On April 4, 2022 Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. ("Oncotelic" or the "Company") (OTCQB:OTLC), reported the formation of a Joint Venture ("JV") with Dragon Overseas Capital Limited ("Dragon Overseas") (Press release, Oncotelic, APR 4, 2022, View Source [SID1234611407]). Dragon Overseas is a company affiliated with Golden Mountain Partners, LLC.
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"I am excited to announce that, together with our partner Dragon Overseas, we have formed a JV for the discovery, development and commercialization of TGF-β therapeutics against all pharmaceutical indications," said Dr. Vuong Trieu, CEO and Chairman of Oncotelic. "This JV unburdens the Company of the high cost of drug development, which the JV will be responsible for, while the Company will participate in its upside through appreciation in the value of its shares in the JV."
Oncotelic to receive up to $50 million on sale of the RPD voucher following marketing approval of OT-101 for DIPG
Dragon Overseas has agreed to invest cash and other assets with a value of approximately $27.6 million for 55% ownership of the JV
Oncotelic has Licensed OT-101 to the JV for a 45% ownership in the JV
The Joint Venture to be headquartered in Hong Kong
Initial focus on the further development and commercialization of OT-101, including for DIPG as well as pancreatic cancers and glioblastoma
About OT-101
OT-101 has completed seven clinical trials including one phase 2 trial in COVID and two phase 2 trials in brain cancer and against pancreatic cancer. It has pediatric designation for a rare form of pediatric brain cancer known as DIPG. There are about 200-300 new cases of DIPG every year in the United States. DIPG most often occurs in children aged 5-10 years old. Treatment options are limited with surgery being contraindicated. Most children do not survive more than 2 years after diagnosis. Currently, the main treatment for DIPG is radiation therapy. Although radiation temporarily improves symptoms in most patients, it is not a cure. Palliative care or quality of life services help patients and families manage pain and other symptoms, promote quality of life, and making difficult decisions including treatment choices and end of life care.
When COVID-19 emerged in China, Oncotelic and GMP entered into a research and services agreement in February 2020 to develop and test COVID-19 antisense therapeutics. In March 2020, Oncotelic reported the anti-viral activity of OT-101. The anti-viral activity of OT-101, in an in vitro antiviral testing performed by an independent laboratory, OT-101 has a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 7.6 µg/mL and is not toxic at the highest dose of 1000 µg/mL giving a safety index (SI) value of >130, which is considered highly active and on par or superior to Remdesivir – a Gilead drug. Unlike Remdesivir, OT-101 targets not only the virus replication but also the virus induced pneumonia and fibrosis. Our Phase 2 trial was completed for OT-101 in South America. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study intended to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OT-101 in adult patients hospitalized with positive SARS-CoV-2 and pneumonia. As reported in November 2021, the top line data was positive for safety and efficacy.