Purple Biotech Announces Initiation of Phase 2 Study of NT219 in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

Company Overview - Purple Biotech Ltd. is a clinical-stage company focused on developing first-in-class therapies to overcome tumor immune evasion and drug resistance [6] - The company's oncology pipeline includes NT219, CM24, and CAPTN-3, with NT219 being a dual inhibitor targeting IRS1/2 and STAT3 [6][7] Clinical Study Initiation - A Phase 2 clinical study has been initiated to evaluate NT219 in combination with either pembrolizumab or cetuximab for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) [1][4] - The study is led by Dr. Antonio Jimeno at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and structured into two single-arm cohorts [3] Mechanism of Action - NT219 is designed to induce degradation of IRS1/2 and inhibit phosphorylation of STAT3, blocking their signaling pathways [2] - Previous Phase 1 studies showed safety and anti-tumor activity of NT219 in combination with cetuximab, with two partial responses and five patients with stable disease [4] Market Potential - The SCCHN treatment market is projected to reach $5 billion by 2030, highlighting the need for more effective treatments due to challenges like tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance [5]