logo
Iksuda Therapeutics Receives FDA IND Clearance for IKS014

Iksuda Therapeutics Receives FDA IND Clearance for IKS014

Associated Press6 hours ago

NEWCASTLE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 30, 2025--
Iksuda Therapeutics (Iksuda), the developer of class-leading antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with clinically validated tumour-selective payload release formats, today announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for IKS014, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) ADC targeting patients with advanced HER2+ solid tumours, enabling the expansion of ongoing clinical trials.
IKS014 is currently being investigated in an open-label phase 1 dose-escalation study ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05872295 ) designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of increasing dose levels of IKS014 and establish a recommended phase 2 dose. Preliminary data from this study has demonstrated promising clinical activity across multiple tumour types, including breast, ovarian, gallbladder, and oesophageal cancers, and including patients who have relapsed after prior treatment with Enhertu. Gaining access to U.S. centres for the dose expansion stage of this phase 1 trial will enable efficient confirmation of the role of IKS014 in this important patient sub-set.
Dr Dave Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Iksuda Therapeutics, said:
'The FDA clearance of our IND application for IKS014 represents a significant milestone in our mission to address the critical unmet needs of patients with HER2-positive cancers, particularly those who have exhausted current standard-of-care options. Early clinical data has been extremely encouraging, and we are excited to expand our program to reach more patients.
'The early efficacy signals that have been observed, particularly in patients that have relapsed after receiving prior treatments of Kadcyla and Enhertu, suggest IKS014 could potentially offer a new treatment option for patients who currently have limited alternatives. We look forward to working with our clinical partners to further evaluate the potential of IKS014.'
The first stage of this phase 1 trial, to determine the recommended phase 2 dose for dose expansion, is nearing completion. The expansion phase will assess several patient cohorts including those with HER2-positive breast cancer who are refractory to or cannot tolerate Enhertu, patients with HER2-low breast cancer and patients with HER2-positive positive gastric cancer. The IND clearance will allow Iksuda to access patients across sites in the United States, alongside sites in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The phase 1 trial is expected to complete in 2H 2026.
About IKS014
IKS014 is a potential best-in-class antibody drug conjugate, benefiting from tumour selective activation and release of the cytotoxic agent monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF). In preclinical trials, it displayed impressive activity in high- and low-HER2 expressing tumours with a favourable Therapeutic Index vs other HER2-directed drugs. Iksuda gained exclusive world-wide rights (excluding Greater China and South Korea) to IKS014 from LigaChem Biosciences ( https://iksuda.com/2022/01/iksuda-deepens-clinical-pipeline/ ).
About Iksuda Therapeutics: www.iksuda.com
Iksuda Therapeutics is a clinical stage, UK-based biotechnology company focussed on the development of class leading antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting difficult-to-treat haematological and solid tumours. Iksuda's pipeline of ADCs is centred on a portfolio of prodrug DNA and protein alkylating payloads in combination with stable conjugation chemistries including its proprietary PermaLink ® platform. The Company's design concepts for ADCs are now clinically validated to significantly improve the therapeutic index of this important modality and improve the outcomes for patients living with cancer.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250630186021/en/
CONTACT: For further information please contact:
Iksuda Therapeutics
Dave Simpson, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 191 6031680
[email protected] Consulting (Financial Media and IR)
Simon Conway / Rob Winder / Amy Byrne
Tel: +44 (0) 020 3727 1000
[email protected]
KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES IRELAND UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE MASSACHUSETTS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PHARMACEUTICAL ONCOLOGY HEALTH FDA CLINICAL TRIALS
SOURCE: Iksuda Therapeutics
Copyright Business Wire 2025.
PUB: 06/30/2025 08:00 PM/DISC: 06/30/2025 08:00 PM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250630186021/en

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Tory Minister George Freeman Suspended As Trade Envoy Over 'Cash For Questions' Claims
Former Tory Minister George Freeman Suspended As Trade Envoy Over 'Cash For Questions' Claims

Yahoo

time4 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Former Tory Minister George Freeman Suspended As Trade Envoy Over 'Cash For Questions' Claims

Former Conservative minister George Freeman was 'asked to step back' as a trade envoy for the government last night. It followed claims that he was paid by a company to ask government departments certain questions. He was listed as the trade envoy for Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei but Downing Street confirmed he had been 'suspended' on Monday evening. Freeman, who has been the MP for Mid Norfolk since 2010 and served in both Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson's governments, referred himself to the parliamentary watchdog over the concerns. He has been a paid adviser for a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring service, GHGSat, since April 2024. According to The Sunday Times, which published alleged leak emails from Freeman asking the company director what to ask, he then submitted questions to ministers about the sector the firm operates in. A No.10 spokesperson said: 'Parliamentary standards are a matter for the House and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. 'And you can see the individual has referred himself to that process. 'While that investigation takes place, it is right he has been asked to step back from the role, and he has been suspended in representing the UK as a trade envoy until that process has been concluded.' Freeman released a statement over the weekend announcing he had referred himself to the watchdog although he did not believe he had done 'anything wrong.' He said he 'regularly asks experts for clarification on technical points and terminology' as a long-standing advocate of new technologies. Freeman claimed he also 'deeply respects' the parliamentary system, and tries to 'assiduously follow the code of conduct for MPs and the need to act always in the public interest'. 'Throughout my 15 years in parliament (and government) I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism,' he said. He added: 'I am very concerned at the unauthorised and targeted access to my emails and diary which I have raised with the police and parliamentary authorities.' Trump Leaves Starmer Scrabbling On The Ground As He Unveils US-UK Trade Deal US Stance On Trade Unlikely To Change Even If A Democrat Replaced Trump, Minister Warns Trade Unionist Delivers Scathing Takedown Of Labour: 'Desperate Disappointment Is An Understatement'

How the Shingles Vaccine Guards Against Dementia: New Clues
How the Shingles Vaccine Guards Against Dementia: New Clues

Medscape

time19 minutes ago

  • Medscape

How the Shingles Vaccine Guards Against Dementia: New Clues

How do vaccines reduce dementia risk? A new study suggested that immune-boosting adjuvants contained in some vaccines may offer one explanation. Adults who received the recombinant shingles vaccine Shingrix or the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Arexvy — both of which contain the AS01 adjuvant — had a lower risk for dementia in the 18 months after vaccination than peers who received the flu vaccine, which does not contain the AS01 adjuvant, investigators found. 'The findings are striking. We need studies to confirm whether the adjuvant present in some vaccines contributes to the reduced dementia risk and to understand how it does so,' senior author Paul Harrison, PhD, with the University of Oxford, Oxford, England, said in a statement. The study was published online on June 25 in the journal npj Vaccines . Vaccine or the Adjuvant? For this study, investigators built on a prior analysis of the US patient database TriNetX that showed that adults who received the AS01 shingles vaccine had a lower risk for dementia than peers who received the older shingles vaccine (Zostavax), which does not contain the AS01 adjuvant. To test the hypothesis that the AS01 adjuvant could be the key driver of the dementia-protective effect, researchers turned again to the TriNetX database and identified 103,798 people who received the AS01 shingles vaccine only, 35,938 who received the AS01 RSV vaccine only, and 78,658 who received both. These cohorts were propensity score matched to an equal number of people who received the flu vaccine and neither the shingles nor the RSV vaccine. In the 18 months following vaccination, compared to those who received the flu vaccine, the risk for dementia diagnosis was 29% lower in those who received the AS01 RSV vaccine (restricted mean time lost [RMTL] ratio, 0.71) and 18% lower in those who received the AS01 shingles vaccine (RMTL, 0.82). Individuals receiving both AS01 vaccines had a 37% reduced risk for dementia diagnosis (RMTL, 0.63). These effects were consistent in men and women and were not explained by reductions in RSV or shingles infections alone. And no difference was observed between the two AS01 adjuvant vaccines, 'suggesting that the AS01 adjuvant itself plays a direct role in lowering dementia risk,' the investigators said. 'Our data provide support for the hypothesis that, besides protection against their target infection, these vaccines could well protect against dementia via the action of the AS01 components through specific immunological pathways,' they wrote. In particular, the AS01 adjuvant includes monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), which activates immune cells, and QS-21, a plant-derived extract that amplifies the immune response. Animal studies have shown that MPL can improve Alzheimer-related pathology, and other work suggests it triggers immune activity that might reduce the formation of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Caveats and Cautionary Notes Several experts not involved in the study offered perspective on this research in a statement from the UK nonprofit Science Media Centre. Julia Dudley, head of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said a strength of the study is that it adjusted for factors that could influence risk, such as underlying health conditions and some lifestyle and environmental factors. 'However, as the study is observational and examined past health data, the researchers cannot conclude how the Shingrix and Arexvy vaccines may protect against dementia. We also cannot rule out that the link between vaccine and dementia risk is due to other factors not captured in this study, such as social and lifestyle factors,' Dudley said. A limitation of the study, highlighted by the authors, is that people could be living with dementia without having a formal diagnosis, 'which could skew the findings,' Dudley commented. In addition, 'we do not know if the adjuvant is reducing the risk of dementia or delaying its onset. The follow-up period was only 18 months, so more research is needed to determine the potential long-term effects of the vaccines,' Dudley said. Kevin McConway, PhD, emeritus professor of applied statistics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, England, said the study is 'an interesting, worthwhile, and statistically competent piece of work, but a lot more research needs to be done to make good sense of its possible implications for healthcare.' 'Previous research has provided pretty convincing evidence that vaccination against shingles, in older people, can reduce dementia risk [but] exactly how AS01 might be involved in reducing dementia risk' is unclear, McConway said, and 'we're not yet anywhere near the stage of using the results of the new study to change clinical practice.' Andrew Pollard, FMedSci, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, agreed. 'It is premature to be too certain about the mechanism by which vaccines might reduce dementia risk, but these observations provide further incentive for those eligible to turn up for their scheduled vaccination visits to prevent the unpleasant and potentially serious and life-threatening infections for which they were designed, but with the added possible benefit of a longer dementia-free lifespan. What's not to like?' Pollard commented.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store