Vancouver-based CytoDyn on the verge of leronlimab cancer trial

Vancouver-based biotechnology company CytoDyn announced Friday that it is contracting with North Carolina pharmaceutical company Syneos Health for an upcoming oncology trial.

CytoDyn has worked for years on its leronlimab drug, which became entangled in a period of struggle for the company, marked by an attempted board takeover by shareholder activists, an ousted CEO, and a public chastising by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The company’s executives have worked to move past those issues, finally submitting the study protocol for leronlimab to the FDA in September.

CytoDyn expects to start screening patients in early 2025.

“Investigating leronlimab in the field of oncology remains our top priority, and we are excited to further invest in our promising relationship with Syneos Health,” CytoDyn CEO Dr. Jacob Lalezari said in a Friday news release.

CytoDyn’s leronlimab is a therapeutic antibody that the company is studying for use in multiple areas, including infectious diseases, cancer and autoimmune conditions.

Lalezari said that with this expanded mandate, the company expects to produce clinical data supporting the use of leronlimab.

The upcoming trial will evaluate how well leronlimab works in patients with relapsed or refractory micro-satellite stable colorectal cancer.

The news release touted Syneos Health as a leading biopharmaceutical solutions organization.

“Syneos Health has helped to develop or commercialize 92 percent of novel new drugs approved by the FDA in the last five years,” the news release stated.