Kazia Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:KZA) is a winner in the 2019 Australian and New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Awards presented yesterday in Auckland, New Zealand.
The awards celebrate the innovation, growth and impact of emerging businesses in Australia and New Zealand and were presented by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham.
Kazia was recognised for being an innovative, product-focused and agile company with the award reflecting its progress in the clinical testing of its lead candidate, GDC-0084.
The investigational new drug, GDC-0084 is being developed by the company to treat glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive form of primary brain cancer in adults, as well as other forms of brain cancer.
Completion of phase-I study
The company recently revealed that St Jude Children’s Research Hospital successfully completed the first stage of its ongoing phase-I study of GDC-0084 in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and other diffuse midline gliomas.
Diffuse midline gliomas, including DIPG, represent one of the most aggressive childhood cancers and several hundred new cases are diagnosed in the US each year.
Median life expectancy from diagnosis is estimated to be 9-11 months and there is no approved pharmacological therapy.