AB Science SA, a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), has filed the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for masitinib in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

AB Science indicates that the communication of the results was delayed to allow the filing for patent applications aiming at extending the period of marketing exclusivity of masitinib in case of commercialization in this indication.

Masitinib is a new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast cells, important cells for immunity, as well as a limited number of kinases that play key roles in various cancers. Owing to its novel mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number of conditions in oncology, in inflammatory diseases and in certain
diseases of the central nervous system. Through its activity of inhibiting certain kinases that are essential in some oncogenic processes, masitinib may have an effect on tumour regression, alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

Through its activity on the mast cell and certain kinases essential to the activation of the inflammatory cells and fibrosing tissue remodelling, masitinib can have an effect on the symptoms associated with some inflammatory and central nervous system diseases.

Masitinib received orphan drug designation in the treatment of GIST from both FDA and EMA.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. The survival rate after 5 years is only 5%. The incidence of this cancer represents about 110,000 new cases per year in industrialized countries. The global therapeutics market for pancreatic cancer is valued at $1200m in 2015.

Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a new class of targeted molecules whose action is to modify signalling pathways within cells. Through these PKIs, the company targets diseases with high unmet medical needs (cancer, inflammatory diseases and central nervous system diseases), in both human and veterinary medicines.