Ability Pharmaceuticals
Contact information
- A. Health Biotechnology
- Areas of activity
- Biodrugs
- Therapeutic areas
- Oncology
AbilityPharma is a biopharmaceutical company focused on creating the future of oncology by developing innovative therapies that address unmet medical needs. Established in 2009 and with one product, ABTL0812, an oral autophagy targeted therapy in phase 2 clinical trials in patients with endometrial cancer and in squamous NSCLC, is positioning itself as one of the fast growers in the Catalan and Spanish biotech sector.
AbilityPharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class causing autophagy molecules by the overexpression of Tribbles pseudokinase 3 (TRIB3) to treat multiple aggressive cancers.
Overexpression of TRIB3 to inhibit the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway represents a novel approach, offering an opportunity to create important new therapeutic options for cancer patients.
he first drug candidate ABTL0812 is currently in phase 2 clinical trials as first-therapy for endometrial cancer and for squamous NSCLC in combination therapy. The study includes the European leading institutions Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology VHIO (Barcelona), Institut Català d'Oncologia ICO (Barcelona), Institut Gustave Roussy (Paris), Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon), Institu Paoli-Calmettes (Marseille) and INCLIVA (València).
ABTL0812, is a first in class small molecule, orally administered, targeted anticancer compound inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway without being a direct kinase inhibitor. ABTL0812 induces the overexpression of TRIB3, an endogenous negative regulator of Akt, with subsequent induction of cell death by autophagy. Its unique mechanism of action was published at Clinical Cancer Research in May 2016.
ABTL0812 showed efficacy and an outstanding safety and tolerability profile in the first in humans phase 1/1b clinical trial with 29 patients with advanced cancer. AbilityPharma is also committed to improve the outcome of children with cancer with an improvement of their quality of life. Both the FDA and the EMA granted orphan drug designation ODD to ABTL0812 for treatment of the pediatric cancer neuroblastoma.
The company also plans to develop ABTL0812 in other cancer types as first-line and maintenance therapy including pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, glioblastoma, head and neck cancer and breast cancer. The FDA granted ODD for pancreatic cancer in 2016. In April 2016, AbilityPharma signed a territorial license agreement for ABTL0812 with the NASDAQ US company SciClone Pharmaceuticals to develop and market the product in Greater China.