Medivir to present data on additive efficacy of fostrox in triple combination with anti-PD1 and kinase inhibitor in nonclinical tumor models at AACR

STOCKHOLM, March 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medivir AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: MVIR), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for cancer in areas of high unmet medical need, today announces that data from the company's leading program fostroxacitabine bralpamide (fostrox) and its potential effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, on April 14-19, in Orlando, USA.

The abstract, titled "A triple combination of fostrox (MIV-818) with immune checkpoint and kinase inhibition shows increased anti-tumor efficacy in vivo" will be presented at the conference by Fredrik Öberg, CSO at Medivir. The presentation includes study results describing the potential for enhanced anti-tumor effects when fostrox is combined with both an anti-PD1 antibody and a kinase inhibitor.

- "Inhibition of angiogenesis has the potential to increase the effect of fostrox and the induction of DNA damage and tumor cell death. This can lead to increased tumor antigen presentation and a strengthened immune response, which creates opportunities to combine with both checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In line with this, our preclinical results show that fostrox has the potential to amplify anti-tumor activity together with a combination of anti-PD-1 antibodies and kinase inhibitors", says Fredrik Öberg.

- "Although existing combination therapies for HCC can prolong patients' lives, far from all patients respond to treatment. In order for more patients to have a satisfactory treatment effect, new combination options with several different, additive mechanisms of action will be crucial. Fostrox, with its unique, liver-directed approach, opens up for completely new combinations with three different approaches to effectively treat HCC.", says Pia Baumann, CMO at Medivir.

The abstract and the poster will be available on Medivir's website after the presentation. 

For additional information, please contactMagnus Christensen, CFO, Medivir ABTelephone: +46 8 5468 3100E-mail: [email protected]

About fostrox

Fostroxis a pro-drug designed to selectively treat liver cancers and to minimize side effects. It has the potential to become the first liver-targeted and orally administered drug for patients with HCC and other forms of liver cancer. Fostrox has completed a phase 1b monotherapy study, and a combination study in HCC currently ongoing.

About primary liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cancer that arises in the liver. Although existing therapies for advanced HCC can extend the lives of patients, treatment benefits are insufficient and death rates remain high. There are 42,000 patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer per year in the US and current five-year survival is 11 percent. HCC is a heterogeneous disease with diverse etiologies, and lacks defining mutations observed in many other cancers. This has contributed to the lack of success of molecularly targeted agents in HCC. The limited overall benefit, taken together with the poor overall prognosis for patients with intermediate and advanced HCC, results in a large unmet medical need. 

About Medivir

Medivir develops innovative drugs with a focus on cancer where the unmet medical needs are high. The drug candidates are directed toward indication areas where available therapies are limited or missing and there are great opportunities to offer significant improvements to patients. Medivir is focusing on the development of fostroxacitabine bralpamide (fostrox), a pro-drug designed to selectively treat liver cancer cells and to minimize side effects. Collaborations and partnerships are important parts of Medivir's business model, and the drug development is conducted either by Medivir or in partnership. Birinapant, a SMAC mimetic, is exclusively outlicensed to IGM Biosciences (Nasdaq: IGMS) to be developed in combination with IGM-antibodies for the treatment of solid tumors. Medivir's share (ticker: MVIR) is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm's Small Cap list. www.medivir.com.

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SOURCE Medivir