TSX Venture:
QPT
EDMONTON, AB, Nov. 9, 2020 /CNW/ - Quest PharmaTech Inc.
(TSXV: QPT) announces that OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Seoul, South Korea (078590.KQ)
("OQP") has begun dosing patients in the USA for the Phase 3 clinical trial of its
immunotherapeutic drug candidate oregovomab. This global pivotal
trial is expected to enroll 602 patients from 140 clinical sites in
17 countries.
The Phase 3 clinical trial called FLORA-5/GOG-3035, is
a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study
to compare the safety and efficacy of oregovomab versus placebo
when administered in combination with specific cycles of a standard
six-cycle chemotherapy regimen (paclitaxel and carboplatin) for the
treatment of newly diagnosed patients with advanced epithelial
ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal carcinoma, in conjunction
with optimal debulking surgical resection. The primary and
secondary endpoints, for both the adjuvant and neoadjuvant cohorts
of this trial, are progression free survival and overall survival,
respectively.
The FLORA-5 trial is being conducted in collaboration with the
Gynecologic Oncology Group Foundation in the US and IQVIA (a
clinical research organization). Greater
China area clinical trials are conducted in collaboration
with OncoVent, a Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceuticals Group Company in
China, which is also the
commercialization license holder of oregovomab for China. "OncoVent is glad to enter into a
Clinical Trial Collaboration Agreement with OncoQuest
Pharmaceuticals and participate in this global Phase 3 clinical
trial" said Dr. Yuenian Eric Shi,
CEO of OncoVent.
Information on the clinical trial can be found on
www.clinicaltrials.gov with the identifier: NCT04498117.
OQP also announces the appointment of Dr. Sunil Gupta as Chief Medical Officer. Dr.
Gupta, MBBS, FRCPC has over 30 years of senior leadership
experience in clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs
focussed on oncology drug development.
Prior to joining OQP, Dr. Gupta was with Agenus Inc. for 2 years
as Vice President of Regulatory and Pharmacovigilance. Prior
to joining Agenus, Dr. Gupta was with Sanofi and legacy company
Rhone-Poulenc Rorer for 22 years. Dr. Gupta has led several
clinical trial programs in oncology that led to regulatory
approvals with FDA, EMA and other agencies worldwide during his
pharmaceutical industry career. In a leadership role he has
secured registration of 2 molecules, Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) for
colorectal cancer and Jevtana (cabozitaxel) for advanced prostate
cancer, with successful FDA, EMA, and other health agency
interactions worldwide. Dr. Gupta obtained his medical
education in India followed by an
internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship at the
Ottawa University Hospitals, Ottawa,
Canada. He completed an additional year of advanced
fellowship at the Indiana University Purdue
University Medical Center at Indianapolis.
"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Gupta to our clinical development
team and to have started the Phase 3 trial" said Dr. Madi
Madiyalakan, Chairman of OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and CEO of
Quest PharmaTech Inc. "We are grateful to so many individuals who
have helped us get to this milestone, including Dr. Eliel Bayever, our former Chief Medical Officer
who recently left OQP to pursue other opportunities".
A summary of the company's work to date on Ovarian Cancer can be
found at www.oncoquestinc.com
About Oregovomab.
Oregovomab is a murine IgG monoclonal antibody against CA 125.
Indirect immunization with oregovomab interacts with immune
modulating properties of infused paclitaxel and carboplatin
resulting in synergistic clinical benefit as observed in a recently
completed randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of 97 patients. In this
Phase 2 clinical trial, treatment with oregovomab demonstrated a
highly clinically significant outcome for both progression-free
survival and overall survival favoring the addition of oregovomab
to a standard of care chemotherapy combination of paclitaxel and
carboplatin. The risk of progression and of death was reduced by
more than 50% when compared to placebo, and safety data showed that
oregovomab did not add incremental toxicity to the chemotherapy
regimen. Clinical and translational results were published in
Gynecology Oncology 2020 156:523-529) and Cancer
Immunology and Immunotherapy 2020 69: 383-397,
respectively.
About OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (078590.KQ)
OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Korean biopharmaceutical
company focused on the development and commercialization of
immunotherapies for cancer. OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals' technology
platform includes a portfolio of tumor antigen specific monoclonal
immunoglobulins targeting CA-125, MUC1, PSA and Her2/neu. This
technology platform was recently acquired from OncoQuest Inc., a
private Canadian biotechnology company, 45% owned by Quest
PharmaTech Inc., a publicly traded company on the TSX Venture
Exchange (TSX.-V:QPT). OQP is exploring the therapeutic potential
of these antibodies as indirect immunizers in combination with
other immune modulating drugs or drug combinations to address unmet
medical needs in oncology.
OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals' lead product candidate is oregovomab,
an anti-CA-125 antibody, for the treatment of ovarian cancer. In
addition to the ongoing Phase 3 trial in front line ovarian cancer,
this drug candidate is currently being studied in multiple Phase 2
clinical trials in the relapsed recurrent ovarian cancer setting.
OQP's anti-MUC1 antibody program has completed a Phase 1 clinical
trial in breast cancer patients, and its development is being led
by OncoVent Co. Ltd., a joint venture with Shenzhen Hepalink
Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals' next-generation
monoclonal antibodies are based on immunoglobulin E technology
licensed from UCLA, Stanford University and Advanced Immune
Therapeutics, Inc. These antigen specific monoclonal IgE antibodies
are currently in preclinical development.
About Quest PharmaTech Inc.
Quest PharmaTech Inc is a
publicly traded, Canadian based biopharmaceutical company (QPT:
TSX-V) developing products to improve the quality of life. The
company has a 45% ownership interest in OncoQuest Inc. which
recently sold its immunotherapy technology to OncoQuest
Pharmaceuticals. Once the sale is finalized, Quest will have an ownership position in OncoQuest
Pharmaceuticals (further details regarding the sale can be found in
Quest's June 4,
2020 corporate update news release). Quest also has an ownership interest in OncoVent, a
Chinese joint venture developing antibody-based immunotherapeutic
products for cancer for the Greater
China territory. Quest has an
ownership interest in Bioceltran which is focused on SP Technology™
for transdermal delivery of drugs and photosensitizers for
pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Quest is also developing the mutant EGF technology
licensed from Stanford University for
chronic wound healing applications. Quest, through its ownership interest in OncoCare
Therapeutics, is developing an antibody licensed from University of Nebraska, AR 9.6 mAb against
truncated O-glycan on MUC16, for targeted cancer therapy
applications. To learn more, visit
www.questpharmatech.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release
includes forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking
statements can be identified by terminology such as "may,"
"should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates,"
"intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar
expressions. These statements are based on management's
expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release
and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of
which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to
differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from
those set forth or implied by any forward-looking
statements. The information in this release is provided only
as of the date of this release and the company undertakes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in
this release based on new information, future events, or otherwise,
except as required by law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Quest PharmaTech Inc.
