DEVELOPING ISUNAKINRA
a potent IL-1 inhibitor - in cancer indications
Buzzard Pharmaceuticals AB
• is based in Stockholm and was founded in 2016 by Urban Paulsson and Maarten de Château
• has a focus on developing drugs in oncology
• has acquired the rights to isunakinra from Eleven Biotherapeutics in 2017 with the intent to re-position isunakinra in cancer indications
• isunakinra is a chimeric protein binding to IL1R1 and inhibiting IL-1 signaling with high potency
• the molecule was previously developed for eye diseases (in a topical formulation)
• a phase I/II trial in solid tumor patients was initiated in 2020 at the Baylor Research Institute, Dallas, TX (NCT04121442)
THE TEAM
Maarten de Château, MD PhD
• CEO
• Co-founder of Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, sold to BMS in 2016.
The sole asset was HuMax-IL8 an antibody targeting IL-8
• Previously at Sobi, Sanofi-Aventis, Swedbank Markets, Aragon Securities, Uppsala University, Harvard Medical School
Urban Paulsson, Lawyer
• Chairman
• Co-founder of Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, sold to BMS in 2016
• Previously at law firms Norida, Karlerö and Bird&Bird and at Vitrolife and Pharmacia
