13 Jul 2021 17:02
Evgen Pharma plc
("Evgen" or the "Company")
Result of AGM and Business Update
Evgen Pharma plc (AIM: EVG), a clinical stage drug development company developing sulforaphane based medicines for the treatment of multiple diseases, is pleased to provide a business update following today's Annual General Meeting, at which all resolutions were duly passed.
The AGM voting results will be available on the Company's website later today: https://evgen.com/investors/shareholder-information/
During the last few months we have made significant progress in our glioblastoma ('GBM') development programme, building on exciting initial data from the University L'Aquila which demonstrated tumour shrinkage and significantly extended survival times in in vivo models of GBM. Further work at The University of Auckland and with a Clinical Research Organisation has substantiated and expanded upon important elements of these data, and we are well-advanced in generating a pre-clinical data package that would justify moving into a Phase II clinical trial. We currently project such a trial commencing in the first half of 2022. In parallel with this activity, we have applied for Orphan Drug status for SFX-01 in GBM from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and we are compiling an Investigational New Drug application to be submitted to the FDA later this year.
As announced earlier today, we are pleased to report preliminary in vitro data showing the significant reduction of cell proliferation and increased apoptosis (cell death) of Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia stem cells in the presence of SFX-01, compared to normal controls. The study also showed that SFX-01 significantly impacted cell proliferation and increased cytotoxicity in GDM-1 cells, an Acute Myelomonocytic Leukaemia cell line. The data were generated by Dr Eleni Louka and Professor Adam Mead of the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford University. We are investigating options for building on this data with potential scientific partners.
Whilst we were disappointed with the outcome of the STAR trial (SFX-01 in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome patients) we would emphasise that this was an opportunistic trial funded almost entirely by third parties. Analysis of the unblinded data from the trial will generate substantial bioanalytical insight from the treated patients, which will be valuable to our further development programmes.
Last month we were pleased to report that our collaborators at the Manchester Breast Centre, the University of Manchester, are conducting further in vitro preclinical work to assess the impact of SFX‐01 in CDK4/6 resistance models. An increasing body of data from there shows that in these models SFX‐01 may suppress tumour growth and metastasis in patients who have become resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors (palbociclib, Ibrance, Pfizer). In particular, SFX‐01 reduced the viability and mammosphere colony formation ability of palbociclib‐resistant cells in vitro.
In summary, the Company is well funded to execute pre-clinical and/or clinical programmes in oncology and looks forward to updating the market on these programmes in due course.
An updated presentation on the Company is available on at: https://evgen.com/investors/shareholder-information/ under 'Latest AGM Presentation'.
Enquiries:
Evgen Pharma plc www.evgen.com | via Walbrook | |
Dr Huw Jones, CEO | ||
Richard Moulson, CFO | ||
finnCap www.finncap.com | +44 (0)20 7220 0500 | |
Geoff Nash / Teddy Whiley (Corporate Finance) | ||
Alice Lane (ECM) | ||
Walbrook PR | +44 (0)20 7933 87870 or evgen@walbrookpr.com | |
Anna Dunphy / Paul McManus | +44 (0)7876 741 001 / +44 (0)7980 541 893 | |
About Evgen Pharma plc
Evgen Pharma is a clinical stage drug development company developing sulforaphane based medicines for the treatment of multiple diseases. The Company's core technology is Sulforadex®, a method for synthesising and stabilising the naturally occurring compound sulforaphane and novel proprietary analogues based on sulforaphane. The lead product, SFX-01, is a patented composition of synthetic sulforaphane and alpha-cyclodextrin.
Clinical data from the Company's open-label Phase II STEM trial has shown that SFX-01 can halt the growth of progressing tumours in patients with oestrogen-positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer, and in some cases significantly shrink the tumour, whilst causing very few side effects.
The has its headquarters at Alderley Park, Cheshire, and its registered office is at the Liverpool Science Park, Liverpool. It is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol EVG.
For further information, please visit: www.evgen.com
For research on the Company, please visit: http://evgen.com/investors/analyst-coverage/