LEXINGTON, Mass.
TARIS Biomedical®, a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative, targeted therapies to treat bladder diseases with high unmet medical need, announced today that it has entered into a research collaboration with AstraZeneca to evaluate novel treatments for bladder cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will work together to evaluate multiple novel cancer therapeutics by employing the TARIS® proprietary bladder delivery platform in combination with targeted cancer therapeutics from AstraZeneca. The TARIS® delivery platform is a soft, flexible system deployed into and retrieved from the bladder using standard urological office procedures. It is designed to provide continuous local delivery to the bladder for days to weeks, depending on the therapeutic application. Furthermore, AstraZeneca has an exclusive option to take a license to the products resulting from the collaboration.
“We are excited to collaborate with AstraZeneca, a leading global biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative cancer medicines,” said Purnanand Sarma, PhD, President and CEO, TARIS Biomedical®. “Through this collaboration, TARIS® will have the opportunity to evaluate its proprietary bladder delivery platform in an oncology setting, potentially providing multiple novel product candidates to treat bladder cancer. Treatment options in bladder cancer are poor, and we believe our technology has the potential to revolutionize the treatment in this area. Collaboration with AstraZeneca is a validation of the potential of our technology, and leverages the TARIS® know-how in bladder delivery and bladder cancer, one of the several therapeutic areas of focus for the company.”
“AstraZeneca is committed to the development of innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer that make a meaningful difference to the lives of cancer patients,” said Susan Galbraith, Head of the Oncology Innovative Medicines Unit at AstraZeneca. “We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with TARIS® because their novel technology has the potential to enable the delivery of the right drugs to the tumour tissue in the right concentration and over a prolonged period. This could combine the ability to target both the right tissue – the tumour, with the right genetically targeted therapy and therefore represent a step change in the treatment of this disease.”
About Bladder Disease
Bladder diseases, which are difficult to treat with systemic therapies, affect 60 million people in the U.S. alone. These diseases include interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS), bladder cancer, overactive bladder, urinary tract infections and chronic pelvic pain syndromes.
About Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is difficult to treat, and there is a high unmet medical need. In many cases patients undergo repeated surgeries including removal of the bladder. The knowledge of the different genetic abnormalities which drive bladder cancer growth in different patients is enabling the development of better targeted therapies.
With more than 500,000 people affected in the US and more than 70,000 new cases annually, bladder cancer represents the fourth most common cancer in men and the fifth most common cancer overall. The disease represents a ~$3.98B (direct costs only) annual burden on the healthcare system in the United States. Worldwide prevalence is reported to be 2.7 million with an incidence of 350,000. Better outcomes and reduced disease recurrence are serious unmet needs for bladder cancer patients.
About TARIS Biomedical®
TARIS Biomedical® is a clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of innovative treatments for bladder diseases. Current therapies for these conditions are characterized by limited efficacy and/or systemic side effects. The TARIS Biomedical® delivery platform is designed to improve treatment by providing controlled, sustained delivery of drug directly to target tissues. TARIS® is currently pursuing opportunities in bladder cancer, overactive bladder and Interstitial cystitis. The most advanced TARIS® product candidate, LiRIS®, is currently in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of interstitial cystitis.
The TARIS® technology was developed by internationally renowned scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Robert Langer and Michael Cima. Based in Lexington, MA, TARIS Biomedical® is backed by leading venture capital firms Flagship Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Polaris Partners and Third Rock Ventures. For more information, visit www.tarisbiomedical.com.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.
CONTACT
TARIS Biomedical®
Christopher Searcy, 781‐676‐7750
Chief
Business Officer,
or
Media Contact:
Gina Nugent,
617-460-3579
nugentcomm@aol.com
