On October 3, 2024 NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, a global innovator in the development, production, and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals used for therapeutic applications and medical imaging, reported it will participate in Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s Targeted Radiopharmaceutical Therapies in Oncology Summit being held in New York City on Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 (Press release, NorthStar Medical Radiostopes, OCT 3, 2024, View Source [SID1234647021]). The meeting, Oppenheimer’s second annual event focused on issues, innovations and trends related to development and use of radiopharmaceuticals for treatment of cancer, will consist of topical panels, company presentations, opportunity for various one-on-one meetings and networking.

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Frank Scholz, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NorthStar will take part, serving as an expert panelist in the session focused on "Supply Chain Challenges and Controversies – Ac-225 Availability, Pb-212 Logistics, The Last Mile" along with representatives from PharmaLogic, SpectronRx, and Perspective Therapeutics.

On October 3, 2024 Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SMMT) ("Summit," "we," or the "Company") reported that we have completed enrollment in our HARMONi clinical trial, a multi-regional Phase III study sponsored by Summit evaluating ivonescimab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy vs. placebo plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed after treatment with a 3rd generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) (Press release, Summit Therapeutics, OCT 3, 2024, View Source [SID1234647020]). HARMONi completed enrolling patients from sites in North America, Europe, and China. This is a clinical setting with a patient population where PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have previously been unsuccessful in Phase III global clinical trials.

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"I would like to sincerely thank the investigators, site coordinators, Team Summit, and, most importantly, the patients around the world who are participating in the HARMONi study," said Dr. Maky Zanganeh, Chief Executive Officer and President of Summit. "Completing enrollment in the first global study for ivonescimab is a credit to the growing belief in the potential for ivonescimab to make a significant difference in the lives of patients around the world."

In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for the proposed use of ivonescimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with EGFR mutation, who have experienced disease progression following EGFR-TKI therapy.

The FDA’s Fast Track designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. According to the FDA, the purpose is to get important new drugs to patients earlier. A drug that receives Fast Track designation is eligible for some of the following: more frequent meetings with the FDA to discuss the drug’s development plan, more frequent written communication from the FDA, and a rolling review process, allowing the sponsor to submit completed sections of its Biologic License Application (BLA) for review rather than every section at once, though the review by FDA typically begins when the entire application has been submitted. Per the FDA, once a drug receives Fast Track designation, early and frequent communication with the FDA is encouraged throughout the entire drug development and review process; the frequency of communication assures that questions and issues are resolved quickly, often leading to earlier drug approval and access by patients.

"Completing enrollment in the HARMONi study represents another step towards our goal of bringing to patients a drug that is intended to improve the quality and potential duration of life for those facing serious unmet medical needs," stated Robert W. Duggan, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Summit. "As our belief in the potential for ivonescimab to make a meaningful, positive difference continues to grow, we are pleased that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for ivonescimab."

As a reminder, the HARMONi analysis will include all patients from the HARMONi-A trial who previously received a 3rd generation TKI. HARMONi-A was a single-region, multi-center Phase III clinical trial evaluating ivonescimab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy vs. placebo plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with an EGFR TKI. HARMONi-A was sponsored by our collaboration partner, Akeso, Inc. (Akeso, HKEX Code: 9926.HK), with data generated and analyzed by Akeso. On May 24, 2024, our partner, Akeso, received marketing authorization in China from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) based on the positive dataset associated with HARMONi-A. HARMONi-A was designed with a primary endpoint of progression-free survival. HARMONi is designed with dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival and overall survival.

About Ivonescimab

Ivonescimab, known as SMT112 in Summit’s license territories, the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, including Mexico and all countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa, and as AK112 in China and Australia, is a novel, potential first-in-class investigational bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule. Ivonescimab displays unique cooperative binding to each of its intended targets with multifold higher affinity when in the presence of both PD-1 and VEGF.

This could differentiate ivonescimab as there is potentially higher expression (presence) of both PD-1 and VEGF in tumor tissue and the tumor microenvironment (TME) as compared to normal tissue in the body. Ivonescimab’s tetravalent structure (four binding sites) enables higher avidity (accumulated strength of multiple binding interactions) in the TME with over 18-fold increased binding affinity to PD-1 in the presence of VEGF in vitro, and over 4-times increased binding affinity to VEGF in the presence of PD-1 in vitro (Zhong, et al, SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper), 2023). This tetravalent structure, the intentional novel design of the molecule, and bringing these two targets into a single bispecific antibody with cooperative binding qualities have the potential to direct ivonescimab to the tumor tissue versus healthy tissue. The intent of this design, together with a half-life of 6 to 7 days (Zhong, et al, SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper), 2023), is to improve upon previously established efficacy thresholds, in addition to side effects and safety profiles associated with these targets.

