Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 14, 2023) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTC Pink: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), one of the leading Canadian biotechnology companies working in the field of immune-oncology is pleased to announce that it has successfully submitted on November 9, 2023 an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ACCUM-002^TM Dimer CDCA-SV40 commonly named "AccuTOX", an injectable anticancer molecule, for the treatment of solid cancer tumors.

AccuTOXis a derivative of the initial Accum molecule, which has been reported to target cancer on multiple fronts. AccuTOXdisrupts endosomal membranes resulting in impaired intracellular transport mechanisms. AccuTOXalso triggers genotoxic effects, blocks DNA repair mechanisms normally used by cancer cells to repair its damaged genome and induces a form of immunogenic cell death capable of turning "ON" the immune system. When previously tested in preclinical animal models under the supervision of Dr. Moutih Rafei, AccuTOXimpaired tumor growth resulting in "70-100% survival" of animals with solid T-cell lymphoma, melanoma or breast cancer.

The IND application includes data, reports and overview summaries of numerous studies to evaluate the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of AccuTOX both in vitro and in vivo, including cancer models. In addition, the application describes the manufacture of the drug substance and drug product to be used in human clinical trials. The main purpose of the IND is to share with the FDA the extensive non-clinical data supporting an acceptable safety profile when AccuTOX will be first administered to humans. The FDA will review the application and determine the acceptability of the data before Defence begins the Phase I clinical trial, which could be as early as Q1-Q2 2024.

"We are thrilled and excited that Defence has achieved a successful submission on its first IND, which represents an important milestone towards advancing AccuTOX into the clinic. We look forward to work with clinical investigators at City of Hope to study this important and novel candidate for the treatment of melanoma and potentially other solid tumors," said Sébastien Plouffe, President & CEO of Defence Therapeutics. "With the continued difficulties encountered in the oncology clinic, we believe that the therapeutic use of AccuTOXprovides a novel and powerful approach to combat cancer," he added.

The primary objective of this upcoming Phase I clinical trial, when approved, is to identify the best therapeutic dosing range that would allow clinicians to co-administer the AccuTOX compound with Opdulag, a BMS product containing both anti-LAG3 and anti-PD-1. Several other secondary parameters including therapeutic efficacy will be monitored in treated patients in preparation for a Phase IIa trial on a basket of tumors.

According to Precedence Research, the global cancer therapeutics market size is expected to be worth around US$ 393.61 billion by 2032 from at US$ 164 billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 9.20% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:
Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director
P: (514) 947-2272
Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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