vTv Therapeutics & Cantex Pharmaceuticals Announce Strategic Licensing Agreement for Development & Commercialization of Cancer Treatment

vTv Therapeutics Inc. and Cantex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced they have entered into a licensing agreement under which Cantex has obtained exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize azeliragon, vTv’s novel antagonist of RAGE (the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts).

Stephen Marcus, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cantex, said “RAGE has been implicated in several serious cancer complications associated with increased mortality and decreased quality of life. Our team has deep expertise and a successful track record in transforming known drugs into innovative products with large clinical and commercial potential. As such, the opportunity to develop azeliragon, a Phase 2-ready oral medication administered once daily, which has demonstrated a good safety profile in several Alzheimer’s disease trials, is an excellent fit for Cantex. We intend to move rapidly to prepare for clinical trials assessing the potential of azeliragon for the treatment of a number of complications associated with cancer.”

“RAGE is a highly attractive target for the treatment of a wide spectrum of disorders,” added Steve Holcombe, President and Chief Executive Officer of vTv. “We believe Cantex is the right partner to further the development of azeliragon, which vTv had studied in Alzheimer’s disease, in new therapeutic indications. They have deep experience in clinical development and the proven capability of repurposing drug candidates for new indications.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Cantex will be responsible for the development and commercialization of azeliragon and the companies will allocate downstream profits under a tiered arrangement.

Azeliragon, also known as TTP488, is an orally active, small molecule, antagonist of the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE). vTv Therapeutics discovered azeliragon using its proprietary drug discovery platform, TTP Translational Technology, and developed it into Phase 3. A broad range of evidence suggests that RAGE—ligand interactions lead to sustained inflammatory states that play a role in chronic diseases.

vTv Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing oral small molecule drug candidates. vTv has a pipeline of clinical drug candidates led by programs for the treatment of type 1 diabetes and psoriasis. vTv’s development partners are pursuing additional indications in type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, renal disease, and primary mitochondrial myopathies. For more information, visit http://www.vtvtherapeutics.com.

Cantex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the transformation of known drugs into innovative products with blockbuster potential. Cantex is currently developing novel treatments for cancer and inflammatory lung diseases. With the addition of azeliragon, Cantex’s pipeline consists of three product candidates in Phase 2 and Phase 3 development for diseases with significant unmet medical needs: Dicopp for cancer and inflammatory lung conditions, azeliragon for serious complications of cancer, and DSTAT, licensed to Chimerix, Inc. For more information, visit www.cantex.com.