Category: MENA

Additional in vitro studies to determine neutralization activity of ADG20 against Omicron are ongoing

ADG20 EUA submissions planned for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in mid-2022

Inventory build continues in anticipation of EUA in second half of 2022, with 4 million doses available for distribution over the next two years

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adagio Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: ADGI) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, today provided information related to the potential of its lead SARS-CoV-2 antibody, ADG20, to address the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, and other known variants of concern. ADG20 is an investigational monoclonal antibody (mAb) product candidate designed to provide broad and potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2, including variants of concern, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with potential duration of protection for up to one year in a single injection.

“The continued global scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of immune pressure on the virus, which is driving the emergence of variants containing mutations associated with escape from common classes of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection or vaccination. Unlike most antibodies currently available under EUA, ADG20 has been shown to target an epitope that is highly conserved among clade I sarbecoviruses and that is not readily targeted by the endogenous neutralizing antibody response,” said Laura Walker, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer of Adagio. “Due to the highly conserved and immunorecessive nature of the epitope recognized by ADG20, we expect that ADG20 will retain activity against Omicron, as we have observed in in vitro models with all other variants of concern identified previously. Further, none of the mutations present in the spike protein of the Omicron variant have been associated with escape from ADG20 neutralization.   ADG20 was engineered for potent and broadly neutralizing activity in anticipation of both the rapid antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of future SARS-like viruses with pandemic potential.”

“ADG20 was uniquely designed to combine breadth, potency and duration of protection against SARS-CoV-2 for up to one year in a single injection. We did this anticipating that SARS-CoV-2 would continue to evolve and potentially render some early therapies and vaccines obsolete,” said Tillman Gerngross, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Adagio. “Our global clinical trials are advancing with potential EUA submissions in mid-2022 for both prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We continue to engage with the FDA and other regulatory bodies and governmental agencies to discuss potential acceleration of development plans and the need for a portfolio of therapeutic solutions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Given the significant potential health crisis resulting from the emergence of Omicron, Adagio is undertaking a number of activities to support ADG20’s utility in addressing this newly emerged variant of concern, including:

• Conducting in vitro studies to evaluate the expected binding and neutralizing activity of ADG20 against Omicron. Initial data from these studies is anticipated by the end of the year; and
• Recruiting patients in Adagio’s Phase 2/3 COVID-19 treatment trial, known as STAMP, across several clinical sites in South Africa (along with ongoing clinical trial efforts globally) in an effort to generate clinical data for ADG20 against infections due to the Omicron variant.

Based on the data being generated, Adagio plans to engage with health authorities and government agencies to accelerate development and supply of ADG20 to combat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern.

ADG20 and Variants of Concern
The neutralizing antibody response induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination is dominated by three classes of receptor binding domain (RBD)-directed antibodies (Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3), which often share common escape mutations. The newly emerged Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant identified in South Africa contains mutations associated with resistance to a large proportion of these commonly elicited antibodies, which may be due to immune pressure on these antigenic sites. Data for most antibodies available under EUA or in late-stage clinical development show they target one of these three dominant antigenic regions within the RBD.

In vitro studies have shown that ADG20 binds to a highly conserved epitope within the RBD that is not targeted by any of the common classes of neutralizing antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Thus, unlike many other clinical-stage antibodies, which were isolated from COVID-19 patients and recognize epitopes that are also targeted by endogenous neutralizing antibodies, there is limited immune pressure on the ADG20 binding site. The ADG20 epitope has remained conserved in 99.99% of the nearly 4 million full length SARS-CoV-2 viral sequences deposited in the GISAID database as of October 15, 2021, and, as shown in in vitro studies, ADG20 retains activity against prior variants of concern including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma. For the Omicron variant, none of the mutations present in the spike protein are associated with escape from ADG20 neutralization. Based on published epitope mapping and structural studies, Adagio anticipates that ADG20 will retain neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant whereas other mAb products may lose substantial activity against this variant.

Previously disclosed in vitro data demonstrated retained neutralizing activity of ADG20 against a diverse panel of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the recently emerged Lambda, Mu and Delta plus variants. Notably, findings from these in vitro studies showed that ADG20 demonstrated potent neutralizing activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested, including those with reduced susceptibility to mAb products currently available under EUA or in late-stage development.

About ADG20
ADG20, an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses, is advancing through global clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. ADG20 was designed and engineered to possess high potency and broad neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 and additional clade 1 sarbecoviruses by targeting a highly conserved epitope in the receptor binding domain. ADG20 was further engineered to provide an extended half-life for durable protection. ADG20 has demonstrated potent neutralizing activity against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma, other SARS-CoV-2 variants to date, and additional SARS-like viruses in preclinical studies. ADG20 is administered in clinical trials by a single intramuscular injection. To date, ADG20 has been well-tolerated in a Phase 1 trial with no safety signals identified through a minimum of three months follow-up across all cohorts. ADG20 has not been approved for use in any country, and safety and efficacy have not yet been established.

About Adagio Therapeutics
Adagio (Nasdaq: ADGI) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, including COVID-19 and influenza. The company’s portfolio of antibodies has been optimized using Adimab’s industry-leading antibody engineering capabilities and is designed to provide patients and clinicians with the potential for a powerful combination of potency, breadth, durable protection (via half-life extension), manufacturability and affordability. Adagio’s portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies includes multiple non-competing, broadly neutralizing antibodies with distinct binding epitopes, led by ADG20. Adagio has secured manufacturing capacity for the production of ADG20 with third-party contract manufacturers to support the completion of clinical trials and initial commercial launch, ensuring the potential for broad accessibility to people around the world. For more information, please visit www.adagiotx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “projects,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning, among other things, the timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of ADG20, including the timing of our planned EUA submissions, initiation, modification and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs; the expected neutralizing activity of ADG20 against the Omicron variant; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for, our product candidates; our ability to identify patients, including in specific populations, with the diseases treated by our product candidates and to enroll these patients in our clinical trials; our expectations regarding the scope of any approved indication for ADG20; and the risk/benefit profile of our product candidates to patients; our manufacturing capabilities and strategy, including plans for doses available in the near future; and our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, clinical trials and financial position, unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical studies or clinical trials, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, and the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process. Other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Adagio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and in Adagio’s future reports to be filed with the SEC, including Adagio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Adagio undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Contacts:
Media Contact:
Dan Budwick, 1AB
[email protected]

Investor Contact:
Monique Allaire, THRUST Strategic Communications
[email protected]

In 2022, SNOMED International will extend the core of SNOMED CT’s structured clinical terminology to deliver an open, standalone sub-ontology to support the scope of content within the International Patient Summary (IPS) under a Creative Commons license.

London, United Kingdom, Nov. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At SNOMED International’s recent October Business Meetings held in London, the organization’s governance bodies enacted a decision to extend the core of SNOMED CT’s structured clinical terminology to deliver an open, standalone sub-ontology to support the scope of content within the International Patient Summary (IPS.)

The IPS is an electronic health record extract containing essential healthcare information for use in the unscheduled, cross-border care scenario, as well as for local, regional and other care scenarios. It is a minimal, non-exhaustive set of data elements defined by ISO/EN 17269 and delivered by HL7 in both CDA and FHIR using a curated set of SNOMED CT terms.

There is a groundswell of support across all health sectors to increase the portability and usability of patient information for the purpose of safe health care delivery. In 2019, SNOMED International and HL7 International announced the formalization of a license agreement in which a relevant ‘Free for Use’ Set of SNOMED CT coded concepts would be used within the HL7 IPS. Most recently, we watched as G7 leaders collaborated to release a communique on the dire need to progress a global health interoperability agenda. IBM offers a working definition of interoperability as “the timely and secure access, integration and use of electronic health data so that it can be used to optimize health outcomes for individuals and populations.”  The G7 communique, which highlighted the importance of enabling digital healthcare systems worldwide to work together seamlessly as patients move between providers, facilities and even countries, is an impactful statement that rippled throughout the global health community. A charge taken up by the Global Digital Health Partnership, it is one SNOMED International is eager to support.

Embracing a collaborative approach, “SNOMED International has been pleased to continue to work with HL7 International and partners across Europe and beyond to define SNOMED CT content for use in the International Patient Summary,” offered SNOMED International Management Board Chair, Joanne Burns.

Continuing to act in the spirit of the IPS Freeset, SNOMED International has committed to create and release an openly available IPS sub-ontology in the first half of 2022 to enhance the existing cross border movement of information, and ultimately health system interoperability. Unlike SNOMED International’s Global Patient Set, a flat list of SNOMED CT codes and terms, an IPS sub-ontology will provide implementers with a product that can be used in healthcare solutions using the power of SNOMED CT through its query language and hierarchies for the specified scope. Use of the IPS sub-ontology will allow for more effective use of clinical data analytics and decision support, and for Artificial Intelligence applications.

