Taran Therapeutics
Executive Summary
for the Professional Investor
The Need:
Monoclonal antibodies are a method of treating certain conditions by tackling the genetics at play at the cellular level. Rather than just treating symptoms, monoclonal antibodies can address the cause.
This technique offers targeted treatments that significantly improve outcomes for patients with previously intractable conditions, including cancer, autoimmune conditions and infectious diseases.
Monoclonal antibodies became widely known to the general public as treatments for COVID-19 and helped save many patients worldwide during the global pandemic. They are a testament to the advancements in biotechnology and our understanding of the immune system.
Assets of Taran Therapeutics:
One of the leading companies involved in COVID treatment was Humanigen, a public company led by acclaimed physician, researcher and biotech executive Dr. Cameron Durrant. For regulatory reasons, Humanigen did not receive the Emergency Use Authorization it sought from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In early 2024, Taran Therapeutics, led by Dr. Durrant, acquired all the assets of Humanigen. These assets include intellectual property, important documents tracking drug applications and approvals, expert knowledge, manufacturing contracts and strategies, and the Australian subsidiary.
Taran Therapeutics incorporates talented, committed biopharma people, bringing a solid base of therapeutic assets to bear on new targets, building on almost twenty years of experience and investment in preclinical and clinical development, regulatory materials and product inventory.
Taran is offering three important therapies, prominently featuring lenzilumab (“Lenz”). Lenz is involved in two ongoing advanced phase trials for certain life-threatening conditions that currently lack effective treatments, including leukemia and bone marrow transplant inflammation.
Taran is currently involved in several research projects:
- The first study focuses on a rare and life-threatening form of blood cancer known as Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML). Researchers are enrolling the first group of patients to see how well Lenz works in this context compared to other treatments. So far, Lenz helps over half of the people who take it, which is much better than the current standard of care success rate of about 20%.
- The second study looks into treating a serious complication called acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease (aGvHD) that can occur after a bone marrow transplant. This study investigates whether Lenz can help people who develop this complication, which affects between 50% to 70% of patients after their transplant. Currently, very few patients with a severe form of this disease live longer than two years. This research project has started to enroll participants.
- A third study will focus on a rare and deadly form of CMML that affects children, known as JMML (Juvenile Myelomonocytic leukemia).
- A fourth study is anticipated, to determine if Lenz can make CAR-T cell therapy — a kind of cancer treatment— safer and more effective.
Many public health professionals are convinced that a new serious variant of the original COVID-19 source, will eventually emerge through mutation. By the end of 2023, a total of 772 million people worldwide had contracted COVID and its variants, and a new milestone was passed — 7 million fatalities worldwide (over 1.2 million in the US).
As of this writing (April 2023), people continue to die each day from COVID-19 and its mutations. Source: World Health Organization
Only disciplined application of monoclonal antibody therapies has kept these numbers from being much larger.
When — not if — a new outbreak occurs, Taran will be among the first with the experience and resources to begin addressing that need quickly.
Mission:
The name Taran comes from a touching personal story related to the CEO’s wife and a Welsh cob foal born during a thunderstorm, named Taran. It reflects the company’s connection to the strength and beauty of Welsh heritage and the natural power of thunder.
