BridgeBio Holds Shareholders Meeting... "Focusing on Cancer and Fibrosis Diseases"

On the afternoon of the 27th, Lim Jong-jin, Vice President of Strategy at Bridge Biotherapeutics, is speaking at the Bridge Biotherapeutics shareholders' meeting.

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Bridge Biotherapeutics announced on the 28th that it held an in-person shareholder meeting on the afternoon of the 27th in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, sharing its corporate vision and the current status of new drug research and development (R&D) with shareholders and new investors.

At this meeting, the company presented its major pipelines in areas with high unmet medical needs such as cancer and fibrotic diseases despite existing treatments, along with specific business development goals and vision.

The next-generation targeted therapy candidate for non-small cell lung cancer with C797S-positive triple mutations, 'BBT-176,' is currently completing the main dose group trial of the Phase 1/2 dose escalation study and plans to proceed with an additional expansion cohort to secure data to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D). As BBT-176 is the first among fourth-generation EGFR inhibitors targeting terminal resistant patients with no remaining treatment options to enter clinical trials, the company plans to complete Phase 1, apply for an End of Phase 1 Meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and discuss the possibility of accelerated approval based solely on Phase 2 results. The interim results of BBT-176’s Phase 1 trial will be disclosed through an oral presentation at the upcoming 2022 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC 2022 WCLC) conference next month.

Additionally, to meet the diversifying demands of the non-small cell lung cancer treatment market, the candidate drug 'BBT-207' targeting C797S-positive double mutations is aiming to enter global clinical trials next year. Based on last year’s case where Blueprint Medicines licensed the rights to a similar candidate in the Greater China region to Zai Lab for approximately 720 billion KRW, Bridge Biotherapeutics is conducting licensing negotiations with multiple global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, considering various possibilities including package deals involving BBT-176 and BBT-207.

The idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment candidate 'BBT-877' has received final approval to enter Phase 2 clinical trials through consultations with the FDA. The company is actively engaged in business development activities for global licensing and is striving to promptly initiate multinational global clinical trials. Especially, with the advancement to Phase 2, the value of BBT-877 has increased, and it is expected that a trillion-won scale licensing deal exceeding the approximately 1.5 trillion KRW contract signed with Boehringer Ingelheim during Phase 1 in 2019 could be concluded.

The oral Pellino-1 inhibitor candidate drug for ulcerative colitis, 'BBT-401,' is gaining attention in the ulcerative colitis treatment market, where there is a high unmet demand for safe oral medications. All subjects enrolled in the global Phase 2a mid-to-high dose group clinical trial have completed dosing, and results are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of this year.

Im Jong-jin, Vice President of Strategy at Bridge Biotherapeutics, who led the meeting, stated, “Our core management team, composed of global business development experts, has been expanding the foundation of our business with a focus on rapid commercialization since the company’s inception. We will repay the support with quality licensing achievements linked to the development of key projects that are gradually maturing in clinical stages.” He added, “Through strategic focus on cancer and fibrotic diseases, we will accelerate the development progress of our projects and aggressively pursue global business development. Through this, we aim to secure a definite revaluation of our corporate value and lay the groundwork to leap forward as a global biotech company.”