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Protagonist Announces Two New Phase 3 ICONIC Studies in Psoriasis Evaluating JNJ-2113 in Head-to-Head Comparisons with Deucravacitinib

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Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) announced the addition of two Phase 3 studies, ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 and ICONIC-ADVANCE 2, evaluating JNJ-2113 in head-to-head comparisons against deucravacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The company is eligible to receive a $115 million milestone payment upon achieving co-primary endpoints in any of the studies. JNJ-2113 is a targeted oral peptide designed to selectively block the IL-23 receptor, and the Phase 3 program aims to establish it as the preferred oral treatment option for psoriasis patients. Protagonist has a license and collaboration agreement with Janssen for the development and commercialization of JNJ-2113, earning milestone payments upon successful milestones and eligible for additional development and sales milestone payments. The company also retains upward tiering royalties of 6%-10% for net sales of JNJ-2113.
Positive
  • Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. is making significant progress in the ICONIC program with the addition of two Phase 3 studies evaluating JNJ-2113 in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
  • The company is eligible to receive a $115 million milestone payment upon achieving the co-primary endpoints in any one of the studies, indicating a potential for significant financial gains.
  • The Phase 3 program aims to establish JNJ-2113 as the preferred oral treatment option for psoriasis patients, which could lead to a strong market position and revenue growth.
  • Protagonist has a license and collaboration agreement with Janssen for the development and commercialization of JNJ-2113, providing a strong partnership and support for the program.
  • The company is also eligible for additional development and sales milestone payments, as well as upward tiering royalties of 6%-10% for net sales of JNJ-2113, indicating potential long-term financial benefits.
Negative
  • The success of the Phase 3 studies is not guaranteed, and failure to achieve the co-primary endpoints could result in missed milestone payments and delays in establishing JNJ-2113 as the preferred treatment option for psoriasis patients.
  • The financial benefits, including milestone payments and royalties, are contingent upon the successful development and commercialization of JNJ-2113, which carries inherent risks and uncertainties in the pharmaceutical industry.

The ICONIC program now includes four Phase 3 studies evaluating JNJ-2113;
Co-primary endpoints for all four studies are PASI-90 and/or IGA 0 or 1

Protagonist eligible to receive $115 million milestone upon achieving the co-primary endpoints in any one of the studies

NEWARK, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 27, 2023 / Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. ("Protagonist" or the "Company") today announced two additional Phase 3 studies, ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 and ICONIC-ADVANCE 2, evaluating JNJ-2113 (formerly PN-235) in head-to-head comparisons against deucravacitinib, an oral TYK2 inhibitor, in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Details regarding ADVANCE 1 are available on clinicaltrials.gov. The ICONIC program now includes four Phase 3 studies: ADVANCE 1, ADVANCE 2 and as previously announced, LEAD and TOTAL. Protagonist is eligible to receive a $115 million milestone payment upon achieving the co-primary endpoints in any one of the studies.

ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 is a Phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of JNJ-2113 compared to both placebo and deucravacitinib. The trial's co-primary endpoints are PASI-90 and IGA score of 0 or 1. The trial, which is expected to begin enrolling patients in the first quarter of 2024, is led by the Company's collaboration partner, Janssen Biotech, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company (Janssen). ICONIC-ADVANCE 2, a similarly designed study, is expected to start enrolling patients later in 2024.

"We are very pleased with the rapid progression of the ICONIC Phase 3 psoriasis program, and in particular with the design of the ICONIC-ADVANCE trials. JNJ-2113 is the only targeted oral peptide in late-stage development that is designed to selectively block the IL-23 receptor, and we believe the ICONIC studies have the potential to establish JNJ-2113 as the preferred oral treatment option for psoriasis patients," said Dinesh V. Patel, Ph.D., President and CEO of Protagonist. "The strength of the FRONTIER 1 Phase 2b data reported in July and the robust designs for the Phase 3 program give us renewed confidence that JNJ-2113 will meet all of our objectives under the terms of our partnership with Janssen."

Details regarding the two previously announced ICONIC Phase 3 psoriasis trials as well as the ANTHEM-UC Phase 2b study evaluating JNJ-2113 in ulcerative colitis, can be found at the following links on clinicaltrials.gov: ICONIC-LEAD, ICONIC-TOTAL and ANTHEM-UC. All of the clinical studies utilize the same once-daily, immediate-release formulation of JNJ-2113 as was used in the successful FRONTIER 1 Phase 2b study.

