Nanoform and PlusVitech partner to repurpose aprepitant as a treatment for lung cancer

Nanoform Finland Plc

April 9, 2024

09.00 EEST / 08.00 CEST

HELSINKI, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoform Finland Plc ("Nanoform"), the medicine performance-enhancing company, today announced a collaboration with PlusVitech, a biotechnology company developing treatments for cancer, to use Nanoform's state-of-the-art nanomedicine technology to repurpose the anti-nausea medicine aprepitant as a treatment for lung cancer. The development program will include nanoforming the current active ingredient into crystalline nanoparticles and formulating a simplified dose regimen with fewer and smaller pills. The partnership is expected to include API supply for late-stage clinical programs and eventual product launch. 

Following PlusVitech's positive first time in human studies, a Phase 2 study with 24 patients has commenced, investigating the efficacy of high dose aprepitant in a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population that is refractory to standard treatment. The current formulation carries a high pill burden of potentially dozens of capsules per day, with a complicated regimen for patients that are most often frail and have trouble swallowing (dysphagia).  The new formulation by Nanoform is designed to deliver substantially higher drug load with better bioavailability, which simplifies the dose regimen and improves patient convenience and compliance. Repurposing an existing drug offers a potentially faster, risk-reduced and cost-effective development path to provide new treatments for high medical need indications like NSCLC.

"Our mission is to employ Nanoform's leading nanotechnology to provide patients with new treatments as fast as possible and we are excited to work with PlusVitech on this promising new approach to help lung cancer patients", said Edward Hæggström, CEO of Nanoform.  "Following the recent positive results for nanoenzalutamide and nanoapalutamide, this is yet another example of the increasing number of oncology programs that our best-in-class nanomedicine approach empowers". 

"Getting this medicine into a pivotal Phase 3 trial with a dose form that's suitable for these very ill patients is vital for the PlusVitech team of highly passionate professionals", said Dr. Vicente Salinas, CEO of PlusVitech. "We are pleased to work with Nanoform to use their unique technology to enable our vision; to get a superior, IP protected new drug formulation and dosage form, to scale up our API supply for late-stage trials and to launch the product", said Fran Guillén, General Manager of PlusVitech.

Nanoform's nanocrystalline formulations enable significantly higher drug loading, allowing for smaller pills and a reduced pill burden. Its Controlled Expansion of Supercritical Solutions (CESS^®) technology uses carbon dioxide of recycled origin, and is free from organic hydrocarbons and solvents, offering an environmentally sustainable alternative.

Nanoform's technology delivers some of the world's smallest nanoparticles, at clinical and commercial scale, for multiple pharmaceutical innovator partners for new product developments, 505(b)(2) pathway projects, and differentiated generics across oral, hydrogel, ophthalmic, inhaled and injectable dose forms.  Nanoform's state of the art development and manufacturing facility is located adjacent to Helsinki University, Finland. 

For further information, please contact:

Commercial
Nanoform Finland Plc
Christian Jones, Chief Commercial Officer
[email protected]
+44 (0)7804 474 771

Investors
Nanoform Finland Plc
Henri von Haartman, Director of Investor Relations
[email protected]
+46 (0)7686 650 11

Media
Orientation Marketing
Chris Halling, Director of Communications
[email protected]
+44 (0)7580 041 073

About Nanoform

Nanoform is the medicine performance-enhancing company that leverages best-in-class innovative nanoparticle engineering technologies, expert formulation, and scalable GMP API manufacturing to enable superior medicines for patients. The company focuses on reducing clinical attrition and on enhancing drug molecules' performance through its nanoforming technologies and formulation services, from pre-formulation to commercial scale. Nanoform will help improve bioavailability and drug delivery profiles, drive differentiation, patient adherence and extend the lifecycle potential of products. Nanoform's shares are listed on the Premier-segment of Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Helsinki (HEL: NANOFH) and Stockholm (STO: NANOFS). Certified Adviser: Danske Bank A/S, Finland Branch, +358 40 744 1900. For more information, please visit www.nanoform.com.

About PlusVitech

PlusVitech is a Spanish biotechnology/pharmaceutical/medicine company, spin-off of the Andalusian Health Service. It was founded in 2013 in Seville as a result of the multidisciplinary work of an enthusiastic and qualified team, with the aim of improving the treatment of high impact diseases such as cancer, and has a subsidiary company in Boston (USA). PlusVitech's most powerful solution (called PVT-1) is a repositioning of drugs for which it has clinical evidence in patients who have experienced complete remission in different types of cancer. PlusVitech has a wide portfolio of different international patents that protect for Cancer, the use of this and other synergistic drugs, as well as other innovations, such as a companion diagnostic test that optimizes these treatments for each patient. For more information, please visit www.plusvitech.com/en

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding Nanoform's strategy, business plans and focus. The words "may", "will", "could", "would", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", believe", "estimate", "predict", "project", "potential", "continue", "target" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, any related to Nanoform's business, operations, clinical trials, supply chain, strategy, goals and anticipated timelines, competition from other companies, and other risks described in the Report of the Board of Directors and Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 as well as our other past disclosures. Nanoform cautions you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Nanoform disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent Nanoform's views only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.

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