Full Press Release Details
SYDNEY,Jan. 8, 2026/PRNewswire/ -- Kazia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: KZIA) today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, John Friend, MD, will be in San Francisco next week to participate in meetings during the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week (JPM Week).
During the week, Kazia will connect with existing and prospective institutional investors, sell-side analysts, and strategic collaborators, including both established partners and potential new industry counterparties, as part of ongoing investor relations and business development outreach.
"We are entering JPM Week with strong strategic and clinical momentum," said Dr. John Friend, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Kazia Therapeutics. "Following the successful completion of our recent financing, we are well capitalized to execute across multiple near-term catalysts, including an anticipated triple negative breast cancer clinical and biomarker update before the end of the month. At the same time, renewed industry focus on the PI3K/mTOR pathway—particularly in hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer—underscores the growing relevance of approaches that are designed to be differentiated and patient-friendly, such as paxalisib."
Anticipated Clinical and Program Updates
Kazia expects to provide a clinical and translational update before the end of the month from its ongoing Phase 1b trial evaluating paxalisib in advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The update is anticipated to include additional clinical response observations, together with expanded circulating tumor cell (CTC) and CTC cluster biomarker analyses, further evaluating paxalisib's potential impact on metastatic disease biology.
As previously reported, paxalisib treatment in advanced TNBC has been associated with rapid and sustained reductions in CTCs and CTC clusters, biomarkers increasingly linked to metastatic potential and adverse clinical outcomes. Notably, prior observations in the patient demonstrated that temporary interruption of paxalisib dosing was accompanied by a rebound increase in CTC clusters, with subsequent re-initiation again suppressing overall CTC count and cluster formation, supporting a mechanistically distinct and pharmacodynamically consistent contribution beyond that of immunotherapy alone.
The impending update could meaningfully expand the clinical and biological dataset supporting paxalisib in metastatic breast cancer, providing further context around treatment response, biological consistency, and translational relevance, and may further inform the broader development strategy for paxalisib across breast cancer subtypes.
In addition, Kazia plans to provide the first update on its potential first-in-class PD-L1 protein degrader program. This program is designed to leverage a novel and differentiated mechanism of action, reflecting evolving scientific strategies aimed at addressing biological complexity, resistance, and durability challenges in immune-based cancer therapies.
About Kazia Therapeutics Limited
Kazia Therapeutics Limited is an innovative oncology-focused drug development company, based in Sydney, Australia. Our lead program is paxalisib, a brain-penetrant pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, which is being developed to treat multiple forms of brain cancer, including glioblastoma and brain metastases. A Phase 1b clinical trial is also underway evaluating paxalisib in combination with checkpoint inhibition and chemotherapy for patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer. EVT801, a selective VEGFR3 inhibitor, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial for advanced solid tumors. Kazia is working to rapidly progress these assets through clinical development and toward commercialization.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, which can generally be identified as such by the use of words such as "may," "will," "estimate," "future," "forward," "anticipate," or other similar words. Any statement describing Kazia's future plans, strategies, intentions, expectations, objectives, goals or prospects, and other statements that are not historical facts, are also forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: the timing, scope, design, conduct, progress, and results of clinical trials and clinical updates; the anticipated clinical and translational update in Kazia's ongoing Phase 1b trial evaluating paxalisib in TNBC before the end of January; the plan to provide the first update on the PD-L1 protein degrader program; the interpretation, durability, and potential significance of clinical and preclinical results; the continued development, regulatory pathway, and the potential therapeutic benefits of the Company's product candidates, including paxalisib and its PD-L1 protein degrader program; the Company's ability to advance its pipeline, obtain regulatory approvals, pursue and maintain strategic collaborations, and execute on its business, development, and capital strategies; and the Company's future expectations, plans, and prospects. Such statements are based on Kazia's current expectations and projections about future events and future trends affecting its business and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, including risks and uncertainties: related to market and other conditions, associated with clinical and preclinical trials and product development, including the risk that preliminary or interim data may not reflect final results, related to regulatory approvals, and related to the impact of global economic conditions. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Kazia's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC and in subsequent filings with the SEC. Kazia undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this announcement.