Galera Therapeutics Inc.

• US
• Galera Therapeutics Inc.
• Health-Care

GRTX

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a pipeline of novel, proprietary therapeutics that have the potential to transform radiotherapy in cancer. We leverage our expertise in superoxide dismutase mimetics to design drugs to reduce normal tissue toxicity from radiotherapy and to increase the anti-cancer efficacy of radiotherapy. Our lead product candidate, GC4419, is a potent and highly selective small molecule dismutase mimetic we are initially developing for the reduction of severe oral mucositis, or SOM. SOM is a common, debilitating complication of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer, or HNC. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to GC4419 for the reduction of the duration, incidence and severity of SOM induced by radiotherapy. In October 2018, we began evaluating GC4419 in a Phase 3 registrational trial and we expect to report top-line data from this trial in the first half of 2021. We believe GC4419, which to date is not approved for any indication, has the potential to be the first FDA-approved drug and the standard of care for the reduction of SOM in patients with HNC receiving radiotherapy, and we plan to further evaluate its use in other radiotherapy-induced toxicities, including esophagitis.

GC4419, also known as avasopasem manganese, has successfully completed two clinical trials to reduce SOM in patients with HNC undergoing intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, and also receiving cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. SOM is commonly defined as Grade 3 or Grade 4 oral mucositis on the World Health Organization scale. We demonstrated proof-of-concept with GC4419 for this indication in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled 223-patient Phase 2b trial. In the trial, GC4419 met the primary endpoint by demonstrating a 92% reduction in median duration of SOM in the 90 mg treatment arm as compared to placebo, which was statistically significant and consistent with the results of our Phase 1b/2a SOM trial. Key secondary endpoints evaluating the incidence and severity of SOM also demonstrated substantial dose-dependent reductions of 34% and 47%, respectively, in the 90 mg treatment arm, and GC4419 was well tolerated in this trial. In addition, as in our other clinical trials and pre-clinical studies to date, in this trial, the anti-cancer efficacy of radiotherapy was maintained through one year when combined with GC4419. Following consultation with the FDA, we initiated a single confirmatory, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 registrational trial of a 90 mg dose of GC4419 in patients with locally advanced HNC receiving radiotherapy, which we refer to as the ROMAN Trial. The primary endpoint of the ROMAN Trial is the reduction in the incidence of SOM through the completion of radiotherapy.

Superoxide, a highly reactive molecule, is produced by every cell as a part of normal metabolism, and at higher levels in certain diseases. Left uncontrolled it is highly toxic, leading to cell damage or cell death. To prevent this, the body produces superoxide dismutase enzymes, or SODs, which convert superoxide to hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is much less toxic than superoxide to normal tissue. Radiotherapy induces a large burst of superoxide in the irradiated tissues, which can overwhelm these SODs, damaging normal cells. Such damage to the oral mucosa, located in the mouth, is referred to as oral mucositis, or OM, and is particularly common among patients with HNC receiving radiotherapy. 

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