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CSE: DTC  FSE: DTC  USOTC: DTCFF        PRESS RELEASE

DEFENCE’S NOVEL ACCUTOX^TM CONTINUES TO SURPRISE ON RESULTS AGAINST CANCER

Vancouver, BC, Canada, October 17^th, 2023 - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (“Defence” or the “Company”), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce that the excitement around AccuTOX^TM against cancer continues to develop and expand its applications.   

The AccuTOXTM molecule can eradicate cancer cells via different mechanisms including the initiation of immunogenic cells death, endoplasmic reticulum stress and by causing direct damages to DNA. When tested in three different animal models of solid tumors (lymphoma, melanoma and breast), the compound-controlled tumor growth and synergized with different commercially-used immune-checkpoints (anti-PD-1, anti-CTLA4 and anti-CD47).

AccuTOX^TM on Lung cancer, a completed pre-clinical study using Defence’s intranasal formulation of AccuTOX^TM in the context of animals with pre-established lung cancer showed that AccuTOX^TM administration as a combination therapy with the immune-checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD1 reduces dramatically the level of lung nodules compared to control non-treated or anti-PD1-treated animals. This 50% reduction of cancer nodules on animals with pre-established lung tumors was achieved in a treatment plan of only 6 administrated doses over 2 weeks with the AccuTOX^TM anti-PD1 combination.  

AccuTOX^TM anti-cancer, in preparation of its Phase I clinical trial using AccuTOX^TM as an anti-cancer molecule and in recommendation by its collaborators at the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute where the Phase I will be done, Defence conducted a preclinical study investigating two objectives: i) minimizing AccuTOX^TM dosing to twice a week over a period of three weeks (for a total of 6 injections), and ii) combining AccuTOX^TM with both anti-PD-1 and anti-LAG3, which is equivalent to the use of Opdualag (a BMS premixed combination of nivolumab and relatlimab) currently administered to cancer patients at City of Hope. The strong results confirm that AccuTOX^TM is suitable for any solid tumor, and it can synergise with a variety of immune-checkpoint inhibitors making it a future treatment of choice in immune-oncology.

AccuTOX^TM manufacturing Phase I, Biopeptek Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a renowned US based CDMO dedicated to the production of high-quality peptides for clinical applications, has optimized formulation and is finalizing manufacturing and packaging of the AccuTOX^TM final drug product in vials dedicated for the Phase I clinical trial at City of Hope, CA, USA. Final quality validation and stability studies are being processed to meet with FDA high standards requirements. IND filling for Defence’s Phase I clinical trial to treat melanoma patients at City of Hope, CA, USA will be done imminently.  

AccuTOX^TM triggers cancer tumor regression, Defence also recently demonstrated that encapsulated AccuTOX^TM with chitosan nanoparticles triggers complete tumor regression in animals with pre-established solid lymphoma. This additional discovery on AccuTOX^TM is a simpler and cheaper method compared to the use of antibodies and may represent a key component of Defence’s future encapsulation strategies and could revolutionize the future of molecular medicine by increasing the compounds specificity to tumor site while minimizing the needed dosage and thus, associated side effects.

AccuTOX^TM patent portfolio is growing.

Further development and expanding applications on Defence’s leading AccuTOX^TM therapeutic is ongoing and further news to be released upon results.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:

Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director

P: (514) 947-2272

Cautionary Statement Regarding “Forward-Looking” Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

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