Ivonescimab was engineered by Akeso Inc. (HKEX Code: 9926.HK) and is currently engaged in multiple Phase III clinical trials. Over 1,800 patients have been treated with ivonescimab in clinical studies globally.

Summit has begun its clinical development of ivonescimab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), commencing enrollment in 2023 in two multi-regional Phase III clinical trials, HARMONi and HARMONi-3, with a plan to initiate HARMONi-7 in early 2025.

HARMONi is a Phase III clinical trial which intends to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI (e.g., osimertinib).

HARMONi-3 is a Phase III clinical trial which is designed to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic squamous NSCLC.

HARMONi-7 is a planned Phase III clinical trial which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (PD-L1 TPS > 50%).

In addition, Akeso has recently had positive read-outs in two single-region (China), randomized Phase III clinical trials for ivonescimab in NSCLC, HARMONi-A and HARMONi-2.

HARMONi-A was a Phase III clinical trial which evaluated ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with an EGFR TKI.

HARMONi-2 is a Phase III clinical trial evaluating monotherapy ivonescimab against monotherapy pembrolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have positive PD-L1 expression (PD-L1 TPS >1%).

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy that is not approved by any regulatory authority in Summit’s license territories, including the United States and Europe. Ivonescimab was approved for marketing authorization in China in May 2024. Ivonescimab was granted Fast Track designation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the HARMONi clinical trial setting.

On October 3, 2024 Sapience Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of peptide therapeutics to address oncogenic and immune dysregulation that drive cancer, reported its participation at the 4th Annual Needham Private Biotech Company Virtual 1×1 Forum, taking place October 8-9, 2024 (Press release, Sapience Therapeutics, OCT 3, 2024, View Source;1-forum-302267194.html [SID1234647019]).

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Company management will participate in one-on-one meetings with investors during the conference.

On October 3, 2024 Soligenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, reported that it has established a partnership agreement with Sterling Pharma Solutions (Sterling) to optimize and implement a commercially viable, scalable production technology for synthetic hypericin (Press release, Soligenix, OCT 3, 2024, View Source [SID1234647016]). Synthetic hypericin, the active ingredient in the topical drug product formulations HyBryte and SGX302 being developed for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and psoriasis, respectively, is a potent photosensitizer that is topically applied to skin lesions. Soligenix and Sterling are currently working to transfer and optimize the manufacturing processes and analytics to enable GMP manufacturing for clinical trials with the intent of establishing a long-term commercial manufacturing collaboration.

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"We look forward to working with Sterling as we expand our synthetic hypericin manufacturing capabilities with the ultimate goals of scaling up the process while further reducing our cost of goods," stated Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Soligenix. "We look forward to building on our already strong relationship to advance our topical hypericin clinical programs, most notably, HyBryte for the treatment of early-stage CTCL, toward potential commercialization worldwide."

"Sterling is pleased to be collaborating with Soligenix on this important program. We believe that Sterling’s expertise in active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing and testing will provide great value to the Soligenix program while we work towards a commercial supply agreement. We look forward to working with the Soligenix team to help advance this program through the upcoming HyBryte Phase 3 confirmatory clinical study," stated Adam Kujath, Site Head at Sterling Pharma Solutions’ Germantown, MD facility.

About HyBryte

HyBryte (research name SGX301) is a novel, first-in-class, photodynamic therapy utilizing safe, visible light for activation. The active ingredient in HyBryte is synthetic hypericin, a potent photosensitizer that is topically applied to skin lesions that is taken up by the malignant T-cells, and then activated by safe, visible light approximately 24 hours later. The use of visible light in the red-yellow spectrum has the advantage of penetrating more deeply into the skin (much more so than ultraviolet light) and therefore potentially treating deeper skin disease and thicker plaques and lesions. This treatment approach avoids the risk of secondary malignancies (including melanoma) inherent with the frequently employed DNA-damaging drugs and other phototherapy that are dependent on ultraviolet exposure. Combined with photoactivation, hypericin has demonstrated significant anti-proliferative effects on activated normal human lymphoid cells and inhibited growth of malignant T-cells isolated from CTCL patients. In a published Phase 2 clinical study in CTCL, patients experienced a statistically significant (p=0.04) improvement with topical hypericin treatment whereas the placebo was ineffective. HyBryte has received orphan drug and fast track designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as orphan designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The published Phase 3 FLASH trial enrolled a total of 169 patients (166 evaluable) with Stage IA, IB or IIA CTCL. The trial consisted of three treatment cycles. Treatments were administered twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and treatment response was determined at the end of the 8th week of each cycle. In the first double-blind treatment cycle (Cycle 1), 116 patients received HyBryte treatment (0.25% synthetic hypericin) and 50 received placebo treatment of their index lesions. A total of 16% of the patients receiving HyBryte achieved at least a 50% reduction in their lesions (graded using a standard measurement of dermatologic lesions, the CAILS score) compared to only 4% of patients in the placebo group at 8 weeks (p=0.04) during the first treatment cycle (primary endpoint). HyBryte treatment in this cycle was safe and well tolerated.

