U.S. grants Vidac Pharma patent offering broad protection of mode of action underlying its oncology drug candidates

London (UK), September 19 2024 – Vidac Pharma Holdings Plc. (Hamburg and Stuttgart: T9G; ISIN:GB00BM9XQ619; WKN: A3DTUQ), a clinical-stage oncology biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of cancer treatments, today announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to the company offering broad protection of the mode of action underlying its oncology and onco-dermatologic therapeutic candidates. The patent protects the use of Vidac’s new chemical entities to detach the hexokinase2 isozyme from the mitochondrial VDAC pores to reverse the hyperglycolytic metabolism of cancer cells. Vidac’s clinical studies have shown that this has the potential to halt cancer cell proliferation, restore programmed cell death (apoptosis) and suppress the immunosuppressive qualities of the tumor microenvironment.

“This extremely wide-ranging patent is very welcome news for Vidac, given that it provides full protection of our efforts to bring an entirely new class of cancer treatments to market. To the best of our knowledge, we are the only company in the world whose products aim to reverse the supercharged metabolism of cancer cells – known as the Warburg effect – and Vidac is now holding the exclusive patent to this extremely promising mode of action in the U.S. market,” said Prof Max Herzberg, Chief Executive Officer of Vidac Pharma.

Vidac Pharma’s two product candidates – VDA-1275 as well as the more advanced VDA-1102 – disrupt the interaction between hexokinase 2 (HK2) and the voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) in mitochondria. Cancer cells overexpress HK2, which catalyzes the first step of the glucose metabolism necessary to fuel tumor growth. HK2 blocks the channels, which prevents apoptosis, supports cancer cell proliferation, and suppresses immune responses. The resulting high concentrations of lactate lead to an acidic and low-oxygen micro-environment in the cancer cells and the nearby tumor microenvironment which fosters cancer growth. Clinical data for Vidac’s first-generation metabolic checkpoint modulator candidates have shown effects in halting cancer cell proliferation and restoring immune-sensitivity and apoptosis.

VDA-1102 is now in Phase 2b clinical studies to treat advanced actinic keratosis and Phase 2 testing in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In animal studies, VDA-1275 has shown statistically significant efficacy as a monotherapy, as well as synergistic effects in combination with two standard-of-care cancer treatments: sorafenib, a kinase inhibitor, and cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapy drug. The studies also showed that VDA-1275 triggered an immunologic response of its own, inducing anti-tumor macrophages and memory T-cells, and inhibiting tumor-promoting macrophages.

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About Vidac Pharma

Vidac Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing first-in-class medicines to help people suffering from a range of oncologic and onco-dermatologic diseases. Vidac develops first-in-class anti-cancer drugs by modifying the hyper glycolytic tumor microenvironment, targeting the overexpression and wrong anchoring of the Hexokinase 2 metabolic checkpoint (HK2) in cancer cells, to renormalize tumor microenvironment and selectively provoke their programmed death without affecting surrounding normal tissue. VDA-1102, a first drug candidate of Vidac Pharma has shown to be effective against advanced Actinic Keratosis (AK) and interim results in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL) yielded a positive effect in Phase 2 trials in humans.
www.vidacpharma.com

Important information

The information in this press release does not constitute a public offer to sell or a solicitation to submit an offer to buy or subscribe to shares of Vidac Pharma Holding PLC, but is for informational purposes only. The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes”, “estimates,” “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “will”, “plans”, “continue”, “ongoing”, “potential”, “predict”, “project”, “target”, “seek” or “should”, and include statements the Company makes concerning the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Attachment

• 20240916 – VIDAC PR US patent