Phosplatin Therapeutics

Phosplatin Therapeutics, which rebranded to Promontory Therapeutics in May 2022, is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing small molecule immunotherapies for cancer. The company was founded in 2011 following a discovery-stage license transaction with Ohio University for a family of anti-cancer compounds. The co-founders are Robert Fallon, who serves as President and CEO, and Matthew R. Price, the Executive Vice President and COO. Fallon brings extensive global transactional and strategic leadership from his time as Chairman & CEO of The Korea Exchange Bank and head of Asia-Pacific for J.P. Morgan Chase. Price, who met Fallon at Columbia Business School, has a background in strategy, finance, and operations, and was instrumental in negotiating the initial license for the company's main drug development program.

The company's business model centers on the clinical development and eventual commercialization of its proprietary drug candidates. Revenue is generated through private financing and milestone fees from sub-licensing agreements, such as its deal with SciClone Pharmaceuticals for the Greater China market. As a clinical-stage entity, its clients are effectively the patients participating in its numerous clinical trials, with the ultimate goal of serving the broader oncology market upon drug approval. The company has actively conducted research and development in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Promontory's lead product candidate is PT-112, a novel platinum-pyrophosphate conjugate. This small molecule is designed to work through a distinct mechanism of action that promotes immunogenic cell death (ICD), a process where dying cancer cells trigger an immune response against the tumor. PT-112 is also osteotropic, meaning it naturally targets bone, which is a significant advantage for treating cancers that originate in or metastasize to the bone, such as prostate cancer. The drug has demonstrated anti-cancer activity and a favorable tolerability profile in multiple Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. These trials are investigating PT-112 as a monotherapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and for rare thymic epithelial tumors, for which it has received FDA Orphan Drug Designation. It is also being studied in combination with PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors for other cancers.

Keywords: oncology therapeutics, small molecule immunotherapy, clinical-stage pharma, immunogenic cell death, PT-112, prostate cancer, osteotropism, drug development, platinum-pyrophosphate, orphan drug