Faron Provides Update at R&D Day

RNS Number : 0477B

Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy

14 June 2016

 

Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd

("Faron" or the "Company")

Faron Provides Update at R&D Day

TURKU - FINLAND 14 June 2016 - Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd (LON: FARN), the clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today presents an update on the Company's pipeline activities around Traumakine® and its novel cancer immunotherapy drug candidate Clevegen® at its R&D Day in London. On 26 May 2016 the Board of Directors announced that the development strategy for Clevegen has been expanded to open up new application opportunities in conditions where removal of suppression of local or systemic immunity is desirable. The Company has introduced two additional technology platforms related to Tumour Immunity Enabling Technology, or TIET to cover new development areas, chronic infections and inefficient vaccination.

The following updates are being presented at the R&D Day:

Clevegen:

• An introduction of Chronic Infection Removal Therapy, CIRT, which would allow combat against bacteria, when they use M2 macrophages to hide host immune system
• An introduction of Vaccination Response Enhancement Technology, VRET to use Clevegen as an adjuvant in vaccination protocols
• A potential key target group for TIET program, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients

Traumakine:

• Faron is currently preparing plans for US safety trial as requested by FDA
• Confirmation that Faron plans to file Traumakine CTA in H2 2016 to the Finnish Medicines Agency (FIMEA) for clinical trial INFORAA on patients suffering from Rupture of Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm and operated surgically.

The updated Faron pipeline as of 14 June, 2016 can be found on the Company website: http://www.faronpharmaceuticals.com/pipeline

Dr. Markku Jalkanen, CEO of Faron, said: "We have clear plans to advance our exciting pipeline over the next two to three years and maintain focus on our most advanced projects Traumakine and Clevegen, which represent tremendous expansion potential into new indications and territories. Our Board fully recognise the potential of Clevegen towards several non-tumoural indications. Our scientific collaborators are already exploring these new CIRT and VRET technologies in order to provide pre-clinical data for our clinical plans. As stated on our TIET RNS on 26 May 2016, Faron plan to intensify commercial efforts around these three exciting technologies and make them available for interested licensing partners while at the same time focusing on our own development as well."

"Tumour Immunity Enabling Technology", or TIET, can be used alone or in combination with other immune checkpoint molecules for the treatment of cancer patients. The Directors also believe that Clevegen's ability to convert M2 macrophages to M1 macrophages could provide additional applications to control immune suppression causing inadequate immune response. These are related to many chronic infections and inefficient vaccination due to low adjuvant effect. Faron will now introduce two additional technology platforms to cover these exciting development areas and starts to promote their development and use worldwide.

Presentations are available for viewing on Faron's Company website: http://www.faronpharmaceuticals.com/investor-relations/events

For more information, please contact:

Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy

Katja Wallenlind

Phone [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Hume Brophy, PR

Mary Clark, Eva Haas, Hollie Vile

Phone: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP, Nominated Adviser

Emma Earl, Tony Rawlinson and Rebecca Anderson

Phone: [phone]

Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited, Joint Broker

Freddy Crossley, Duncan Monteith (Corporate Finance)

Tom Salvesen (Corporate Broking)

Phone: [phone]

Whitman Howard Limited, Nominated Broker

Ranald McGregor-Smith, Francis North

Phone: [phone]

About Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Faron is a drug discovery and development company focused on creating novel treatments for medical conditions with significant unmet needs. The Company is based in Turku, Finland. The Company currently has a pipeline of clinical stage products focusing on acute organ traumas, cancer immunotherapy and vascular damage. The Company's lead candidate Traumakine®, has been developed to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome ("ARDS"), a rare, severe, life threatening medical condition characterised by widespread inflammation in the lungs. Traumakine® is now in a pan-European pivotal Phase III study (INTEREST). Besides Traumakine®, Faron's pipeline consists of early stage assets including a pre-clinical anti-Clever-1 antibody named Clevegen. Clevegen is focused on converting the immune environment around a tumour from being immune suppressive to immune stimulating and represents a novel immuno-oncology approach called TIET (Tumour Immunity Enabling Technology). Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is listed on AIM under the ticker 'FARN'. Further information is available at www.faronpharmaceuticals.com

About Tumor Immunity Enabling Technology (TIET) 

The TIET technology is built around the humanised anti-Clever-1 antibody FP-1305, which binds to a specific Clever-1 proprietary epitope. Clevegen® binding to this epitope activates conversion of type 2 tumour associated macrophages to type 1 macrophages, resulting in the transformation of the tumour environment from immune suppression to immune activation. As the TIET technology is based on a humanised antibody, the Faron Directors believe it can be combined with a number of other immune therapies without a significant risk of increased adverse events. The TIET technology could provide a significant boost for the efficacy of other immune checkpoint molecules, as its target is unique and represents a completely separate control of immunity.

 

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