ImaginAb Initiates Phase II Clinical Trial at Penn Medicine

On December 9, 2019 ImaginAb, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology imaging company, reported it has initiated its Phase II clinical trial of its lead product, CD8 tracer 89Zr-Df-IAB22M2C, at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, PA (Press release, ImaginAb, DEC 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234552119]). Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers.

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89Zr-Df-IAB22M2C is a first in class imaging agent that visualizes the immune system using non-invasive, whole-body in vivo PET imaging of CD8 T cells. Using its ‘Minibody’ platform, ImaginAb’s technology targets and visualizes CD8+ T-cells to provide highly-specific, quantitative assessment of the immunological status of each cancer lesion within a patient, potentially enabling treatment to be tailored quickly and specifically to the needs of that patient.

Penn Medicine is one of ImaginAb’s active clinical sites conducting Phase II Baseline/On-Treatment clinical trial investigating the utility of 89Zr-Df-IAB22M2C to image CD8 T cells prior to (Baseline) and after (On-treatment) cancer patients receive immunotherapy-based treatment. Michael Farwell, MD, an Assistant Professor of Radiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is the study’s principal investigator.

Ian Wilson, CEO of ImaginAb, said: "ImaginAb’s goal is to provide target-specific imaging agents to evaluate immune responses in cancer patients in a safe and non-invasive manner and help realize the full potential of immunotherapy. We are delighted to add Penn Medicine to our CD8 Imaging Phase II trial and for enrollment in this ongoing clinical study."

The trial will enroll advanced and metastatic cancer patients and will study the correlation of imaging signals observed using ImaginAb’s CD8 T cell ImmunoPET imaging agent, standard-of-care scans, and immunohistochemistry analysis of CD8 in biopsied tissues. The trial will also measure changes in CD8+ T-cell distribution before and after immuno-oncology therapies.

Genmab to Hold 2019 R&D Update and ASH Data Review Meeting

On December 9, 2019 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) reported that it will hold an R&D Update and 2019 ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Data Review Meeting , December 9, 2019 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time (2:00 AM CET / 1:00 AM GMT on 10 December) (Press release, Genmab, DEC 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234552118]). The event will take place in Orlando, Florida, and will also be webcast live and archived on the company’s website. The meeting will include presentations by independent experts on data from the Phase I/II DuoBody-CD3xCD20 (GEN3013) study as well as various daratumumab studies presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper). Genmab speakers will also discuss the company’s pipeline, progress and key goals for 2020.

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The following cancer experts and Genmab staff will speak during the event:

Independent experts:

Dr. Meletios A. Dimopoulos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine
Dr. Pieternella Lugtenburg, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam
·Dr. Saad Usmani, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Levine Cancer Institute

Genmab:

Dr. Jan van de Winkel, President and CEO, Genmab
Dr. Esther Breij, Senior Director, Translational Research
The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orlando, Florida, in Bayhill 17-18. Those wishing to attend in person may register on site.

The event can also be attended via webcast. To view this webcast visit: View Source Webcast viewers may submit questions during the Q&A portion of the live webcast via the webcast player. An archive of the webcast will be available on Genmab’s website. The webcast will be conducted in English.

This meeting is not an official program of the ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.

FORMA Therapeutics Announces Positive Preliminary Phase 1/2 IDH1m Inhibitor Olutasidenib Results Demonstrating Rapid Clinical Remissions and Mutation Clearance in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome

On December 9, 2019 FORMA Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare hematologic diseases and cancers, reported positive preliminary Phase 1/2 results from an ongoing study of olutasidenib, a next-generation inhibitor of mutated IDH1 (IDH1m), in patients with IDH1m acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and IDH1m myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (Press release, Forma Therapeutics, DEC 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234552117]). The data, presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper), demonstrate the potential of olutasidenib to induce rapid remissions and mutation clearance in a percentage of patients with IDH1m AML and MDS.

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"We are very pleased with the safety and clinical activity observed in this study of high-risk patients," said Patrick Kelly, M.D., chief medical officer of FORMA Therapeutics. "As we continue our Phase 2 evaluation, the therapeutic potential of olutasidenib to restore normal cellular differentiation in IDH1m malignancies, as well as to become a best-in-class treatment option, remains promising."

"In the U.S. alone, more than 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed each year, with about one-third of those evolving from patients with MDS," said Frank Lee, chief executive officer of FORMA Therapeutics. "Despite recent advances in the field, the low median five-year survival rate for AML patients is only 28%, so the need for a new therapy to transform patient outcomes remains significant."

FORMA is conducting a Phase 1/2 study evaluating the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of olutasidenib for patients with AML or MDS with an IDH1 mutation. Phase 1 of the trial, 2102-HEM-101, was an open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study of olutasidenib alone and in combination with azacitidine (AZA). Phase 2 is an ongoing, open-label, fixed dose study of olutasidenib as a monotherapy and in combination with AZA in multiple IDH1m AML/MDS populations. Phase 2 includes a pivotal arm with olutasidenib as a monotherapy in relapsed and refractory (R/R) AML.

Presentation Overviews

Olutasidenib (FT-2102), an IDH1m Inhibitor as a Single Agent or in Combination with Azacitidine, Induces Deep Clinical Responses with Mutation Clearance in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treated in a Phase 1 Dose Escalation and Expansion Study

Oral presentation by Justin Watts, MD, Assistant, Professor University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Results announced today are based on continuous oral treatment of olutasidenib for 28-day cycles, either alone (n=32) or in combination with AZA (n=46), in patients with IDH1m AML, with a dose evaluation of 300 mg once daily for olutasidenib alone and 150 mg once daily or twice daily for olutasidenib in combination with AZA. The findings indicate:

Olutasidenib is well tolerated as monotherapy and in combination with AZA;
No dose-limiting toxicities in dose escalation; 150 mg BID is the RP2D based on optimal exposure and robust 2-HG response;
Olutasidenib demonstrates clinical activity in a high-risk Phase 1 AML population; and
Olutasidenib induces IDH1 mutation clearance in a percentage of patients with TN and R/R AML regardless of IWG response.
FORMA’s Phase 2 study is ongoing with olutasidenib 150 mg BID as monotherapy and in combination with AZA in multiple IDH1m AML and MDS populations.

Olutasidenib (FT-2102) Induces Rapid Remissions in Patients with IDH1-Mutant Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Results of Phase 1/2 Single Agent Treatment and Combination with Azacitidine

Oral presentation by Jorge E. Cortes, MD, Professor, Augusta University, Director of the Georgia Cancer Center

Results presented today are based on continuous oral treatment of olutasidenib for 28-day cycles, either alone (n=6) or in combination with AZA (n=17) in 23 patients (16 relapsed/refractory, 7 treatment naïve) with IDH1m MDS. The findings indicate:

Olutasidenib is well-tolerated as a single agent and in combination with AZA;
Olutasidenib demonstrates preliminary clinical activity as a single agent and in combination with AZA in treatment-naive and relapsed/refractory patients with MDS;
Mutation clearance was observed in a percentage of evaluable patients; and
Rapid and sustained reduction of 2-HG was seen by the end of the first cycle.
About Olutasidenib (FT-2102)

FORMA Therapeutics’ most advanced clinical asset, olutasidenib, is designed to be a potent and selective next generation inhibitor of mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1m) to treat patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), as well as patients with glioma and other solid tumors with an IDH1 mutation. IDH1 is a natural enzyme that is part of the normal metabolism in all cells; when mutated, its activity can promote blood malignancies and solid tumors. IDH1 mutations are present in 7-14% of patients with AML, 3-4% of patients with MDS, and more than 70% of patients with gliomas. In AML, hypermethylation driven by IDH mutations inhibits normal differentiation of progenitor cells leading to accumulation of immature blasts. Quality of life declines for patients with each successive line of treatment for AML, and well-tolerated treatments in relapsed disease remain an unmet need. In MDS, often a precursor to AML, epigenetic changes from aberrant DNA methylation contribute to the formation of blast cells and the progression of MDS to AML.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Raises $85 Million in Oversubscribed Series C Financing to Accelerate Internally-Developed Clinical-Stage Oncology Pipeline

On December 9, 2019 Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (the "Company" or "Zentalis"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing clinically differentiated, novel small molecule therapeutics that target fundamental pathways in cancer, reported the completion of an $85 million Series C financing (Press release, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, DEC 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234552116]). The Company has raised a total of $147 million in gross proceeds from private financings since its founding in December 2014.