In the second open-label treatment cycle (Cycle 2), all patients received HyBryte treatment of their index lesions. Evaluation of 155 patients in this cycle (110 receiving 12 weeks of HyBryte treatment and 45 receiving 6 weeks of placebo treatment followed by 6 weeks of HyBryte treatment), demonstrated that the response rate among the 12-week treatment group was 40% (p<0.0001 vs the placebo treatment rate in Cycle 1). Comparison of the 12-week and 6-week treatment responses also revealed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.0001) between the two timepoints, indicating that continued treatment results in better outcomes. HyBryte continued to be safe and well tolerated. Additional analyses also indicated that HyBryte is equally effective in treating both plaque (response 42%, p<0.0001 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) and patch (response 37%, p=0.0009 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) lesions of CTCL, a particularly relevant finding given the historical difficulty in treating plaque lesions in particular.

The third (optional) treatment cycle (Cycle 3) was focused on safety and all patients could elect to receive HyBryte treatment of all their lesions. Of note, 66% of patients elected to continue with this optional compassionate use / safety cycle of the study. Of the subset of patients that received HyBryte throughout all 3 cycles of treatment, 49% of them demonstrated a positive treatment response (p<0.0001 vs patients receiving placebo in Cycle 1). Moreover, in a subset of patients evaluated in this cycle, it was demonstrated that HyBryte is not systemically available, consistent with the general safety of this topical product observed to date. At the end of Cycle 3, HyBryte continued to be well tolerated despite extended and increased use of the product to treat multiple lesions.

Overall safety of HyBryte is a critical attribute of this treatment and was monitored throughout the three treatment cycles (Cycles 1, 2 and 3) and the 6-month follow-up period. HyBryte’s mechanism of action is not associated with DNA damage, making it a safer alternative than currently available therapies, all of which are associated with significant, and sometimes fatal, side effects. Predominantly these include the risk of melanoma and other malignancies, as well as the risk of significant skin damage and premature skin aging. Currently available treatments are only approved in the context of previous treatment failure with other modalities and there is no approved front-line therapy available. Within this landscape, treatment of CTCL is strongly motivated by the safety risk of each product. HyBryte potentially represents the safest available efficacious treatment for CTCL. With very limited systemic absorption, a compound that is not mutagenic and a light source that is not carcinogenic, there is no evidence to date of any potential safety issues.

Following the first Phase 3 study of HyBryte for the treatment of CTCL, the FDA and the EMA indicated that they would require a second successful Phase 3 trial to support marketing approval. With agreement from the EMA on the key design components, the second, confirmatory study, called FLASH2, is expected to be initiated before the end of 2024. This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study that will enroll approximately 80 subjects with early-stage CTCL. The FLASH2 study replicates the double-blind, placebo-controlled design used in the first successful Phase 3 FLASH study that consisted of three 6-week treatment cycles (18 weeks total), with the primary efficacy assessment occurring at the end of the initial 6-week double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment cycle (Cycle 1). However, this second study extends the double-blind, placebo-controlled assessment to 18 weeks of continuous treatment (no "between-Cycle" treatment breaks) with the primary endpoint assessment occurring at the end of the 18-week timepoint. In the first Phase 3 study, a treatment response of 49% (p<0.0001 vs patients receiving placebo in Cycle 1) was observed in patients completing 18 weeks (3 cycles) of therapy. In this second study, all important clinical study design components remain the same as in the first FLASH study, including the primary endpoint and key inclusion-exclusion criteria. The extended treatment for a continuous 18 weeks in a single cycle is expected to statistically demonstrate HyBryte’s increased effect over a more prolonged, "real world" treatment course. Given the extensive engagement with the CTCL community, the esteemed Medical Advisory Board and the previous trial experience with this disease, accelerated enrollment in support of this study is anticipated, including the potential to enroll previously identified and treated HyBryte patients from the FLASH study. Discussions with the FDA on an appropriate study design remain ongoing. While collaborative, the agency has expressed a preference for a longer duration comparative study over a placebo-controlled trial. Given the shorter time to potential commercial revenue and the similar trial design to the first FLASH study afforded by the EMA accepted protocol, this study is being initiated. At the same time, discussions with the FDA will continue on potential modifications to the development path to adequately address their feedback.

In addition, the FDA awarded an Orphan Products Development grant to support the evaluation of HyBryte for expanded treatment in patients with early-stage CTCL, including in the home use setting. The grant, totaling $2.6 million over 4 years, was awarded to the University of Pennsylvania that was a leading enroller in the Phase 3 FLASH study. Additional supportive studies have demonstrated the utility of longer treatment times (Study RW-HPN-MF-01), the lack of significant systemic exposure to hypericin after topical application (Study HPN-CTCL-02) and its relative efficacy and tolerability compared to Valchlor (Study HPN-CTCL-04).

About Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)

CTCL is a class of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer of the white blood cells that are an integral part of the immune system. Unlike most NHLs which generally involve B-cell lymphocytes (involved in producing antibodies), CTCL is caused by an expansion of malignant T-cell lymphocytes (involved in cell-mediated immunity) normally programmed to migrate to the skin. These malignant cells migrate to the skin where they form various lesions, typically beginning as patches and may progress to raised plaques and tumors. Mortality is related to the stage of CTCL, with median survival generally ranging from about 12 years in the early stages to only 2.5 years when the disease has advanced. There is currently no cure for CTCL. Typically, CTCL lesions are treated and regress but usually return either in the same part of the body or in new areas.

CTCL constitutes a rare group of NHLs, occurring in about 4% of the more than 1.7 million individuals living with the disease in the United States and Europe (European Union and United Kingdom). It is estimated, based upon review of historic published studies and reports and an interpolation of data on the incidence of CTCL that it affects approximately 31,000 individuals in the U.S. (based on SEER data, with approximately 3,200 new cases seen annually) and approximately 38,000 individuals in Europe (based on ECIS prevalence estimates, with approximately 3,800 new cases annually).

On October 3, 2024 Teva Pharmaceuticals International GmbH, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) and mAbxience, a Fresenius Kabi majority-owned group with partial ownership from Insud Pharma, reported a new global licensing agreement for the development of an anti PD-1 oncology biosimilar candidate (Press release, mAbxience, OCT 3, 2024, View Source [SID1234647015]). This marks the second agreement between the two companies, reinforcing the solid foundation of the collaborative efforts that commenced in April 2024.

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The global agreement to develop an additional oncology biosimilar further strengthens the alliance between Teva and mAbxience, underscoring the shared goal to provide cost-effective, high-quality biosimilar treatments that address critical unmet needs in oncology care. By leveraging each company’s unique expertise and resources, the collaboration continues to drive innovation and accessibility in healthcare to create solutions for patients worldwide.

The licensing agreement includes exclusive rights for multiple markets, including Europe and the United States, and aligns with mAbxience’s strategy for global expansion. The collaboration reflects Teva’s progress advancing its Pivot to Growth strategy by adding a new biosimilar to the company’s broad portfolio of biosimilars. through focused partnerships and business development efforts.

Similar to the initial contract, under the terms of this agreement, mAbxience will lead the development and production of the biosimilar, utilizing its state-of-the-art, cGMP-compliant facilities in Spain and Argentina. Teva will manage regulatory approvals and oversee commercialization in the designated markets, ensuring that patients around the world gain access to this oncology treatment.

Angus Grant, PhD, Executive Vice President of Business Development at Teva said, "We are excited to deepen our collaboration with mAbxience. This agreement not only strengthens our alliance but also highlights our shared dedication to expanding access to critical oncology treatments. This collaboration with mAbxience reflects Teva’s ideal strategic partnership model to optimize development costs, apply our regulatory expertise and leverage our extensive commercial capabilities to bring new treatment options to people living with serious medical conditions."

"Building on our first agreement with Teva signed earlier this year, this second collaboration is a testament to the strength of our partnership and the shared vision of both companies," added Jurgen Van Broeck, CEO of mAbxience. "This agreement reinforces our commitment to making high-quality biosimilars accessible and improving healthcare outcomes on a global scale."