License and Collaboration Agreement

JNJ-2113 is a first and only targeted oral peptide that is designed to selectively block the IL-23 receptor that was jointly discovered and is being developed pursuant to the license and collaboration agreement between Protagonist and Janssen. Protagonist completed a Phase 1 study of JNJ-2113 in 2021 and Janssen retains exclusive, worldwide rights to develop in Phase 2 and beyond, and to commercialize compounds derived from the research conducted pursuant to the agreement which covers a broad range of indications.

In October 2023, Protagonist earned a $50 million milestone payment related to initiation of the ICONIC Phase 3 program. In addition, Protagonist will earn a $10 million milestone payment upon dosing of the third patient in the ANTHEM UC Phase 2b study and remains eligible for up to an additional $795 million in other development and sales milestone payments with respect to JNJ-2113. This includes a $115 million milestone to be paid upon successfully achieving the co-primary endpoints in any of the Phase 3 psoriasis clinical trials, a $50 million milestone upon NDA submission and a $35 million milestone upon NDA approval. The Company is also eligible to earn upward tiering royalties of 6%-10%, with the 10% tier applicable for net sales of greater than $4 billion.

About Protagonist

Protagonist Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company with peptide-based new chemical entities (NCEs) rusfertide and JNJ-2113 (formerly PN-235) in advanced stages of clinical development, both derived from the Company's proprietary technology platform. Protagonist and Janssen scientists jointly discovered JNJ-2113 as part of Protagonist's interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) collaboration with Janssen and followed it through IND-enabling pre-clinical and Phase 1 studies, with Janssen assuming responsibility for further clinical development. Rusfertide, a mimetic of the natural hormone hepcidin, is the Company's lead drug candidate currently in a global Phase 3 development program. The randomized portion of the Phase 2 REVIVE study showed positive results and is now complete, with an open-label extension underway. The global Phase 3 VERIFY study of rusfertide in polycythemia vera is ongoing. Protagonist retains all worldwide development and commercialization rights to rusfertide.

More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at protagonist-inc.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential clinical profile of JNJ-2113, our expectations regarding the potential receipt of additional milestone and royalty payments under our collaboration agreement with Janssen. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "may," "will," "expect," or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to earn milestone payments under our collaboration agreement with Janssen, our ability to use and expand our programs to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting our business can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

Investor Relations Contact
Corey Davis, Ph.D.
LifeSci Advisors
+1 212 915 2577
cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Relations Contact
Virginia Amann
ENTENTE Network of Companies
virginiaamann@ententeinc.com

SOURCE: Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.



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FAQ

What are the Phase 3 studies recently added by Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX)?

The Phase 3 studies recently added by Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) are ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 and ICONIC-ADVANCE 2, evaluating JNJ-2113 in head-to-head comparisons against deucravacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

What milestone payment is Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) eligible to receive?

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) is eligible to receive a $115 million milestone payment upon achieving the co-primary endpoints in any one of the Phase 3 studies.

What is JNJ-2113, and what is its purpose in the Phase 3 program?

JNJ-2113 is a targeted oral peptide designed to selectively block the IL-23 receptor and is intended to establish itself as the preferred oral treatment option for psoriasis patients in the Phase 3 program.

What collaboration agreement does Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) have for JNJ-2113?

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (PTGX) has a license and collaboration agreement with Janssen for the development and commercialization of JNJ-2113, which includes milestone payments, royalties, and support for the program.

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.

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About PTGX

protagonist therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a proprietary technology platform which is utilized to discover and develop novel peptide-based drugs to address significant unmet medical needs. its primary focus is on developing potential first-in-class oral targeted therapy-based peptide drugs that work by blocking biological pathways that are currently targeted by marketed injectable antibody drugs. protagonist's initial lead peptide product candidates, ptg-100 and ptg-200, are based on this approach, and the company believes these candidates have the potential to transform the existing treatment paradigm for inflammatory bowel disease (ibd), consisting primarily of ulcerative colitis and crohn's disease. ptg-100, a potential first-in-class oral peptide alpha-4-beta-7 integrin antagonist, is currently in a global phase 2b clinical trial for treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis. ptg-200, a first-in-class oral interleukin-23 receptor antagonist