Affimed Announces Acimtamig as International Nonproprietary Name for AFM13

MANNHEIM, Germany, Nov. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) (“Affimed” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced that the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Expert Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) has selected "acimtamig" for the nonproprietary name of the Company’s investigational drug for CD30-positive Lymphomas, previously known as AFM13. Following the WHO nomenclature scheme, the name recognizes the drug as a tumor targeting bispecific antibody.

Acimtamig (AFM13) is currently being evaluated in combination with AlloNK (formerly AB-101) natural killer (NK) cells in patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) Hodgkin Lymphoma in LuminICE-203, a phase 2, open-label, multi-center study (NCT05883449); the study also includes an exploratory cohort of CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma patients (PTCL). Acimtamig and AlloNK therapy was recently granted fast track designation by the FDA, a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need.

“Selection of the INN acimtamig by the WHO is an important milestone in the clinical development of AFM13 with initiation of the LuminICE-203 study underway,” said Dr. Adi Hoess, Chief Executive Officer at Affimed. “It adds to the momentum of the fast track designation awarded by the FDA earlier this year to the acimtamig and AlloNK combination. We look forward to reporting the first data from the LuminICE-203 study in the first half of 2024 and to bringing this important therapy to patients with high unmet needs.”

About Acimtamig (AFM13)
Acimtamig is a first-in-class ICE that uniquely activates the innate immune system to destroy CD30-positive hematologic tumors. Acimtamig induces specific and selective killing of CD30-positive tumor cells, leveraging the power of the innate immune system by engaging and activating natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. Acimtamig is a tetravalent bispecific innate cell engager designed to act as a bridge between the innate immune cells and the tumor creating the necessary proximity for the innate immune cells to specifically destroy the tumor cells.