HIV-1 protease

Study done in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering and led by Dr. Winston Wong, Head and Neck Oncologist and Dr. Alan Ho, Chief of the Head and Neck Oncology Service IIT will evaluate eseba-vec in patients who are HPV16+ after treatment for curative intent Potential to expand the eseba-vec HNSCC opportunity into adjuvant care Initial safety and efficacy data from IIT expected in 2026 NEW YORK and VIENNA, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK) (”HOOKIPA” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next generation immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer and serious infectious diseases, today announced that researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have dosed the first patients in an investigator initiated trial (IIT) of eseba-vec, HOOKIPA’s human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16+)-targeted investigational immunotherapeutic agent, in patients with minimal residual disease positive (MRD+) HPV-driven head and neck cancer. “Based on the positive Phase 2 data generated to date in recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC, we believe eseba-vec has broad potential across HPV16+ cancers. We are enthusiastic to explore the potential of eseba-vec as an adjuvant treatment for patients with locally advanced HNSCC and continue our collaboration with Drs. Wong and Ho and the team at MSKCC,” said Mark Winderlich, PhD, Chief Research and Development Officer at HOOKIPA. “We believe eseba-vec can help address unmet needs within the adjuvant setting and pave the way for us to help more patients with HNSCC.” Malte Peters, Chief Executive Officer of HOOKIPA added, “Eseba-vec was well tolerated and has demonstrated compelling efficacy in combination with pembrolizumab in HPV+ (R/M) HNSCC. We look forward to building on these promising findings with the expansion into adjuvant care. Our eseba-vec clinical development program in HNSCC continues to advance and we are on track to initiate our pivotal AVALON-1 Phase 2/3 study in the front-line setting for patients with HPV16+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in the fourth quarter of 2024. We expect initial safety and efficacy data from the IIT in 2026.” Winston Wong, MD, commented, “Targeted immunotherapeutic agents can play an important role in the care of patients with HPV16+ HSNCC. I am encouraged by the potential for eseba-vec in this setting based on promising Phase 2 combination data with pembrolizumab in the first line setting presented at this year’s American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting showing rapid and durable activation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and promising clinical response rates, especially in the CPS 20 or higher subgroup. Patients who are HPV16+ after receiving standard of care treatment for curative intent may also benefit from an immunotherapy treatment and we are currently testing whether eseba-vec may be a new, effective adjuvant treatment option.” The Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (NCT06373380) will evaluate the use of eseba-vec in patients with minimal residual disease positive (MRD+) HPV-driven head and neck cancer. The primary endpoint of the study is disease-free survival. Secondary endpoints include an assessment of safety and tolerability. The study is expected to enroll approximately 50 patients. About eseba-vecEseba-vec (also known as HB-200) is an investigational immunotherapeutic agent being evaluated for HPV16 positive cancers. The first indication for eseba-vec is for the potential treatment of patients with HPV16+ recurrent/metastatic oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (R/M OPSCC) with a PDL1 CPS of 20 or higher, in combination with pembrolizumab, in the first line (1L) setting. Eseba-vec has received Fast Track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and PRIME designation from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of 1L HPV16+ OPSCC. Eseba-vec was developed using HOOKIPA’s proprietary arenavirus platform. About HOOKIPAHOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next generation immunotherapeutics based on its proprietary arenavirus platform. The company’s product candidates are designed to induce specific, robust and durable CD8+ T cells and antibodies to eliminate cancers and serious infectious diseases. HOOKIPA’s pipeline includes biological therapies for oncology, targeting human papillomavirus type 16-positive (HPV16+) cancers, KRAS mutated cancers, and other targets. In addition, HOOKIPA has partnered with Gilead to develop therapies that are intended to provide functional cures for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). Find out more about HOOKIPA online at www.hookipapharma.com. Forward Looking StatementsCertain statements set forth in this press release constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “expects”, “plans”, “potential”, “will”, “would” or similar expressions and the negative of those terms. Forward-looking statements in this press release include HOOKIPA’s statements regarding the potential of its product candidates to improve the care of the patients it seeks to treat, HOOKIPA’s plans, strategies, expectations and anticipated milestones for its preclinical and clinical programs, including the timing of initiating clinical trials and patient enrollment, the availability and timing of results from preclinical studies and clinical trials and the expected safety profile of HOOKIPA’s product candidates. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause HOOKIPA’s research and clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the drug development process, including HOOKIPA’s programs’ early stage of development, the process of designing and conducting preclinical and clinical trials, plans and timelines for the preclinical and clinical development of its product candidates, including the therapeutic potential, clinical benefits and safety thereof, expectations regarding timing, success and data announcements of current ongoing preclinical and clinical trials, the ability to initiate new clinical programs, the risk that the results of current preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with current or future preclinical and clinical trials, including those for eseba-vec, HB-700, HB-400 and HB-500, the regulatory approval processes, the timing of regulatory filings, the challenges associated with manufacturing drug products, HOOKIPA’s ability to successfully establish, protect and defend its intellectual property, and HOOKIPA’s ability to continue as a going concern and other matters that could affect the sufficiency of existing cash to fund operations. HOOKIPA undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company in general, see HOOKIPA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in HOOKIPA’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the SEC’s website at https://sec.gov and HOOKIPA’s website at www.hookipapharma.com. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and HOOKIPA undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law. Availability of Other Information About HOOKIPAInvestors and others should note that we announce material financial information to our investors using our investor relations website, www.ir.hookipapharma.com, SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels, as well as social media, to communicate with our investors and the public about our company, and other issues. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in our company to review the information we post on the social media channels listed on our investor relations website. For further information, please contact: Investors Chuck PadalaChuck@LifeSciAdvisors.com

