Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Proceeds to be used for development of lead compound tuspetinib in combination therapy as frontline treatment for newly diagnosed AML patientsSAN DIEGO and TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aptose Biosciences Inc. (“Aptose” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: APTO, TSX: APS), a clinical-stage precision oncology company developing tuspetinib, a highly differentiated oral kinase inhibitor for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), today announced that it received a $10 million loan through a Facility Agreement with Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (“Hanmi”). The loan is convertible as prepayment of milestone obligations under the Future Collaboration Agreement (as defined hereinafter) or repayable after the expected completion of a triple drug combination trial with tuspetinib in newly diagnosed AML patients. Aptose will use the proceeds from such loan for the development of tuspetinib. Beyond the $10 million Facility Agreement, Aptose and Hanmi have agreed to negotiate a new tuspetinib co-development collaboration agreement (the “Future Collaboration Agreement’), intended to provide additional funding to accelerate clinical development of tuspetinib. Aptose licensed tuspetinib from Hanmi Pharmaceutical in November 2021. About AptoseAptose Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing precision medicines addressing unmet medical needs in oncology, with an initial focus on hematology. The Company's small molecule cancer therapeutics pipeline includes products designed to provide single agent efficacy and to enhance the efficacy of other anti-cancer therapies and regimens without overlapping toxicities. The Company’s lead clinical-stage compound tuspetinib (TUS), is an oral kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated activity as a monotherapy and in combination therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is being developed as a frontline triplet therapy in newly diagnosed AML. For more information, please visit www.aptose.com. Forward Looking StatementsThis press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and U.S. securities laws, including statements relating but not limited to, the negotiation of a collaboration agreement with Hanmi, the development of tuspetinib, and statements relating to the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements including words such as “continue”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “should”, “would”, “may”, and other similar expressions. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements described in this press release. Such factors could include, among others: our ability to negotiate a collaboration agreement to jointly develop tuspetinib with Hanmi, our ability to remain compliant with Nasdaq listing requirements and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our ongoing quarterly filings, annual information forms, annual reports and annual filings with Canadian securities regulators and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumptions set out in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our filings with Canadian securities regulators and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission underlying those forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and we do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. We cannot assure you that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. For further information, please contact: Aptose Biosciences Inc. Susan PietropaoloCorporate Communications & Investor Relations201-923-2049spietropaolo@aptose.com

- Seminar presentation at the invitation of Dx&Vx and Coree Group SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Professor Wah Chiu, who visited Korea at the invitation of the Coree Group, led by Chairman Lim Chong Yoon, an inside director of Hanmi Pharmaceutical and the largest shareholder of Dx&Vx, holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from UC Berkeley and is the world's leading authority in the field of molecular imaging that combines AI technology with cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) technology. On the 21st, Professor Wah Chiu, a world-renowned scientist at Stanford University in the United States known for his work on molecular structure, was appointed as honorary advisor to Pohang City. Professor Wah Chiu's molecular imaging is a research technique that quantifies and analyzes biological phenomena such as metabolic changes and disease-causing substances that occur at the molecular level, and is based on cryogenic electron microscopy technology that is optimized for examining molecular structures and interactions that require direct 3-D visualization. Professor Wah Chiu has played a major role in revealing the structures of viruses, chaperonins, membrane proteins, ion channels, antigen-antibody complexes, and protein-RNA complexes. The industry is acknowledging the fact that Professor Wah Chiu's recent research and publications will bring about a paradigm shift in new therapeutic development. Professor Wah Chiu is currently developing a new image processing and modeling algorithm for cryo-EM structure determination, and it is expected that applying this technology will lead to groundbreaking and significant progresses in the biomedical industry. On the 19th, Professor Wah Chiu visited the Institute of Membrane Proteins (IMP) and the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory at POSTECH, toured the related facilities, and met with affiliated faculty. Professor Wah Chiu was pleasantly surprised at the state-of-the-art facilities of POSTECH and the researchers' will to conduct new drug development research, and expressed his will to continuously cooperate with Korean scholars to lay the foundation for the development of blockbuster therapeutics. In addition, he conveyed his intention to actively disseminate Stanford University's cryogenic electron microscope technology, conduct collaborative research, and foster successors through open innovation with domestic and foreign researchers. After finishing the meeting at POSTECH, Professor Wah Chiu visited Coree Pohang and shared his opinions on the establishment of vaccine research and production infrastructure within the KHUB site that the Coree Group is promoting. On the 21st, Professor Wah Chiu attended the 3rd seminar of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association and expressed his bold ambition, saying, "I am well aware of the desire for medical reform and new drug development in Korea, and I plan to actively share Stanford's specialized molecular imaging-based new drug development know-how and facilities so that junior scientists with big dreams can fully realize their dreams." He plans to further explore next generation of optics and image processing tools by incorporating AI based algorithms. Such research will be essential for basic biology, drug and vaccine design, and positively affect human and planetary health. Meanwhile, Mayor Kang-Deok Lee of Pohang presented Professor Wah Chiu with a certificate of appointment as an honorary advisor to Pohang City, emphasizing the will for mutual cooperation. SOURCE Dx&Vx

Pictured: Merck Research Laboratories office in Silicon Valley/iStock, Michael Vi To break into the lucrative weight loss market, Merck will focus on the development of next-generation anti-obesity medications that offer additional cardiometabolic benefits beyond simple body weight reduction, company executives said on Tuesday. During the 45th Annual Goldman Sachs Healthcare Conference, Merck CEO Robert Davis said that the pharma is focusing its R&D efforts more on small molecule oral drugs rather than injectables. “We’re very much focused on the second- and third-generation opportunities,” Davis said, adding that it is looking to advance GLP-1-targeting candidates that target other conditions on top of eliciting weight loss. “I think everything is couched in terms of obesity first, and then we think about some of these outcomes kind of supporting the reimbursement within the broader obesity space,” Davis said. Merck’s entry to the GLP-1 market is efinopegdutide, which is an investigational peptide therapeutic that also activates the glucagon receptor. While activating both the GLP-1 and glucagon pathways is a well-known mechanism of action for its weight loss and anti-diabetic effects, Merck is instead trialing efinopegdutide primarily as a treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The exact mechanism of efinopegdutide for treating MASH is not yet completely understood, but it might reduce liver damage, steatosis and inflammation. Merck exclusively licensed efinopegdutide from Hanmi Pharmaceutical in 2020 for $10 million upfront and the promise of up to $860 million in milestones. In June 2023, the FDA granted the GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonist its Fast Track designation for MASH. In addition to MASH, Merck is also developing efinopegdutide for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), for which it is running a mid-stage study testing the candidate against Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide. Results from the trial showed that efinopegdutide achieved a significantly greater reduction in liver fat content, while eliciting similar weight loss. Merck’s strategy of focusing on next-generation oral GLP-1 therapies with additional clinical benefits is meant to help it break into the lucrative obesity market, which many analysts expect to reach $150 billion in value by the early 2030s. Novo and Eli Lilly are the two early leaders in the obesity space—and are anticipated to control around 80% of the market—but, like Merck, several other biopharma players are vying for a spot in the GLP-1 game. Boehringer Ingelheim is advancing survodutide, which also targets the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. The candidate is in five Phase III trials, which the pharma launched in 2023. Boston-based startup Syntis Bio debuted earlier this week to advance alternative obesity treatments that do not operate via the GLP-1 pathway. Its lead program, SYNT-101, blocks the absorption of nutrients in the duodenum and mimics the effects of gastric bypass surgery. Tristan Manalac is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Reach out to him on LinkedIn or email him at tristan@tristanmanalac.com or tristan.manalac@biospace.com.