EXTON, Pa., July 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDRA), a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of its proprietary immune modulator, tilsotolimod, for the treatment of cancer, is providing an update on the company’s corporate strategy and outlook following the recent termination of its proposed merger with BioCryst Pharmaceuticals.
Vincent Milano, Idera’s Chief Executive Officer stated, “Today, we advance the next chapter of our company’s future with a clear picture of our mission, which is to ultimately deliver tilsotolimod to as many patients suffering from cancer as we possibly can. We have generated a significant body of evidence for tilsotolimod, including pre-clinical studies, translational research and meaningful clinical data in our ongoing ILLUMINATE-204 trial in anti-PD-1 refractory melanoma, as well as Fast Track Designation from the Food and Drug Administration. This gives us a great deal of confidence in tilsotolimod’s ability to prime the immune system to play a more powerful role in the fight against cancer, representing an exciting value proposition for both shareholders and patients.”
Milano continued, “We are executing on the pivotal Phase 3 trial, ILLUMINATE-301, in anti-PD-1 refractory melanoma and are partnering with three separate planned investigators/institutions in support of their respective investigator sponsored trials (ISTs), each of which is exploring tilsotolimod in different patient populations. Through the body of data we’ve generated to date, as well as from our discussions with our key opinion leader advisors, it has become abundantly clear to us that tilsotolimod has the opportunity to play a more expanded role in the immuno-oncology landscape, particularly in tumor types with limited immunogenicity that have not previously responded well to check-point inhibition approaches.”
Financial Outlook and Other Corporate Updates
Idera ended the 1st Quarter of 2018, with cash and cash equivalents totaling $107.5 million, which as of the reporting of the first quarter of 2018 is anticipated to fund current operations into the third quarter of 2019. Subsequently, Idera announced an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb related to the funding of ipilimumab for the ILLUMINATE-301 trial, the cost of which we had previously budgeted for in our cash forecast, and as a result of the terminated merger with BioCryst Pharmaceuticals we also received $6 million in related fees. These two items have not yet been reflected in the Company’s financial runway and will be updated as the results of the 2nd quarter of 2018 are reported.
About Tilsotolimod (IMO-2125)
Tilsotolimod is a TLR 9 agonist that received Fast Track Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017 for the treatment of anti-PD-1 refractory melanoma, in combination with ipilimumab as well as orphan drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of melanoma Stages IIb to IV. It signals the immune system to create and activate cancer-fighting cells (T-cells) to target solid tumors. Currently approved immuno-oncology treatments, specifically check-point inhibitors, work for some but not all, as many patients’ immune response is missing or weak and thus they do not benefit from the checkpoint therapy. Intratumoral injections with tilsotolimod are designed to selectively enable the T-cells to recognize and attack cancers that remained elusive and unrecognized by the immune system exposed to checkpoint inhibitors alone, while limiting toxicity or impact on healthy cells in the body.
