EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XOMA Corporation (Nasdaq: XOMA) announced today NIS793, an anti-TGFβ monoclonal antibody licensed from the Company, has advanced to the Phase 3 development stage, triggering a $35 million milestone payment from Novartis.  The Phase 3 trial (NCT04935359) is designed to assess the efficacy and safety of NIS793 in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel versus gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel and placebo, in first-line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC).  In July, Novartis announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation to NIS793 in combination with standard of care chemotherapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

“Pancreatic cancer claims far too many lives every year, and we appreciate that Novartis chose to pursue it as the first indication for late-stage development with NIS793.  We are grateful to the patients and their families who are participating in all of the NIS793 clinical studies,” stated Jim Neal, Chief Executive Officer of XOMA.  “NIS793 represents one of several important assets in our partner-funded portfolio.  This $35 million milestone gives us additional capital to acquire the rights to potential future milestone and royalty economics from biotech companies who can then use the capital to pursue their goal of curing a disease or condition by advancing their clinical development activities.”

More information about the NIS793 Phase 3 clinical study, NCT04935359, titled “Study of Efficacy and Safety of NIS793 in Combination With Standard of Care (SOC) Chemotherapy in First-line Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (mPDAC)” can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.

Under the terms of the 2015 anti-TGFβ development and commercialization agreement with Novartis, XOMA has the potential to earn up to $410 million in additional milestone payments.  Should Novartis receive regulatory approval to commercialize NIS793, XOMA will receive tiered royalties on net product sales that range from mid-single digit to low double digits.

NIS793 is an investigational compound.  Efficacy and safety have not been established.  There is no guarantee that NIS793 will become commercially available.

About XOMA Corporation


XOMA has built a significant portfolio of products that are licensed to and being developed by other biotech and pharmaceutical companies.  The Company’s portfolio of partner-funded programs spans multiple stages of the drug development process and across various therapeutic areas.  Many of these licenses are the result of XOMA’s pioneering efforts in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics.  The Company’s royalty-aggregator business model includes acquiring additional milestone and royalty rights associated with drug development programs with third-party funding.  For more information, visit

www.xoma.com

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Forward-Looking Statements/Explanatory Notes


Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the potential of XOMA’s portfolio of partnered programs and licensed technologies generating substantial milestone and royalty proceeds over time, creating additional value for the stockholders, cash sufficiency forecast, economic outlook, and potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project,” “expect,” “may,” “will, “would,” “could” or “should,” the negative of these terms or similar expressions.  These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of XOMA’s performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements.  These statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to certain risks inherent in the biotechnology industry, including those related to the fact that our product candidates subject to out-license agreements are still being developed, and our licensees may require substantial funds to continue development which may not be available; we do not know whether there will be, or will continue to be, a viable market for the products in which we have an ownership or royalty interest; if the therapeutic product candidates to which we have a royalty interest do not receive regulatory approval, our third-party licensees will not be able to market them, and the impact to the global economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Other potential risks to XOMA meeting these expectations are described in more detail in XOMA’s most recent filing on Form 10-K and in other SEC filings.  Consider such risks carefully when considering XOMA’s prospects.  Any forward-looking statement in this press release represents XOMA’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date.  XOMA disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

EXPLANATORY NOTE: Any references to “portfolio” in this press release refer strictly to milestone and/or royalty rights associated with a basket of drug products in development.  Any references to “assets” in this press release refer strictly to milestone and/or royalty rights associated with individual drug products in development.

As of the date of this press release, NIS793 and all assets in XOMA’s milestone and royalty portfolio are investigational compounds.  Efficacy and safety have not been established.  There is no guarantee that NIS793 or any of these assets will become commercially available.