
Phase 2b study evaluating diagnostic performance of 18F-RAD101 for suspected recurrent brain metastases from solid tumors of different origins
Underscores Radiopharm's commitment to developing transformative oncology radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD, “Radiopharm” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oncology radiopharmaceuticals for areas of high unmet medical needs, is pleased to announce that it has increased its ownership stake in Radiopharm Ventures, LLC, a joint venture created with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, from 51% to 75%.
The move to an increased ownership percentage comes as the joint venture continues to show promising progress in its cancer therapeutic pipeline, including the advancement of its leading B7H3 candidate and other preclinical assets.
B7-H3 is an immune checkpoint protein that is very infrequently seen in the majority of healthy cells but it is consistently abnormally overexpressed in the majority of cancer tissues. High expression of B7H3 in cancer is associated with greater tumor size and lymphatic invasion.
The B7H3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) lead candidate is successfully completing preclinical studies.
The company plans to initiate a Phase I therapeutic trial in the first half of calendar 2025, making a significant step toward clinical application.
Additionally, two other preclinical candidates have demonstrated early positive results and have progressed towards final candidate selection, with potential applications across multiple solid tumour types.
To support these advancements and its ownership percentage increase to 75%, Radiopharm has committed an additional USD$4.0 million to the joint venture, to cover future preclinical and clinical expenses.
Radiopharm and MD Anderson launched Radiopharm Ventures, LLC in September 2022 to develop novel radiopharmaceutical products for cancer treatment. The joint venture leverages MD Anderson’s expertise in antigen discovery and molecular imaging alongside Radiopharm’s capabilities in developing radiopharmaceutical therapies.
Riccardo Canevari, CEO & Managing Director of Radiopharm, commented: "We are encouraged by the progress to date within Radiopharm Ventures. The increased ownership by RAD, coupled with the advancements in the associated programs, positions us well to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial with B7H3 next year.”
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Radiopharm Theranostics represents a promising investment opportunity in the rapidly growing field of radiopharmaceuticals, leveraging its innovative technology platform and diverse clinical pipeline.
Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD) is an innovative biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of radiopharmaceutical products for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Founded with a mission to address significant unmet medical needs, particularly in oncology, the company has positioned itself at the forefront of the rapidly evolving field of precision medicine.
Radiopharm Theranostics presents a compelling value proposition for investors, characterized by several key factors:
Lantheus’ investment in Radiopharm marks a pivotal moment for both companies and holds substantial implications for the field of theranostics. The funding will facilitate Radiopharm's research and development efforts, accelerating its product pipeline and market presence. Under the agreement, Radiopharm will transfer two early preclinical assets to Lantheus for a further AU$3 million, fostering a collaborative relationship focused on radiopharmaceutical development. The collaboration positions Radiopharm to capitalize on the increasing demand for theranostic solutions, aligning with trends in personalized medicine. Moreover, this financial backing will support clinical trials and operational needs, while also aiming for the commercialization of their products.
Radiopharm has four licensed platform technologies – nanobody, peptide, small molecules and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) – with diagnostic and therapeutic applications in both pre-clinical and clinical stages of development.
Radiopharm’s clinical stage development in the pipeline include:
The company recently received FDA approval for its investigational new drug application for 18-Pivalate (RAD 101). Labelled with the radioisotope F18, Pivalate is a small molecule that targets fatty acids synthase, which is overexpressed in brain tumours but not in normal cells.
Positive data from the company’s Phase 2 imaging trial of 17 patients with brain metastases has shown significant tumour uptake. Radiopharm holds an exclusive global license for the Pivalate platform.
Radiopharm highlights that Pivalate is potentially a new target for radiopharmaceutical brain imaging agents, and its unique mechanism of action may offer eligible patients a better option in relation to current imaging technology, which has many limitations.
