Vidac Pharma receives US patent office Notice of Allowance for crucial compounds in its cancer drug candidates

London (UK), June 3, 2024 (07:30 CET) – 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 it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) protecting a group of molecules and their ability to trigger an immune response across a wide range of cancers by detaching the Hexokinase-2 (HK2) enzyme from the mitochondrial VDAC pores. The molecules are the crucial compounds in Vidac’s two drug candidates, VDA-1102 and VDA-1275.

“This U.S. patent goes to the heart of Vidac’s efforts to develop an entirely new class of cancer drugs for patients. Our molecules have the ability to dislodge the HK2 enzyme from the mitochondrial VDAC pores, which reverses the abnormal metabolism of cancer cells, restores immune-supportive conditions, and restores programmed cell death, or apoptosis. We have booked some very promising early results with our two drug candidates, both in vitro and in the clinic,” Vidac Pharma Chief Executive Officer Max Herzberg said.

VDA-1275 as well as the more advanced VDA-1102, now in Phase 2b clinical studies to treat advanced actinic keratosis and Phase 2 testing in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, 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 powerful effects in halting cancer cell proliferation and restoring immune-sensitivity and apoptosis.

For more information please contact:

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.