Numiera Therapeutics Announces Repositioning of First-In-Class CPT1 Inhibitor Etomoxir for the Treatment of Glioblastoma

The company presented data on its orphan-designated lead asset to the European Association for Cancer Research Meeting in Bilbao, Spain, this week.

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Numiera Therapeutics Inc. (“Numiera”), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing small-molecule treatments for aggressive solid tumors, presented data to the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) Meeting on Cancer Metabolism in Bilbao, Spain this week, supporting the repositioning of the first-in-class CPT1 inhibitor Etomoxir for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common form of primary malignant brain tumor in adults. This high-grade form of malignant glioma carries a dire prognosis and few therapeutic options. The current standard-of-care chemotherapy drug temozolomide provides limited benefit for these patients.

Numiera Therapeutics CEO Dr. Izi Stoll stated: “We’ve carefully studied the biochemistry of these cancer cells, and that effort has led to the discovery of a new targeted treatment. We used to think cancer cells run on sugars. Now we know the most aggressive cancer cells use glucose molecules to make DNA and RNA. Meanwhile, fatty acids are the primary fuel for energy production. A transporter called carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) brings fatty acids into the mitochondria of the cancer cell, where these molecules are broken down to make energy. By blocking this critical metabolic pathway with our drug, the cancer cells cannot make enough energy to support their malignant growth.”

Five independent academic laboratories have demonstrated that glioblastoma cells rely primarily on fatty acid oxidation to make energy, and have shown the CPT1 inhibitor Etomoxir significantly slows glioblastoma tumor growth in mouse models, with single agent efficacy [1-5].

Etomoxir was originally developed for the treatment of diabetes and congestive heart disease, with the aim of improving glucose utilization and cardiometabolic function [6]. In a previous Phase I/II trial, entitled Etomoxir for the Recovery of Glucose Oxidation (ERGO), every patient in the study had congestive heart failure [7]. Fewer patients died in the 40mg etomoxir treatment group (n=1 of 118 patients; 0.8%) and in the 80mg etomoxir treatment group (n=1 of 108 patients; 0.9%), compared with the placebo/untreated group (4 of 122 patients; 3.3%), yet this finding was not significant. Elevated liver transaminase levels were observed in 4 patients of the total treated cohort, but this side effect was reversed upon drug withdrawal. In context, the standard-of-care chemotherapy drug for glioblastoma patients, temozolomide, is associated with elevated liver transaminase levels in over 12% of patients taking the drug. Temozolomide also has other adverse side effects, including thrombocytopenia, bone marrow depletion, and hair loss.

Dr. Anjali Hansen, Director of Commercialization Strategy at Numiera Therapeutics, stated: “The highly promising Phase I clinical data for Etomoxir from the congestive heart failure trial and the strong scientific consensus around this target in glioblastoma have guided our decision to reposition this drug, and we look forward to evaluating this therapeutic option for patients with glioblastoma.”

References:
[1] Lin et al. Neuro Oncology 2017
[2] Kant et al. Cell Death Disease 2020
[3] Shim et al. Cancer Cell Int 2022
[4] Jiang et al. Nature Communications 2022
[5] Duman et al. Cell Death Disease 2023
[6] Schmidt-Schweda et al. Clin Sci 2000
[7] Holubarsch et al. Clin Sci 2007

About The Company:
Numiera Therapeutics is dedicated to pioneering the development of new oncology drugs by targeting cancer cell metabolism. With an orphan-designated lead asset and a growing pipeline, its mission is to transform cancer patient care, by developing safer and more effective therapies especially designed to treat chemotherapy-resistant solid tumors. The company presented clinical safety data and preclinical efficacy data on its orphan-designated lead asset to the European Association for Cancer Research Meeting on Cancer Metabolism in Bilbao, Spain, October 6-8, 2026.

About The EACR:
The European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) is a registered charity organization founded in 1968. The EACR promotes communication and collaboration among a thriving community of more than 14,000 cancer researchers across 100+ countries worldwide. The organization’s mission is “the advancement of cancer research for the public benefit: from basic research to prevention, treatment and care.”

Forward Looking Statements
To the extent statements contained in this news release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Numiera Therapeutics Inc., they should be considered “forward-looking statements,” as described in the private securities litigation reform act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “future,” “forward,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “explore,” “potential” or similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Any statement describing Numiera’s future plans, strategies, intentions, expectations, objectives, goals or prospects, and other statements which are not historical facts, are also forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: the timing for interim or final results and data related to Numiera’s clinical and non-clinical trials, or third-party trials evaluating Numiera’s candidate products, the timing and plans with respect to enrollment of patients in Numiera’s clinical trials, the potential benefits of Numiera’s drug candidates, and Numiera’s strategy and plans with respect to its business and research programs. Such statements are based on Numiera’s expectations and projections about future events and future trends affecting its business and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, including risks associated with clinical and preclinical trials and product development, the risk that interim data may not be reflective of final data, risks related to regulatory approvals, and risks related to the impact of global economic conditions. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Anjali Hansen
Numiera Therapeutics
hansen@numiera.com
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