Israeli biotech raises $57M to go where current BRAF inhibitors can't, with backing from Novartis, SR One
For the blockbuster potential of Novartis’ Tafinlar and Pfizer’s Braftovi, all the BRAF inhibitors on the market so far only target V600 mutations — which accounts for roughly 50% of patients.
Israeli biotech Novellus now has $57 million to develop a drug that they say can help the other 50% who have everything else.
The Series C will fund a Phase II trial for PLX-8394, a “paradox breaker” that could block RAF without activating MAPK signaling. In a Phase I trial, a patient with a BRAF fusion saw their tumor go away after taking the drug, allowing Novellus to hit the ground running.
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