Paul Hopper is the founder of Radiopharm Theranostics. He has over 25 years of experience in the biotech, healthcare and life sciences. Focused on start-up and rapid-growth companies, he has served as the founder, chairman, non-executive director or CEO of more than 15 companies in the US, Australia and Asia. Previous and current boards include Imugene, Chimeric Therapeutics, Viralytics, Prescient Therapeutics and Polynoma. His experience covers extensive fund raising in US, Australia, Asia and Europe, and he has deep experience in corporate governance, risk management, and strategy.
Riccardo Canevari has broad and deep experience across specialty pharma, oncology and radiopharmaceuticals. He was most recently chief commercial officer of Novartis Advanced Accelerator Applications, one of the leading radiopharmaceutical and nuclear medicine companies, globally. He was responsible for global commercial strategy and country organizations in ~20 countries across North America, Europe and Asia. He was responsible for Lutathera’s in-market growth strategy and execution to build a blockbuster asset and for the pre-launch plan for Lu-PSMA 617 in metastatic prostate cancer. Prior to this, Canevari was senior vice-president and global head, breast cancer franchise for Novartis Oncology since 2017, overseeing the launch of major breast cancer products, including KISQALI and PIQRAY. He also held various management roles with Novartis Pharma and Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson.
Dr. Sherin Al-Safadi is an accomplished industry leader with many years of experience in pharmaceuticals and biotech. Most recently she was vice-president – medical affairs at POINT Biopharma, where she led the strategic and tactical planning for Phase III support and launch preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. She also provided strategic input and leadership for business development and licensing opportunities. She currently serves as co-founder and president at Foundation Amal (Canada-USA), overseeing an executive leadership team of 12 directors and members, who led the successful 2021 cross-border expansion into the USA and spearheaded the development of a successful branding and communication strategy. Al-Safadi holds a PhD in neurobiology from Concordia University, an MBA in entrepreneurship & management from the John Molson School of Business, and a MSc in pharmacology (oncology drug development) from McGill University.
Vimal Patel joins RAD from Orum Therapeutics where he was vice-president, head of CMC and supply chain. He was responsible for all CMC functions including process and analytical development, manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance, regulatory and supply chain. He led the successful manufacture of two ADCs and contributed to filing an IND leading to a Phase-I trial. Prior to Orum, Patel held roles of increasing responsibility in process development and manufacturing sciences at several companies, including Actinium Pharmaceuticals. Patel also held a position at Pfizer where he contributed to the refiling of Mylotarg and the filing of Besponsa BLAs. He also developed manufacturing processes for various ADCs. He also held roles at Daiichi Sankyo, Progenics Pharmaceuticals and SibTech in various capacities. Patel has MS in biotechnology from University of Connecticut and B.S. in chemical engineering from Sardar Patel University.
Noel Donnelly brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in finance, strategy and operations within the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has a distinguished track record of building and leading cross-functional teams, driving corporate governance and executing complex financial strategies that support rapid company. growth. Donnelly is current the chief financial officer of PepGen, where he oversaw the company's financial strategy through its successful IPO, raising U$120 million and leading subsequent financial efforts that secured an additional US$90 million. Donnelly was previously the CFO of EIP Pharma (now, CervoMed), where he led the company's IPO plannig phase. He had a 15-year tenure at Takeda/Shire PLC, in various senior roles, where he led critical R&D integrations and oversaw more than US$160 billion in integration planning and execution. He was instrumental in shaping the company's portfolio management strategy.
Developing innovative radiopharmaceuticals for a highly underserved oncology sector
Phase 2b study evaluating diagnostic performance of 18F-RAD101 for suspected recurrent brain metastases from solid tumors of different origins
Underscores Radiopharm's commitment to developing transformative oncology radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD, Nasdaq: RADX, "Radiopharm" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oncology radiopharmaceuticals for areas of high unmet medical need, today announced the dosing of the first patient in its U.S. Phase 2b imaging study of 18F-RAD101 in suspected recurrent brain metastasis.
