WPD Pharmaceuticals Announces US$1.5M Grant Awarded to Polish Research Institute for Independent Clinical Trial of Annamycin

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WPD Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: WBIO)(FSE: 8SV1) (the “Company” or “WPD”) a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company is pleased to announce that the Agencja Badań Medycznych (The Medical Research Agency) a Polish state agency responsible for development of scientific research in the field of medical and health sciences, awarded a grant equivalent to US$1.5 million to the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute to fund a Phase 1B/2 clinical trial of Annamycin for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) lung metastases.  

The grant-funded clinical trial will be led by Prof. Piotr Rutkowski, MD, PhD, Head of Department of Soft Tissue/Bone Sarcoma and Melanoma at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland. In collaboration with WPD, Prof. Piotr Rutkowski will provide support in preparation for and conduct of the clinical trial, which is expected to begin this year. 

Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (“Moleculin”), the company that sublicenses the compound Annamycin to WPD for 29 countries mainly in Europe, will supply the drug product necessary for the clinical trial and WPD will support grant related activities in Poland.

Mariusz Olejniczak, CEO of WPD also commented, "Support for this grant represents a significant step in fulfilling our obligations under the sublicense agreement between WPD and Moleculin and also provides validation of our work so far. We look forward to working closely with Prof. Rutkowski and his team on the upcoming preparation and execution of the clinical trials later this year.”

Soft tissue sarcomas are the most common form of sarcoma, accounting for an estimated 130,000 incident cases per year worldwide.  While many sarcomas can be addressed through surgical removal, it is estimated that as many as 20% to 50% of STS sarcomas will eventually metastasize to the lungs, where treatment can become more challenging.

Once metastasized to the lungs, if tumors cannot be surgically removed, the primary chemotherapy regimen is the anthracycline doxorubicin (also known as Adriamycin).  While 10% to 30% of patients with sarcoma lung metastases may initially respond to doxorubicin, most will relapse leaving the majority of these patients without an alternative chemotherapy.  Treatment options are further limited because of the inherent cardiotoxicity of currently approved anthracyclines, including doxorubicin, which limits the amount of anthracycline that can be given to patients.