Sermonix to Present Poster on 'Lasofoxifene as a Potential Treatment for ER+ Metastatic Breast Cancer' at 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sermonix Pharmaceuticals LLC, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of female-specific oncology products, today announced that it will present a poster on the performance of its lead investigational drug, lasofoxifene, at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The abstract, "Lasofoxifene as a Potential Treatment for ER+ Metastatic Breast Cancer," will be presented during the poster session Breast Cancer – Metastatic, June 2, 8-11 a.m., at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Sermonix is currently enrolling patients in the Phase 2 Evaluation of Lasofoxifene in ESR1 Mutations (ELAINE) study, assessing the activity of oral lasofoxifene versus intramuscular fulvestrant for the treatment of postmenopausal women with locally advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2- breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation.

"For the abstract presented at ASCO 2019, we used a mouse intraductal model to investigate the combination of lasofoxifene and palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, as a potential therapeutic for mutant ESR1 metastatic breast cancer, as compared to palbociclib and fulvestrant," said Barry Komm, Sermonix chief scientific officer. "We look forward to sharing our findings at this important gathering of the oncology community."

About Lasofoxifene
Lasofoxifene is an investigational, nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which Sermonix licensed from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. LGND and has been studied in previous comprehensive Phase 1-3 non-oncology clinical trials in more than 15,000 postmenopausal women worldwide. Lasofoxifene's bioavailability and activity in mutations of the estrogen receptor could potentially hold promise for patients who have acquired endocrine resistance and ESR1 mutations, a common mutation in the metastatic setting and an area of high unmet medical need. Lasofoxifene's novel activity in ESR1 mutations was recently discovered and Sermonix has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize it in this area. A potent, well-characterized SERM, lasofoxifene, if approved, could play a critical role in the targeted precision medicine treatment of advanced ER+ breast cancer.

About Sermonix
Sermonix Pharmaceuticals LLC is a biopharmaceutical company with a targeted focus on bringing female-specific oncology products through proof of concept, preclinical and clinical development, and regulatory approval. The company was founded in 2014 by David Portman, M.D., a leading clinical researcher and expert in women's health, menopause and selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) therapy. Sermonix's lead product is oral lasofoxifene. The Sermonix management team, led by Dr. Portman, has significant experience in all stages of the drug development and regulatory process. Paul Plourde, M.D., vice president of oncology clinical development, was previously with AstraZeneca, where he was instrumental in the development and approval of tamoxifen, Arimidex^® and Faslodex^®. Barry Komm, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, is former head of the SERM program at Wyeth and Pfizer, playing a key role in the development and approval of bazedoxifene and Duavee^®. Elizabeth Attias, M.M.Sc., Sc.D., vice president of business development, has extensive experience in pharmaceutical drug commercialization. Simon Jenkins, Ph.D. vice president of operations, has over 30 years of experience in global drug development leadership roles at Wyeth and Pfizer across a range of therapeutic areas. Sermonix non-executive chairman of the board is Anthony Wild, Ph.D., former president of both Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and Warner-Lambert's Pharmaceutical Division. Learn more at https://sermonixpharma.com/.

Contact:
David Portman, MD
CEO and Founder, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals
dportman@sermonixpharma.com
614-582-6849