Active Biotech expands US collaboration to advance tasquinimod clinical development in myelofibrosis
Lund, Sweden, August 18, 2026 – Active Biotech (NASDAQ Stockholm: ACTI) today announced it has entered a collaboration agreement with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, US, a not-for-profit education corporation and part of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research Consortium (MPN-RC), to advance the development of its clinical drug candidate tasquinimod in myelofibrosis.
“We are honored and very pleased to initiate this collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine, a leading center in translational cancer research,” said Active Biotech’s CEO Helén Tuvesson. “This partnership will further strengthen the scientific foundation for tasquinimod in myelofibrosis and support our ambition to accelerate the patient enrollment in the US through MPN-RC.”
The collaboration involves a preclinical research program aimed at further detailing and validating the therapeutic potential of tasquinimod in myelofibrosis, while laying the foundation for expanding the ongoing clinical program for tasquinimod in US through a partnership with MPN-RC, a network of leading research investigators at major US institutions dedicated to developing improved treatments for myeloproliferative neoplasms. In addition to Mount Sinai Health System, New York, the MPN-RC includes sites such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, Atrium Health Wake Forest, Winston Salem and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven.
“We are excited to partner with Active Biotech and to start working with tasquinimod, an agent with a novel mode of action in myelofibrosis. We believe these studies will provide valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of tasquinimod, both as a single agent and in combination with other treatments of interest,” said Dr. Ronald Hoffman, Director of Myeloproliferative Disorders Research Program at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai.
The primary objective of the preclinical program is to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of tasquinimod both as a monotherapy and in combination with selected treatments of strategic interest. The studies will be conducted using advanced cellular models based on patient-derived material, providing a translationally relevant framework to assess therapeutic potential.
Clinical studies of tasquinimod in myelofibrosis are currently ongoing in the US at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, as well as in Europe at clinical sites within the HOVON network in the Netherlands and Germany. More information about the clinical studies is available at ClinicalTrials.gov studynumber NCT06327100 and NCT06605586
For further information, please contact:
Helén Tuvesson, CEO, +46 46 19 21 56, helen.tuvesson@activebiotech.com
Hans Kolam, CFO, +46 46 19 20 44, hans.kolam@activebiotech.com
About Active Biotech
Active Biotech AB (publ) (NASDAQ Stockholm: ACTI) is a biotechnology company that develops first-in-class immunomodulatory treatments for oncology and immunology indications with a high unmet medical need and significant commercial potential. The company's core focus is on the development of tasquinimod in myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer, where clinical proof-of-concept studies have been initiated. Laquinimod is in development for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. A clinical phase I program with a topical ophthalmic formulation has been performed to support phase II development together with a partner. Naptumomab, a targeted anti-cancer immunotherapy, partnered to NeoTX Therapeutics, is in a phase Ib/II clinical program in patients with advanced solid tumors. Please visit www.activebiotech.com for more information.
About tasquinimod
Tasquinimod is an orally active small molecule immunomodulator with a novel mode of action, blocking tumor supporting pathways in the bone marrow microenvironment. Tasquinimod is being developed for the treatment of blood cancers, with focus on myelofibrosis. Tasquinimod has previously been studied in patients with solid cancers, including a phase II-III program in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The safety profile of tasquinimod is well-characterized based on these previous clinical studies. Tasquinimod reduces myeloproliferation, splenomegaly, and fibrosis in preclinical models of myelofibrosis, and demonstrates efficacy both as monotherapy and in combination with approved therapies. Clinical proof-of-concept studies have been initiated in Europe and in the US.
About myelofibrosis
Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare blood cancer belonging to a group of disorders called myeloproliferative neoplasms. The underlying cause of MF is unknown. The estimated annual incidence of MF is approximately 1.5 cases per 100,000 people in EU, US, UK, and Japan. Patients with MF have an abnormal production of blood-forming cells leading to the replacement of healthy bone marrow with scar tissue (fibrosis). Due to the lack of normal blood cell production patients typically present with laboratory value abnormalities such as anemia and changes in white blood cell counts and blood cell-differentiation. Later symptoms include enlargement of the spleen, an increased risk for infections, night sweats and fever. MF is associated with shortened survival and causes of death include bone marrow failure and transformation into acute leukemia. MF can be treated with bone marrow transplantation for eligible individuals, erythropoietin to manage anemia and JAK inhibitors to reduce spleen size. At present there are no approved therapies that would reverse bone marrow fibrosis in MF.