CytoDyn Clarifies Status of Biologics License Application

Additional Data Required to Complete Application Expected to be Submitted on May 11, 2020

VANCOUVER, Washington, May 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTC.QB: CYDY), (“CytoDyn” or the “Company”), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab (PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, today further clarified the status of the Company’s submission of its Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for leronlimab as a combination therapy with HAART for highly treatment experienced HIV patients, filed on April 27, 2020 with the FDA. The BLA will not be considered completed until the Company submits to the FDA clinical datasets required to address FDA comments it received in March 2020, as described in the Company’s press releases on May 4 and May 6, 2020. CytoDyn expects to submit these clinical datasets on May 11, 2020.

After the BLA submission is deemed completed, FDA makes a filing decision and sets a PDUFA goal date. CytoDyn has Fast Track designation for leronlimab and a rolling review for its BLA, as previously assigned by the FDA and the Company plans to request a priority review for the BLA. A priority review designation, if granted, means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the application within six months of receipt (compared with 10 months under standard review).

About Coronavirus Disease 2019 CytoDyn is currently enrolling patients in two clinical trials for COVID-19, a Phase 2 randomized clinical trial for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 population in the U.S. and a Phase 2b/3 randomized clinical trial for severe and critically ill COVID-19 population in several hospitals throughout the country.

SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. The origin of SARS-CoV-2 causing the COVID-19 disease is uncertain, and the virus is highly contagious. COVID-19 typically transmits person to person through respiratory droplets, commonly resulting from coughing, sneezing, and close personal contact. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals. For confirmed COVID-19 infections, symptoms have included fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Clinical manifestations in patients have ranged from non-existent to severe and fatal. At this time, there are minimal treatment options for COVID-19.

About Leronlimab (PRO 140) and BLA Submission for the HIV Combination Therapy The FDA has granted a “Fast Track” designation to CytoDyn for two potential indications of leronlimab for deadly diseases. The first as a combination therapy with HAART for HIV-infected patients and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that blocks CCR5, a cellular receptor that is important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including NASH. Leronlimab has completed nine clinical trials in over 800 people, including meeting its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab in combination with standard antiretroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients).

In the setting of HIV/AIDS, leronlimab is a viral-entry inhibitor; it masks CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab has been the subject of nine clinical trials, each of which demonstrated that leronlimab could significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements compared with daily drug therapies currently in use.

The Company filed its BLA for Leronlimab as a Combination Therapy for Highly Treatment Experienced HIV Patients to the FDA on April 27, 2020. The BLA will not be considered completed until the Company submits required clinical datasets to the FDA. The Company expects to submit the required datasets on May 11, 2020. After the BLA submission is considered completed, FDA will make a filing decision and set a PDUFA goal date. CytoDyn has Fast Track designation for leronlimab and a rolling review for its BLA, as previously assigned by the FDA and the Company plans to request a priority review for the BLA. A priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of receipt (compared with 10 months under standard review).

In the setting of cancer, research has shown that CCR5 may play a role in tumor invasion, metastases, and tumor microenvironment control. Increased CCR5 expression is an indicator of disease status in several cancers. Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 98% in a murine xenograft model. CytoDyn is, therefore, conducting a Phase 1b/2 human clinical trial in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and was granted Fast Track designation in May 2019.

The CCR5 receptor appears to play a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation. It may be crucial in the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and other inflammatory conditions. Clinical studies by others further support the concept that blocking CCR5 using a chemical inhibitor can reduce the clinical impact of acute GvHD without significantly affecting the engraftment of transplanted bone marrow stem cells. CytoDyn is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical study with leronlimab to support further the concept that the CCR5 receptor on engrafted cells is critical for the development of acute GvHD, blocking the CCR5 receptor from recognizing specific immune signaling molecules is a viable approach to mitigating acute GvHD. The FDA has granted “orphan drug” designation to leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD.