TIDMSAR
Sareum Holdings PLC
16 February 2021
SAREUM HOLDINGS PLC
("Sareum" or the "Company")
Sareum Notes the Launch of the UK Government's AGILE Platform to
Fund and Fast-track the Early Clinical Development of Potential
Covid-19 Treatments
Cambridge, UK, 16 February 2021 - Sareum Holdings plc (AIM:
SAR), the specialist drug development company delivering targeted
small molecule therapeutics to improve the treatment of cancer and
autoimmune diseases, notes the announcement from the UK Government
Department of Health and Social Care on 13 February 2021, regarding
the launch of its AGILE clinical development platform to fund Phase
1 trials and fast-track the development of potentially
ground-breaking Covid-19 treatments.
The Company views this new platform as a welcome source of
funding to support the early clinical development of promising new
candidates to address the breadth of symptoms that affect patients
with Covid-19.
As previously announced, Sareum is currently investigating
SDC-1801, its selective, small molecule TYK2/JAK1 kinase inhibitor,
in a preclinical Covid-19 research programme. The programme, which
commenced in December 2020 with grant funding from the UK
government, is expected to take approximately six months to
complete and aims to investigate the effects of SDC-1801 on
cytokine signalling after human cells are infected with SARS-CoV-2,
to confirm whether an over-active inflammatory response (known as a
'cytokine storm') via the Interferon Type 1 pathway can be blocked
in this disease. The Company is also investigating whether
treatment with SDC-1801 in disease models can re-establish
protection against bacterial pneumonia following SARS-CoV-2
infection.
The Company has previously stated it would require additional
funding to advance SDC-1801 into clinical trials depending both on
positive results from its ongoing Covid-19 research programme and
on the successful outcome of the Company's broader preclinical
development programme with SDC-1801. The Company believes that,
should the current preclinical work programme be successful and
indicate that SDC-1801 is a potential treatment for severe-phase
Covid-19, the Company may be eligible for an AGILE grant.
Sareum's CSO, Dr John Reader, commented :
"We are delighted that the UK government has created the AGILE
clinical trial platform and has provided the funding needed to
support this exciting and much needed initiative, which may
represent a potential route of future funding for the Company.
Despite the successful UK vaccination programme, we believe that
there is still a clear need for new therapies to treat severe
respiratory inflammation arising from viral infections such as
Covid-19. Should the Company's current work programme be
successful, we will consider this new initiative as a potential
source of funding contributing towards advancing SDC-1801 as a
potential treatment for Covid-19 patients."
The Company notes that at the recent launch of the AGILE
clinical trial platform, Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt
Hancock, said:
" Today's news will ensure all phases of clinical trials for new
treatments are done in the UK, protecting our supply chain and
securing the world's best treatments for NHS patients at a much
faster rate. I am immensely proud of the work that's been
undertaken by the brilliant scientists behind these treatments and
the thousands of UK patients who have taken part in the trials.
Together, we can continue to ensure the UK is one of the best
countries in the world for trialling and deploying the most
ground-breaking medical advancements for both COVID-19 and for
dangerous diseases in the future."
For further information, please contact:
Sareum Holdings plc
Tim Mitchell, CEO 01223 497 700
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated
Adviser)
James Dance / James Bellman 020 7409 3494
Hybridan LLP (Nominated Broker)
Claire Noyce / John Beresford-Peirse 020 3764 2341
Citigate Dewe Rogerson (Financial
PR)
Mark Swallow/ David Dible 020 7638 9571
About the AGILE Clinical Trial Platform
On 13 February 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care
announced a new initiative under which the UK government is
providing millions of pounds of additional funding to expand the
new AGILE clinical trial platform. The funding has been awarded by
the Medical Research Council (MRC) and co-funded though the
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
This new platform will allow for global innovators to progress
cutting-edge treatments for COVID-19 through all 3 clinical trial
phases in the UK, further protecting our supply chain. This in turn
will attract the brightest of researchers and manufacturers from
around the world to trial their medicines here in Britain.
AGILE is a UK phase 1 and 2a clinical trial platform designed
for rapid clinical evaluation of potential COVID-19 treatments. It
is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool, the
University of Southampton Research Unit, and other external
partners.
The innovative design of the trial means that multiple potential
treatments can be evaluated in parallel and important testing
stages can be completed in months rather than years, while
maintaining a high level of safety at all times
Patients in early stages of COVID-19 infection will be recruited
to AGILE from the community, in addition to patients who have been
hospitalised with COVID-19.
Treatments that show a signal of benefit in AGILE will be
rapidly considered for advancement into later phase clinical trial
platforms, such as PRINCIPLE and RECOVERY, where the effectiveness
of treatments can be proven in greater patient numbers.
The Therapeutics Taskforce will work with innovators to support
them to progress their promising treatments through clinical trial
phases.
Future treatments to enter AGILE will be selected by the UK
COVID-19 Therapeutics Advisory Panel (UK-CTAP), who lead the
process of reviewing and evaluating proposals for treatments to
enter UK national trial platforms.
About Sareum
Sareum is a specialist drug development company delivering
targeted small molecule therapeutics to improve the treatment of
cancer and autoimmune diseases. The Company aims to generate value
through licensing its candidates to international pharmaceutical
and biotechnology companies at the preclinical or early clinical
trials stage.
Sareum is advancing internal programmes focused on distinct dual
tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) / Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitors through
preclinical development as therapies for autoimmune diseases,
including the 'cytokine storm' immune system overreaction to
Covid-19 and other viral infections, (SDC-1801) and cancer
immunotherapy (SDC-1802).
Sareum also has an economic interest in SRA737, a clinical-stage
oral, selective Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor that targets
cancer cell replication and DNA damage repair mechanisms.
Preliminary Phase 2 and comprehensive preclinical data suggest
SRA737 may have broad application in combination with other
oncology and immune-oncology drugs in genetically defined
patients.
SRA737 was discovered and initially developed by scientists at
The Institute of Cancer Research in collaboration with Sareum, and
with funding from Sareum and Cancer Research UK. SRA737 was
licensed by CRT Pioneer Fund (CPF) to Sierra Oncology Inc. Sierra
continues to explore options that would enable the development of
SRA737 to advance.
Sareum Holdings plc is listed on the AIM market of the London
Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker SAR. For further
information, please visit the Company's website at
www.sareum.com
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