China- and U.S.-bound for RX-0201

Rexahn announces collaboration with Zhejiang Haichang Biotechnology for development of Archexin to treat hepatocellular carcinoma
| 2 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
ROCKVILLE, Md.—In early February, Rexahn Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, announced that it had entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Zhejiang Haichang Biotechnology Co. Ltd. (Haichang) to develop RX-0201 (Archexin) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer.
 
Under the terms of the agreement, Haichang will develop a nano-liposomal formulation of RX-0201 using its proprietary QTsome technology and conduct certain preclinical and clinical activities through completion of a Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial for the treatment of HCC. Any clinical trials conducted by Haichang will be designed to meet both U.S. and Chinese regulatory requirements. Haichang will fund all research and development activities through completion of the Phase 2a clinical trial.
 
The parties will share an agreed ratio of downstream licensing fees and royalties paid by third parties in connection with the further development and commercialization of the nano-liposomal formulation of RX-0201 for the treatment of HCC.
 
“We are delighted to enter into this collaboration to take RX-0201 forward in hepatocellular carcinoma,” said Dr. Peter D. Suzdak, CEO of Rexahn. “We are impressed with Haichang’s QTsome technology. It has the potential to target RX-0201 to the liver and to promote uptake into cancer cells to enhance efficacy.”
 
“The incidence of liver cancer is growing worldwide, and especially in Asia,” said Dr. Ben Zhao, CEO of Haichang. “There are very few treatment options for patients and unfortunately, the prognosis for patients with advanced disease is very poor. Akt-1 is an important signaling protein in liver cancer and we are excited about the potential for RX-0201. It is an ideal candidate for our liposomal technology, and we look forward to advancing the development of RX-0201 in collaboration with Rexahn.”
 
In connection with the agreement with Haichang, Rexahn plans to discontinue the internally funded programs of Archexin and will cease enrollment in the current Phase 2a clinical study of Archexin in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Patients currently enrolled in the trial will continue to be followed.
 
RX-0201 is an antisense oligonucleotide compound that is complementary to Akt-1 mRNA and highly selective for inhibiting its mRNA expression, which leads to reduced production of Akt-1. Akt-1 is a protein that is associated with cancer cell growth and proliferation and the development of resistance to certain anticancer agents. Akt-1 is over-expressed in multiple forms of cancer including hepatic, renal, breast, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, prostate and melanoma.
 
In a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers, RX-0201 appeared to be safe and well tolerated, with minimal side effects.

Related Topics

Published In

Volume 14 - Issue 3 | March 2018

March 2018

March 2018 Issue

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

Surface rendering of two interacting proteins (green and peach) bound together by a small molecule ligand at their interface, illustrating a protein-ligand binding event.
Learn how molecular dynamics, AI-aided design, and structural insights combine to reshape how therapeutic proteins are created, validated, and optimized.
Stem cells are shown as clear, purple, and blue spheres against a dark blue and black background.
Human-relevant, ready-to-use stem cell models are reshaping drug discovery, toxicity testing, and personalized medicine.
Characterizing lipid nanoparticles for RNA therapeutic development
Integrated multiomics and advanced nanoparticle analytics are improving how researchers perform RNA delivery, increasing therapeutic success.
Drug Discovery News March 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 1 • March 2025

March 2025

March 2025 Issue

Explore this issue