• IPH4102 is a first-in-class drug candidate targeting KIR3DL2, a receptor specifically expressed by some rare forms of cancer
  • It is developed in an orphan disease, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, and especially their aggressive forms: Sezary Syndrome and Transformed Mycosis Fungoides
  • An investigational new drug (IND) application should be submitted in late 2014
  • Innate Pharma intends to develop IPH4102 as a proprietary program

MARSEILLE, France I November 8, 2013 I Innate Pharma SA (the “Company” – Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 – IPH), the innate immunity company developing first-in-class drug candidates for cancer and inflammatory diseases, announced today that it had selected and qualified the IPH4102 drug candidate for further development.

IPH4102 is a first-in-class cytotoxic antibody developed in some types of KIR3DL2-expressing cancers, such as the Sezary Syndrome (“SS”) and Transformed Mycosis Fungoides (“TMF”), which are aggressive forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. IND-enabling studies and industrial production of the molecule have begun. The IND application is expected to be submitted in late 2014.

Professor Martine Bagot, Head of the Dermatology Department at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, France, said: “We discovered the KIR3DL2 target with Professor Bensussan’s team and worked together with Innate Pharma for several years to design this drug candidate. The unmet need in SS and TMF is huge. Due to its original target specifically expressed by the tumor cells, IPH4102 has a unique potential for being both very active and well tolerated”.

“We plan to develop IPH4102 in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas expressing KIR3DL2 in close collaboration with referral international centres such as the Saint-Louis Hospital” added Marcel Rozencweig, Chief Medical Officer at Innate Pharma. “These are orphan diseases and their more devastating forms could particularly benefit from a treatment using IPH4102”.

A poster on IPH4102 is presented today at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC, 7 – 10 November 2013, National Harbor, MD, United States): “Novel therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies against KIR3DL2, a unique tumour antigen expressed on subtypes of T-Cell Lymphomas“, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm and from 6:15 to 7:15 pm, Poster 49.

See poster:  http://www.innate-pharma.com/sites/default/files/sitc2013_iph41.pdf

About IPH4102, Sezary Syndrome and Transformed Mycosis Fungoides:

KIR3DL2 is an inhibiting receptor of the KIR superfamily, normally expressed on a minor fraction of normal NK cells but specifically expressed in certain aggressive forms of the orphan indication of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, such as Transformed Mycosis Fungoides (TMF) and Sezary Syndrome (SS).

TMF and SS are the most severe forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas with a median survival of 2 to 3 years for their advanced stages.

IPH4102 is a humanized cytotoxic antibody which targets and destroys cells expressing KIR3DL2. It selectively binds KIR3DL2 and has demonstrated a high level of efficacy in various pre-clinical models. Innate Pharma owns recently filed patent applications directed to anti-KIR3DL2 antibodies, including compositions-of-matter claims.

About Innate Pharma:

Innate Pharma S.A. is a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class immunotherapy drug candidates for cancer and inflammatory diseases.

The Company specializes in the development of novel monoclonal antibodies targeting receptors and pathways controlling the activation of innate immunity cells. Its innovative approaches have led to licensing agreements with Novo Nordisk A/S and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Incorporated in 1999 and listed on NYSE-Euronext in Paris in 2006, Innate Pharma is based in Marseilles, France, and had 84 employees as at September 30, 2013.

SOURCE: Innate Pharma