On February 3, 2020 Kitov Pharma Ltd. ("Kitov") (NASDAQ/TASE: KTOV), a clinical-stage company advancing first-in-class therapies to overcome tumor immune evasion and drug resistance, reported receipt from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of a Notification of Issuance for a patent application entitled, "Humanized antibodies against CEACAM1 (Press release, Kitov Pharmaceuticals , FEB 3, 2020, View Source [SID1234553782])." The patent, which expires in 2035, covers protein and DNA sequences pertaining to humanized antibodies capable of specific binding to human CEACAM1 molecules, including Kitov’s first-in-class monoclonal antibody, CM-24, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these antibodies, as well as methods for their use in treating and diagnosing cancer and other conditions.
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"This recognition from the USPTO validates the unique profile of Kitov’s CM-24. The mechanism of action of CM-24 results in an enhanced cytotoxic activity of the immune system cells, inducing a tumor’s death," commented Isaac Israel, Chief Executive Officer of Kitov. "CEACAM1 expression was found to correlate with poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We strongly believe that the combination of CM-24 with nivolumab has the potential to result in a significant synergistic benefit in patients with NSCLC tumors expressing CEACAM1. We look forward to the initiation of our phase 1/2 clinical trial with CM-24 in the second half of 2020."
About CM-24
CM-24 is a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody blocking CEACAM1, a well-validated target which is highly expressed in many solid tumors as well as on immune cells and plays a pivotal role in the immune system by blocking immune cells’ access to tumors by CEACAM1-CEACAM1 and CEACAM1-CEACAM5 interaction. CEACAM1 was also shown to regulate TIM3 which induce immune fatigue. This unique mechanism of action positions CM-24 with a differentiated inhibitor of a multi-role immune checkpoint. In a monotherapy phase 1 study, CM-24 demonstrated safety and efficacy with standard dose in about 30% of patients. Kitov will advance CM-24 as a combination therapy with anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Kitov has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) for the planned Phase 1/2 clinical trials to evaluate the combination of CM-24 with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo).