NeOnc Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTHI) announced on October 16, 2026, that a three-year-old boy treated with the investigational intranasal drug NEO100 under the company’s Compassionate Care program in Abu Dhabi has shown early clinical improvement. According to the patient's treating physicians, the critically ill child with an aggressive brain tumor is now breathing independently without ventilator support and has begun to move his legs following the initiation of treatment.
The company emphasized that these observations involve a single patient receiving compassionate-use treatment and do not establish that NEO100 caused the improvement or predict outcomes for other patients. The patient did not meet the eligibility criteria for the company's NEO100-03 pediatric clinical trial and is receiving the therapy outside of that trial. NEO100 is a highly purified form of perillyl alcohol administered intranasally, designed to provide a non-invasive route to the brain. Its safety and efficacy in pediatric patients have not been established.
The treatment was coordinated between NeOnc, the child's treating physicians, and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. The company noted that this development builds on its expanding development activities in the region. In June 2026, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi granted IND authorization for NEO100 across its NEO100-01, NEO100-02, and NEO100-03 protocols, encompassing adult Phase 1 through Phase 2 studies and a pediatric Phase 1 and Phase 1b pathway.
In addition to the clinical update, NeOnc reported on October 21, 2026, that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi to cooperate on the development of research and clinical capability in oncology and central nervous system therapeutics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. On October 22, 2026, the company announced it will be featured on the television series Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew to discuss non-invasive approaches to delivering investigational therapies to brain tumors.
