On July 7, 2025 NANOBIOTIX (Euronext: NANO –– NASDAQ: NBTX – the ‘‘Company’’), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company pioneering physics-based approaches to expand treatment possibilities for patients with cancer, reported two important developments that aim to reinforce the global positioning of potential first-in-class radioenhancer JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3), which is licensed by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a Johnson & Johnson company (Press release, Nanobiotix, JUL 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234654360]).
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Health authorities in major European countries have agreed to formally reclassify JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) from a medical device to a drug, completing a process initiated by Johnson & Johnson to harmonize the product candidate’s regulatory status with classifications already in place in the United States and other major markets. The reclassification follows updated insights into the product candidate’s mechanism of action.
In parallel, Nanobiotix has filed a new composition of matter patent for JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) that aims to reinforce the intellectual property foundation supporting the product candidate.
"These updates reflect our continued commitment to the JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) program," said Laurent Levy, co-founder and chairman of the executive board at Nanobiotix. "We are pleased with the progress achieved with health authorities and proud to continue advancing this potential first-in-class product candidate toward patients in need."
JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) is currently the subject of a comprehensive global clinical development program across multiple tumor types and therapeutic combinations, including a pivotal Phase 3 trial in head and neck cancer.
About JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3)
JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) is a novel, potentially first-in-class oncology product composed of functionalized hafnium oxide nanoparticles that is administered via one-time intratumoral injection and activated by radiotherapy. Its proof-of-concept was achieved in soft tissue sarcomas through a successful randomized Phase 2/3 study in 2018. The product candidate’s mechanism of action (MoA) is designed to induce significant tumor cell death in the injected tumor when activated by radiotherapy, subsequently triggering adaptive immune response and long-term anti-cancer memory. Given the physical MoA, Nanobiotix believes that JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) could be scalable across any solid tumor that can be treated with radiotherapy and across any therapeutic combination, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Radiotherapy-activated JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) is being evaluated across multiple solid tumor indications as a single agent or combination therapy. The program is led by NANORAY-312—a global, randomized Phase 3 study in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell cancers. In February 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted regulatory Fast Track designation for the investigation of JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) activated by radiation therapy, with or without cetuximab, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced HNSCC who are not eligible for platinum-based chemotherapy—the same population being evaluated in the Phase 3 study.
Given the Company’s focus areas, and balanced against the scalable potential of NBTXR3, Nanobiotix has engaged in a collaboration strategy to expand development of the product candidate in parallel with its priority development pathways. Pursuant to this strategy, in 2019 Nanobiotix entered into a broad, comprehensive clinical research collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to sponsor several Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies evaluating JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) across tumor types and therapeutic combinations. In 2023, Nanobiotix announced a license agreement for the global co-development and commercialization of JNJ-1900 (NBTXR3) with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a Johnson & Johnson company.