Date: 2016-05-05
Type of information: Establishment of a new subsidiary in the EU
Company: Redhill Biopharma (Israel) Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) (USA - SC)
Investors: National Cancer Institute (NCI) (USA)
Amount: $1.8 million
Funding type: grant
Planned used: The NCI grant, awarded to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), is intended to support a research program covering a variety of solid tumor cancers, including a Phase II study with Yeliva™ (ABC294640) for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, planned to be initiated in Q3/2016 at MUSC and collaborating institutions. RedHill previously announced positive top-line results from a Phase I study with Yeliva™ in patients with advanced solid tumors. The Phase II study, planned to be initiated in the third quarter of 2016, will be conducted at MUSC and additional clinical sites and is intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yeliva™ as a second-line monotherapy in patients with advanced HCC. The study is planned to enroll up to 39 patients who have experienced tumor progression following treatment with first-line single-agent sorafenib (Nexavar®). Carolyn D. Britten, MD, Director of Hematology/Oncology Division in the Department of Medicine at MUSC and Associate Director for Clinical Investigations at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, will act as Principal Investigator for the study.
Others: * On May 5, 2016, RedHill Biopharma announced that the U.S. National Cancer Institute has awarded the Medical University of South Carolina a $1.8 million grant to support a broad range of studies on the feasibility of targeting sphingolipid metabolism for the treatment of a variety of solid tumor cancers. One component of the studies includes a planned Phase II study with Yeliva™ (ABC294640) for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Yeliva™ is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor. The Phase II study, planned to be initiated in the third quarter of 2016, will be conducted at MUSC and additional clinical sites and is intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yeliva™ as a second-line monotherapy in patients with advanced HCC. The NCI grant covers a five-year period. The Phase II HCC study will be further supported by additional funding from RedHill, which acquired the exclusive worldwide rights to Yeliva™ from Apogee Biotechnology .
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
