Sydney-based Novogen will officially start trading today as Kazia Therapeutics.
According to CEO Dr James Garner, “Our new brand, Kazia Therapeutics, reflects the innovative, focused and agile company that we have become. I am delighted that shareholders voted in support of our new name and future.”
Shareholders recently approved the name change and the company will trade under the new 'KZA' ASX ticker from today.
According to the company, the new name is inspired by words such as 'Kaizen', which in Japanese refers to the business philosophy of continuous improvement, and 'cassia', a type of tree which is significant in several cultures.
The company's lead program is GDC-0084, a small molecule inhibitor of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which is being developed to treat glioblastoma multiforme, the primary and most aggressive form of brain cancer. Licensed from Genentech in late 2016, GDC-0084 is anticipated to enter phase 2 clinical trials in 2017.
TRXE-002-1, or Cantrixil, is Kazia’s second drug development candidate under development as a treatment for ovarian cancer. The chemotherapeutic is currently undergoing a phase 1 clinical trial in hospitals across Australia and the US. Initial data on this trial is expected to be reported early in 2018.