PHYLOGICA-OPSONA DEAL PROGRESSES TO COMMERCIALISATIONKey Points•...

PHYLOGICA-OPSONA DEAL PROGRESSES TO COMMERCIALISATION
Key Points
• Successfully delivers on major milestone with international partner, Opsona
Therapeutics
• Opsona demonstrates that specific Phylomer hits have potential as new drugs for
inflammatory diseases
• Discussions in progress with potential commercialisation partners
• Selection of the most promising Phylomer hits for commercialisation now underway
• The companies are in discussions to expand collaboration
Perth, Australia 7 May 2007: Phylogica Limited (ASX: PYC) announced today that it has
delivered on a major milestone with International co-development partner, Opsona
Therapeutics Ltd. This milestone highlights the independent validation of Phylomer
technology and also provides a strong foundation to take the partnership into the next phase
of commercialisation.
Phylogica’s collaborative agreement with Opsona was formed in March 2006 to test
Phylogica’s Phylomer® peptides and identify which of them could be selected as drug
candidates for inflammatory disease. More than half of the Phylomer hits tested have shown
potential as drug candidates.
Phylogica’s Phylomer® drug candidates, identified in a rapid screening process over a three
month period, were tested in human cell assays and actively blocked a pivotal pathway (a Toll
Like Receptor or TLR pathway) underlying the inflammatory response in cells. The TLR
pathway triggers inflammation (the underlying cause of diseases such as Rheumatoid
Arthritis, Asthma, Psoriasis) and hence is being targeted with many different approaches by
the pharmaceutical industry. The Phylogica-Opsona collaboration involves a novel approach
in targeting the TLR pathway.
Phylogica has targeted a key protein in the TLR pathway that’s inside cells. Conventional
classes of drugs, such as antibodies, can’t access this target as they are only effective on
proteins on the cell surface. These Phylomer leads are unique because they are the first to be
able to block this key protein in a pathway of significant interest to the Pharmaceutical
Industry.
Further testing is now underway to select the most promising Phylomer® candidates for
further drug development and commercialisation for inflammatory disease. Opsona and
Phylogica will expand the collaborative project to other targets and are in discussions with
major companies to commercialise Phylomer® candidates. Both companies will share in the
revenues arising from Phylomer® generated products.
“These results are very encouraging and beyond our initial expectations. We are very pleased
with the number and quality of drug candidates identified and confident to now move to the
next stage of our collaboration with Phylogica," said Dr Mark Heffernan CEO Opsona
Therapeutics.
“This success with Opsona has put us at the cutting edge of TLR drug discovery, and has
attracted the interest of major pharmaceutical companies that will lead to further deals in the
near future, ” said Dr Stewart Washer CEO Phylogica.
Corporate Advisor - Cygnet Capital
Sam Willis,and Darien Jagger
[email protected]
[email protected]
Media - Buchan Consulting
Daniella Goldberg,
+61 2 9237 2803
[email protected]
Phylogica
Stewart Washer
Chief Executive Officer
+ 618 9423 8800 / 0418 288 212
[email protected]
Phylogica (ASX:PYC) (www.phylogica.com) is a drug discovery company utilizing its
proprietary Phylomer® technology to the generation of a new class of drugs for brain injury and
other inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, burn treatment and cardiac
perfusion injury. The Company is preparing to commercialise its lead drugs through preclinical
licensing deals. Phylogica was founded by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in
Perth (www.ichr.uwa.edu.au) and the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, United States
(www.fccc.edu).
Phylomers® are stable fragments of naturally-occurring proteins with the ability to bind
tightly to target proteins and inactivate them as a result. Phylomers® can be selected for
activity against specific disease target proteins. The properties of Phylomers® make them
attractive as cost-effective alternatives to antibodies, a proven multi-billion dollar drug class.
Phylogica's proprietary Phylomer® Libraries are collections of millions of Phylomers® that
represent a source of drug leads which can be used for multiple diseases.
Nature Biotechnology, 24:177-83 (2006).
Opsona Therapeutics (www.opsona.com) is a leading European biotechnology company
actively discovering, developing and commercialising compounds to treat inflammatory disease
and last year Opsona signed a partnering deal with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Opsona is
preparing for the clinical development of a number of immunomodulatory compounds for the
treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Opsona is based in Dublin Ireland, and
raised €6.25m in March 2005, with its investors including Inventages Venture Capital
(Bahamas), Seroba BioVentures (Ireland), Genentech (USA) and Enterprise Ireland.