Genprex Inc (NASDAQ:GNPX) is ramping up production of Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2) plasmid DNA, which is the active agent for its lead lung cancer drug candidate Oncoprex.
A new agreement with manufacturing partner Aldevron LLC provides for the production of TUSC2 plasmid DNA at full commercial scale, Genprex said.
Genprex, based in Austin, Texas, said increasing manufacturing should also result in significantly lower costs per unit of product due to economies of scale.
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Boosting production comes as Genprex plans for upcoming clinical trials that include a Phase I/II trial of Oncoprex combined with osimertinib -- marketed by AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) as Tagrisso -- for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The study received Fast Track Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2020 and is expected to be initiated in early 2021.
In addition, a clinical trial of Oncoprex in combination with pembrolizumab -- marketed by Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) as Keytruda -- in NSCLC is also planned.
“We are pleased with continued progress in the scale-up of our manufacturing processes,” Genprex CEO Rodney Varner said in a statement.
“This new agreement with Aldevron increases our manufacturing capabilities in support of our clinical trials utilizing Oncoprex immunogene therapy in combination with targeted therapies and immunotherapies against lung cancer,” he added.
The company’s stock recently traded up 1% to $3.03 a share in New York.
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