GSK’s ViiV Healthcare has suspended development of a Phase 2-stage HIV antiviral named VH3739937, a GSK spokesperson confirmed to Endpoints News on Tuesday. The halt was prompted by “preliminary findings in a preclinical study of a similar maturation inhibitor,” according to an update to a federal trials database where the suspension was noted earlier. The update didn’t identify the name of the “similar” drug. The decision to suspend development of VH3739937 was made “since it does not satisfy our target product profiles (TPPs) for clinic-administered ultra long-acting or self-administered long-acting HIV treatment,” GSK’s spokesperson said in an email. A Phase 1 trial of the drug was also halted. The placebo-controlled trial was expected to have data in the second half of this year, according to a GSK quarterly update from July. GSK is the majority owner of ViiV, which says it has 17 prescription HIV medicines. Pfizer and Shionogi also partly own ViiV. The experimental drug belongs to a class of treatments called maturation inhibitors, which prevent HIV from maturing and impacting additional cells. While many people are able to control HIV with one pill a day , there are drug-resistant strains , and multiple drugmakers are working on new antivirals to address the issue. The maturation inhibitor has an oral half-life that could potentially allow for once-weekly dosing, according to an article published in Viruses last month. The authors said the experimental medicine is “structurally similar” to GSK3640254 — an HIV maturation inhibitor that GSK culled in early 2023 after it had been through Phase 2 . GSK had four other Phase 2 HIV assets at the time of its second-quarter presentation, including two capsid protein inhibitors , an integrase inhibitor and a broadly neutralizing antibody .

Company appoints Mike Varney, Ph.D. and Kerry Blanchard, M.D., Ph.D. as founding SAB members SAN DIEGO and SHANGHAI, Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Adcentrx Therapeutics ("Adcentrx"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on accelerating breakthroughs in developing protein conjugate therapeutics for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, today announces the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support the advancement of its innovative Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) technology platform and pipeline, including ADRX-0706, a Nectin-4 targeting ADC therapeutic currently being evaluated in a Phase 1a/b clinical trial. Continue Reading The inaugural SAB will work closely with Adcentrx's executive team to provide strategic guidance and expert insights to advance its mission of creating the best therapies to treat serious and life-threatening diseases. Formation of SAB with founding members Dr. Varney and Dr. Blanchard represents significant advancement for Adcentrx. Post this "The establishment of our SAB represents a significant advancement for Adcentrx as we progress our ADC portfolio," said Hui Li, Ph.D., President and CEO of Adcentrx. "We are privileged to welcome these exceptional scientific leaders to the Adcentrx team, and their combined expertise and guidance will be instrumental in shaping our future research and clinical development." The Founding Members of the Adcentrx SAB are: Mike Varney, Ph.D. Dr. Varney brings extensive experience in drug discovery and development, having served as Executive Vice President, Head of Genentech Research and Early Development, where he was responsible for all research activities. During his tenure at Genentech, he oversaw the discovery and development of multiple innovative therapies, including the approved cancer treatments Erivedge® and Cotellic®. Earlier in his career, Dr. Varney pioneered the use of protein-structure based drug design at Agouron Pharmaceuticals. This innovative approach led to the discovery and market approval of HIV protease inhibitor, Viracept®. After Agouron's acquisition by Warner Lambert and subsequently by Pfizer, he served as Vice President of Drug Discovery at Pfizer Global Research & Development, leading research initiatives across oncology, virology, diabetes, and ophthalmology at the La Jolla site. Dr. Varney holds a Ph.D. in Organic Synthesis from the California Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Columbia University. Kerry Blanchard, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Blanchard has been a drug hunter and entrepreneur for more than four decades in the US and Asia. He is currently cofounder, Chairman, and CEO of Perpetual Medicines, a peptide therapeutics/computational AI platform company. Previously, he was the CEO of Everest Medicines, Chief Science Officer at Innovent Biologics, Senior Vice President of Lilly China Drug Development and External Innovation, and a senior executive at Eli Lilly and Company. He was a member of the board for Lilly China and Zymeworks Inc., and was the co-chairman of the Lilly Asia Ventures Investment Committee. Prior to joining Lilly in 2000, he was a tenured Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, LA. Dr. Blanchard has brought four medicines to the market from his own research including Verzenio®, a CDK 4/6 inhibitor, and, his development teams in China have had more than 30 approved medicines in Asia including Trodelvy®, Trulicity®, Byetta®, Forteo®, and Tyvyt®. At Innovent and Everest, Dr. Blanchard successfully raised over $2 billion to support and expand their pipelines. His track record in accelerating clinical development and navigating regulatory landscapes will significantly enhance Adcentrx's strategic initiatives and global expansion. Dr. Blanchard received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Indiana University and completed his residency and fellowships at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School. About Adcentrx Therapeutics Adcentrx is a biotechnology company focused on accelerating breakthroughs in protein conjugate therapeutic development for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Adcentrx has pioneered the development of i-Conjugation™, an ADC technology platform addressing key components of protein conjugate design to solve challenges typically seen in ADCs. In addition to ADRX-0706, Adcentrx is developing a robust pipeline of ADCs with first-in-class potential. For more information about Adcentrx and its innovative ADC technologies, please visit . Contact Information: Investor Relations [email protected] SOURCE Adcentrx Therapeutics