On August 9, 2023 Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNTL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing clinically differentiated small molecule therapeutics targeting fundamental biological pathways of cancers, reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, and highlighted recent corporate accomplishments (Press release, Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, AUG 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234634092]).

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"We have strong azenosertib data that creates the potential to build a meaningful franchise around this exciting product candidate with the possibility of near-, mid- and long-term opportunities across multiple tumor types," said Kimberly Blackwell, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Zentalis. "As a monotherapy, azenosertib achieved an objective response rate of 36.8% in ovarian cancer and uterine serous carcinoma patients who received intermittent dosing. Azenosertib plus chemotherapy combinations also demonstrated positive results in women facing heavily pretreated ovarian cancer. Taking these results together, we believe there is the potential for azenosertib to transform the standard of care for patients with ovarian and uterine cancers, and ultimately other solid tumors. We are well positioned to advance this program with a strong cash position resulting from our recent offering that extended our cash runway and will sustain our corporate and clinical strategy for the next several years."

WEE1 Inhibitor (Azenosertib) Program Highlights

•Identified monotherapy recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) and reported positive safety and efficacy data. Based on encouraging Phase 1 dose optimization clinical data, the Company identified 400 mg daily (QD) on a 5 days on 2 days off (5:2) administration schedule as the monotherapy RP2D. Intermittent dosing more than doubled steady state drug exposure to achieve an objective response rate (ORR) of 36.8% in ovarian cancer and uterine serous carcinoma (USC) patients, while maintaining safety and improving tolerability in comparison to continuous dosing. For a more detailed summary of the Phase 1 monotherapy dose optimization data, click here. To listen to a replay of the call, click here.

•Presented positive azenosertib + chemotherapy combination data at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The Company presented positive data from its Phase 1b chemotherapy combination trial in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 5, 2023. Azenosertib was well tolerated in combination with multiple types of chemotherapy and demonstrated strong anti-tumor activity, with noteworthy improvements in ORRs and median progression free survival (mPFS) in all patients, especially those with Cyclin E1+ tumors, a subgroup recognized to have a poor prognosis and relatively poor outcomes following chemotherapy. Azenosertib combined with paclitaxel resulted in an ORR of 50.0% and mPFS of 7.4 months. An ORR of 35.7% and mPFS of 10.4 months was observed in azenosertib combined with carboplatin. Zentalis is preparing for a Phase 3 trial of azenosertib using intermittent dosing in combination with chemotherapy in Cyclin E1+ platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. To review the Phase 1b results in more detail, click here.
•Biomarker enrichment strategies. Zentalis is exploring biomarker enrichment strategies for azenosertib targeting tumors of high genomic instability, such as Cyclin E1+ tumors and homologous recombination deficient tumors. In April 2023, the Company presented preclinical data supporting the rationale for the Cyclin E1 enrichment strategy at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2023.

Corporate Highlights

•In August 2023, the Company announced the appointment of Kimberly Freeman as Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, she will support and implement Zentalis’ long-term portfolio strategy. Ms. Freeman joins Zentalis with over 25 years of clinical development and strategic leadership experience, including deep expertise in oncology, particularly in gynecologic malignancies and the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway. Ms. Freeman brings an outstanding track record of building and executing drug development and franchise strategies that will be invaluable to the Company as it seeks to capitalize on the significant opportunity with azenosertib across a broad array of tumor types.
•In June 2023, the Company closed an underwritten public offering of 11,032,656 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $22.66 per share. The total gross proceeds were approximately $250.0 million.
•In May 2023, the Company appointed Diana Hausman, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Hausman is an oncologist with extensive experience in all aspects of drug development, including development and implementation of clinical strategy. Dr. Hausman is currently serving as Chief Medical Officer of Link Immunotherapeutics. Dr. Hausman previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Lengo Therapeutics, Zymeworks and Oncothyreon. Prior to Oncothyreon, Dr.

Hausman held positions of increasing responsibility at ZymoGenetics, Berlex Laboratories and Immunex. Dr. Hausman currently serves on the Board of Directors of Immuneering.
•In May 2023, the Company announced that it had appointed Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D., a widely recognized Phase 1 trial expert and experimental therapeutics researcher in oncology, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Meric-Bernstam is the Chair of the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics — the Phase 1 Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her clinical research is focused on novel therapeutics, novel combination therapies and biomarkers to predict and monitor drug response.
Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

•Cash and Marketable Securities Position: As of June 30, 2023, Zentalis had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $553.0 million. The Company believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2023 will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2026.
•Research and Development Expenses: Research and development (R&D) expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were $42.7 million, compared to $43.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $1.1 million was primarily due to $1.7 million in decreased collaboration costs, a $1.1 million decrease related to clinical trials and R&D supplies, and a $0.6 million reduction in personnel and related expense. These decreases were partially offset by a $1.5 million increase in Zentera Therapeutics cost sharing and a $0.8 million increase in consulting and other expense.
•General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were $15.7 million, compared to $19.6 million during the three months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease of $3.9 million was primarily attributable to a $4.2 million decrease in non-cash, stock-based compensation expense and a $0.8 million decrease related to other personnel expenses. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $0.8 million in allocated overhead expenditures and a $0.3 million increase in outside services and other costs.
•Zentera-Related Expenses: On June 15, 2023, the Company announced that it had regained worldwide development and commercialization rights to azenosertib, ZN-d5 and ZN-c5 as a result of the termination of its collaboration with Zentera Therapeutics in certain Asian countries, including China. In connection with the Zentera termination, the Company incurred one-time expenses totaling $45.6 million.

About Azenosertib

Azenosertib is a potentially first-in-class and best-in-class small molecule WEE1 inhibitor in development for the treatment of cancer. Inhibition of WEE1, a DNA damage response kinase, drives cancer cells into mitosis without being able to repair damaged DNA, resulting in cell death. Currently, there are no FDA-approved WEE1 inhibitors, and azenosertib has been designed for superior selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties. Azenosertib is being developed in therapeutic areas of high unmet need and is being evaluated as a monotherapy, in combination with chemotherapy, and in combination with molecularly targeted agents.

On August 9, 2023 Scholar Rock (NASDAQ: SRRK), a Phase 3 clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious diseases in which protein growth factors play a fundamental role, reported financial results and corporate updates for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (Press release, Scholar Rock, AUG 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234634091]).

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"We continue to advance our apitegromab program, notably with the recent presentation of 36-month data from the Phase 2 TOPAZ trial which supports apitegromab’s therapeutic potential to meaningfully improve motor function for patients with SMA," said Jay Backstrom, M.D., M.P.H., President and Chief Executive Officer of Scholar Rock. "The continued success of TOPAZ increases our conviction in SAPPHIRE and we look forward to completing enrollment this quarter and sharing a topline data readout in 2024."

Recent Company Highlights and Upcoming Milestones

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Program

Apitegromab is an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits myostatin activation by selectively binding the pro- and latent forms of myostatin in skeletal muscle and is being developed as a potential first muscle-targeted therapy for the treatment of SMA.

Presented 36-month extension data from Phase 2 TOPAZ trial at Cure SMA Research & Clinical Care Meeting in June. The company shared new data evaluating outcomes after 36 months of treatment with apitegromab, which showed substantial and sustained improvement in motor function, as well as improvements in patient-reported outcome measures in patients with nonambulatory Types 2 and 3 SMA receiving survival motor neuron (SMN) therapy. The company also hosted a virtual investor day event in July featuring key opinion leaders to discuss the current SMA treatment landscape and apitegromab’s potential to advance the standard of care.
Continued progress towards completion of enrollment for Phase 3 SAPPHIRE clinical trial. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of apitegromab in patients with nonambulatory Types 2 and 3 SMA receiving either nusinersen or risdiplam is actively enrolling SMA patients across sites in the U.S. and Europe. Enrollment completion is expected in the third quarter of 2023, with top-line data expected in 2024. If successful and if approved, the company expects to initiate a commercial product launch in 2025.
Initiated the ONYX trial, the long-term extension study for patients from both the TOPAZ and SAPPHIRE studies. As of July 2023, more than 90 percent of patients from TOPAZ receiving apitegromab and a SMN therapy remained in the extension study.
Immuno-Oncology Program

SRK-181 is an investigational selective inhibitor of latent TGFβ1 activation and is being developed with the aim of overcoming resistance to checkpoint therapy in patients with advanced cancer.

Advancing Phase 1 DRAGON proof-of-concept trial. DRAGON is evaluating SRK-181 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors that exhibit resistance to anti-PD-(L)1 antibodies. The Company will provide biomarker and clinical updates from Part B of the DRAGON trial in the second half of 2023.
Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

For the quarter ended June 30, 2023, net loss was $37.9 million compared to a net loss of $44.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

The Company did not record any revenue for either the quarter ended June 30, 2023 or June 30, 2022.
Research and development expense was $26.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, compared to $32.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in external research and development costs, including costs for the apitegromab clinical trials and associated clinical trial material manufacturing costs. In addition, there was a decrease in employee compensation and benefits costs, resulting from the restructuring in May 2022.
General and administrative expense was $12.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, compared to $11.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
As of June 30, 2023, Scholar Rock had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $249 million, which is expected to fund the company’s anticipated operating and capital expenditure requirements into 2025.
"We are relentlessly focused on execution, and we are encouraged by the continued strong data from TOPAZ and momentum we’re seeing in the enrollment of SAPPHIRE. Our overall execution, along with our spend for the first six months of 2023, is aligned with our strategic plan," said Ted Myles, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Scholar Rock. "We ended the quarter with $249 million in cash, which we expect to provide runway through a number of anticipated important milestones."

On August 9, 2023 Repare Therapeutics Inc. ("Repare" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: RPTX), a leading clinical-stage precision oncology company, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (Press release, Repare Therapeutics, AUG 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234634090]).

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"During the second quarter we made great progress advancing our clinical programs and presenting novel findings from our ongoing clinical trials, including reporting on camonsertib’s combination with three PARP inhibitors and initial clinical proof of concept for lunresertib," said Lloyd M. Segal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Repare. "While these clinical programs move towards Phase 2 studies, we continue to support our preclinical pipeline, for example with the designation of our Polθ inhibitor, RP-3467. We look forward to reporting initial combination data of lunresertib with camonsertib in the fourth quarter of this year as we continue advancing our differentiated, synthetic lethal-based oncology pipeline."

Second Quarter 2023 Review and Operational Updates:

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Advancing camonsertib, a potent and selective oral small molecule inhibitor of ATR (Ataxia-Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein kinase) for the treatment of tumors with specific synthetic lethal genomic alterations in partnership with Roche.
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Roche has included a camonsertib-based arm in its Phase 2, global, multicenter, open-label, multi-cohort TAPISTRY study (NCT04589845) and its Phase 1/2 study of multiple immunotherapy-based treatment combinations in participants with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (Morpheus Lung; NCT03337698). Repare is eligible to receive a milestone payment of $40 million upon dosing of the first patient with camonsertib in the TAPISTRY study and could be eligible for an additional $15 million milestone if this study becomes registrational.

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Repare is continuing to conduct dose optimization and efficacy assessments in tumor specific expansions in the ATTACC study in collaboration with Roche to support future clinical development plans for camonsertib combinations with PARP inhibitors. In April 2023, we received a payment of $4 million from Roche for additional revisions to the clinical development plan under the Roche Agreement. Repare is eligible to receive further milestone payments upon the initiation of registrational trials or the transition of existing trials to become registrational for camonsertib in specific tumor types.
o
Published data in Nature Medicine from the ongoing Phase 1/2 TRESR clinical trial evaluating camonsertib monotherapy in 120 patients (NCT04497116). The article, entitled "Camonsertib in DNA damage response-deficient advanced solid tumors: phase 1 trial results" can be accessed at View Source
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Announced initial clinical data from the Phase 1/2 TRESR and ATTACC trials evaluating camonsertib in combination with three poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in a Clinical Trials Plenary Session at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
o
Camonsertib-PARP inhibitor combinations appeared to be well tolerated and resulted in durable clinical benefit across tumor types and genomic alterations, regardless of choice of PARP inhibitor and presence of platinum resistance. Overall clinical benefit rate (CBR) for all patients was 48%. Patients with platinum-resistant tumors had an overall response rate (ORR) of 12% and CBR of 49% and benefited similarly to non-platinum-resistant tumors (ORR 13%, CBR 46%). Compelling results were observed particularly in patients with advanced ovarian cancer (n=19), including overall response of 32%, CBR of 58% and median progression-free survival of approximately 7 months with treatment greater than 16 weeks and ongoing in 9 patients, as of the 2023 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting data cutoff of February 27, 2023. The molecular response rate (MRR) of circulating tumor DNA was significantly higher in patients with clinical benefit (83%) compared to those without (48%; p=0.015) and significantly higher than seen in the camonsertib monotherapy trial in which camonsertib was administered at higher doses (66% vs. 43%; p=0.02). Molecular responses were also observed in patients with prior PARP inhibitor exposure (57%) and platinum resistance (64%).
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Advancing lunresertib (RP-6306), a first-in-class, oral PKMYT1 inhibitor, for the treatment of molecularly select advanced solid tumors as a monotherapy and in combinations in multiple clinical studies.
o
Announced clinical proof of concept for lunresertib, including monotherapy data from the Phase 1 MYTHIC clinical trial and early insights from ongoing combination trials in June 2023. Achieved primary endpoints of safety and tolerability and proposed dose and schedule. The tolerability profile of lunresertib monotherapy appears favorable and differentiated from other clinical cell cycle inhibitors, as lunresertib treatment does not result in significant myelotoxicity nor diarrhea. No grade 4 toxicity was observed with lunresertib, while grade 3 treatment emergent adverse events of interest included rash (7.9%), anemia (6.3%) and nausea or vomiting (1.6%). The dose limiting toxicity was reversible rash, alleviated with dose modifications and simple supportive measures. Two proposed dose/schedules were identified – 240mg daily continuously and 80-100mg BID intermittent weekly – to offer maximum flexibility in combination studies.
o
Preliminary anti-tumor activity was observed for monotherapy, including moderate tumor shrinkages and a confirmed partial response per RECIST 1.1 criteria in a patient with metastatic recurrent uterine carcinosarcoma.

o
Early clinical responses per RECIST 1.1 criteria have been observed with lunresertib and combinations with gemcitabine, camonsertib, and FOLFIRI in multiple tumor types and genotypes.
o
Repare is collaborating with Princess Margaret Cancer Center to initiate clinical testing, as part of an investigator-sponsored trial (IST) of a fourth lunresertib combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel for the treatment of recurrent gynecological malignancies, with first patient dosing expected this year.
o
Repare is also collaborating with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group in an ongoing basket Phase 2 IST that is enrolling patients with selected, advanced cancers receiving lunresertib as combination with gemcitabine (NCT05605509), and in a second active study that will evaluate lunresertib in combination with gemcitabine in patients with CDK4/6 inhibitor treated ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (NCT05601440).
o
In August 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation (FTD) to lunresertib in combination with camonsertib for the treatment of adult patients with CCNE1 amplified, or FBXW7 or PPP2R1A mutated endometrial cancer previously treated with a platinum-containing regimen and immune checkpoint inhibitor when indicated. FTD is intended to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fulfill an unmet medical need, enabling drugs to reach patients earlier.
o
The Company expects to present further Phase 1 MYTHIC Module 2 combination data with camonsertib at a medical conference in the fourth quarter of this year.
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Advancing preclinical programs into clinical development.
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RP-1664 IND-enabling studies, which began in the first quarter of 2023, remain ongoing with potential for the program to enter the clinic in early 2024.
o
Initiated IND-enabling studies for the newly designated Polθ inhibitor RP-3467 in June 2023. RP-3467 has shown greater potency in preclinical studies compared to RP-2119, our first Polθ inhibitor designated in 2022, and has potential to enter the clinic in 2024. The research term of our Polθ collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., as previously extended, expired on July 31, 2023. With the termination of the agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Repare’s Polθ program, including RP-3467, is wholly-owned by Repare.
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The Company intends to host an R&D day focused on its ongoing pre-clinical programs and its overall pipeline in the fourth quarter of this year.
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In May 2023, Bristol Myers Squibb exercised its option for a third druggable target and separately triggered a $1 million payment for a previously exercised druggable target option.
Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results:

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Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities: Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2023 were $280.7 million, which Repare believes will be sufficient to fund its planned operations into 2026.
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Revenue from collaboration agreements: Revenue from collaboration agreements were $30.2 million and $35.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, as compared to $0.7 million and $1.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase in revenue for the three- and six-month periods were primarily due to revenue recognized from our collaboration and license agreement with BMS and our collaboration agreement with Ono.

