-Lung01 enrolled approximately 600 patients in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. For more information visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd)

Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) is an investigational TROP2-directed ADC. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary DXd ADC Technology, datopotamab deruxtecan is one of six DXd ADCs in the oncology pipeline of Daiichi Sankyo, and one of the most advanced programmes in AstraZeneca’s ADC scientific platform. Datopotamab deruxtecan is comprised of a humanised anti-TROP2 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, developed in collaboration with Sapporo Medical University, attached to a number of topoisomerase I inhibitor payloads (an exatecan derivative, DXd) via tetrapeptide-based cleavable linkers.

A comprehensive global clinical development programme is underway with more than 20 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of datopotamab deruxtecan across multiple cancers, including NSCLC, triple-negative breast cancer and HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

MediLink Therapeutics announces a multi-target TMALIN® ADC technology platform license agreement with BioNTech, expanding their global strategic partnership

On May 27, 2024 MediLink Therapeutics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. ("MediLink"), a clinical-stage biotech company, reported a new strategic collaboration with BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, "BioNTech"), a next-generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases, under which BioNTech will receive an exclusive option to an exclusive global license to apply MediLink’s TMALIN antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform, for several novel targets chosen by BioNTech (Press release, Suzhou Medilink Therapeutics, MAY 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234643719]).

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Under the terms of this new agreement, MediLink will receive an upfront payment of $25 million and is eligible to receive additional development, regulatory and sales milestone payments potentially totaling up to $1.8 billion, as well as tiered royalties on potential future global annual net sales. As part of the agreement, MediLink will hold the right of first negotiation for future collaboration of these ADC product candidates if BioNTech wishes to exclusively license or assign rights in such ADC product candidates solely on the Mainland China market or Mainland China market together with one or more of the markets including of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macau SAR or Taiwan region.

In October 2023, MediLink and BioNTech entered into a strategic collaboration and global license agreement to develop BNT326/YL202, a next-generation anti-HER3 ADC. Both parties have decided to expand their collaboration and have reached this new platform collaboration license agreement.

The expansion of the collaboration marks a further consolidation of the strategic partnership between MediLink and BioNTech, laying a new foundation for the mutual R&D collaboration in the ADC field.

CAN-FITE TO PARTICIPATE IN PARTNERING MEETINGS AT BIO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2024

On May 27, 2024 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address oncological and inflammatory diseases, reported that its VP of Business Development, Dr. Sari Fishman, will hold 23 partnering meetings with Biotech & Pharma companies, who showed interest in partnering with Can-Fite (Press release, Can-Fite BioPharma, MAY 27, 2024, View Source [SID1234643718]). The meetings will take place during the Bio International Convention 2024 in San Diego, USA, on June 3-6. View Source;gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8uyBhC6ARIsAKwBGpR1uawA2qpi9I2O3htc7bwxwiKsbpmP1IefbWC8KrkYc5njVnODEpYaAsWWEALw_wcB

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Can-Fite currently has out-licensing and distribution deals with seven pharma companies across North America, Europe, and Asia, which include upfront and milestone payments. The Company’s growing slate of indications and advanced pipeline are attracting increased interest from additional potential partners that will attend the conference in San Diego. Focusing on its core expertise in clinical development, Can-Fite pursues a strategy of partnering with companies in specific geographic markets that specialize in pharmaceutical distribution and regional regulatory approval.

Can-Fite’s pipeline of indications includes the two small molecule orally bioavailable drugs, Piclidenoson positioned for the treatment of Psoriasis (Phase 3) and Namodenoson for the treatment of advance liver cancer (Phase 3), pancreatic cancer (Phase 2a) and MASH (Phase 2b).