PROTALIX BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC. (PLX)

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Protalix BioTherapeutics Completes Enrollment in Phase II Clinical Trial of OPRX-106 in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

CARMIEL, Israel, Nov. 29, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:PLX) (TASE:PLX), announced today the completion of enrollment in the Company’s phase II clinical trial evaluating OPRX-106, the Company’s oral antiTNF product candidate, in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). OPRX-106 is the Company’s proprietary plant cell-expressed recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor II fused to an IgG1 Fc domain (TNFRII-Fc). When administered orally and while passing through the digestive tract, the plant cells function as a natural delivery capsule, having the unique attribute of a cellulose cell wall, which makes them resistant to degradation compared to proteins produced via mammalian cell expression systems. The Company expects to report top-line results from this study in the first quarter of 2018.

“Despite a number of approved treatments for ulcerative colitis, there remains a large unmet medical need in this patient population,” said Mr. Moshe Manor, Protalix’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to reporting initial results from our phase II study, which may provide proof of concept data not only for OPRX-106 in the treatment of UC, but also for our oral-delivery protein technology. If successful, OPRX-106 will be the first ever oral protein treatment, as currently there are no other oral recombinant protein treatments available.”

The phase II clinical trial is a randomized, open label, 2-arm study of OPRX-106 in 19 patients with active mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. Patients have been randomized to receive 2 mg or 8 mg of OPRX-106 protein administered orally, once daily, for 8 weeks. Key efficacy endpoints of the study, in addition to safety, include relevant disease parameters of the drug, including Mayo score and rectal bleeding.