On October 16, 2026 NeOnc Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTHI) ("NeOnc" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for central nervous system (CNS) cancers, reported early clinical improvement in its first patient treated in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with investigational intranasal NEO100 through the Company’s Compassionate Care program. According to his treating physicians, the patient, a critically ill three-year-old boy with an aggressive brain tumor, is now breathing independently without ventilator support and beginning to move his legs following initiation of treatment. These early observations involve one patient receiving compassionate-use treatment and do not establish that NEO100 caused the improvement or predict outcomes in other patients.
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"Hearing that this little boy is breathing on his own and beginning to move his legs is profoundly moving. For his family, every sign of progress matters," said Amir F. Heshmatpour, Executive Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of NeOnc. "We remain cautious about these early observations and deeply grateful to his physicians and our partner, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, for making access to treatment possible."
The treatment reflects coordination between NeOnc, the child’s treating physicians and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi to provide access to investigational NEO100. The patient did not meet the eligibility criteria for the Company’s NEO100-03 pediatric clinical trial and is receiving treatment outside that trial through NeOnc’s Compassionate Care program. The program provides access to NEO100 for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions who have no comparable or satisfactory treatment alternatives.
"The improvements reported by this child’s treating physicians are encouraging, and continued clinical observation is essential to understand his progress," said Thomas Chen, MD, PhD, Founder, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of NeOnc. "This individual experience does not establish safety or efficacy. Our pediatric clinical program is designed to evaluate NEO100 systematically in children with serious brain tumors."
NEO100 is a highly purified form of perillyl alcohol administered intranasally. Its delivery approach is designed to provide a non-invasive route to the brain. NEO100 remains investigational, and its safety and efficacy in pediatric patients have not been established.
The treatment builds on NeOnc’s expanding development activities in Abu Dhabi. In June 2026, the Company announced that the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi had granted IND authorization for NEO100 across its NEO100-01, NEO100-02 and NEO100-03 protocols, encompassing adult Phase 1 through Phase 2 studies and a pediatric Phase 1 and Phase 1b pathway pending further protocol review. In March 2025, NeOnc announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to NEO100 for pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas. These authorizations and designations do not constitute approval for commercial use.
(Press release, Neonc, OCT 16, 2026, View Source [SID1234673536])