LONDON and PHILADELPHIA – May 19, 2026 – Avacta Therapeutics (AIM: AVCT, “the Company”, “Avacta”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing pre|CISION, a tumor-activated oncology delivery platform today published its unaudited preliminary results for the 12 months ended December 31, 2025 (“FY25”)
FY25 Highlights
Research & Development (R&D) Highlights
- Increased momentum and strengthened position as a pure-play oncology biopharmaceutical company by focusing on the Company’s unique proprietary pre|CISION® peptide drug conjugate platform, with significant progress in R&D programs
- Gen Two (AVA6103):
- First patient received treatment in FOCUS-01, a multicenter, open‑label Phase 1 clinical trial of AVA6103 (FAP-Exd, pre|CISION®-enabled exatecan) – March 2026.
- The FOCUS-01 trial is enrolling patients with six advanced cancers that were selected by leveraging our strategic collaboration with Tempus AI
- Presented highly favorable data from multiple preclinical studies compared to successful antibody drug conjugate, Enhertu® . Also presented further data comparing with another successful antibody drug conjugate, Datroway®.
- Updated preclinical and translational data presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Congress in San Diego in April 2026
- Gen One (AVA6000):
- Reported highly encouraging efficacy and safety data from patients with salivary gland cancer.
- Program continued to enroll patients in the Phase 1b trial to assess the efficacy of AVA6000 (Faridoxorubicin, pre|CISION®-enabled doxorubicin) in more homogenous, defined patient populations.
- Positive Health Authority interactions resulted in the lifting of lifetime maximum dose due to highly favorable cardiac safety and agreement on dose selection for subsequent trials.
- Gen Three (AVA6207):
- Demonstrated the dual payload technology incorporating the sustained release mechanism with multiple combinations of payloads with updated in vivo data presented at the AACR Annual Congress in San Diego in April 2026.
- Intellectual property (IP) portfolio continued to grow and gain momentum measured by increased IP filings. These include two important advances in the pre|CISION® IP estate:
- The sustained release mechanism of payload delivery and
- The dual payload mechanism of delivery allowing the precise delivery of two payloads.
Management and Board strengthening
- Appointment of Brian Hahn as Chief Financial Officer (non-Board) in January 2025.
- Appointment of Francis Wilson as Chief Scientific Officer in February 2026.
- Appointment of David Bryant and Richard Hughes as Non-Executive Directors of the Company in May 2025.
- Appointment of David Liebowitz as Chief Medical Officer in July 2025.
Financial
- Strengthened financial position to support our R&D programs.
- Raised £22.5 million in new equity from a broad range of existing and new investors and renegotiated the terms of the convertible bond
- March 2026 – completed oversubscribed placing and subscription raising £10 million – extending cash runway into Q1 2027
Cash and short-term deposit balances at December 31, 2025, of £16.9 million (31 December 2024: £12.9 million). As of April 30, 2026 cash held was £16.4 million
Outlook for 2026
- Initial clinical data in the AVA6103 program anticipated in late H2 2026.
- AVA6000 clinical data from the Phase 1a and 1b cohorts are expected in H1 2026 – including updated efficacy data in expansion cohorts, the lead indication of salivary gland cancer, and cardiac safety data which resulted in removal of lifetime maximum dose limit.
- Payload selection and clinical candidate selection in the Gen Three pre|CISION® Dual Payload program (AVA6207) are expected in H2 2026.
- Continuing discussions with multiple parties on potential partnering of first, second and third generation assets.
Christina Coughlin, MD, PhD, CEO of Avacta, commented,
“We have made great strides to strengthen our position as a pure-play oncology therapeutics company by focusing on our industry-leading technology pre|CISION®., Ahead of industry norm, we already have two programs in clinical development.
“Our pre|CISION® provides unique advantages, as we believe it is the only technology that is capable of delivering cancer treatment drugs directly to the tumor at the precise concentrations our payloads can achieve – and without triggering severe toxic side effects.
“Our portfolio is supported by strong and increasingly valuable intellectual property to protect our innovation. It continues to generate strong interest from multiple parties for potential commercial agreements. These could both generate revenue to support our development and broaden the application of our technology.
“Our strong financial position, having raised £32.5 million over the last 18 months, provides us with a cash runway into early Q1 2027 and through key value inflection points. This promises to be a transformative period for Avacta and our patients.”