Matinas BioPharma Announces Positive in vivo Safety Data with its Oral LNC-Docetaxel Formulation

Daily oral LNC-docetaxel, at a total administered dose of more than 8x greater than IV-docetaxel, showed no evidence of weight loss, compared to an average peak weight loss of 20% with IV-docetaxel

Results build on data from prior in vivo study of oral LNC-docetaxel showing reductions in tumor size comparable to IV-docetaxel

Management to host to 2023 Financial Results and Business Update Conference Call on March 27, 2024

BEDMINSTER, N.J., March 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: MTNB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering groundbreaking therapies using its lipid nanocrystal (LNC) platform technology, announces positive results from an additional in vivo study in healthy mice with an oral LNC formulation of docetaxel, a well-established chemotherapeutic agent used in the management of multiple metastatic and unresectable tumors. Docetaxel is currently only administered intravenously and is frequently associated with significant side effects and treatment-limiting toxicities.

"These recent data show how our oral LNC-docetaxel formulation can dramatically reduce the well-recognized toxicity of IV-docetaxel, as primarily manifested by weight loss in this model,” said James J. Ferguson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Matinas. "Our previous in vivo study demonstrated that oral LNC-docetaxel effectively targeted melanoma tumors and was able to reduce tumor sizes to a degree comparable to that of IV-docetaxel, with no evident toxicity. We have now corroborated this lack of toxicity in a more comprehensive safety study with a longer treatment duration and even higher doses of oral LNC-docetaxel.

"This illustrates how the crystalline structure of our LNCs encapsulates and protects the body from the docetaxel cargo prior to selectively delivering it directly to tumor cells, markedly reducing the amount of circulating free drug, and thereby avoiding one of the primary drivers of chemotherapy-associated toxicity. Importantly, the unique phosphatidylserine composition of LNCs allows for selective tumor targeting and delivery, making LNC-docetaxel both an effective targeting vehicle and an efficient oral delivery platform for oncology applications,” he added. “With data from our in vivo studies that suggests a broader therapeutic index for oral LNC-docetaxel, we plan to evaluate higher doses in additional tumors – including those that have not historically responded well to docetaxel therapy – as well as potential improvements in the therapeutic indices of other toxic chemotherapies.”