Alex Elias, Chair of SNOMED International’s General Assembly, the organization’s Member governance body, has observed a significant increase in discussion regarding the IPS. “2021 has seen increased interest by governments and Health and Care organizations globally for implementing the IPS to enhance timely cross border health information flow and interoperability. This has been a primary driver in SNOMED International supporting this recent initiative to make the IPS sub-ontology openly available with SNOMED CT content.“

An organization with an extensive history and active program of collaboration, SNOMED International CEO, Don Sweete, has played a pivotal role in positioning the IPS sub-ontology as a ‘soon to be achieved’ reality. “As the G7 Health Ministers recently indicated, the importance of enabling digital healthcare systems worldwide to work together seamlessly so patients don’t suffer as they move between providers, facilities and even countries is a sentiment that has rippled throughout the global health community”, offered Sweete. He went on to state that, “continued work with fellow health standards development, national, clinical and technical entities, SNOMED International will dedicate resources to achieve the goal of digital health interoperability.” Sweete added, “equipping the IPS, already one of the best examples of international collaboration among standards bodies, with the full capability of SNOMED CT’s ontological design is a significant action that we can contribute to achieving health information access gains for patients.”

Over the coming months, SNOMED International is formalizing the steps and due diligence required to make the IPS sub-ontology available for broad release. Throughout this period, SNOMED International will continue to define the IPS sub-ontology, from content through to its release and maintenance approach for launch in the first half of 2022.

Visit SNOMED International’s IPS Sub-Ontology information page or subscribe to the organization’s news service to learn more as this initiative progresses. For additional information, contact [email protected].

 

About SNOMED International

SNOMED International is a not-for-profit organization that owns and develops SNOMED CT, the world’s most comprehensive healthcare terminology product. We play an essential role in improving the health of humankind by determining standards for a codified language that represents groups of clinical terms. This enables healthcare information to be exchanged globally for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders. We are committed to the rigorous evolution of our products and services, to deliver continuous innovation for the global healthcare community. SNOMED International is the trading name of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation.

www.snomed.org

Attachment

• SNOMED CT: The global language of healthcare

Kelly Kuru
SNOMED International
[email protected]

TEMECULA, Calif., Nov. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nikkiso’s Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group (“Nikkiso”) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tatsuno North America, Inc. (“Tatsuno”) to initiate cooperation as the Authorized Aftermarket Partner for their Hydrogen Dispensers in North America to establish a framework for cooperation.

Under the terms of the MOU, Nikkiso will provide spare parts, maintenance and repair services of Tatsuno’s Hydrogen Dispensers from Nikkiso’s network of North America facilities that are near the end user’s hydrogen refilling stations. In addition, Nikkiso will install and commission new dispensers, including the provision of engineering and pre-setup support for Tatsuno’s charging and fleet management systems.

Hydrogen dispensing is a new and developing market and an important component of the Hydrogen fueling station solution. These dispensers provide safe and fast fueling for both light duty and heavy-duty vehicles at 350 barg and 700 barg.

“The newly formed partnership with Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries and Tatsuno strengthens our Hydrogen presence and allows us to better serve the North American markets,” according to Teru Murakami, General Manager, Cryogenic Business Department, Nikkiso Co., Ltd. “We are looking forward to providing Tatsuno’s customers top quality service and support.”

Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries was chosen for this new, long-term partnership because of their relationships and hydrogen experience. They are also able to provide expanded services including complete Hydrogen fueling system solutions. This partnership will also provide new jobs for the local service facility economies.

ABOUT CRYOGENIC INDUSTRIES
Cryogenic Industries, Inc. (now a member of Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) member companies manufacture engineered cryogenic gas processing equipment and small-scale process plants for the liquefied natural gas (LNG), well services and industrial gas industries. Founded over 50 years ago, Cryogenic Industries is the parent company of ACD, Cosmodyne and Cryoquip and a commonly controlled group of approximately 20 operating entities.

For more information please visit www.nikkisoCEIG.com and www.nikkiso.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Anna Quigley +1.951.383.3314
[email protected]

TEMECULA, Calif., Nov. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nikkiso Clean Energy & Industrial Gases Group (Group), a subsidiary of Nikkiso Co., Ltd (Japan), is proud to announce the expansion of our Busan Korea facility to accommodate their new Marine Center. This expansion represents their commitment to and support of the growth of the Korean shipbuilding industry.

The new, larger facility provides full-system Marine solutions, and will serve as the Group’s home base for all marine activities in Korea. As a unified Nikkiso facility, they will provide marine solutions including pump skids, vaporizers, controls, high-pressure fuel gas skids, service and more. The facility includes complete cryogenic testing capabilities and expanded staff including design engineers, production and project managers.

