SAN DIEGO, Calif., May 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via IBN -- Sapu Nano and Oncotelic (OTCQB: OTLC) today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1b clinical trial of Sapu003, the Company's investigational intravenous Deciparticle formulation of everolimus.
The trial: SP-03-B101- Sapu003 in Patients with Advanced mTOR-sensitive Solid Tumors, (NCT07369505), is a Phase 1b, open-label, dose-escalation trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of Sapu003 in patients with advanced mTOR-sensitive solid tumors. The investigational product is administered intravenously over 30 minutes once weekly in 4-week cycles.
The study includes two cohort patients. Cohort A enrolls patients with HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, receiving Sapu003 in combination with aromatase inhibitor and Cohort B enrolls patients with renal cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, TSC-associated tumors, or hepatocellular carcinoma, receiving Sapu003 as monotherapy. Dose escalation follows a Bayesian Optimal Interval design, with planned dose levels of 5 mg/m², 7.5 mg/m², and 10 mg/m², and an optional lower dose cohort of 3.5 mg/m² if required for safety.
"This first-patient-dosed milestone represents an important step in advancing Sapu003 from clinical readiness into active patient treatment," said Dr. Vuong Trieu, Chief Executive Officer. "Everolimus is a validated mTOR inhibitor with established activity across multiple cancers, but oral delivery has limitations including variable absorption and dose-limiting toxicity. Sapu003 was designed to re-engineer everolimus, as a weekly IV Deciparticle formulation, with the goal of improving exposure control and expanding the therapeutic potential of mTOR inhibition."
The Sapu003 program has also been featured at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 9-12, 2025. The Sapu003 program is being developed in collaboration with Southern Oncology Clinical Research Unit, iNGENu CRO, and Shanghai Medicilon, supporting the clinical, translational, pharmacokinetic, and manufacturing development of Sapu003.
About Sapu Nano
Sapu Nano is a biotechnology company developing next-generation nanomedicine platforms to improve drug delivery, enhance therapeutic index, and unlock new clinical potential for established and novel therapeutics, with a primary focus in oncology. For more information, visit www.sapunano.com.
About Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oncology and immunotherapy products. The Company's mission is to address high-unmet-need cancers and rare pediatric indications with innovative, late-stage therapeutic candidates.
In addition to its directly owned and developed drug pipeline, Oncotelic benefits from a robust portfolio of inventions created by its CEO, Dr. Vuong Trieu, who has filed over 500 patent applications and holds 75 issued patents. The Company also leverages its proprietary AI-enabled PDAOAI platform, which supports research, biomarker discovery, and regulatory processes through advanced data analysis and knowledge integration.
Beyond its internal programs, Oncotelic licenses and co-develops select drug candidates through strategic partnerships and joint ventures. The Company currently owns a 45% interest in GMP Bio, a joint venture advancing a complementary pipeline of therapeutic candidates that further strengthens Oncotelic's position in oncology and rare disease therapeutics.
For more information, please visit: www.oncotelic.com
Oncotelic Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking and are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about our business and future plans. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions (including the negative of such terms).
Forward-looking statements in this release include, without limitation: our plans, timelines, and priorities for the OT-101 program in PDAC and other indications; potential biomarker-driven development strategies; the advancement, scope, timing, and results of current or future preclinical and clinical studies; regulatory interactions and potential approvals; development or commercialization of any product candidates within the Oncotelic/GMP Bio/Sapu ecosystem; the utility of our PDAOAI platform; future financings, strategic transactions, and/or public offerings involving our joint ventures or affiliates; and other statements that are not historical facts. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, but not limited to: the inherent uncertainties of drug discovery and development; our ability to enroll patients and complete studies on expected timelines; whether preclinical or early clinical findings (including biomarker associations) will be replicated in larger, controlled trials; regulatory developments in the United States and other jurisdictions; competitive developments; our ability to obtain or maintain intellectual property protection; our liquidity and access to capital; the performance of collaborators, suppliers, and manufacturers; and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent Form 10-K and subsequent periodic reports.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
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