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April 19, 2022 — Blue Earth Therapeutics, a Bracco company and emerging leader in the development of innovative next generation therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug Application (IND) application for 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1. IND authorization to proceed enables Blue Earth Therapeutics to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, dosimetry and anti-tumor activity of 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 is the first clinical candidate in Blue Earth Therapeutics’ oncology development program of next generation therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Blue Earth Therapeutics holds exclusive worldwide rights to therapeutic applications of radiohybrid Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (rhPSMA) radiopharmaceutical technology to help advance the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.
“Clearance to proceed with this first clinical study for 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 marks an exciting milestone for our new company, Blue Earth Therapeutics, and the patients with cancer that we hope to serve,” said David E. Gauden, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “We consider 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 to be a next generation PSMA therapy with the potential to be best-in-class. 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 is the result of a careful optimization process which aimed to maximize therapeutic index by delivering high radiation doses to prostate cancer lesions while sparing normal tissues wherever possible. Excitingly, this optimized technology can be developed with both beta- and alpha-emitting therapeutic radioisotopes. We look forward initially to applying our proven radiopharmaceutical development expertise in advancing 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1, and, over time, developing a pipeline of additional oncology therapeutics to help address significant unmet patient needs.”
The trial is an open-label, multi-center, integrated Phase 1 and 2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, radiation dosimetry and anti-tumor activity of 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Phase 1 will investigate the safety, tolerability and dosimetry of multiple cycles of 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1 in subjects with PSMA-positive mCRPC which has progressed following prior therapy. Results from Phase 1 will be used to determine the recommended treatment regimen to be tested in Phase 2. The Phase 1 study will be conducted at clinical sites in the United States, with further sites added for the Phase 2 component of the trial, in both the United States and Europe.
About Radiohybrid Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (rhPSMA)
rhPSMA compounds are referred to as radiohybrid (“rh”), as each molecule possesses three distinct domains. The first consists of a Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-targeted receptor ligand which attaches to and is internalized by prostate cancer cells. It is attached to two labelling moieties which may be radiolabeled with either 18F for PET imaging, or with isotopes such as 177Lu or 225Ac for therapeutic use – creating a true theranostic technology. They may play an important role in patient management in the future, and offer the potential for precision medicine for men with prostate cancer. Radiohybrid technology and rhPSMA originated from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Blue Earth Diagnostics acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to rhPSMA diagnostic imaging technology from Scintomics GmbH in 2018, and therapeutic rights in 2020, and has sublicensed the therapeutic application to its sister company Blue Earth Therapeutics. Blue Earth Therapeutics and Blue Earth Diagnostics work closely on the development of 177Lu-rhPSMA-10.1. Currently, rhPSMA compounds have not received regulatory approval.
For more information: https://www.blueearththerapeutics.com/
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