Full Press Release Details
Tiziana Announces the FDA Has Allowed Treatment for a Secondary
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Patient for the Nasal Administration of Foralumab, a Fully Human Anti-CD3 Monoclonal Antibody,
Under an Individual Patient Expanded Access Program
New York/London, 30 March 2021 -
Tiziana Life Sciences plc (NASDAQ: TLSA, LSE: TILS) ("Tiziana" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company
focused on innovative therapeutics for inflammatory diseases and cancers, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has allowed evaluation of nasal administration with Foralumab, a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, in a secondary
progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patient at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Harvard University, Boston, MA.
This patient will be treated under an Individual Patient Expanded Access IND. This is the first time a nasally administered antibody
will be administered to a patient with SPMS. The treatment is planned to start in the second quarter of 2021, and will continue
for six months. Investigators at BWH will follow this patient with detailed routine safety, neurological, imaging and PET studies
to evaluate microglial imaging. Modification of immunological and neurodegenerative markers is part of standard investigations
that will be conducted at the BWH.
Previously, Tiziana completed
a Phase 1 trial of a single-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple ascending dose (MAD) once a day dosing for 5 consecutive
days with nasally administered Foralumab in healthy subjects. The treatment was well-tolerated with no drug-related safety issues
reported at any doses up to 250 mg of the doses. Nasal foralumab was developed by Professor Howard Weiner at BWH.
Weiner commented, "Nasal anti-CD3
is an exciting, novel approach that has the ability to provide a safe treatment for a form of MS that has no effective treatment.
We are pleased that the FDA has allowed us to treat a patient with SPMS who needs a better treatment option than is currently available."
Dr. Tanuja Chitnis, Professor of Neurology
at Harvard Medical School and senior neurologist at the BWH, adds, "New treatments for progressive MS are urgently needed.
Nasal Foralumab could revolutionize treatment for this disabling form of disease."
The company had previously
reported positive data from the Clinical Study of Nasal Administration with Foralumab in COVID-19 patients in Brazil. Nasally administered
Foralumab at 100 mg/day for consecutive 10 days treatment was found to be well-tolerated, and there were no apparent severe adverse
events. The clinical data suggested that the treatment provided significant reduction of lung inflammation.
Foralumab (formerly NI-0401), the only entirely human anti-CD3
mAb, shows reduced release of cytokines after IV administration in patients with Crohn's disease with decreases in the classic
side effects of cytokine release syndrome and improves the overall safety profile of Foralumab. In a humanized mouse model (NOD/SCID
IL2 c-/-), it was shown that whilst targeting the T cell receptor, orally administered Foralumab modulates immune responses
of the T cells, enhances regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and thus provides therapeutic benefit in treating inflammatory and autoimmune
diseases without the occurrence of potential adverse events usually associated with parenteral mAb therapy (Ogura M. et al., 2017).
Based on animal studies, the nasal and oral administration of Foralumab offers the potential for the immunotherapy of autoimmune
and inflammatory diseases in a safe manner by the induction of Tregs.
About Tiziana Life Sciences
Tiziana Life Sciences plc is a dual listed
(NASDAQ: TLSA, UK LSE: TILS) biotechnology company that focuses on the discovery and development of novel molecules to treat human
diseases in oncology, inflammation and infectious diseases. In addition to Milciclib, the Company will be shortly initiating Phase
2 studies with orally administered Foralumab for Crohn's Disease and nasally administered Foralumab for progressive multiple
sclerosis. Foralumab is the only fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody ("mAb") in clinical development in the world.
This Phase 2 compound has potential application in a wide range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's
Disease, multiple sclerosis, type-1 diabetes ("T1D"), inflammatory bowel disease ("IBD"), psoriasis and
rheumatoid arthritis, where modulation of a T-cell response is desirable. The Company is accelerating development of anti-Interleukin
6 receptor ("IL6R") mAb, a fully human monoclonal antibody for treatment of IL6-induced inflammation, especially for
treatment of COVID-19 patients.
For further enquiries:
| Tiziana Life Sciences plc Gabriele Cerrone, Chairman and founder | +44 (0)20 7495 2379 |
| United States: Investors: Dave Gentry, CEO RedChip Companies Inc. 1-800-RED-CHIP (733-2447) or 407-491-4498 dave@redchip.com |