On December 7, 2021 Vincerx Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: VINC), a biopharmaceutical company aspiring to address the unmet medical needs of patients with cancer through paradigm-shifting therapeutics, reported that the European Commission has granted Orphan Drug Designation to VIP152, the Company’s PTEFb/CDK9 inhibitor, for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (Press release, Vincerx Pharma, DEC 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234596540]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"The granting of Orphan Drug Designation for VIP152 in DLBCL realizes another significant regulatory milestone for Vincerx," said Ahmed Hamdy M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Vincerx. "VIP152 has the potential to be an effective treatment for rare and highly refractory cancers, for which there is an unmet need in the current therapeutic landscape. We look forward to continued momentum with data presentations at the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, which include complete disease regression in DLBCL mouse models and modulation of key biomarkers in high-grade B-cell lymphoma cell lines and patients. In addition, we are presenting supportive preclinical mechanistic data in chronic lymphocytic leukemia."
The European Commission grants orphan drug designation for medicinal products intended to treat life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions that affect fewer than five in 10,000 people in the European Union and when no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition can be authorized. The designation provides certain benefits and incentives in the EU, including protocol assistance, fee reductions, and ten years of market exclusivity once the medicine is on the market.
Vincerx is currently advancing Phase 1b studies of VIP152 in MYC-driven relapsed or refractory aggressive lymphomas and advanced solid tumors. The ongoing Phase 1b expansion, first-in-human (FIH) study is in patients with advanced cancer and consists of two expansion arms. Arm 1 will enroll up to 40 patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphoma, including DLBCL, transformed follicular lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma. Arm 2 will enroll up to 40 patients with advanced solid tumors, including patients with ovarian cancer, triple negative breast cancer, castration-resistant neuroendocrine prostate cancer, and any other solid tumor with MYC aberration. All patients must have confirmed MYC overexpression or translocation.