Roche receives FDA approval for cobas HPV test for use on the cobas 6800/8800 Systems to identify women at risk for cervical cancer

On April 21, 2020 Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) reported US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the cobas HPV test for use on the fully automated, high-throughput cobas 6800/8800 Systems (Press release, Hoffmann-La Roche, APR 21, 2020, View Source [SID1234556448]). The cobas HPV test identifies women at risk for cervical cancer by detecting the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical samples. Persistent high-risk HPV infections can develop into precancerous lesions and, if left untreated, these lesions can progress to cervical cancer.

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"The approval of our HPV test for the cobas 6800 and 8800 Systems enables molecular laboratories to achieve the efficiency and scale they need to meet the demands of high-volume cervical screening programs," said Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Diagnostics. "This is critical as most healthcare providers in the US have adopted HPV testing as part of their cervical cancer screening protocol, with the ultimate goal of preventing cervical cancer in all women."

The goal of cervical cancer screening is to find and treat precancer early to help stop the progression of disease. The cobas HPV test helps to protect women from the potential harms of undetected and untreated cervical disease by detecting the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers.

The cobas HPV test, previously approved for the cobas 4800 System, is now part of the growing menu of clinically validated, FDA approved tests for use on cobas 6800/8800 Systems. Laboratories now have the ability to run HPV DNA tests simultaneously with other previously released cobas tests on these high-throughput systems.

The FDA considered data from the registrational IMPACT (IMproving Primary screening And Colposcopy Triage) trial, which enrolled almost 35,000 women in the US to clinically validate cobas HPV for use on the cobas 6800/8800 Systems. Study data will be broadly shared, pending publication of the key findings.

About cobas HPV test
cobas HPV is indicated for use for routine cervical cancer screening as per professional medical guidelines, including triage of ASC-US cytology, co-testing (or adjunctive screen) with cytology, and HPV primary screening of women to assess the risk for cervical precancer and cancer.

The cobas 4800 HPV Test, originally introduced in 2011 and supported by the ATHENA trial (Addressing the Need for Advanced HPV Diagnostics), helps healthcare providers identify women at risk for cervical cancer by individually identifying the presence of the DNA of HPV genotypes 16 and 18 – the two genotypes responsible for about 70 percent of all cervical cancers – and reporting the 12 other high-risk HPV types as a combined result, all in one test and from one patient sample. Roche received the first FDA approval to use an HPV test for primary cervical cancer screening without accompanying Pap cytology for the cobas HPV 4800 Test in 2014. More information about the cobas HPV tests is available at www.hpv16and18.com

About the Roche Cervical Cancer Portfolio
The Roche Cervical Cancer Portfolio enables healthcare professionals to better screen, triage and diagnose women, based on the confidence and clarity of results across a continuum of patient care. The unique combination of molecular, cellular and tissue-based tests provides healthcare professionals powerful information to make patient care decisions and minimize unnecessary treatment.

The Roche cobas 4800 HPV Test, used in combination with CINtec PLUS Cytology and CINtec Histology, offers clinicians and labs in the US powerful support they have not had before. The dual-stain biomarker technology included in the CINtec PLUS Cytology test, which was FDA approved in March 2020, detects the simultaneous presence within a single cell of the two biomarkers — p16 and Ki-67. This abnormality is associated with HPV infections that are transforming and can, if left untreated, progress to pre-cancer or cancer. A positive result of these two biomarkers in a single cell signals that a woman is more significantly at risk for disease. The ability of CINtec PLUS Cytology to distinguish those women who are at higher risk for cervical disease provides labs, clinicians and women, in conjunction with the physician’s assessment of patient screening history, other risk factors, and professional guidelines information, to guide patient management. This could reduce the number and frequency of follow-up visits, saving worry, time and money.

CINtec Histology is the only FDA-cleared test used as an aid to confirm the presence of cervical disease in women who have had a tissue biopsy. The CINtec Histology test uses the p16 biomarker for a more conclusive diagnosis to provide distinctive visual confirmation of precancerous cervical lesions that may be missed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) interpretation alone. Both CINtec assays are fully automated on the VENTANA BenchMark IHC/ISH instruments.

About human papillomavirus and cervical cancer
Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is the principal cause of cervical cancer in women, with HPV implicated in greater than 99 percent of cervical cancers worldwide. It can take 10 to 15 years or longer for cervical cancer to develop, so knowing a woman’s individual risk and finding disease early, before cancer develops, is an important prevention strategy. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates there are more than 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer annually, and 311,000 deaths4.

About cobas 6800/8800 Systems
Since 2014, the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems have established the new standard for routine molecular testing by delivering fully integrated, automated solutions that serve the areas of viral load monitoring, donor screening, sexual health and microbiology. Like the cobas 4800 System, each system is based on Nobel Prize-winning polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The cobas 6800/8800 Systems deliver proven performance with full automation, increased throughput, fast turnaround time and complete track connectivity validated for molecular testing, providing users with greater flexibility to consolidate their in vitro diagnostic (IVD) and laboratory developed testing (LDT) to a single system while increasing overall workflow efficiencies.

The cobas 6800/8800 Systems menu for sexual health includes Chlamydia trachomatis/ Neisseria gonorrhoeae (CT/NG),Trichomonas vaginalis/ Mycoplasma genitalium (TV/MG), and Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1, HSV-2). Additionally, the broad and expanding menu covers other infectious diseases such as a Mycobacteria assay portfolio, Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). For more information about the tests and systems, please visit www.diagnostics.roche.com.

Clarity Pharmaceuticals Announces US FDA Grants 67Cu-SARTATE™ Orphan Drug Designation for Neuroblastoma

On April 21, 2020 Clarity Pharmaceuticals, a radiopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious disease, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for 67Cu-SARTATE, a therapy for the clinical management of neuroblastoma (Press release, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, APR 21, 2020, View Source [SID1234556447]).

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Neuroblastoma most often occurs in children younger than 5 years of age and presents when the tumour grows and causes symptoms. It is the most common type of cancer to be diagnosed in the first year of life and accounts for around 15% of paediatric cancer mortality. High-risk neuroblastoma accounts for approximately 45% of all neuroblastoma cases. Patients with high-risk neuroblastoma have the lowest 5-year survival rates at 40%-50%.1

FDA grants ODDs to facilitate the development of investigational therapies intended to treat, diagnose or prevent rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The designation allows Clarity Pharmaceuticals to qualify for a number of incentives, including: seven years of market exclusivity upon regulatory approval, if received; potential tax credits on US clinical costs; exemptions from certain administrative FDA fees; and eligibility for grants to fund future clinical work.

Dr Alan Taylor, Clarity’s Executive Chairman, commented, "At Clarity, we are especially passionate about the development of SARTATE in neuroblastoma. At present, prognosis of high-risk neuroblastoma patients remains unfavourable, despite intensive, multimodal therapy. Also, the effectiveness of current neuroblastoma treatment strategies, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, is limited in late-stage disease due to patients’ numerous metastases. It is clear that improvements in current treatment approaches are needed to overcome poor outcomes for the patients."

"ODD status will potentially provide a number of advantages for the development of SARTATE for the treatment of neuroblastoma and allow us to progress more swiftly to our ultimate goal of better treatment of children and adults with cancer."

Phost’in Therapeutics raises €10.3m to develop First-in-Class N-glycosylation Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment

On April 20, 2020 Phost’in Therapeutics (Montpellier, France), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of N-glycosylation inhibitors, reported that it has successfully secured a €10.3 million Series A round, from an international syndicate of LifeScience and Innovation Investors led by Remiges Ventures and completed by ANRI and IrdiSoridec (Press release, Phost’in, APR 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234560965]).

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Zikani Therapeutics Completes Series A-1 Funding

On April 20, 2020 Zikani Therapeutics, a company dedicated to leveraging its unique TURBO-ZM platform to develop novel ribosome modulating agents (RMAs) for the treatment of rare, nonsense mutation-driven diseases, reported the close of a $7.5 million Series A-1 financing (Press release, Zikani Therapeutics, APR 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234558245]). Advent Life Sciences, Gurnet Point Capital and Roche Venture Fund supported the funding.

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"We’re pleased to support Zikani as an emerging company that is using the strength of its science and a refined strategy to develop novel ribosome modulators for rare diseases caused by nonsense mutations," said Raj Parekh of Advent Life Sciences.

Zikani will use the proceeds to advance its current nonsense mutation readthrough programs from lead optimization to candidate selection. The company has demonstrated positive, pre-clinical data in multiple disease areas, including: APC mutant colon cancer, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), class 1 cystic fibrosis, and recessive dystrophic and junctional epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB and JEB).

"Zikani has generated promising data that validates its TURBO-ZM platform and addresses a completely unmet need in oncology therapeutics: restoring expression of a major tumor suppressor gene," said Keith Flaherty, M.D., Director of Clinical Research at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and a senior advisor to Zikani.

Ribosomal RNAs form the translation machinery that generates function proteins from genetic sequencies. Ribosome modulation provides a therapeutic approach to addressing a number of diseases, but the development of disease-specific ribosome modulators has been a challenge. Zikani’s proprietary platform TURBO-ZM allows rapid synthesis of novel RMAs that can be optimized to target the human ribosome in a disease specific manner.

"We’re highly encouraged by the data we’ve generated to date and are working rapidly to advance compounds into pre-clinical development. This financing, particularly in this volatile financial market, is a vote of confidence for our promising technology platform. As we look ahead, our focus is to maximize the funding and take the steps necessary to generate greater recognition for RMAs and form collaborations with partners that will benefit from our scientific platform," said Sumit Aggarwal, President and CEO, Zikani Therapeutics.

Epsilogen licences MOv18 IgE, an anti-folate receptor alpha IgE antibody from King’s College London

On April 20, 2020 Epsilogen (formerly IGEM Therapeutics), a global leader in the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer, reported that it has in-licenced exclusive global rights to MOv18 IgE, an anti-folate receptor alpha IgE antibody from King’s College London (KCL) (Press release, IGEM Therapeutics, APR 20, 2020, View Source [SID1234556608]). Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

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The antibody, which was developed at KCL in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, is the first therapeutic IgE antibody to enter clinical trials. Cancer Research UK is funding, sponsoring and conducting an on-going phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced cancer expressing folate receptor alpha (FR alpha). As separately announced today, interim data from this trial will be presented at the forthcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting I which begins on 27 April 2020. Folate receptor alpha (FR alpha) is selectively expressed most commonly on the surface of ovarian cancer cells, making it a promising target for IgE antibody therapy for this cancer which has relatively few effective treatment alternatives.

Epsilogen will continue the further clinical development of MOv18 IgE and has put in place a comprehensive manufacturing programme with a leading contract development and manufacturing organisation. Funding for this manufacturing work has been provided by a further £3 million Series A2 investment from Epsilogen’s existing investors Epidarex Capital, ALSA Holdings and the UCL Technology Fund.

Dr Tim Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Epsilogen, said:

"We are very pleased to have in-licensed this promising new therapy which has the potential to target a very serious cancer with relatively few effective treatment alternatives. We are grateful to our scientific founders Professors Sophia Karagiannis and James Spicer of KCL for conducting the early scientific research on MOv18 IgE and also to Cancer Research UK for investing in and developing the product through its early clinical phase. We also wish to thank our investor group for continuing to support us with further financing via the Series A2."