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Leading investors participating in this Series C financing include Matrix Capital, Viking Global Investors, Redmile Group, Farallon Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) and Eventide Asset Management.

The proceeds from the Series C financing will be used to advance the Company’s lead clinical candidates towards pivotal trials and to broaden the scope of Zentalis’ ongoing clinical programs. The Company’s product pipeline is being developed to address unmet medical needs in large patient populations in both solid and liquid tumors and to make potential significant clinical advances over standard of care therapies.

The Company’s lead clinical product candidate, ZN-c5, is currently in Phase 1/2 trials. ZN-c5 is a potential best-in-class oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader (SERD) for estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative (ER+/ HER2-) breast cancer, which affects approximately 70% of all breast cancer patients. ZN-c5 is being developed for use as monotherapy or in combination therapy. In May 2018, Zentalis entered into a clinical development collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. to enable trials of its ZN-c5 in combination with Pfizer’s Ibrance (palbociclib), a CDK4/6 inhibitor which is approved for ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients in combination with hormonal therapies. The Company recently initiated dosing ZN-c5 in combination with Ibrance in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial targeting safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics readouts in 2020, in addition to its ongoing monotherapy cohort.

Zentalis is also developing ZN-c3, a next-generation DNA Damage Response (DDR) drug candidate targeting the WEE1 kinase for solid tumors. ZN-c3 is currently in a Phase 1 trial. The Company’s additional pipeline compounds target other fundamental cancer pathways.

"Zentalis is delighted to partner with its outstanding group of leading healthcare investors to drive forward best-in-class chemistry for cancer patients. In my career, I have never seen a company progress at this pace with three INDs accepted in the first five years since inception. I am very proud of our team for these remarkable accomplishments. This financing reflects strong support for our capabilities, people and pipeline," said Anthony Sun, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals. "The investment positions us to implement our clinical and partnering strategies around our current pipeline and to accelerate expansion of our team."

"We were attracted to Zentalis by the excellent science, integrated discovery engine, broad therapeutic applicability and market potential with a strong pipeline across a broad range of oncology indications. There are significant advantages with a small molecule approach in cancer, such as oral delivery and ease of manufacturing compared to biologics or immunotherapy, and the ability to reach a large number of potential intracellular targets. We see tremendous opportunity for Zentalis’ pipeline candidates to be potential best-in-class agents for use as monotherapy or in combination. Their approach to targeting fundamental cancer pathways has the potential to address major unmet medical needs in large patient populations," said Karan Takhar, Managing Director at Matrix Capital Management.

Eagle Pharmaceuticals Commences Dosing in Pilot Study for Novel Estrogen Receptor Antagonist Product Candidate

On December 9, 2019 Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGRX) ("Eagle" or the "Company") reported that the Company has commenced dosing in a pilot clinical study to assess the unique characteristics of its fulvestrant product candidate, which has the potential to enhance estrogen receptor ("ER") inhibition and improve patient outcomes (Press release, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, DEC 9, 2019, View Source [SID1234552114]). The results of the pilot study will inform the design of the Company’s pivotal trial, which Eagle expects to commence in 2020.

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"We are pleased that dosing is underway in our pilot study, and look forward to gathering data to determine the design of our future pivotal study in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients. We believe there is a sizable patient population who could benefit from our product’s differentiated characteristics, and we look forward to expanding our portfolio of oncology assets," stated Scott Tarriff, Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Pharmaceuticals.

About Fulvestrant

Fulvestrant, an estrogen receptor antagonist with no agonist properties, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced hormone-related breast cancers. The therapeutic effect of fulvestrant relies on its ability to inhibit ERs in cancer cells by binding to and downregulating, or blocking, the ER in breast cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that higher residual ER availability is associated with early disease progression.

Fulvestrant is indicated as a monotherapy treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women not previously treated with endocrine therapy, or HR-positive advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following endocrine therapy, or as a combination therapy for the treatment of: (1) HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women, in combination with ribociclib, as initial endocrine based therapy or following disease progression on endocrine therapy, or (2) HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, in combination with palbociclib or abemaciclib, in women with disease progression after endocrine therapy.

About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, with approximately 290,000 women diagnosed in the U.S. annually and more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today. Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer is the most common clinical subtype, with the ER being expressed in approximately 75% of those diagnosed.