Kitov Pharmaceuticals Announces Receipt of FDA's Favorable Response to NT219's pre-IND Meeting Package

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kitov Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KTOV; TASE: KTOV), an innovative biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) response to the NT219's pre-IND meeting package.  FDA has agreed to the proposed Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), preclinical, and clinical development plans for NT219. For the clinical development plan, the FDA agreed with TyrNovo's proposed development plan to test NT219 in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. The FDA further agreed that the initial clinical trial with NT219 will be a Phase I/II clinical trial, and that "the overall design of proposed first-in-human trial appears reasonable". The FDA further agreed that one-month animal toxicology studies for NT219 would be sufficient to support the IND and that no toxicology studies of NT219 together with gemcitabine would be necessary.

"We are very pleased that FDA's Division of Oncology Products has accepted our chemistry, non-clinical, and clinical development plans for TyrNovo's cancer drug, NT219, and we are moving forward with these development plans. We appreciate FDA's helpful guidance and look forward to continuing to work with the FDA toward an IND submission, which based on our current development plans, we now expect to submit during the first half of 2019," said Dr. J. Paul Waymack, Chairman of Kitov's Board and Chief Medical Officer. 

Dr. Hadas Reuveni, TyrNovo's Founder and CTO added: "According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US and is known to be one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer types. NT219 works by overcoming drug resistance and can be combined with various oncology drugs. Our drug's efficacy was demonstrated in preclinical patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with various oncology therapies such as chemotherapy agents, EGFR Antibodies, MEK and mTOR inhibitors, and also in combination with immuno-oncology agents such as Keytruda®. We will initially be clinically testing NT219 in combination with gemcitabine on advanced pancreatic cancer patients, based on our consistent encouraging results in preclinical PDX models. Our long-term strategy is to develop NT219 in combination with other oncology drugs and for additional oncology indications in collaboration with potential strategic partners, who have expressed solid preliminary interest in NT219."

About Kitov Pharmaceuticals
Kitov Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KTOV, TASE: KTOV) is an innovative biopharmaceutical drug development company. Leveraging deep regulatory and clinical-trial expertise, Kitov's veteran team of healthcare professionals maintains a proven track record in streamlined end-to-end drug development and approval. Kitov's flagship combination drug, KIT-302, intended to treat osteoarthritis pain and hypertension simultaneously, achieved the primary efficacy endpoint for its Phase III clinical trial. Kitov's oncology drug, NT219, which is developed by its majority-owned subsidiary, TyrNovo Ltd., is a small molecule that presents a new concept in cancer therapy, and in combination with various approved oncology drugs, demonstrated potent anti-tumor effects and increased survival in various cancer models. By lowering development risk and cost through fast-track regulatory approval of novel therapeutics, Kitov plans to deliver rapid ROI and long-term potential to investors, while making a meaningful impact on people's lives. For more information on Kitov, the content of which is not part of this press release, please visit http://www.kitovpharma.com.

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For further information, contact:

Simcha Rock

Chief Financial Officer

+972-3-9333-121 ext. #105

[email protected]

Bob Yedid
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
+1-646-597-6989
[email protected]

SOURCE Kitov Pharmaceuticals