Full Press Release Details
BeyondSpring Files for Patent Protection on BPI-002 for the Treatment of Viral Infections Including COVID-19
NEW YORK - March 11, 2020 - BeyondSpring Inc. (the "Company" or "BeyondSpring") (NASDAQ: BYSI), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative
immuno-oncology cancer therapies, today announced the submission of a provisional U.S. patent application for its pipeline asset BPI-002, for methods of treating viral infections, including COVID-19, when administered
alone or in combination with a vaccine. BPI-002 is a novel orally administered small molecule agent that is a potent T-cell co-stimulator.
The agent is targeting two main effects:
"With the COVID-19 outbreak spreading across the globe, BeyondSpring, along with all of our peer biopharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to respond as quickly as possible to stop the virus from
spreading and save lives," said Dr. Lan Huang, co-founder and CEO. "BPI-002 has the potential to directly attack and kill RNA virus without precipitating limiting toxicities, and to
potentially provide long term protection against COVID-19 when combined with a vaccine. We are continuing to aggressively advance this agent to provide a therapeutic option offering both near-term treatment and long-term prevention against this
Dr. Huang and Dr. Ramon Mohanlal, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, R&D are
co-inventors of the new patent application.
BeyondSpring is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative immuno-oncology cancer therapies. BeyondSpring's lead asset, first-in-class agent Plinabulin as an immune and
stem cell modulator, is in a Phase 3 global clinical trial as a direct anticancer agent in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and two Phase 3 clinical programs in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN). BeyondSpring
has strong R&D capabilities with a robust pipeline in addition to Plinabulin, including three immuno-oncology assets and a drug discovery platform using the ubiquitination degradation pathway. The Company also has a seasoned management team with
many years of experience bringing drugs to the global market.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that are not historical facts. Words such as "will," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "believe," "design," "may," "future," "estimate," "predict," "objective,"
"goal," or variations thereof and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on BeyondSpring's current knowledge and its present beliefs and
expectations regarding possible future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of several
factors including, but not limited to, difficulties raising the anticipated amount needed to finance the Company's future operations on terms acceptable to the Company, if at all, unexpected results of clinical trials, delays or denial in regulatory
approval process, results that do not meet our expectations regarding the potential safety, the ultimate efficacy or clinical utility of our product candidates, increased competition in the market, and other risks described in BeyondSpring's most
recent Form 20-F on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this release and BeyondSpring undertakes no obligation to update publicly such forward-looking
statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by law.
Caitlin Kasunich / Raquel Cona
KCSA Strategic Communications
212.896.1241 / 212.896.1276