Mercadon acquires Oncolmmune: Obtains the first recombination fusion protein CD24Fc, Phase 3 clinical treatment COVID-19 has significant efficacy!

November 23, 2020 // -- Merck and Co and Oncolmmune recently jointly announced that they have signed a final agreement.
agreement, Mercado, through its subsidiary, will acquire all outstanding shares of Oncolmmune with a cash advance of $425 million.
addition, Oncolmmune shareholders will be eligible for sales-based payments and payments based on the successful achievement of specific regulatory milestones.
deal, which is expected to close by the end of 2020, will depend on the approval of the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act (Antitrust Act) and other customary conditions.
, a privately held clinical biopharmaceutical company, is dedicated to the discovery and development of new biologics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
the company's leading candidate drug is CD24Fc, a pioneering (first-in-class) recombinant fusion protein that targets a novel immune path line checkpoint in the innitive immune system.
CD24Fc has a novel mechanism of action, modulating immune response, has potential for application of many inflammatory diseases, and has shown good safety and tolerance in phase 1 clinical trials of healthy volunteers, clinical activity was observed in phase 2 clinical trials to prevent transplant anti-host disease (GVHD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in leukemia patients and in phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19).
, a critical Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT04095858) to prevent GVHD has been initiated.
agreement, Oncolmmune will spin off certain rights and assets unrelated to the CD24Fc project into a new entity owned by Oncolmmune's existing shareholders until the acquisition is completed.
completion of the acquisition, Mercedon will invest $50m to become a minority shareholder in the new entity.
cd24Fc, Oncolmmune also has an extensive immuno-oncology pipeline, which will be the focus of the new entity.
Oncolmmune has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04140526) of a new CTLA-4 antibody candidate that selectively eliminates immunosuppressive regulatory T-cells in tumor microenvironments while retaining their physiological function to protect hosts from autoimmune diseases.
, Oncolmmune recently published positive results for the midterm efficacy analysis of COVID-19 Phase 3 clinical studies in CD24Fc, showing that CD24Fc has significant efficacy in treating patients with severe and critical COVID-19.
SAC-COVID is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled trial designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of CD24Fc in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who require oxygen support, including oxygen supplementation, high-flow oxygen, and mechanical breathing.
study, patients were randomly divided into two groups, one receiving standard care on the first day and receiving a single dose of CD24Fc intravenous fluids, and the other receiving standard care and placebo on the first day.
the study was launched in April 2020 and included 243 patients by the end of the trial in September 2020.
An interim analysis from 203 subjects (75 percent of the planned group) showed that patients treated with single dose CD24Fc had a 60 percent higher risk of clinical improvement and a 50 percent lower risk of death or respiratory failure than patients treated with single-dose CD24Fc.
details of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercator has been developing an effective response to COVID-19 and is exploring ways to promote awareness of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
is working with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to evaluate mmolnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug, in 2 Phase 2/3 clinical trials for the treatment of outpatient and inpatient COVID-19 patients.
In addition, the company is conducting clinical trials to evaluate two SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 candidate vaccines: (1) V590, developed in collaboration with IAVI, using a recombined blistered mouth disease vector and (2) V591, using a platform based on measles virus vectors.
M. Perlmutter, president of the Mercer East Research Laboratory, said, "There may be millions of people around the world who will develop severe or critical COVID-19 diseases, so meaningful new treatments are urgently needed."
Recent clinical studies support the view that CD24Fc may provide more than standard care therapies for PATIENT patients in need of oxygen support and will therefore be an important complement to the research drugs and vaccines designed by Mercadon for the COVID-19 pandemic.
" () Origin: Merck to Acquire Oncoimmune