OliX Pharmaceuticals Enters Agreement with Pharmaron to Advance Non-clinical Toxicology Testing for Hepatitis B Candidate OLX703A

- Previous non-clinical pharmacology study demonstrated substantial reduction in serum markers of HBV

SUWON, Republic of Korea, Oct. 19, 2021 – OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 226950), a leading developer of RNAi therapeutics, today announced that the Company has selected Pharmaron, a leading contract research organization based in China, to conduct non-clinical toxicity studies to evaluate the safety of OLX703A, OliX’s investigational therapeutic for hepatitis B (HBV).

OLX703A utilizes GalNAc-asiRNA technology and is designed to inhibit all HBV transcripts and proteins, including hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). It allows suppression of HBV replication and has been confirmed to be functional against all major HBV genotypes and subtypes.

Last June, OliX conducted a non-clinical pharmacology study of OLX703A and observed an approximately 100-fold reduction of key markers in serum associated with HBV, including s-antigen, e-antigen, and HBV DNA. According to the Company, these key results are comparable to the published preclinical data of competing therapeutics. Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production of OLX703A for preclinical and clinical studies is currently underway with LGC BioSearch Technologies.

“We are pleased to work with Pharmaron to advance non-clinical toxicity studies for OLX703A given their extensive research and development experience in China and the broader Asia region,” said Dong Ki Lee, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of OliX Pharmaceuticals. “We are encouraged by our progress in developing therapeutics for liver disease based on our GalNAc-asiRNA technology and look forward to advancing OLX703A into clinical trials as quickly as possible.”