Accurexa Files Patent Application for the Combination of a PARP inhibitor with its ACX-31 Local Chemotherapy Wafer

WALNUT CREEK, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 10, 2017 / Accurexa Inc. (the "Company") ACXA, a development-stage biotechnology company focused on the targeted delivery of therapies, announced today that it filed a new patent application related to the combination therapy of a PARP inhibitor and Accurexa's ACX-31 local temozolomide slow-release wafer polymer formulation for the treatment of solid tumors. PARP (Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase) is a family of proteins that can repair the DNA damage to cancer cells caused by the chemotherapy drug temozolomide. Inhibiting PARP can, therefore, potentially increase the effectiveness of temozolomide in damaging cancer cells.

Olaparib is the first PARP inhibitor that was approved in December 2014 by the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) for women with advanced ovarian cancer. Olaparib is marketed by AstraZeneca under its brand name, Lynparza, and generated $156 million in sales in the first nine months of 2016. AstraZeneca expects Lynparza to generate $2 billion per year in peak sales. Rucaparib is the second PARP inhibitor that was approved in December 2016 by the FDA for advanced ovarian cancer, and is marketed by Clovis Oncology under its brand name, Rubraca. There are also a number of pharmaceutical companies developing PARP inhibitors in Phase 3 clinical trials, and these include Pfizer (talazoparib), Abbvie (veliparib) and Tesaro (niraparib).

"There is evidence from scientific studies of the synergistic effects of temozolomide in combination with PARP inhibitors in the treatment of cancer. In fact, the Phase 1 OPARATIC clinical trial treating brain cancer patients with olaparib and oral temozolomide is currently being conducted by Cancer Research UK, the world's largest, independent cancer research charity. Additional Phase 1 clinical trials testing olaparib and oral temozolomide in the treatment of lung cancer and Ewing's Sarcoma are being conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School's largest teaching hospital. We believe that our ACX-31 local chemotherapy wafer can potentially increase the effectiveness of local temozolomide and reduce systemic side effects in the treatment of brain cancer, and are planning to conduct our own studies in combination with PARP inhibitors. Our ACX-31 technology could also potentially be expanded to the treatment of other cancer types," said George Yu, MD, Accurexa's President & CEO.

About Accurexa, Inc.

Accurexa is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on the targeted delivery of therapies. It is developing its ACX-31 program for the local delivery of temozolomide as adjunctive therapy to BCNU, both chemotherapeutics, to brain tumor sites. Oral temozolomide is a generic, FDA approved, first-line chemotherapy drug that is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme concomitantly with radiotherapy, and then as maintenance treatment. Before oral temozolomide became generic, it generated US sales of approximately $420 million, and global sales of approximately $910 million under its brand name, Temodar^®, in 2012. However, current standard of care of delivering temozolomide to tumor sites through oral administration is limited by the blood-brain-barrier and oral temozolomide increases patient survival by 2.5 months from a 12.1 months median overall survival. Additional information about Accurexa may be found on its website, www.accurexa.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding: the ability of the Company to successfully submit an IND application and conduct clinical trials, file patent applications, develop and commercialize novel neurological therapies based on U.S. Patent No. 8,895,597 B2, or its ACX-31 program and execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "believes," "expects," or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact Investor Relations:

David Burke
The Ruth Group
Tel.: 646-536-7009
dburke@theruthgroup.com

Accurexa Inc.
info@accurexa.com
Tel.: 302-709-1822

SOURCE: Accurexa Inc.