SORRENTO COLLABORATES WITH MABPHARM ON DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF ACE-MAB™ TO POTENTIALLY TREAT COVID-19
March 24 2020 - 9:32AM
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento") today
announced it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with
China-based antibody biopharmaceutical company, Mabpharm Limited
(Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 2181HK, “Mabpharm”), for the clinical
development and commercialization of the ACE-MAB fusion protein
(Sorrento’s product code name STI-4920 and Mabpharm’s product code
name CMAB020) for the potential treatment of COVID-19, the disease
caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Mabpharm has generated a fusion
protein (CMAB020) that binds to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2
virus.
Designed as a bi-specific fusion protein,
ACE-MAB has two functional arms. One arm (Ab) is a fully human
antibody that targets the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 with high
affinity. The other arm (TR) is a truncated ACE2 protein that binds
to a different epitope of the spike protein. The ACE-MAB fusion
protein could also block the receptor binding domain (RBD) with
CD147 to mitigate lung inflammation and cytokine storm. The
dual-arm design could be a unique advancement, potentially
providing binding to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is sufficient to
prevent the virus from invading normal human cells. ACE-MAB retains
the ACE2 enzymatic function, which could provide benefits such as
reduced vasoconstriction and increased blood flow to infected lung
tissue. The ACE2 arm competes with RBD binding to respiratory
epithelial or other cells. It should preserve the ACE2 enzymatic
activity, which is important in maintaining normal blood pressure
and healthy blood flow into patients with infected lung tissue,
which would include patients with advanced COVID-19 disease.
Under the exclusive license agreement, Sorrento
will focus on the development and commercialization of ACE-MAB in
the North American and European markets, while Mabpharm retains
rights in the rest of the world, including the China and Japan
markets.
“The license of the ACE-MAB fusion protein from our partner
Mabpharm provides Sorrento with yet another potential therapeutic
agent to combat COVID-19,” stated Dr. Henry Ji, Chairman and CEO of
Sorrento Therapeutics. “Since the breakout of COVID-19, Sorrento
has built a broad product candidate pipeline for the potential
vaccination and treatment of COVID-19. We are looking forward to
further evaluating the safety and efficacy in IND-enabling
preclinical studies and clinical trials and making these
potentially Life-Saving medicines available to the vast population
affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Sorrento is a clinical stage, antibody-centric,
biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to turn
malignant cancers into manageable and possibly curable diseases.
Sorrento's multimodal multipronged approach to fighting cancer is
made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including
key assets such as fully human antibodies (“G-MAB™ library”),
clinical stage immuno-cellular therapies (“CAR-T”, “DAR-T”),
intracellular targeting antibodies (“iTAbs”), antibody-drug
conjugates (“ADC”), and clinical stage oncolytic virus
(“Seprehvir®”).
Sorrento's commitment to life-enhancing therapies for patients
is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a first-in-class
(TRPV1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small molecule,
resiniferatoxin (“RTX”), and ZTlido® (lidocaine topical system)
1.8% for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. Resiniferatoxin
is completing a phase IB trial for intractable pain associated with
cancer and a phase 1B trial in osteoarthritis patients.
ZTlido® was approved by the FDA on February 28, 2018.
For more information visit www.sorrentotherapeutics.com
About Mabpharm Limited
Mabpharm is a leading biopharmaceutical company in China,
focusing on the development and production of new drugs and
biosimilars for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Mabpharm is committed to bringing high-quality and affordable
innovative biopharmaceuticals to the market through an efficient
research and development system and low-cost pharmaceutical
production capabilities, and fully utilizes its rich research and
development experience to develop a variety of therapeutic
products.
Mabpharm has strong internal research, preclinical and clinical
development capabilities, with a special focus on the development
and manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies. The members of
Mabpharm's core R & D team have more than 16 years of
experience in this field. Mabpharm's 30,000 m2 production
facilities in Taizhou and Shanghai are one of the largest antibody
drug production facilities in China by capacity.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any statements made for and during any
presentation or meeting contain forward-looking statements related
to Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., under the safe harbor provisions of
Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
and subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking
statements include statements regarding the potential therapeutic
benefits of ACE-MAB in treating the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19
disease; ACE-MAB’s ability to treat and prevent coronaviruses;
regulatory approvals of ACE-MAB, the readiness of Mabpharm
Limited’s cGMP facilities for large-scale production of ACE-MAB for
human clinical trials and commercialization; the safety and
efficacy of ACE-MAB; the completion of IND-enabling preclinical
studies and clinical trials of ACE-MAB; the development and
commercialization of ACE-MAB for individuals affected by the
COVID-19 disease; Sorrento’s pipeline of product candidates for the
potential vaccination and treatment of COVID-19; and
Sorrento’s potential position in the anti-viral immunity
industry. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual
results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in
our forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to:
risks related to Sorrento's and its subsidiaries', affiliates’ and
partners’ technologies and prospects and collaborations with
partners, including, but not limited to risks related to conducting
pre-clinical trials and seeking IND regulatory approval for
ACE-MAB; conducting and receiving results of clinical trials for
ACE-MAB; the clinical and commercial success of the treatment of
the SARS-CoV-2 virus infections using ACE-MAB; the viability and
success of using ACE-MAB for treatments in anti-viral therapeutic
areas, including coronaviruses; clinical development risks,
including risks in the progress, timing, cost, and results of
clinical trials and product development programs; risk of
difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals; risks
that clinical study results may not meet any or all endpoints of a
clinical study and that any data generated from such studies may
not support a regulatory submission or approval; risks of
manufacturing and supplying drug product; risks related to
leveraging the expertise of its employees, subsidiaries, affiliates
and partners to assist the company in the execution of its ACE-MAB
strategies; risks related to Sorrento’s debt obligations; risks
related to the global impact of COVID-19; and other risks that are
described in Sorrento's most recent periodic reports filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including Sorrento's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors set forth in
those filings. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the
date of this release and we undertake no obligation to update any
forward-looking statement in this press release except as required
by law.
Media and Investor Relations
Contact: Alexis Nahama, DVM (SVP Corporate Development)
Telephone: 1.858.203.4120
Email: mediarelations@sorrentotherapeutics.com
Sorrento® and the Sorrento logo are registered trademarks of
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.ACE-MAB™ and G-MAB™ are trademarks of
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.ZTlido® is a trademark owned by Scilex
Pharmaceuticals Inc.Seprehvir® is a registered trademark of
Virttu Biologics Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TNK
Therapeutics, Inc. and part of the group of companies owned by
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.© 2020 Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. All
Rights Reserved.
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