Marine has been a major focus of the Group, and this expansion provides a strong support structure for future growth. The new facility is ideally located within the region to support their key customers and provide anticipated growth of the Marine industry’s focus on clean energy. Approximately 4,000 square meters, the facility is outfitted to manufacture and fabricate cryogenic pumps, FGSS Vaporizer skid, LH2 station skids, process skids, and will feature the latest LN2 pump skid test facility. It also includes a 342 square meter service center.

According to Daryl Lamy, President of Nikkiso Cryogenic Pumps, “Nikkiso ACD has been the preferred supplier for Fuel Gas skids to the Korean shipbuilding industry for over 20 years! With our new skid packaging and testing facility located near the shipyards in Korea, we now have even greater capacity and local support to meet the significant global increase and demand for new build LNG fueled cargo and transport vessels.”

According to Peter Wagner, CEO of Cryogenic Industries and President of the Group, “This is an exciting next step and important milestone for our Group and the LNG powered Marine market and a significant benefit for our Marine customers. Nikkiso CE&IG will now be able to provide complete systems and support our customers with a complete factory supported solution.”

Contact Information:

Nikkiso Clean Energy and Industrial Gases – Korea
Head office & Factory         : 83, Nosan sanup jung-ro, Gangseo-gu, Busan, 46752, Korea
Branch office                : #1912, 170 Ganggyo jungang-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon,
Gyuenggi 16614 Korea
[email protected]

ABOUT CRYOGENIC INDUSTRIES
Cryogenic Industries, Inc. (now a member of Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) member companies manufacture engineered cryogenic gas processing equipment and small-scale process plants for the liquefied natural gas (LNG), well services and industrial gas industries. Founded over 50 years ago, Cryogenic Industries is the parent company of ACD, Cosmodyne and Cryoquip and a commonly controlled group of approximately 20 operating entities.

For more information, please visit www.nikkisoCEIG.com and www.nikkiso.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Anna Quigley
+1.951.383.3314
[email protected]

ApplyBoard’s data-driven trends report shows how international student preferences and trends in the international education space are shifting

KITCHENER, ONTARIO, CANADA, Nov. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ApplyBoard, the EdTech platform revolutionizing the international student journey, launched their first annual trends report on the future of international education.

To help shape recruitment plans and improve global access to education around the world, ApplyBoard gathered data to uncover the latest trends in sector recovery, key factors motivating student decision-making, emerging markets for student recruitment, and predictions for the next decade. The report is designed to inform and guide international students, recruitment partners and higher education institutions.

“As we head into 2022, we’re seeing lots of excitement and pent-up demand from international students eager to study abroad. The pandemic has led to shifting interests among international students who are paying closer attention to lower tuition prices, access to post-graduation work opportunities, and in-person learning opportunities,” says Meti Basiri, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of ApplyBoard. “Despite the challenges the industry faced during the pandemic, the data shows that international students are more interested in studying abroad now than ever before, and our team is doing everything we can to help them achieve their dreams.”

ApplyBoard has assisted more than 250,000 students with their educational journeys and was co-founded by three brothers who were all international students themselves: Martin, Meti, and Massi Basiri. During the pandemic, ApplyBoard helped transform the international education recruitment and application processes through its intuitive digital platform. Today, the platform is home to over 1,500 schools and is used by over 10,000 recruitment partners, which makes it simple for international students to discover and apply to the country, school, and program best suited to their needs.

“ApplyBoard is building an education revolution, and this report puts everything that has happened during the pandemic into perspective so that we can build in 2022 and the years to come,” says Jo Johnson, Chair of the ApplyBoard Advisory Board. “Grounded in in-depth research, the report identifies key trends unfolding in the higher education industry whilst demonstrating ApplyBoard’s deep industry expertise and knowledge.”

Read the full report online. Notable findings from the report include:

Application Data Shows Pent-Up Demand From International Students

• According to data from the ApplyBoard Platform, student application volumes are booming across the world. From March to October 2021, UK student applications on the ApplyBoard Platform rose by more than 300%, Canadian applications grew by over 200%, and US applications spiked by 750% compared to the same period in 2020.

New Factors Influencing the Student Decision-Making Process 

• As we move past the pandemic, international students are increasingly looking for lower tuition prices and access to post-graduation work opportunities. They are also considering alternative destination markets. Prior to the pandemic, most students browsing programs on the ApplyBoard Platform searched for programs with tuition fees up to C$100,000 per year. During the first 10 months of 2021, more than half of all students chose to view only programs with annual tuition fees of C$30,000 or less.

