WPD PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES BRAIN CANCER PATIENT FROM BERUBICIN PHASE 1 TRIAL REMAINS CANCER FREE

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WPD Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: WBIO)(FSE: 8SV1) (the “Company” or “WPD”) a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce that a patient from the Phase 1 clinical trial of its Berubicin drug for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme ("GBM"), remains cancer free. The clinical trial was conducted by $4Bn pharmaceutical company, Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. GBM is an aggressive type of brain cancer and currently, there are no effective therapies approved to treat this disease.

In the Phase 1 trial, 44% of patients experienced a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival. This 44% disease control rate was based on 11 patients (out of 25 evaluable patients) with stable disease, plus responders. One patient experienced a durable complete response, which is defined by the National Cancer Institute as the disappearance of all signs of cancer in response to treatment. This initial trial was conducted in 2006 and as of February 2020, the patient has remained cancer free for over 13 years.  

"We are delighted to provide this update on Berubicin's potential capabilities as we continue to develop the drug. We are very encouraged by these results and remain hopeful in our efforts to treat GBM,” commented Mariusz Olejniczak, CEO of WPD "We are looking forward to initiating the Phase 2 clinical trial in the second half of this year with our partner, CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. Concurrently, we will be starting a pediatric trial which will be conducted at Children's Memorial Health Institute, the largest pediatric hospital in Poland."

The Company also announces that it has retained the media and advertising services of Bullvestor Medien GmbH of Austria to assist with the Company’s exposure to the German speaking investment community. Under the contract, the Company will pay $245,000 CDN for the services.

About Berubicin

Berubicin is an anthracycline, a class of anticancer agents that are among the most powerful chemotherapy drugs and effective against more types of cancer than any other class of chemotherapeutic agents. Anthracyclines are designed to utilize natural processes to induce deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in targeted cancer cells by interfering with the action of topoisomerase II, a critical enzyme enabling cell proliferation. Berubicin treatment of brain cancer patients appeared to demonstrate positive responses that include one durable complete response in a Phase 1 human clinical trial conducted by Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc.