On May 26, 2022 Alchemab Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of naturally-occurring protective antibodies and immune repertoire-based patient stratification tools, reported that Young T. Kwon, PhD, Alchemab’s Chief Financial and Operating Officer, has succeeded Douglas A. Treco, PhD as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board, who resigned for personal reasons (Press release, Alchemab Therapeutics, MAY 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234615115]).

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Houman Ashrafian, Chairman of the Board said, "Doug was instrumental to our successful Series A financing and has made significant contributions to Alchemab. He led us in advancing our novel platform and our lead programs in neurodegeneration and cancer, and has helped build out an extremely talented team and established a solid operational foundation, including new operations in the U.S. We are extremely fortunate that he has been a part of Alchemab during this period of rapid growth and scientific progress."

"We are delighted that Young will lead our Company and join our Board," Dr. Ashrafian continued. "He has established himself as an outstanding leader and we are thrilled that he will be driving the Company forward during this exciting phase of growth. In addition to building transformative biotech companies, Young’s track record working with and developing talented teams will build on and shape Alchemab’s diverse, ambitious and unique culture. As the Company continues to grow its footprint in the U.S. and the U.K., we look forward to working with Young to advance our novel programs to the clinic and build out our highly differentiated platform."

"I am excited by Alchemab’s potential," said Dr. Kwon, "Over the last six months I have seen how combining experienced drug discovery capabilities with the latest computational approaches pave a new era in therapeutics discovery. I am grateful to Doug for his support and guidance and I look forward to the challenge of building upon the outstanding foundations that he has established."

Dr. Kwon has served as Alchemab’s Chief Financial and Operating Officer since November 2021. Dr. Kwon previously served as Chief Financial and Business Officer of Momenta Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in October 2020. Prior to Momenta, Dr. Kwon was a business development professional at Biogen and worked at the venture capital firm Advanced Technology Ventures, investing in early-stage biotech and medical device companies. Dr. Kwon received a B.S. in biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from Harvard University.

On May 26, 2022 Propanc Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: PPCB) ("Propanc" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cancer treatments for patients suffering from recurring and metastatic cancer, reported that 100 years of clinical evidence supporting the use of proenzymes as a new therapeutic approach to treat cancer can be considered ‘compelling’ (Press release, Propanc, MAY 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234615114]). Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder, Dr Julian Kenyon MD, MB, ChB, has researched the effects of proenzymes against cancer for over 15 years and first came across the technology in his search to extend the life of several late-stage patients suffering from malignant solid tumors in the mid 2000’s. It was Professor John Beard from Edinburgh University who first proposed that pancreatic enzymes represent the body’s primary defense against cancer and would be useful as a cancer treatment. Since then, several scientists have endorsed Beard’s hypothesis with encouraging data from patient treatment.

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In 1902, in an article published in The Lancet, Professor Beard proposed that the answer to questions about the origin of cancer could be found in the field of embryology. Professor Beard tested his theory in a mouse model of cancer. After injections of commercially available pancreatic enzyme trypsin, the tumor in a treated mouse was much smaller than that in an untreated control. Over several years, a number of physicians in the UK and US injected enzyme preparations with some remarkable success stories. As a result, the physicians began writing letters to the editor summarizing their clinical cases, such as Medical Record in the early 1900’s.

For example, Dr Campbell wrote about a 56-year-old male with a malignant left tonsil the size of a hen’s egg, experiencing left facial paralysis and constant pain. After periodic injections for a month, the infiltrations in the tongue and tonsil were greatly decreased, pain free and felt well. A second example, Dr Oldfield, reported a 65-year-old male with an abdominal tumor with secondary metastases in the stomach, full of solid tumor and in great pain. After daily injections for 3 months, the patient was reported to eat and sleep well, returned to a normal weight. Dr Outfield concluded that "No-one…can doubt the immense improvement that has taken place." However, mixed results in the early stages of treatment were observed and attributed by Beard to the wide variation in the quality of enzymes of available enzymes at the time.

Over the years, there have been further clinical cases investigated into the use of enzymes as a way to treat cancer. Of particular note was the work undertaken by molecular biologist from Bucknell University, Dr Josef Novak and a retired Czech oncologist, Dr Frantisek Trnka. Drs Novak and Trnka undertook extensive laboratory work in the late ‘90s and 2000s, publishing their work in the journal Anticancer Research in the mid 2000s, where they first proposed that the enzyme extracts as recommended by Beard, must be used in the "proenzyme" form to ensure their selective activation at the tumor site. They also undertook clinical research, administering a proenzyme treatment via a suppository formulation to 20 late-stage cancer patients, with a range of malignancies, of which 10 survived, ranging from 8 months to 10 years, with minimal, or non-existent side effects normally seen with current standard therapies. The conclusion of Drs Novak and Trnka from this work was the discovery "that proenzyme therapy mandated first by John Beard nearly one hundred years ago, shows remarkable selective effects that result in growth inhibition of tumor cells with metastatic potential."

As a result of the clinical evidence observed throughout the years, Dr Kenyon decided to undertake his own investigation motivated by the condition of a number of late-stage cancer patients he treated in his clinical practice at The Dove Clinic, in Hampshire, UK. Consequently, the clinical efficacy of a suppository formulation containing pancreatic proenzymes was evaluated in the context of a UK Pharmaceuticals Special Scheme and results published in a peer reviewed journal, Scientific Reports. Clinical effects were studied in 46 patients with advanced metastatic cancers of different origin (prostate, breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colorectal, stomach, non-small cell lung, bowel cancer and melanoma) after treatment with a rectal formulation consisting of pancreatic proenzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen.

Dr Kenyon concluded that no severe or serious adverse events related to the rectal administration were observed. Patients did not experience any hematological side effects as typically seen with classical chemotherapy regimens. No allergic reactions after rectal administration of suppositories were also observed. In order to assess the therapeutic activity of rectal administration, overall survival of patients under treatment was compared to the life expectancy assigned to a patient prior to treatment start. Nineteen (19) from 46 patients (41.3%) with advanced malignant diseases, most of them suffering from metastases, had a survival time significantly longer than their expected, in fact, for the whole set of cancer types, mean survival (9.0 months) was significantly higher than mean life expectancy (5.6 months). Although the number of patients per cancer indication was naturally quite low, 3 out of 8 patients with prostate cancer and 5 out of 11 patients with gastrointestinal cancers appeared to particularly benefit from the treatment with the proenzyme suppositories.

"As a result of my research over the last 15 years, as well as the clinical evidence over the last 100 years, proenzyme therapy can have a meaningful and long-lasting clinical benefit on patients suffering from solid tumors, but without the side effects associated with standard therapies, which is simply compelling," said Dr Kenyon. "Since the pioneering work undertaken by Professor John Beard and his medical colleagues, in the early 1900’s, their approach was ahead of their time, but since then, our understanding of tumor cell biology means we have elucidated how the activated enzymes works against solid tumors and in particular, cancer stem cells, optimized the formulation and its clinical effects, and developed a product candidate to pharmaceutical standard which can be administered by I.V. injection to maximize the exposure at the tumor site. My scientific and clinical research team at Propanc Biopharma are preparing to take our lead product candidate, PRP, into a world first, Phase I, First-In-Human study in advanced cancer patients suffering from solid tumors. The 100-year history of enzyme therapy gives me confidence we are on the right pathway with an exciting approach for the treatment and prevention of metastatic cancer from solid tumors, which is the main cause of patient death for sufferers."

PRP is a mixture of two proenzymes, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen from bovine pancreas administered by intravenous injection. A synergistic ratio of 1:6 inhibits growth of most tumor cells. Examples include kidney, ovarian, breast, brain, prostate, colorectal, lung, liver, uterine and skin cancers.

On May 26, 2022 FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN) reported that Enrique Conterno, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference on Thursday, June 9 at 1:30pm EDT (Press release, FibroGen, MAY 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234615113]).

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A live audio webcast of the event will be available on the "Events & Presentations" section of the FibroGen Investors webpage at www.fibrogen.com. A replay will be available for approximately 30 days.

On May 26, 2022 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) ("Affimed", or the "Company"), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adi Hoess, will present at the 2022 Jefferies Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time / 19:00 Central European Time (Press release, Affimed, MAY 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234615112]).

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A live webcast of the presentation will be accessible on Affimed’s website at View Source A replay of the call will be archived on Affimed’s website for 30 days after the call.

For more information on the conference or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Affimed’s management, please contact Jefferies or Alex Fudukidis via email at [email protected] or phone at +1 (917) 436-8102.

On 26, 2022 Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) reported that multiple abstracts featuring data from its oncology portfolio will be presented at the upcoming European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper) 2022 (EHA2022) Congress (June 9-17; virtual and in Vienna) (Press release, Incyte, MAY 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234615111]).

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"We are committed to advancing science that can lead to solutions for patients with serious unmet medical needs, including those with cancer"

"We are committed to advancing science that can lead to solutions for patients with serious unmet medical needs, including those with cancer," said Steven Stein, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Incyte. "For that reason, we look forward to convening with the oncology community and presenting data from across our portfolio, including both Incyte-led and partnered programs."

Key abstracts accepted by EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper) include:

Oral Presentation

Long-term Efficacy and Safety Results from an Ongoing Open-Label Phase 2 Study of Parsaclisib for the Treatment of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA) (Abstract #S286. Session: Transfusion and Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Session Time: Friday, June 10, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.)

Poster Presentations

A Real-World Evaluation of the Association Between Elevated Blood Counts and Thrombotic Events in Polycythemia Vera: An Analysis of Data from the Reveal Study (Abstract #P1062. Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical)

Does Early Intervention in Myelofibrosis Impact Outcomes? A Pooled Analysis of the COMFORT 1 and 2 Studies (Abstract #P1037. Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical)

Ruxolitinib Demonstrates a Greater Corticosteroid-Sparing Effect than Best Available Therapy in Patients with Corticosteroid-Refractory/Dependent Chronic Graft-Vs-Host Disease1 (Abstract #P1389. Session: Stem cell transplantation – Clinical)

Real-World Safety of Ruxolitinib in Patients with Intermediate or High Risk of Primary Myelofibrosis, Post-Polycythemia Vera Myelofibrosis or Post-Essential Thrombocythemia Myelofibrosis in China1 (Abstract #P1047. Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical)

Efficacy and Safety of Parsaclisib-Ruxolitinib Combination Therapy in Myelofibrosis Patients with Low vs Higher Baseline Platelet Count: A Subgroup Analysis of Data from a Phase 2 Study (Abstract #P1063. Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical)

A Phase 1 Study Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Parsaclisib in Combination with Bendamustine + Obinutuzumab in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma (CITADEL-102) (Abstract #P1104. Session: Indolent and mantle-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma – Clinical)

A Phase 1 Study of Parsaclisib in Combination with Investigator Choice of Rituximab, Bendamustine + Rituximab, or Ibrutinib in Patients with Previously Treated B-Cell Lymphoma (CITADEL-112): Preliminary Safety Results (Abstract #P1102. Session: Indolent and mantle-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma – Clinical)

inMIND: A Phase 3 Study of Tafasitamab Plus Lenalidomide and Rituximab Versus Placebo Plus Lenalidomide and Rituximab for Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma (FL) or Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL) (Abstract #P1103. Session: Indolent and mantle-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma – Clinical)

Real-Life Effectiveness and Safety Outcomes of Ponatinib Treatment in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (PH+ALL): 5-Year-Data from a Belgian Registry (Abstract #P699. Session: Chronic myeloid leukemia – Clinical)

Dose Modification Dynamics of Ponatinib in Patients with Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CP-CML) from the PACE and OPTIC Trials2 (Abstract #P707. Session: Chronic myeloid leukemia – Clinical)

All (e)Poster presentations will be made available as of Friday, June 10, 2022, at 3:00 a.m. EST and will be accessible for on-demand viewing until Monday, August 15, 2022, on the Congress platform. For full session details and data presentation listings, please see the EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper)2022 online program (View Source).

About Ruxolitinib (Jakafi)
Ruxolitinib (Jakafi) is a first-in-class JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA for treatment of polycythemia vera (PV) in adults who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea, in adults with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF and post-essential thrombocythemia MF, for treatment of steroid-refractory acute GVHD in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older and for the treatment of chronic GVHD after failure of one or two lines of systemic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older.

Jakafi is marketed by Incyte in the U.S. and by Novartis as Jakavi (ruxolitinib) outside the U.S. Jakafi is a registered trademark of Incyte. Jakavi is a registered trademark of Novartis AG in countries outside the U.S.

About Tafasitamab (Monjuvi / Minjuvi)
Tafasitamab is a humanized Fc-modified CD19 targeting immunotherapy. In 2010, MorphoSys licensed exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize tafasitamab from Xencor, Inc. Tafasitamab incorporates an XmAb engineered Fc domain, which mediates B-cell lysis through apoptosis and immune effector mechanism including Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC) and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Phagocytosis (ADCP).

In the United States, Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in combination with lenalidomide for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, and who are not eligible for ASCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Full approval for this indication may be contingent upon results in a confirmatory trial(s).

In Europe, Minjuvi (tafasitamab) received conditional approval, in combination with lenalidomide, followed by Minjuvi monotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).

Tafasitamab is being clinically investigated as a therapeutic option in B-cell malignancies in several ongoing combination trials.

Minjuvi and Monjuvi are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG. Tafasitamab is co-marketed by Incyte and MorphoSys under the brand name Monjuvi in the U.S. and marketed by Incyte under the brand name Minjuvi in the EU.

XmAb is a registered trademark of Xencor, Inc.

About Ponatinib (Iclusig) Tablets
Ponatinib (Iclusig) targets not only native BCR-ABL but also its isoforms that carry mutations that confer resistance to treatment, including the T315I mutation, which has been associated with resistance to other approved TKIs.

In the EU, Iclusig is approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic phase, accelerated phase or blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are resistant to dasatinib or nilotinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib or nilotinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate; or who have the T315I mutation, or the treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) who are resistant to dasatinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate; or who have the T315I mutation.

Click here to view the Iclusig EU Summary of Medicinal Product Characteristics.

Incyte has an exclusive license from Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG to commercialize ponatinib in the European Union and 29 other countries, including Switzerland, UK, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Russia. Iclusig is marketed in the U.S. by Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

About Parsaclisib
Parsaclisib is a potent, highly selective, next-generation investigational novel oral inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase delta (PI3Kδ). It is currently under evaluation as a monotherapy in non-Hodgkin lymphomas and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and in combination with ruxolitinib and tafasitamab for myelofibrosis and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, respectively.

In December 2018, Innovent and Incyte entered into a strategic collaboration for three clinical-stage product candidates, including parsaclisib. Under the terms of the agreement, Innovent has received the rights to develop and commercialize parsaclisib and two other assets in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.