ISOFOL MEDICAL

Isofol Medical AB (publ.) is a biotech company working with the development of the cancer drug, arfolitixorin. Arfolitixorin is a new drug candidate that Isofol is primarily developing to treat colorectal cancer (CRC) – the third most common type of cancer and one for which there is a substantial need for more effective drugs. Isofol’s development work with arfolitixorin is also targeting so-called “rescue therapy” after high-dose chemotherapy with methotrexate in conjunction with osteos... arcoma (bone cancer). Other potential uses for arfolitixorin also includes the treatment of pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, and head and neck cancers. When treating colorectal cancer, arfolitixorin is administered in combination with the cytotoxic agent, 5-FU (5-fluorouracil), in order to improve tumour size reduction and extend the life of the cancer patient. The active substance in arfolitixorin is MTHF ([6R]-5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate). The folate-based prodrugs, leucovorin and levoleucovorin, are currently used in combination with the cytotoxic agent, 5-FU, in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Isofol intends to replace leucovorin and levoleucovorin with arfolitixorin, with the primary aim of improving the treatment for over 365,000 colorectal cancer patients in the USA, Europe and Japan. Unlike leucovorin and levoleucovorin, which must be metabolised into MTHF in the body in order to be effective in the treatment of cancer, arfolitixorin’s active substance is MTHF, which means that no metabolic activation is required and arfolitixorin consequently has the potential to achieve a more powerful antitumoural effect for all patients in combination with 5-FU treatment. Thanks to a global licensing agreement with Merck KGaA, Germany, Isofol has gained the exclusive right to develop and commercialise arfolitixorin in the field of oncology. The licensing agreement with Merck also gives Isofol access to the unique, patented MTHF/arfolitixorin manufacturing process. Isofol’s operations are based in Gothenburg and the company’s share is traded on the NASDAQ First North Premier exchange.More