Targovax granted US Patent for mutant-RAS neoantigen platform 2nd generation product TG02

Extends IP protection of TG02 in the US until 09.12.2034


Oslo, 3 October 2017: Targovax ASA (“Targovax” or “the Company”; OSE: TRVX), a clinical stage company focused on developing immuno-oncology therapies to target solid tumors, announces that the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted US Patent no 9,775,892, Peptide mixture. The patent protects the composition of Targovax’ mutant-RAS specific neoantigen vaccine TG02, for stimulating the immune system of cancer patients with RAS mutated tumors.

Targovax’ proprietary mutant-RAS neoantigen vaccine platform is designed to treat patients with tumors harboring RAS mutations. Mutations in the RAS genes are a driving cause of cancer development and progression, and is linked to poor prognosis. By inducing an anti-mutant-RAS specific immune response, the TG products have the potential to delay disease progression and increase survival, with a favorable safety profile compared to chemotherapy and many other treatment options.

TG02 expands the coverage of RAS mutations beyond TG01, and is aimed towards exon 2 mutant RAS cancer in general, which is about 80-85% of all RAS mutant cancers. Currently, TG02 is being tested in an ongoing exploratory Phase Ib clinical trial in patients with locally recurrent RAS-mutated rectal cancer in Australia and New Zealand (clinical study CT TG02-01). This study will provide important clinical data on the safety, immune response and mechanism of action of TG02.

Jon Amund Eriksen, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, and Co-founder of Targovax, said: “We are delighted that the US patent for TG02 has been granted, further strengthening Targovax’ intellectual property portfolio covering the very important mutant-RAS neoantigen. RAS is mutated in 20-30% of all cancers, and this 2nd generation product from the TG platform puts Targovax in a position to address an important unmet medical need, and tap into the broad segment of RAS mutated cancers”.

For further information, please contact:
Renate Birkeli, Investor Relations
Phone: +47 922 61 624
Email: renate.birkeli@targovax.com 

Media and IR enquires:
Jan Petter Stiff – Crux Advisers (Norway)
Phone: +47 995 13 891
Email: stiff@crux.no  

Julia Phillips/Simon Conway – FTI Consulting (International)
Phone: +44 20 3727 1000
Email: Targovax@fticonsulting.com   

About Targovax

Arming the patient’s immune system to fight cancer

Targovax is a clinical stage company focused on developing and commercializing novel immuno-oncology therapies to target, primarily, treatment-resistant solid tumors. Immuno-oncology is currently one of the fastest growing therapeutic fields in medicine.

The Company’s development pipeline is based on two novel proprietary platforms:

The first platform, ONCOS, uses oncolytic viruses as potential multi-target, neo-antigen therapeutic cancer vaccines. ONCOS exclusively uses an adenovirus that has been engineered to be an immune activator that selectively targets cancer cells. In phase I studies it has demonstrated immune activation at lesional level which was associated with clinical benefit. In an ongoing phase I trial in advanced melanoma we expect important proof of concept data for checkpoint inhibitor refractory patients.

The second, TG, is a target specific, neo-antigen therapeutic cancer vaccine platform that solely targets tumors that express mutated forms of the RAS protein. Mutations to this protein are common in many cancers and are known to drive aggressive disease progression and treatment resistance. There is a high unmet medical need for therapies that are effective against tumors that express these mutations. The TG platform’s therapeutic potential stems from its ability to enable a patient’s immune system to identify and then destroy tumors bearing any RAS mutations. In early 2017, key proof of concept data for the TG platform from a clinical trial of TG01 in resected pancreatic cancer patients showed encouraging overall survival and will give guidance for the future clinical development of this platform.

Targovax’s development pipeline has three novel therapeutic candidates in clinical development covering six indications.

Both platforms are protected by an extensive portfolio of IP and know-how and have the potential to yield multiple product candidates in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, Targovax has other products in early stages of development.

In July 2016, the Company listed its shares on Oslo Axess. In March 2017, the shares moved to Oslo Børs, the main Oslo Stock Exchange.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

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