GeoVax Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOVX) rose sharply Wednesday, after the company reported the purchase of exclusive rights to PNP Therapeutics' development and commercialization of Gedeptin.
The License provides exclusive worldwide rights to key intellectual property, including Gedeptin patents, know-how, regulatory filings, clinical materials, and trademarks. The patent portfolio covering Gedeptin was originally licensed from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Southern Research Institute (SRI) by PNP.
Under the License, GeoVax will become the successor to PNP under its license agreement with UAB/SRI. Detailed financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but include a combination of upfront payments, milestone fees, and royalties on net sales.
A cycle of Gedeptin therapy consists of three intra-tumoral injections of Gedeptin over a two-day period followed by infusion of a prodrug, fludarabine phosphate, once a day for three days. A Phase 1 dose ranging study, evaluating the safety of a single cycle of Gedeptin therapy, found the therapy to be well tolerated, with evidence of a reduction in tumor size in patients with solid tumors.
A Phase 1/2 trial, evaluating the safety and efficacy of repeat cycles of Gedeptin therapy in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with tumor(s) accessible for injection and no curable treatment options, is currently enrolling.
The initial stage of the study is being funded by the FDA pursuant to its Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program. The FDA has also granted Gedeptin orphan drug status for the intra-tumoral treatment of anatomically accessible oral and pharyngeal cancers, including cancers of the lip, tongue, gum, floor of mouth, salivary
GOVX shares hiked 54 cents, or 13%, to $4.72.
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