[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Immunomet Therapeutics, a US affiliate of HanAll Biopharma, announced on the 22nd that it has completed the first dosing in the Phase 1b clinical trial of 'IM156,' a drug under development for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Immunomet, established in Houston after spinning off from HanAll Biopharma in 2015, is a drug development company conducting clinical research for treatments targeting pancreatic cancer, metastatic melanoma, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, HanAll Biopharma is a major shareholder of Immunomet.
IM156 is a candidate for a "metabolic anticancer agent," known as a 4th generation anticancer drug, with a mechanism of action that regulates the metabolic functions of tumor cells and the formation of myofibroblasts to treat cancer and fibrosis. By blocking the energy sources required for cancer cells to grow, it is expected to effectively eliminate cancer cells without killing normal cells. Following its designation as an orphan drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in February last year, it was designated as an orphan drug for pancreatic cancer by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month.
This clinical trial is led by Professor Shubham Pant at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, and involves 25 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who will receive combination dosing of IM156 to evaluate safety and efficacy.
Dean Welsch, CEO of Immunomet, said, "Pancreatic cancer is a fatal disease with high unmet medical needs and mortality rates. We hope that IM156, which regulates cancer cell metabolism, will become a more effective treatment for pancreatic cancer patients."
Seungwon Jung, CEO of HanAll Biopharma, said, "We are pleased that IM156, initially researched and developed at HanAll Biopharma, is progressing smoothly in clinical development. We will continue to collaborate with Immunomet to develop new treatments for patients with cancer and fibrosis."
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