DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NAVB) (“Navidea” or the “Company”), a company focused on the development of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutics, today announced the opening of nine additional sites for recruitment into its pivotal NAV3-33 Phase 3 clinical trial titled “Evaluation of Tc 99m Tilmanocept Imaging for the Early Prediction of Anti-TNFα Therapy Response in Patients with Moderate to Severe Active Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).” A total of 12 sites open for the NAV3-33 study will enable faster patient enrollment and data gathering.

This Phase 3 trial will establish the ability of Tc99m tilmanocept imaging to serve as an early predictor of treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis (“RA”) patients switching to an anti-TNFα therapy. Trial details are posted on clinicaltrials.gov.

RA is a serious and potentially debilitating disease. The standard practice of treating RA is to monitor patients initiating new RA therapies over a course of three to six months and, in those patients for which the new therapies prove to be ineffective, to change their treatments to an alternative therapy with a different mechanism of action. This trial-and-error process of appropriate treatment selection may take several months to more than a year to arrive at an adequate treatment for any RA patient. Imaging with Tc99m tilmanocept, a synthetic molecule with high affinity to CD206 receptors expressed on activated macrophages, offers the potential to provide an early predictor of clinical response by providing an objective, quantifiable readout of changes in macrophage density in the joints of patients undergoing initiation or change of therapy. These macrophage density changes may be observable weeks before disease modification can be detected with standard clinical assessments and are predictive of treatment response.

Tilmanocept imaging could provide rheumatologists and those suffering with RA a noninvasive, quantifiable, early indicator of whether or not an anti-TNFα treatment is working, and this could bring enormous benefit to these patients by assisting physicians in putting them on the right course of treatment earlier than is currently possible.

The Company also announced the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding (”MOU”) with Jubilant Radiopharma, originally signed on August 9, 2020. The MOU with Jubilant Radiopharma outlined the terms and framework for an Exclusive License and Distribution Agreement for Navidea’s diagnostic imaging agent Tc99m tilmanocept (technetium Tc99m tilmanocept injection) in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. In connection with the MOU, Jubilant Radiopharma also made a $1 million equity investment in exchange for a limited exclusivity period. Since the original signing of the MOU, Navidea has advanced Tc99m tilmanocept for indications in RA through its Phase 2B proof of concept trial and into the currently enrolling Phase 3 trial as well as the Phase 2B tilmanocept joint localization to joint biopsy study.

Dr. Michael Rosol, Chief Medical Officer for Navidea, said, “We have generated significant data in support of our hypotheses that Tc99m tilmanocept can provide early prediction of treatment response to anti-TNFα therapy in RA, and we look forward to completion of the RA trials. The additional new sites we have opened will help significantly in this process.” Dr. Rosol continued, “Moving forward unencumbered by the exclusivity agreement, we now have the opportunity to discuss partnerships with other companies whose long-term interests align with our global business development strategy as we continue to advance towards U.S. Food and Drug Administration New Drug Application submission and beyond.”

About Navidea

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NAVB) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutics. Navidea is developing multiple precision-targeted products based on its Manocept platform to enhance patient care by identifying the sites and pathways of disease and enable better diagnostic accuracy, clinical decision-making, and targeted treatment. Navidea’s Manocept platform is predicated on the ability to specifically target the CD206 mannose receptor expressed on activated macrophages. The Manocept platform serves as the molecular backbone of Tc99m tilmanocept, the first product developed and commercialized by Navidea based on the platform. Navidea’s strategy is to deliver superior growth and shareholder return by bringing to market novel products and advancing the Company’s pipeline through global partnering and commercialization efforts. For more information, please visit .

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