Benzinga | Feb 25, 2021 07:30AM EST

ESSA Pharma Reports Collaboration With Astellas To Evaluate Combo Of EPI-7386, Enzalutamide For Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

ESSA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ:EPIX) ("ESSA" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer, today announced that the Company has entered into a clinical collaboration and supply agreement with Astellas Pharma Inc. ("Astellas") to evaluate ESSA's lead product candidate, EPI-7386, a first-in-class N-terminal domain androgen receptor inhibitor, in combination with Astellas and Pfizer Inc.'s androgen receptor inhibitor, enzalutamide, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer ("mCRPC").

Under the terms of the agreement, ESSA will sponsor and conduct a Phase 1/2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination of EPI-7386 and enzalutamide in mCRPC patients who have not yet been treated with second-generation antiandrogen therapies. Astellas will supply enzalutamide for the trial. ESSA will retain all rights to EPI-7386. The clinical study is expected to start in 2021.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Astellas to explore the potential clinical role of EPI-7386 in combination with Astellas' enzalutamide in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, who have progressed on androgen deprivation therapy," said Dr. David R. Parkinson, Chief Executive Officer, ESSA Pharma Inc. "Combining our two therapies will simultaneously target both ends of the androgen receptor. In preclinical models, we have seen that combining EPI-7386 with current antiandrogens can lead to deeper and broader inhibition of androgen biology. We look forward to investigating the combination of these therapies and their potential role together in the treatment of prostate cancer."