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Research and development expenses, net of tax credits (Net R&D): Net R&D expenses were $33.8 million and $65.6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, as compared to $31.5 million and $57.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase in Net R&D expenses for the three- and six-month periods was primarily due to higher personnel-related costs and direct external costs related to the advancement of preclinical programs into IND-enabling studies.
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General and administrative (G&A) expenses: G&A expenses were $8.7 million and $17.2 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, compared to $7.9 million and $16.7 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase in G&A was primarily due higher personnel related costs, offset by lower D&O insurance premiums.
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Net loss: Net loss was $11.9 million, or $0.28 per share, and $46.9 million, or $1.11 per share, in the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively, and $38.1 million, or $0.91 per share, and $72.9 million, or $1.74 per share, in the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, respectively.

On August 9, 2023 Precigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGEN), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative gene and cell therapies to improve the lives of patients, reported second quarter and first half 2023 financial results and business updates (Press release, Precigen, AUG 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234634089]).

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"Today we announced that the FDA confirmed the ongoing Phase 1/2 study of PRGN-2012 will serve as the pivotal study to support accelerated approval, an important milestone that brings Precigen a step closer in our transition to a commercial stage company and in realizing our vision of bringing life-changing therapies to patients with unmet medical need. We look forward to working with the FDA to submit a BLA and potentially bringing the first drug therapy for RRP patients. As a result of this exciting milestone, we are prioritizing our portfolio activities to maximize the potential success of PRGN-2012 while continuing to strategically advance other key programs," said Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen. "We have built a strong portfolio based on the AdenoVerse and UltraCAR-T platforms and continue to advance important programs with a focus on agility, efficiency and commercial viability."

"As a result of our capital raise in January, our portfolio prioritization and other cost-saving measures, including completely retiring our convertible notes, the Company’s balance sheet is well positioned for the future," said Harry Thomasian Jr., CFO of Precigen. "These measures have enabled us to extend our projected cash runway into 2025, exclusive of non-dilutive strategies, including strategic partnerships, which could extend our cash runway further."

Program Highlights

PRGN-2012 AdenoVerse Immunotherapy in RRP

· The Company announced that the the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed that the ongoing Phase 1/2 single arm study of the first-in-class investigational PRGN-2012 AdenoVerse immunotherapy for the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) will serve as pivotal for the purpose of filing an accelerated approval request for licensure. The FDA also confirmed no additional randomized, placebo-controlled trial will be required to support submission of a biologics license application (BLA). Based on the FDA guidance, the Company also plans to initiate a confirmatory study prior to submission of the BLA.
· PRGN-2012 is an investigational off-the-shelf AdenoVerse immunotherapy designed to elicit immune responses directed against cells infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) 6 or HPV 11 for the treatment of RRP.
· The Company completed enrollment and dosing in the Phase 2 portion of the study (N=23) bringing the total number of enrolled patients to 35 at the recommended Phase 2 dose. Patient follow up is currently ongoing and data collection is anticipated to be completed by the second quarter of 2024.
· The Company announced that the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for PRGN-2012 for the treatment of RRP, adding to the existing Orphan Drug Designation. The Breakthrough designation is based on
positive Phase 1 clinical data that showed that 50% of adult RRP patients (who had ≥3 surgeries to treat the disease in the year prior treatment) were "surgery-free" (Complete Response) after PRGN-2012 treatment during the 12 month follow-up. All complete responders continue to be surgery-free with a minimum follow-up of 18 months post-treatment.

PRGN 2009 AdenoVerse Immunotherapy in HPV-associated Cancers

· PRGN-2009 is an investigational off-the-shelf AdenoVerse immunotherapy designed to activate the immune system to recognize and target HPV-positive solid tumors.
· The Company completed the Phase 1 study and presented positive Phase 1 clinical data from the monotherapy (N=6) and combination therapy (N=11) arms in patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV-associated cancers at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. PRGN-2009 was safe and well-tolerated with only Grade 1 or 2 treatment related adverse events and resulted in a 30% objective response rate (ORR) in the combination arm in patients with heavily pre-treated HPV-associated cancers that were naïve or resistant to checkpoint blockade with prolonged duration of responses.
· Enrollment was completed in the Phase 2 monotherapy arm with 20 evaluable patients in newly diagnosed oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients.
· The Company announced that the FDA has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase 2 study of PRGN-2009 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. The Phase 2 randomized, open-label, two-arm study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of PRGN-2009 in combination with pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who are pembrolizumab resistant.

PRGN-3006 UltraCAR-T in AML

· PRGN-3006 is an investigational multigenic, autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy engineered to express a CAR specifically targeting CD33, membrane bound IL-15 (mbIL15), and a kill switch. The FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation for PRGN-3006 UltraCAR-T for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
· The Company completed the Phase 1 dose escalation study and announced positive data at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting and Exposition. PRGN-3006 was well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities. A single infusion of autologous PRGN-3006 cells resulted in a 27% ORR in heavily pre-treated relapsed or refractory AML patients infused following lymphodepletion. A single infusion of UltraCAR-T cells with or without lymphodepletion demonstrated robust expansion and persistence in blood and bone marrow and PRGN-3006 infusion with lymphodepletion resulted in a decrease in bone marrow blasts in 60% of heavily pre-treated patients.
· The Phase 1b dose expansion study of PRGN-3006 is ongoing and an interim clinical data presentation is expected in 2024.

PRGN-3005 UltraCAR-T in Ovarian Cancer

· PRGN-3005 UltraCAR-T is an investigational multigenic, autologous CAR-T cell therapy engineered to express a CAR specifically targeting the unshed portion of MUC16, mbIL15, and a kill switch.
· The Company completed the Phase 1 dose escalation cohorts of the intraperitoneal (IP) and intravenous (IV) arms without lymphodepletion as well as in the lymphodepletion cohort in the IV arm and presented positive Phase 1 clinical data in patients with advanced platinum resistant ovarian cancer at the 2023 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. PRGN-3005 was well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities, no cytokine release syndrome (CRS) greater than Grade 2, and no neurotoxicity. PRGN-3005 cells demonstrated expansion and persistence when delivered via either IP or IV infusion without lymphodepletion or via IV infusion after lymphodepletion. A single IV infusion following lymphodepletion decreased tumor burden in 67% of the heavily pretreated patients (median of 8 or more prior therapies).
· The Phase 1b dose expansion study of PRGN-3005 is ongoing.

PRGN-3007 UltraCAR-T in Advanced ROR1+ Hematological and Solid Tumors

· PRGN-3007, based on the next generation of the UltraCAR-T platform, is an investigational multigenic, autologous CAR-T cell therapy engineered to express a CAR targeting receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1), mbIL15, a kill switch, and a novel mechanism for the intrinsic blockade of PD-1 gene expression.
· The Phase 1 dose escalation part of the Phase 1/1b study is ongoing. The target patient population for the Phase 1/1b study includes hematological cancers (chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)) and solid tumors (triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)).

Financial Highlights

· Completely retired the outstanding balance of convertible notes in the second quarter.
· Cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments totaled $95.6 million as of June 30, 2023.
· Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs decreased versus the prior year, by 27% and 21% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023, respectively.

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results Compared to Prior Year Period

Research and development expenses decreased $0.1 million, or 0.7%, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by reduced spending on preclinical research programs.

SG&A expenses decreased $3.4 million, or 27%, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by a reduction in professional fees of $2.2 million, due to decreased legal fees associated with certain litigation matters, as well as a $1.1 million reduction in salaries, benefits, and other personnel costs due to reduced head count.

Revenues decreased $1.1 million, or 39%, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease was related to reductions in services performed at Exemplar.

Total other income, net, increased $2.7 million compared to the three months ended June 30, 2023. This was primarily due to reduced interest expense associated with the Company’s convertible notes as they were retired in the second quarter of 2023, and increased interest income due to higher interest rates on investments.

Loss from continuing operations was $20.3 million, or $(0.08) per basic and diluted share, compared to loss from continuing operations of $26.1 million, or $(0.13) per basic and diluted share, in Q2 2022.

First Half 2023 Financial Results Compared to Prior Year Period

Research and development expenses increased $0.3 million, or 1.2%, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. This increase was primarily driven by a continued prioritization of clinical product candidates, offset by reduced spending on preclinical research programs.

