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Tiziana Life Sciences announces collaboration with Parexel Biotech to conduct phase 1b/2 clinical trial in patients with Crohn's DiseaseFirst Ever Study with take-home capsules of Foralumab, a Fully Human Anti-CD3 Monoclonal Antibody
Phase1b/2 clinical study to be conducted in the United States and several European countries NEW YORK and LONDON, Nov. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiziana Life Sciences plc (Nasdaq: TLSA; AIM: TILS) (“Tiziana” or the “Company”), a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapeutics for oncology, inflammation and infectious diseases, today announced it is collaborating with Parexel Biotech (“Parexel”), a division of a leading global clinical research organization (“CRO”), Parexel International (IRL) Limited, to conduct a global Phase 1b/2 trial with enteric-coated capsules of formulated Foralumab, the only fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (“mAb”) - as a therapy for patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease ("CD"). This clinical study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and clinical activity of escalating doses of orally administered capsules of Foralumab. The trial is a dose-ranging, open-label study that will enroll 60 patients in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Howard L. Weiner, chairman of the scientific advisory board of Tiziana Life Sciences, commented: “Recently, we also successfully demonstrated that nasally administered Foralumab is not only well-tolerated, but also produced desirable immunological responses. Oral and nasal administration routes are both physiologic approaches to stimulate the mucosal immune system to induce disease modifying benefits.” The CD therapeutic market size will be worth $4.7 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research1. CD is a chronic disorder of the immune system that causes inflammation throughout the digestive tract. Although the specific causes of CD are still not clearly understood, severe gut inflammation caused by an overactive immune system attacking the intestines, colon and other organs appears to contribute to disease pathology. Thus, immunosuppressive agents and anti-TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor) immunotherapies represent the main therapeutic options to maintain remission in CD. However, severe toxicities and poor patient compliance limit the long-term use for intravenous immunotherapies. Oral administration with take-home capsules of Foralumab is a very attractive approach as it may provide local action to treat gut inflammation in patient with CD. Additionally, oral capsules provide the convenience of home use, and increase patient compliance by eliminating the need for infusions in a clinic or hospital setting. “The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease is rising globally, imposing a significant burden both on patients as well as healthcare systems worldwide,” said Sy Pretorius, MD, Parexel Executive Vice President and Chief Medical & Scientific Officer. “We’re excited to be collaborating with Tiziana to support the development of a novel, oral therapy that could provide Crohn’s patients with another option in their repertoire of treatments to combat this devastating disease.” Recently, Tiziana announced positive results from its Phase 1 study showing that oral treatment with Foralumab was well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, with no drug-related safety issues even at the highest dose of 5 mg2. Oral administration of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody is a novel approach to induce an anti-inflammatory immune response to suppress inflammation by inducing T regulatory (Tregs) cells in animal studies3,4. Importantly, oral treatment with OKT3, a mouse anti-CD3 mAb, showed clinical responses which were reversed following discontinuation of treatment, suggesting oral treatment with OKT3 may have potential for treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis5. Dr. Shailubhai, CEO & CSO of Tiziana Life Sciences, commented: This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014. The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Dr Kunwar Shailubhai, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of the Company. Cited References: 1. Grand View Research August 2018 (https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-crohns-disease-therapeutics-market). 2. Tiziana Life Sciences January 9, 2020 Press Release (https://ir.tizianalifesciences.com/news-releases/news-release-details/tiziana-life-sci-plc-further-re-foralumab-phase-1-trial) 3. da Cunha, A. P., and Weiner, H. L. (2012) Induction of immunological tolerance by oral anti-CD3. Clin Dev Immunol 2012, 425021 4. Ogura, M., Deng, S., Preston-Hurlburt, P., Ogura, H., Shailubhai, K., Kuhn, C., Weiner, H. L., and Herold, K. C. (2017) Oral treatment with foralumab, a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, prevents skin xenograft rejection in humanized mice. Clin Immunol 183, 240-246 5. Boden, E. K., Canavan, J. B., Moran, C. J., McCann, K., Dunn, W. A., Farraye, F. A., Ananthakrishnan, A. N., Yajnik, V., Gandhi, R., Nguyen, D. D., Bhan, A. K., Weiner, H. L., Korzenik, J. R., and Snapper, S. B. (2019) Immunologic Alterations Associated With Oral Delivery of Anti-CD3 (OKT3) Monoclonal Antibodies in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn's & Colitis 360, Volume 1, Issue 2, July 2019, otz009 About Foralumab About Tiziana Life Sciences About Parexel Parexel is focused on supporting the development of innovative therapies to improve patient health. During the COVID-19 crisis, we continue to be committed to our customers’ business while putting the safety of patients, client partners and our employees at the heart of everything we do. To learn more about our efforts related to COVID-19, as well as the experts, innovations and processes we have in place to navigate the rapidly changing landscape, visit us at website and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Forward-Looking Statements For further enquiries: United Kingdom Investors:
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