BERGEN, Norway, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA
(OSE:BGBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing
novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for unmet medical need,
notes the UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) decision to cease the
grant funding to the University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust for
the COVID-19 ACCORD clinical study in which BerGenBio's bemcentinib
was the lead drug candidate to be tested. Subsequently the
University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, who is the study
sponsor, has notified all sites in the ACCORD study to cease
recruitment of new patients into the trial. Patients already
recruited, including those dosed with bemcentinib, will continue on
treatment as per the protocol.
Bergenbio also confirms it is in late stage set-up phase to
sponsor and conduct a similar study to ACCORD in a country of high
COVID-19 incidence and expects to be in a position to update the
market in the near future.
Richard Godfrey, Chief
Executive Officer of BerGenBio, commented: "Bemcentinib
still holds great potential for the treatment of COVID-19, hence
its selection by the UK Government for its urgent inclusion as the
first drug to be dosed in the ACCORD study. In recent weeks
the incidence of COVID-19 in the UK has drastically reduced and as
a result the ACCORD programme hasn't moved forward as swiftly as we
expected. We are faced with the reality of the pandemic and
need to adapt quickly in order to move forward in the interests of
patients.
"We look forward to sponsoring an oversees study and are
pleased that we are well positioned to do this important and rapid
testing."
The ACcelerating COVID-19 Research &
Development platform (ACCORD) study was being funded by the
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and UK Research and
Innovation (UKRI) to rapidly test potential drugs through early
stage clinical trials and feed them into the UK's large-scale
COVID-19 studies such as the RECOVERY trial, currently the world's
largest randomised controlled clinical trial for COVID-19
treatment.
About BerGenBio
BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused
on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential
cornerstone of therapy for aggressive diseases, including
immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The company's
proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially
first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad Phase II oncology
clinical development programme focused on combination and single
agent therapy in lung cancer and leukaemia. A first-in-class
functional blocking anti-AXL antibody, tilvestamab, is undergoing
Phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is developing
companion diagnostic tests to identify those patient populations
most likely to benefit from bemcentinib: this is expected to
facilitate more efficient registration trials supporting a
precision medicine-based commercialisation strategy.
BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary
in Oxford, UK. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock
Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). For more information,
visit www.bergenbio.com
For more information, please contact
Richard Godfrey CEO, BerGenBio ASA
+47 917 86 304
Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio
ASA
rune.skeie@bergenbio.com
+47 917 86 513
International Media Relations
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh, Lucy
Featherstone, Carina Jurs
Consilium Strategic Communications
bergenbio@consilium-comms.com
+44 7780 600290
Media Relations in Norway
Jan Petter Stiff, Crux
Advisers
stiff@crux.no
+47 995 13 891
Forward looking statements
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements,
which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various
assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further
assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to
significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and
other important factors could cause actual events to differ
materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this
announcement by such forward-looking statements.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements
pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading
Act.
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https://mb.cision.com/Main/15728/3160882/1284719.pdf
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SOURCE BerGenBio ASA