SG&A expenses decreased $5.4 million, or 21%, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by a reduction in professional fees of $4.2 million, due to decreased legal fees associated with certain litigation matters, as well as a $1.1 million reduction in salaries, benefits, and other personnel costs due to reduced head count.

Revenues decreased $4.8 million, or 57.1%, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. This decrease was primarily related to reductions in services performed at Exemplar as well as the recognition of revenue in the first quarter of 2022 related to agreements for which revenue was previously deferred that did not occur in 2023 of $1.0 million at Exemplar.

Total other income, net, increased $5.2 million compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. This was primarily due to reduced interest expense associated with the Company’s convertible notes as they were retired in the second quarter of 2023, and increased interest income due to higher interest rates on investments.

Loss from continuing operations was $43.1 million, or $(0.18) per basic and diluted share, compared to loss from continuing operations of $50.0 million, or $(0.25) per basic and diluted share, in the six months ended June 30, 2022. The 2023 second quarter loss was lower than the 2023 first quarter loss primarily due to continued reductions in SG&A expenses.

On August 9, 2023 PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PMVP), a precision oncology company pioneering the discovery and development of small molecule, tumor agnostic therapies targeting p53, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, and provided a corporate update (Press release, PMV Pharma, AUG 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234634088]).

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PMV recently concluded an End-of-Phase 1 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on gaining alignment with the Agency regarding the clinical and regulatory pathway for developing PC14586 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have a p53 Y220C mutation. Alignment with the FDA was obtained on the recommended Phase 2 dose as well as key elements of the Phase 2 registrational portion of the PYNNACLE trial. PMV plans to initiate the single arm, Phase 2 portion of the PYNNACLE study in early 2024.

"Our ongoing PYNNACLE study of PC14586 in patients with advanced solid tumors continues to make good progress," said David Mack, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "The positive outcome of our recently held End-of-Phase 1 meeting positions us to initiate a registrational trial for PC14586 and is an important milestone in our goal of bringing PC14586 to advanced cancer patients with a p53 Y220C mutation. Furthermore, we look forward to sharing updated Phase 1 data in the second half of the year."

Dr. Mack added, "We are also very pleased to welcome Dr. Masha Poyurovsky to PMV as Vice President of Biology. Her scientific expertise in p53 biology and proven track record in translational drug development make her the ideal candidate to lead our biology team. I look forward to Masha’s leadership and contributions as we continue to leverage the potential of p53 targeted therapies."

Second Quarter 2023 and Recent Corporate Highlights:

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Ongoing enrollment in the combination arm of PYNNACLE evaluating PC14586 with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab). PMV and Merck entered into a collaboration in 2022 under the terms of which Merck will supply KEYTRUDA for this study.

•
Appointed Masha Poyurovsky, Ph.D., as Vice President of Biology. Dr. Poyurovsky has more than a decade of experience leading novel platforms and a track record of advancing therapies from concept to the clinic. From 2011 to 2023, she was employed at Kadmon (acquired by Sanofi in 2021) most recently as Vice President, Discovery Biology. Prior to working in industry, she was a Research Scientist and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Columbia University where she conducted studies on p53 in the laboratory of Professor Carol Prives. She is the author and co-author of numerous publications and patents in the area of cancer biology and drug discovery. Dr. Poyurovsky obtained a

doctorate in biochemistry from Columbia University and a bachelor of science in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

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PMV Pharma ended the second quarter with $218.8 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, compared to $277.4 million as of June 30, 2022. Net cash used in operations was $27.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $31.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
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Net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was $36.6 million compared to $35.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
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Research and development (R&D) expenses were $28.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $23.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase in R&D expenses was primarily related to increased headcount and clinical expenses to advance research on PC14586, the Company’s lead drug candidate.
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General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $12.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $13.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease in G&A expenses was primarily due to facility related costs now allocated to research as our new laboratory building in Princeton, New Jersey began operations.

KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.

About PC14586

PC14586 is a first-in-class, small molecule, p53 reactivator designed to selectively bind to the crevice present in the p53 Y220C mutant protein, hence, restoring the wild-type, or normal, p53 protein structure and tumor-suppressing function. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track designation to PC14586 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have a p53 Y220C mutation. For more information about the Phase 1/2 PYNNACLE trial (PMV-586-101), refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT study identifier NCT04585750).