REG - Cizzle Biotechnology - Positive outcomes from Arcadia Trial re AZD1656

Cizzle Biotechnology HoldingsAnnouncement

07/03/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 7759D  Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings PLC  07 March 2022

 

7 March 2022

 

Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings Plc

 

("Cizzle Biotechnology", "Cizzle" or the "Company")

 

Further positive outcomes from the Arcadia Clinical Trial by SGSC and
Excalibur Medicines for Cizzle Biotechnology's Royalty Bearing interest in
AZD1656

 

Cizzle Biotechnology, the UK-based diagnostics developer, is pleased to report
that St George Street Capital ("SGSC") has provided an update on the further
analysis of data from the ARCADIA clinical study, which confirms the potential
value of AZD1656 treatment for COVID-19 patients. According to SGSC, in
addition to the clinical benefit observed, the immunological data strongly
support its rationale that AZD1656 is an immunomodulator which damps down the
inflammatory response characteristic of COVID-19 infection, while enhancing
the part of the immune response that helps fight the virus.

 

Highlights

 

·    SGSC announces an important update on the positive outcome of the
Arcadia COVID-19 therapy trial of AZD1656

·  SGSC is actively engaged in commercial discussions with appropriate
global and regional pharmaceutical companies

·    Cizzle has built a significant royalty bearing Economic Interest in
AZD1656 for the treatment of COVID-19 and other diseases such as Inflammatory
pulmonary and cardiovascular disease

·    The SGSC update supports the Company's ambitions to expand into the
pharmaceutical industry and is in line with its strategy of building a
portfolio of early cancer detection tests, companion diagnostics and royalty
bearing stakes in related drug assets

 

As previously announced, Cizzle has secured royalty sharing rights for the
commercialisation of AZD1656 for COVID-19 and other indications, including
inflammatory pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.

 

On 14 February 2022, Cizzle announced that it had entered into an agreement
with Conduit Pharmaceuticals Limited ("Conduit") and SGSC to acquire a 5%
uncapped economic interest after deductions in the commercialisation of
AZD1656, in addition to its previous rights, as announced on 20 September
2021, to royalties of up to £5m for the treatment of COVID-19 and other
diseases such as inflammatory pulmonary and cardiovascular disease (the
"Economic Interest").

 

SGSC is a UK-based medical-charity led by a group of highly experienced
academics and ex-pharma executives, that was formed to deliver much needed
treatments to patients. SGSC's strategy is to take clinical-ready assets from
pharmaceutical companies and to progress them through Phase II trials before
licensing them on for Phase III trials and commercialisation, to create a
return for investors and the charity alike.

 

SGSC and Conduit are actively engaged in commercial discussions with
appropriate global and regional pharmaceutical companies, with the objective
of outright sale, partnership in future development or securing funding for
the additional clinical studies necessary to get AZD1656 to market and
patients. These opportunities are for AZD1656 in both Covid-19, and
potentially in further indications. Conduit is the exclusive funding partner
to SGSC.

 

Allan Syms, Executive Chairman of Cizzle Biotechnology, said

 

"The announcement today by SGSC is important because it provides further
strong evidence that AZD1656 is a potentially valuable treatment for certain
COVID-19 patients and that it seems to be providing benefit by acting as an
immunomodulator, which damps down the inflammatory response. This should
support SGSC's and Conduit's commercial ambitions to secure agreements with
appropriate pharmaceutical companies, which should ultimately yield revenues
for Cizzle through our royalty sharing rights.

 

"SGSC has also shown a role for AZD1656 in controlling Regulatory T Cells
("Tregs") which may be important in managing serious cardiovascular and lung
diseases, and which are linked with the development of lung cancer. This
enhances the Company's ambitions to expand its target customer base in the
pharmaceutical industry through a strategy of building a portfolio of early
cancer detection tests, companion diagnostics and royalty bearing stakes in
significant drug assets."

 

Enquiries:

 

 Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings plc  Via IFC Advisory
 Allan Syms (Executive Chairman)

 

 Allenby Capital Limited  +44(0) 20 33285656
 John Depasquale
 Alex Brearley

 

 Novum Securities Limited  +44(0) 20 7399 9400
 Colin Rowbury

 Jon Bellis

 

 IFC Advisory Limited  +44(0) 20 3934 6630
 Tim Metcalfe          cizzle@investor-focus.co.uk
 Florence Chandler

 

Notes to Editors:

About Cizzle Biotechnology

Cizzle Biotechnology is developing a blood test for the early detection of
lung cancer.  Cizzle Biotechnology is a spin- out from the University of
York, founded in 2006 around the work of Professor Coverley and colleagues.
Its proof-of-concept prototype test is based on the ability to detect a stable
plasma biomarker, a variant of CIZ1 known as CIZ1B.  CIZ1 is a naturally
occurring cell nuclear protein involved in DNA replication, and the targeted
CIZ1B variant is highly correlated with early-stage lung cancer.

For more information, please see https://cizzlebiotechnology.com
(https://cizzlebiotechnology.com)

You can also follow the Company through its twitter account @CizzlePlc and on
LinkedIn.

 

About AZD1656

 

AZD1656 was originally developed by AstraZeneca as a diabetes treatment and
has an extensive record of safety in clinical studies involving more than one
thousand subjects.  Preclinical data suggested a likely immune mode of
action, leading SGSC to secure a licence to the agent as a therapy for
inflammatory conditions.

 

In addition to the ARCADIA study supported by Excalibur Medicines Limited, the
Mubadala Sovereign Wealth Fund, Chlodwig Enterprises and UKRI / Innovate UK,
SGSC has actively built on the scope of AZD1656 through patent filing
(COVID-19 combination treatment) and intends to exploit the beneficial
immunomodulatory effect in immune dysfunction applications.

 

Excalibur Medicines Ltd (EML) is a subsidiary of Excalibur Healthcare
Services, founded by leading scientific entrepreneur, Professor Sir Chris
Evans, OBE. EML brought together the scientific intellectual property,
international funding and a world leading team to take forward the ARCADIA
trial.

 

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