Alethia Biotherapeutics Announces Receipt of FDA Authorization to Begin Phase 2 Development for its EMT Inhibitor, AB-16B5
MONTREAL, May 21, 2020 – Alethia Biotherapeutics announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its Phase 2 Investigational new drug (IND) application for AB-16B5, a potent inhibitor of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT).This allows the Company to initiate a multi-center trial of AB-16B5 in combination with docetaxel in previously treated subjects with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have experienced disease progression following treatment with a platinum-containing doublet treatment and an anti-PD1 or PD-L1 immune checkpoint antibody.
“We are extremely pleased to have achieved this important milestone in the development of AB-16B5 and to continue to advance the clinical development of this promising antibody” commented Yves Cornellier, President and CEO of Alethia. “EMT is a central enabler for solid tumor progression because it triggers metastatic invasion, resistance to several classes of anti-cancer drugs and contributes to immune evasion. There is also increasing evidence that EMT contributes to resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. AB-16B5 may play an important role in overcoming these problems”, added Dr. Mario Filion, Chief Scientific Officer.