Prioritizing Student Diversity 

• Major players India and China will remain large source markets for the future of recruitment. But economic and demographic shifts point to a number of smaller markets primed to capture growing shares of the international student market. ApplyBoard modelling and industry data has identified Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Indonesia as high-growth potential markets.

Attachment

• Trends Report

Alessandra Manieri
ApplyBoard
2262209826
alessandra.manieri@applyboard.com

Xencor receives rights to additional equity in Zenas as upfront payment and is eligible for up to $480 million in potential milestone payments and royalties on net sales of commercialized products

Obexelimab is a novel bifunctional antibody with first-in-class potential to treat autoimmune diseases

MONROVIA, Calif., HONG KONG and BOSTON, Nov. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies and cytokines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, and Zenas BioPharma (“Zenas”), a global biopharmaceutical company based in the USA and China committed to the development and delivery of immune-based therapies, today announced that Zenas has acquired from Xencor exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the investigational antibody obexelimab.

Obexelimab is a potential first-in-class bifunctional antibody that targets CD19 with its variable domain and uses Xencor’s XmAb^® Immune Inhibitor Fc Domain to target FcγRIIb, a receptor that inhibits the function of B-cells, which are important components in the immune system. Xencor demonstrated through early-stage clinical studies that obexelimab effectively inhibits B-cell function without depleting the cells and generates an encouraging treatment effect in patients with multiple autoimmune diseases.

“Zenas is advancing a broad pipeline of differentiated drug candidates that are intended to bring best-in-class innovation to patients with underserved medical needs,” said Hua Mu, Ph.D., MD, president and chief executive officer at Zenas. “Today, we are pleased to add obexelimab to our portfolio, and based on its clinical profile, we believe it is positioned as a first-in-class candidate with the potential to treat numerous autoimmune diseases.”

“Obexelimab’s highly potent and broad blockade of B-cell activation—without depleting B cells—differentiates it from other B-cell targeting therapies, and it has demonstrated disease-modifying activity in settings where B-cell inhibition is a proven strategy,” said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Xencor. “In Zenas BioPharma, we have found a partner committed to broadly and aggressively developing therapeutics like obexelimab for patients with autoimmune diseases, enabling Xencor’s continued focus on the growing opportunities provided by our XmAb bispecific antibody and cytokine pipeline.”

Under the terms of the new agreement, Zenas will issue to Xencor a warrant giving Xencor the right to acquire additional Zenas equity, such that Xencor’s total equity in Zenas would be 15% of its fully diluted capitalization following the closing of Zenas’ next round of equity financing, subject to certain requirements. Xencor previously received equity in Zenas under a separate license agreement. Xencor is also eligible to receive up to $480 million based on the achievement of certain clinical development, regulatory and commercialization milestones and is eligible to receive tiered, mid-single digit to mid-teen percent royalties upon commercialization of obexelimab, dependent on geography. Zenas will have sole responsibility for advancing the research, development, regulatory and commercial activities of obexelimab worldwide.

About Xencor, Inc.

Xencor is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies and cytokines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Currently, 22 candidates engineered with Xencor’s XmAb^® technology are in clinical development internally and with partners. Xencor’s XmAb antibody engineering technology enables small changes to the structure of proteins resulting in new mechanisms of therapeutic action. For more information, please visit www.xencor.com.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company based in the USA and China committed to becoming a leader in the development and delivery of immune-based therapies for patients in the US, China and around the world. Zenas is rapidly advancing a deep pipeline of innovative therapeutics that continues to grow through our successful business development strategy. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those facing autoimmune and rare diseases. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit www.zenasbio.com and follow us on Twitter at @ZenasBioPharma and LinkedIn.

Xencor Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not purely statements of historical fact, and can generally be identified by our use of words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” and similar terms, or by express or implied discussions relating to the development of obexelimab as a potential treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases; the commercial potential of obexelimab; the safety, tolerability, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of obexelimab; the quotations from Xencor’s president and chief executive officer; and other statements that are not purely statements of historical fact. Such statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions of the management of Xencor and are subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements and the timing of events to be materially different from those implied by such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such risks include, without limitation, the risks associated with the process of discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics and other risks described in Xencor’s public securities filings. For a discussion of these and other factors, please refer to Xencor’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 as well as Xencor’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended to date. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and Xencor undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.

Contacts

Xencor Investor Contact:
Charles Liles
[email protected]

Xencor Media Contact:
Jason I. Spark
Canale Communications
619-849-6005
[email protected]

Zenas Investor Contact:
[email protected]

Zenas Media Contact:
Lauren Bartlett
[email protected]