Alpha Tau to do trials of cancer treatment in Korea

Industry

Published: 03 Aug. 2022, 17:57

Alpha Tau to do trials of cancer treatment in Korea

From left: Raphi Levy, chief financial officer of Alpha Tau Medical, Uzi Sofer, CEO of Alpha Tau Medical and Robert Den, chief medical officer of Alpha Tau Medical, speak at a press conference Wednesday. [ALPHA TAU MEDICAL]

Alpha Tau Medical announced plans to conduct clinical trials for a radiation cancer treatment in Korea.

The company, headquartered in Jerusalem and listed on the Nasdaq, said it is in talks with Korean hospitals and university research centers to conduct clinical trials of Alpha DaRT, at a press conference Wednesday. Alpha DaRT is a radiotherapy method that uses alpha radiation to destroy solid tumors.

In Korea, Alpha Tau Medical plans to conduct clinical trials on cancers of the digestive system, such as pancreatic cancer and gastrointestinal cancers. The company is hoping to conduct trials on 30 to 50 patients.

The company said additional funding will not be needed to conduct the trials as it raised $104 million when going public in March.

Uzi Sofer, CEO of Alpha Tau Medical, said the company will apply for government grants in Korea to conduct research and development and carry out its clinal trials. Governmental organizations such as the Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation fund research and development projects led by the two countries.

Alpha Tau hopes to apply for marketing approval for Alpha DaRT in Korea after conducting the trials.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough device designation to Alpha DaRT to treat patients diagnosed with cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, and glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer.

The company is currently testing to see if Alpha DaRT is effective in treating pancreatic cancer in Canada. Clinical trials to see if the treatment is effective in breast, head and neck cancers are ongoing in Japan.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]