EMERYVILLE, CA, USA I June 13, 2019 I XOMA Corporation (Nasdaq: XOMA) announced today that gevokizumab, an anti-IL1β monoclonal antibody that XOMA discovered and initially developed, is now actively progressing in a Novartis oncology development program.  The antibody candidate is being evaluated to determine the appropriate dose, as well as preliminary safety and efficacy, in combination with standard of care anti-cancer therapies in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, metastatic gastroesophageal cancer, and metastatic renal cell carcinoma.  Recently the first patient was dosed with gevokizumab in the dose-finding portion of the study.  

“This is an important milestone both for XOMA and for gevokizumab.  Gevokizumab was XOMA’s primary focus for almost a decade,” commented Jim Neal, Chief Executive Officer of XOMA.  “We are pleased to see gevokizumab re-enter clinical development under the guidance of Novartis, and we are grateful to the patients and their families who have agreed to participate in the clinical trial.”

More information about the gevokizumab clinical study can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov, study identifier NCT03798626. 

Gevokizumab is an investigational compound.  Efficacy and safety have not been established. There is no guarantee that gevokizumab will become commercially available.

About XOMA Corporation
XOMA has built a significant portfolio of products that are licensed to and being developed by other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.  The Company’s portfolio of partner-funded programs spans multiple stages of the drug development process and across various therapeutic areas.  Many of these licenses are the result of XOMA’s pioneering efforts in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics.  The Company’s royalty-aggregator business model includes acquiring additional licenses to programs with third-party funding.  For more information, visit www.xoma.com.

SOURCE: XOMA