The future of Telix Pharmaceuticals’ new spinout Rhine Pharma hinges on the outcome of one early-stage trial, Telix CEO Christian Behrenbruch told Endpoints News in an interview.
Christian BehrenbruchIf Rhine’s only radiotherapy asset, dubbed RHN001, passes a Phase 1/2 trial, Telix will look for external investors to back the spinout into its next stages, Behrenbruch said. Otherwise, the asset will likely be handed back to Heidelberg University Hospital, where it was developed, he added.
Telix announced the spinoff on Tuesday. Rhine is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telix, but it will become independent once “key milestones are achieved,” though the release did not elaborate further. Rhine is yet to finalize employee numbers as it is still being formed, a spokesperson said.
As Australian radiopharma Telix is growing, RHN001 no longer fits with its “core pipeline,” so the company, alongside Heidelberg University Hospital, decided to spin off the asset’s development with the new entity, Behrenbruch said.
Telix will fund the early-phase trial, and results are expected in a year. RHN001 is being investigated for prostate cancer. When it has the radioisotope technetium-99m, it can be used for imaging. And if it has rhenium-188, it could have potential as a radiotherapy.
The radiopharma space is heating up, and Telix has been busy bolstering its portfolio through numerous acquisitions, notably buying up RLS Radiopharmacies to expand its presence in the US. Manufacturing has been a talking point in the radiopharma space, with companies like Novartis needing to fix supply issues for its assets.
RHN001’s two isotopes can be manufactured inside generators at any location, which require less manufacturing infrastructure compared to bioreactors that make more traditional isotopes like lutetium-177 and actinium-225, Behrenbruch said.
Behrenbruch compared the generators to fridges where the isotopes are like ice cubes. This is a more decentralized manufacturing approach, which avoids the transportation of isotopes that have short shelf lives, making them difficult to ship, Behrenbruch said.
Telix and Heidelberg University Hospital began their partnership back in 2021 to research radiotherapies for cancer affecting urinary tracts and reproductive parts.