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fimaporfin, for combination treatment with gemcitabine in patients with
inoperable locally advanced or metastatic bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma).
No approved treatment alternatives exist today for the first-line treatment of
patients with this disease and fimaChem (fimaporfin) has the potential to play a
role in this area of high unmet medical need.
“The RELEASE trial has in general shown promise with good recruitment activity
in South Korea despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Receiving orphan status from the
South Korean authorities is a key step in the development of this important new
medicine for Asian cancer patients in need of better local treatments. PCI
Biotech’s fimaChem treatment is well suited for treatment of bile duct cancer,
with easy light access through routine endoscopic methods.” said Dr. Per Walday,
CEO of PCI Biotech. “Orphan designation in South Korea, in addition to the
already granted orphan designations in EU and USA, are all significant
regulatory milestones and recognises the therapeutic benefits we seek to bring
to the patients.”
Contact information:
Per Walday, CEO
pw@pcibiotech.com
Mobile: +47 917 93 429
About bile duct cancer and the fimaChem technology
The bile duct drains bile from the liver into the small intestine. Bile duct
cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) is a cancer that affects the cell lining of the bile
duct and represents a patient population with a high unmet medical need. Surgery
is the only potential curative option for these patients, but most patients are
inoperable at presentation. Inoperable patients are treated with stenting to
keep the bile duct open and with chemotherapy. Median survival of inoperable
patients is between 11 and 12 months with the current standard of care
treatment, which is a chemotherapy combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin.
Biliary tract sepsis, liver failure and/or malnutrition and cachexia due to
locoregional effects of the disease are the most important causes of death, so
there is a high need for better locoregional treatments. The locoregional anti-
cancer effect of gemcitabine is significantly enhanced by the fimaChem
technology in preclinical studies, and early clinical treatment data suggest
encouraging tumour response and survival in bile duct cancer patients.
Bile duct cancer is a rare disease with an incidence rate of 1-2 per 100,000 in
the western world. The incidence rates are increasing worldwide and are
generally higher in Asian countries. The immediate target for PCI Biotech is
first-line treatment of inoperable patients with extrahepatic disease. The
fimaChem treatment regimen consists of an intravenous injection of fimaporfin,
followed four days later by an intravenous infusion of gemcitabine and a laser
light application in the bile duct easily administered through endoscopic
methods used routinely in these patients. The patients then follow the standard
background treatment with up to 8 chemotherapy cycles of gemcitabine +
cisplatin. The fimaChem treatment may be repeated during the background
chemotherapy treatment cycles.
About PCI Biotech
PCI Biotech is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on development and
commercialisation of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer through its
innovative photochemical internalisation (PCI) technology platform. PCI is
applied to three distinct anticancer paradigms: fimaChem (enhancement of
chemotherapeutics for localised treatment of cancer), fimaVacc (T-cell induction
technology for therapeutic vaccination), and fimaNAc (nucleic acid therapeutics
delivery).
Photochemical internalisation induces triggered endosomal release that is used
to unlock the true potential of a wide array of therapeutic modalities. The
company’s lead fimaChem programme consists of a clinical Phase I/II clinical
study in bile duct cancer, an orphan indication with a high unmet need and
without approved products. fimaVacc applies a unique mode of action to enhance
the essential cytotoxic effect of therapeutic cancer vaccines, which works in
synergy with several other state-of-the-art vaccination technologies. fimaNAc
utilises the endosomal release to provide intracellular delivery of nucleic
acids, such as mRNA and RNAi therapeutics, thereby addressing one of the major
bottlenecks facing this emerging and promising field.
For further information, please visit: www.pcibiotech.com
(http://www.pcibiotech.com)
Forward-looking statements
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not
historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are
based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently
subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important
factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations
expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements.
PCI Biotech disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section
5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
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