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FDA Clearance of IND Application for AVA6103
Avacta Group PLC announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for FAP-Exatecan (AVA6103), its second pre|CISION® medicine, a peptide drug conjugate utilizing the potent topoisomerase I inhibitor exatecan. The Phase 1 clinical study, which will assess safety and identify optimal dosing for pancreatic, cervical, gastric, and small cell lung cancers, is expected to commence in Q1 2026, with preliminary data anticipated in the second half of 2026. This IND clearance marks a significant milestone, moving the program into human testing and demonstrating the company's ability to advance its pipeline efficiently, having achieved this from inception to clearance in 24 months. Disclaimer*
About this update from Avacta Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n \nAvacta Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration Clearance of the Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for the Second pre|CISION® Medicine, FAP-Exatecan (AVA6103)\n \nThe Phase 1 clinical study of FAP-Exd (AVA6103) is anticipated to begin later in Q1 2026\n \n \nLONDON and PHILADELPHIA - January 21, 2026 - Avacta Therapeutics (AIM: AVCT, \"the Company\", \"Avacta\"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing pre|CISION®, a tumor-activated oncology delivery platform, is pleased to announce U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Company's second program FAP-Exd (AVA6103), the first pre|CISION® peptide drug conjugate based on the highly potent topoisomerase I inhibitor, exatecan.\n \nThe IND approval is an important step in the development of AVA6103 as this is the point where the program moves from the lab into human testing. The Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of FAP-Exd and seek to identify a dose for further clinical development in patients with four solid tumors, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, gastric cancer and small cell lung cancer. The selection of these tumor types was based on an AI approach investigating a sensitivity marker for topoisomerase I inhibitors and FAP expression as part of the strategic collaboration with Tempus AI. \n \nAdult participants will be enrolled in the dose-escalation part of the trial with two parallel arms investigating two schedules of administration (every two weeks, Q2W and every three weeks, Q3W) with preliminary data from this trial anticipated in the second half of 2026.\n \n \nChristina Coughlin, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Avacta Therapeutics commented,\n \n\"Taking FAP-Exd into the clinic is a critical milestone for the pre|CISION® platform and for the Company. In moving the FAP-Exd program forward from inception to a cleared IND in just 24 months, our team has exceeded industry standard timelines. The sustained release mechanism of FAP-Exd, invented by Avacta, is expected to enable greater efficacy in the clinic while limiting the toxicities that were observed with exatecan in its original clinical development. We are very excited to move this program forward for patients and shareholde...