Kadmon Announces Publication of Preclinical Data Demonstrating Anti-PD-L1/IL-15 Fusion Protein KD033 Achieves Robust Anti-Tumor Response

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2021 / Kadmon Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:KDMN) today announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating that KD033, the Company’s anti-PD-L1/IL-15 fusion protein, achieved robust anti-tumor responses in multiple syngeneic tumor models. The data were published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) journal. KD033 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 study in patients with metastatic or locally advanced solid tumors.

“These preclinical data demonstrate the ability of KD033 to produce meaningful efficacy and generate a memory response in a variety of tumors after a single dose,” said Harlan W. Waksal, M.D., President and CEO of Kadmon. “The biological activity and safety shown to date further reinforce the potential of KD033 to stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses in patients with metastatic or locally advanced solid tumors.”

KD033 is an antibody-cytokine fusion protein harnessing the immunostimulatory activity of IL-15. The IL-15 cytokine expands key tumor-fighting immune cells, including natural killer (NK), NKT and memory CD8 cells, to induce long-lasting responses. Importantly, IL-15 does not expand immunosuppressive Treg CD4 cells, allowing for a robust and durable anti-tumor response. With KD033, Kadmon has fused IL-15 to a PD-L1 antibody to direct IL-15 activity to the tumor microenvironment, promoting efficacy and inducing durable responses while potentially increasing tolerability.

Preclinical data published in MCT demonstrated that a single dose of KD033 inhibited tumor growth across multiple in vivo syngeneic tumor models and achieved dose-dependent efficacy in a resistant melanoma syngeneic mouse model. KD033 induced a strong immune memory response with a single treatment, resulting in mice that remained tumor-free following several tumor re-challenges. Furthermore, KD033 in combination with anti-PD1 therapy demonstrated synergistic activity, providing rationale for administering KD033 in combination with other immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The manuscript, titled “Single-dose anti-PD-L1/IL-15 fusion protein KD033 generates synergistic anti-tumor immunity with robust tumor-immune gene signatures and memory responses,” is now available online preprint at https://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanther/early/2020/12/08/1535-7163.MCT-20-0457.full.pdf and will be published in the journal’s February 2021 issue.

About the KD033-101 Clinical Trial

KD033-101 is a Phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study investigating the safety and efficacy of KD033 in patients with metastatic or locally advanced solid tumors. The dose-escalation phase of the study will evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of KD033. The dose-expansion phase of the study will enroll approximately 15 patients who have progressed or are refractory to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor therapy to assess safety, efficacy and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of KD033.

About KD033

KD033 is a novel immunotherapy developed in-house and is fully owned by Kadmon. KD033 combines an anti-PD-L1 antibody with IL-15, a cytokine that expands key tumor-fighting cell types, including natural killer (NK), natural killer T (NKT) and memory T cells, to potentially induce durable responses and inhibit tumor growth. The anti-PD-L1 antibody directs IL-15 activity to the tumor microenvironment, limiting systemic exposure of IL-15 to potentially increase safety and tolerability. KD033 was well tolerated in GLP toxicology studies at clinically relevant doses. KD033 process development and manufacturing was completed through a successful collaboration with Wuxi Biologics and exhibited desired manufacturability and stability criteria.

KD033 is the most advanced candidate from Kadmon’s IL-15 fusion protein platform. The Company is developing a portfolio of therapies combining IL-15 with select antibodies for the treatment of cancer.

About Kadmon

Kadmon is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and delivers transformative therapies for unmet medical needs. Our clinical pipeline includes treatments for immune and fibrotic diseases as well as immuno-oncology therapies.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements may be preceded by the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We believe that these factors include, but are not limited to, (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and our research and development programs; (ii) our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials; (iii) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, workforce, patients, collaborators and suppliers, including delays in anticipated timelines and milestones of our clinical trials and on various government agencies who we interact with and/or are governed by; (iv) our reliance on the success of our product candidates; (iv) the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including the acceptance of our NDA for belumosudil, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; (v) our ability to expand our sales and marketing capabilities; (vi) our ability to expand our sales and marketing capabilities; (vii) the commercialization, pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved; (viii) the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology; (ix) the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and technology; (x) our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties; (xi) costs associated with defending intellectual property infringement, product liability and other claims; (xii) regulatory developments in the United States, Europe, and other jurisdictions; (xiii) estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; (xiv) the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into strategic arrangements; (xv) our ability to maintain and establish collaborations; (xvi) the rate and degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved; (xvii) developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing therapies; (xviii) our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth; (xix) our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; (xx) our expected use of cash and cash equivalents and other sources of liquidity; (xxi) the potential benefits of any of our product candidates being granted orphan drug designation; (xxii) the future trading price of the shares of our common stock and impact of securities analysts’ reports on these prices; (xxiii) our ability to apply unused federal and state net operating loss carryforwards against future taxable income and/or (xxiv) other risks and uncertainties. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including Kadmon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information
Ellen Cavaleri, Investor Relations
646.490.2989
ellen.cavaleri@kadmon.com

SOURCE: Kadmon Holdings, Inc.

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