On January 6, 2017 RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:RDHL) (TASE:RDHL) ("RedHill" or the "Company"), a specialty biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development and commercialization of late clinical-stage, proprietary, orally-administered, small molecule drugs for gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases and cancer, reported the presentation of an abstract relating to YELIVA, the Company’s proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor, at the 2017 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference, on February 2, 2017, in Salt Lake City, UT (Press release, RedHill Biopharma, JAN 6, 2017, View Source [SID1234517295]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The abstract, entitled ‘Targeting Sphingosine Kinase-2 for the Treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA)’1, was authored by scientists from the Mayo Clinic, Apogee Biotechnology Corp. (Apogee), the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and RedHill. It will be presented by one of its authors, Dr. Lewis R. Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Mayo Clinic and the External Co-Chair of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Cholangiocarcinoma Project of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The authors of the abstract assessed the effects of YELIVA on cholangiocarcinoma cells in culture and in patients in the Phase I clinical study with YELIVA, concluding that the findings from these studies suggest that YELIVA may be an effective drug for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) is a highly lethal malignancy for which there is a need for more effective systemic treatments. Surgery with complete resection remains the only curative therapy for cholangiocarcinoma, however only a minority of patients are classified as having a resectable tumor at the time of diagnosis2.

RedHill announced in June 2016 that the final results from the Phase I study with YELIVA in patients with advanced solid tumors confirmed that the study, conducted at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, successfully met its primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating that the drug is well-tolerated and can be safely administered to cancer patients at doses that provide circulating drug levels that are predicted to have therapeutic activity.

Of the three patients with cholangiocarcinoma in the Phase I study, one subject achieved a sustained partial response (Overall Survival (OS) = 20.3 months) and the other two subjects had stable disease (OS = 17.6 and 16.3 months).

YELIVA is a Phase II-stage, proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor with anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities, targeting multiple oncology, inflammatory and gastrointestinal indications. By inhibiting the SK2 enzyme, YELIVA blocks the synthesis of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a lipid signaling molecule that promotes cancer growth and pathological inflammation.

A Phase II study with YELIVA for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was initiated at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The study is supported by a $1.8 million grant from the NCI, awarded to MUSC, which is intended to fund a broad range of studies on the feasibility of targeting sphingolipid metabolism for the treatment of a variety of solid tumor cancers, with additional support from RedHill.

A Phase Ib/II study with YELIVA for the treatment of refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma was initiated at Duke University Medical Center. The study is supported by a $2 million grant from the NCI Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) awarded to Apogee, in conjunction with Duke University, with additional support from RedHill.

A Phase I/II clinical study evaluating YELIVA in patients with refractory/relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was initiated in June 2015 at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and was recently amended to address overall recruitment prospects. The study will now also include Kaposi sarcoma patients. The study is supported by a grant from the NCI awarded to Apogee, with additional support from RedHill.

A Phase Ib study to evaluate YELIVA as a radioprotectant for prevention of mucositis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing therapeutic radiotherapy is planned to be initiated in the first half of 2017.

Additional Phase I/II studies with YELIVA for other indications are in various stages of preparation.

About YELIVA (ABC294640):

YELIVA (ABC294640) is a Phase II-stage, proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered, sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. RedHill is pursuing with YELIVA multiple clinical programs in oncology, inflammatory and gastrointestinal indications. By inhibiting the SK2 enzyme, YELIVA blocks the synthesis of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a lipid signaling molecule that promotes cancer growth and pathological inflammation. SK2 is an innovative molecular target for anticancer therapy because of its critical role in catalyzing the formation of S1P, which is known to regulate cell proliferation and activation of inflammatory pathways. YELIVA was originally developed by U.S.-based Apogee Biotechnology Corp. and completed multiple successful pre-clinical studies in oncology, inflammation, GI and radioprotection models, as well as the ABC-101 Phase I clinical study in cancer patients with advanced solid tumors. The Phase I study included the first-ever longitudinal analysis of plasma S1P levels as a potential pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarker for activity of a sphingolipid-targeted drug. The administration of YELIVA resulted in a rapid and pronounced decrease in S1P levels, with several patients having prolonged stabilization of disease. The development of YELIVA was funded to date primarily by grants and contracts from U.S. federal and state government agencies awarded to Apogee Biotechnology Corp., including the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the U.S. Department of Defense and the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development.