Amplia Therapeutics (ASX:ATX) is moving to significantly expand its footprint in the United States, launching a capital markets campaign alongside the ongoing development of its promising FAK inhibitor for pancreatic cancer.
The company announced plans to broaden investor engagement, strengthen its US presence, and uplist its shares from the Pink Sheet to the OTCQB market, a move designed to increase visibility and accessibility for US investors.
The expansion comes as Amplia continues its Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of narmafotinib, its lead FAK inhibitor, in pancreatic cancer centres in both Australia and the US.
Chief Executive Officer Chris Burns said the company’s US strategy is a natural extension of its clinical ambitions. “As we continue to conduct our Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of narmafotinib, including in the United States, we believe it is important that we reach investors there to help support the program and development of the compound,” he said. “The OTCQB market is a unique opportunity to introduce ourselves to the U.S. market and significantly expand our U.S. investor base. We look forward to launching our capital markets campaign and to telling the Amplia story there.”
Narmafotinib, also known as AMP945, is an investigative inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a protein overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and a target of growing global interest.
In the ongoing ACCENT trial, the compound is being tested in combination with gemcitabine and Abraxane in first-line patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Interim results have shown a 33 per cent response rate, outperforming chemotherapy alone, with a median progression-free survival of 7.6 months. A second clinical study, AMPLICITY trial, has recently opened in Australia and the US to evaluate narmafotinib with the chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRINOX.
“We believe narmafotinib represents a unique opportunity in the FAK inhibitor class, potentially providing improved balance between efficacy, safety and tolerability beyond what is currently available in the US market,” Dr Burns said.