The U.S. multicenter, open-label, single arm Phase 2b clinical trial 1 is evaluating the diagnostic performance of 18F-RAD101 in 30 individuals with confirmed recurrent brain metastases from solid tumors of different origins. The primary objective of the study is concordance between 18F-RAD101 positive lesions and those seen in conventional imaging (MRI with gadolinium) in participants with suspected recurrent brain metastases.
RAD101 is a novel imaging small molecule that targets fatty acid synthase (FASN), a multi-enzyme protein that catalyses fatty acid synthesis and is overexpressed in many solid tumors, including cerebral metastasis. Disruption of FASN activity allows for the accurate detection of cancer cells, representing a strongly viable target for the imaging of brain metastasis. Positive data from the Imperial College of London's Phase 2a imaging trial of 18F-RAD101 in patients with brain metastases showed significant tumor uptake that was consistent with and independent from the tumor of origin. 2
"We are proud to pioneer the first U.S. clinical trial of RAD101," said Harshad R. Kulkarni, MD, Chief Medical Advisor at BAMF Health and Principal Investigator of this Phase 2b study. "This marks an important step toward improving diagnostic precision and enabling more evidence-based, individualized treatment decisions for patients with brain metastases following stereotactic radiosurgery."
"This trial is an excellent illustration of BAMF Health's clinical trials platform in action," added BAMF Health's Director of Clinical Trials. "Our Radiopharmacy is producing the imaging agent on-site, our clinic team is caring for the patient and providing the best image in the world, and our clinical trials team expertly coordinates it all. BAMF's facility and team were built to do trials just like this."
"Current standard of care imaging is less sensitive in discriminating between tumor recurrence and radiation necrosis in patients with brain metastasis who have received anticancer treatments, including radiation," said Riccardo Canevari, CEO and Managing Director of Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd. "18F-RAD101 has the strong potential to improve diagnostic accuracy of brain metastases, and holds promise for discriminating between treatment effect and true progression in the more than 300,000 patients diagnosed with brain metastasis each year in the U.S. alone. We look forward to advancing this clinical trial and to reporting topline data in the second half of 2025."
About Radiopharm Theranostics
Radiopharm Theranostics is a clinical stage radiotherapeutics company developing a world-class platform of innovative radiopharmaceutical products for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in areas of high unmet medical need. Radiopharm is listed on ASX (RAD) and on NASDAQ (RADX). The company has a pipeline of distinct and highly differentiated platform technologies spanning peptides, small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for use in cancer. The clinical program includes one Phase 2 and three Phase 1 trials in a variety of solid tumor cancers including lung, breast, and brain. Learn more at radiopharmtheranostics.com .
About BAMF Health
BAMF Health is the world's first vertically integrated platform for intelligence-based precision medicine. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, BAMF Health employs the most advanced theranostic imaging technology to detect and treat cancer and other diseases and conduct advanced clinical trials. Our overriding mission is to empower patients to become people again. With a team of data scientists, researchers, software engineers, and clinicians —all working in lockstep—we're making good on it. To learn more about BAMF Health, visit www.bamfhealth.com .
Authorized on behalf of the Radiopharm Theranostics Board of Directors by Executive Chairman Paul Hopper.
For more information:
Investors:
Riccardo Canevari
CEO & Managing Director
Radiopharm Theranostics
P: +1 862 309 0293
E: rc@radiopharmtheranostics.com
Andrew Dymon
Precision AQ (formerly Stern IR)
andrew.dymon@precisionaq.com
Media:
Matt Wright
NWR Communications
P: +61 451 896 420
E: matt@nwrcommunications.com.au
Follow Radiopharm Theranostics:
Website – https://radiopharmtheranostics.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/TeamRadiopharm
Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/company/radiopharm-theranostics/
InvestorHub – https://investorhub.radiopharmtheranostics.com/
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1 https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06777433
2 S. Islam et. Al., EJNMMI; 07 February 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-025-07118-0
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