Batu Biologics Reports Combination Therapy Boosts Results In Tumor Blood Vessel-Killing Strategy

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Batu Biologics, an immuno-oncology company dedicated to the commercialization of its first-in-class tumor blood vessel targeting vaccine, ValloVax^TM, reported today filing of a patent application covering a unique combination therapy of its vaccine together with two classes of “checkpoint inhibitors.”

“By pursuing an aggressive intellectual property strategy for our discoveries, we attempt to provide value to our investors, which may be captured not only in our product developments, but also in licensing and co-development opportunities as the field of angiogenesis-targeting immunotherapeutics expands”

Checkpoint inhibitors are a class of oncology drugs that have been attracting substantial attention based on their ability to “re-awaken” the immune response to cancer. The immune system is known to possess several checkpoints that inhibit full immune activation, by using antibodies to inactivate these checkpoints, this class of drugs leads to potent immune stimulation, which has translated into patient results. Ipilimumab (Yervoy) is one such drug which blocks the checkpoint CTLA4. The FDA approved Yervoy in 2013 for treatment of advanced melanoma in 2011, with the drug having $706 million in sales in the first year. Nivolumab (Opdivo) is a drug that blocks PD-1. FDA approval was granted in March of this year for treatment of advanced lung cancer. The drug is anticipated to approach peak sales of $1 billion per year.

“The purpose of Batu Biologics is not to just create another drug but to develop treatments that actually cure patients,” said Samuel C. Wagner, President and CEO of Batu Biologics. “It is our philosophy to respect the complex nature of the tumor-immune interaction. We are not naïve to believe that the cure for cancer will occur as a ‘magic bullet.’ The exciting data presented at the recent ASCO meeting concerning checkpoint inhibitors has attracted much attention, however, the main problem with this approach is that stimulation of immunity is non-specific. We have successfully demonstrated in the mouse system that the efficacy of our blood-vessel targeting vaccine, ValloVax^TM, is substantially increased when administered in combination with either CTLA4 or PD1 blocking agents.”

Batu Biologics’ lead product, ValloVax^TM, kills cancer by inducing an immune response to blood vessels that feed tumors. The company’s initial data was published in peer-reviewed literature. In its recent patent filing, the company aims to cover the use of all vaccines targeting tumor blood vessels together with checkpoint inhibitors.

“By pursuing an aggressive intellectual property strategy for our discoveries, we attempt to provide value to our investors, which may be captured not only in our product developments, but also in licensing and co-development opportunities as the field of angiogenesis-targeting immunotherapeutics expands,” said Dimitri Theofilopoulous, J.D., Chief Operating Officer of Batu Biologics.

About Batu Biologics

Founded in 2013, Batu Biologics is a biotechnology-based pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies that target the Achilles Heel of cancer: the tumor blood vessels. Batu seeks to address the multidimensional nature of cancer by developing universal donor therapeutics that target multiple pathways concurrently to enhance efficacy and specificity. The company maintains research facilities at Janssen Labs, located in the Torrey Pines-area biotech cluster of San Diego.