MELBOURNE, Australia and ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:TLX) has today announced that Telix and AusHealth have entered into a collaboration and technology licensing agreement for a novel Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR) platform called APOMAB®1 intended for the treatment of ovarian and lung cancers.
The research behind the APOMAB technology was led by Professor Michael Brown at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) with support from AusHealth Research, a division of AusHealth. The APOMAB technology uses antibodies to deliver radiation to cancer cells that express the La/SSB protein, which is present on the surface of certain types of cancer cells. The partnership will fund a first in-human clinical trial using APOMAB technology to evaluate targeted radiation delivery in cancer patients at the RAH. APOMAB has the potential to be used for multiple cancer indications, with lung and ovarian cancers the initial focus.
AusHealth will lead the clinical activity at the RAH with the planned clinical trial to test the suitability of APOMAB to deliver targeted radiation, subject to ethics and regulatory approvals. Telix and AusHealth will each invest $300,000 to fund the clinical proof of concept. Subject to successful clinical and commercial development of the technology, Telix will pay AusHealth approximately AUD $30m in future milestone and royalty payments.
Telix CEO Dr. Christian Behrenbruch said, “Targeted radiation has tremendous therapeutic efficacy in many different types of cancer. The APOMAB approach may enable the use of this treatment modality in several new cancer indications that are not currently covered by Telix’s pipeline. We are co-investing with AusHealth to fast-track an initial clinical proof-of-concept to assess the clinical potential, as well as to understand how this technology may be used in conjunction with other radiochemistry technologies currently under development by Telix. We have a very high regard for Prof. Brown and his team and are pleased to be supporting him alongside AusHealth to bring APOMAB to the clinic.”
AusHealth Managing Director and CEO Greg Johansen added, “Telix is a fantastic partner for AusHealth through their contribution of their radiochemistry and commercial expertise. The combined capability of Telix and Professor Brown’s world-class team at RAH represents the best possible collaborative effort to bring this important technology to patients.”
In 2018 there were an estimated 12,741 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in Australia2 and in 2019 it is estimated that over 1,000 Australian women will have died from ovarian cancer.3 These cancers still have five-year survival rates as low as 20%.
1 APOMAB® is a registered trademark of AusHealth
2 https://lung-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/statistics
3 https://ovarian-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/statistics
About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Telix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of diagnostic and therapeutic products using Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR). The company is headquartered in Melbourne with international operations in Belgium, Japan and the United States. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage oncology products that address significant unmet medical need in renal, prostate and brain cancer. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com.
About AusHealth®
AusHealth is a national Profit-for-Purpose company that supports the commercialisation of innovative medical technologies, improving the health of all through three divisions: AusHealth Research, AusHealth Work and AusHealth Hospitals. All profits fund medical research and development of products and services that look to improve the future of medical practice. Since 1985, AusHealth has helped people with diabetes, joint damage, cardiovascular disease, and cancer; as well as improving burn & scar and foetal health diagnostics. Other commercial success stories by AusHealth include Mesoblast, LBT Innovations and Firefly Health. Visit www.aushealth.com.au.
Important Information
This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such an offer would be illegal. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the “US Securities Act”), or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States, unless the securities have been registered under the US Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act is available. None of the technologies or products described in this document have received a marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction.