Purple Biotech Convenes a Head & Neck Cancer Scientific Advisory Board in Preparation for NT219 Phase 2 Trial

NT219 recommended dose established, anti-tumor activity demonstrated

REHOVOT, Israel, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Purple Biotech Ltd.("Purple Biotech" or "the Company") (NASDAQ/TASE: PPBT), a clinical-stage company developing first-in-class therapies that harness the power of the tumor microenvironment to overcome tumor immune evasion and drug resistance, today announced it convened a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) focusing the discussions on NT219’s indication in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN).

“This scientific advisory board of head and neck cancer key opinion leaders, who are oncologists, researchers, and investigators, provided us their insights on the therapeutic landscape of R/M SCCHN treatment and invaluable guidance on clinical studies for NT219 in combination with cetuximab as a second/third line treatment and potentially in combination with a PD1 inhibitor as a first line treatment,” stated Purple Biotech CEO, Gil Efron. “Their recognition of the critical unmet need in recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancer provides further support and momentum to our development program. Now that we have determined the recommended Phase 2 dose, we are prepared to move to our next phase of development. We look forward to the head and neck cancer SAB’s continued guidance and support.”

Head & Neck Cancer SAB Members Include:

Douglas Adkins, MD – Dr. Adkins is a Professor of Medicine and Director, Head and Neck and Thyroid Medical Oncology, at the Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine. He is a nationally recognized expert in head and neck cancer known for his commitment to advancing patient care through clinical research. With approximately 350 publications to his name, Dr. Adkins serves on committees including the National Cancer Institute: Head and Neck Steering Committee and Focus Group Member, Metastatic and Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer Task Force from 2015 to 2021.

Ezra Cohen, MD – Dr. Cohen is a Chief Medical Officer of oncology of Tempus AI. He was most recently the Chief of the Division of the Hematology-Oncology and Associate Director of Translational Science at Moores Cancer Center in San Diego, California, and Lead Principal Investigator of Purple Biotech’s Phase 1 /2 dose escalation study of NT219 in the treatment of R/M SCCHN. Dr. Cohen is a medical oncologist and an internationally recognized cancer researcher. He cares for patients with all types of head and neck cancers, including esophageal, thyroid and salivary gland cancers. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Cohen also leads a laboratory that studies novel cancer treatments, including immunotherapy, and has made major contributions in understanding how targeted cancer therapies work. A frequent speaker at national and international meetings, he has authored more than 170 peer-reviewed papers and has been the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials of new drugs for head and neck cancer and other solid tumors in all phases of development.