CytomX Therapeutics Announces FDA Clearance of Investigational New Drug Application for CX-2029, a CD71-Directed Probody Therapeutic

CytomX Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CTMX) a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody™ therapeutic technology platform, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for CX-2029, a first-in-class CD71-directed Probody™ drug conjugate being co-developed by CytomX and its partner AbbVie.

As quoted in the press release:

CD71, also known as the transferrin receptor 1, is a highly expressed protein present in a number of solid and hematologic cancers that possess attractive molecular properties for the efficient delivery of cytotoxic payloads to tumor cells. The achievement of this milestone triggers a $25 million payment to CytomX from AbbVie.

“CD71 has long been considered a high potential but challenging target for antibody drug conjugates given its high expression in tumors but ubiquitous expression in normal tissues. However, we see CD71 is an attractive candidate for a Probody drug conjugate approach, since our technology can potentially localize treatment directly to tumor tissue,” said Sean McCarthy, D.Phil., president and chief executive officer of CytomX Therapeutics. “With CX-2029 now clear to advance into Phase 1, CytomX and our partners now have four clinical-stage Probody programs with anticipated initial data readouts later this year from our two wholly-owned programs, CX-072 and CX-2009. It is also noteworthy that this milestone comes just two years following the signing of our agreements with AbbVie, reflecting the efficiency of this collaboration.”

Click here to read the full press release.