On January 15, 2025 UroGen Pharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: URGN), a biotech company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative solutions that treat urothelial and specialty cancers, reported that the 3-month complete response (CR) rate and 12-month durability of response from the Phase 3 ENVISION study of investigational drug UGN-102 in patients with low-grade intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (LG-IR-NMIBC) were published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology (Press release, UroGen Pharma, JAN 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234649742]).

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In the ENVISION trial, UGN-102 treatment demonstrated an impressive 82.3% (95% CI, 75.9%, 87.1%) 12-month duration of response (DOR) by Kaplan-Meier estimate (n=108) in patients who achieved a CR at three months after the first instillation of UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution. The Kaplan-Meier estimates for DOR at 15 months (n=43) and 18 months (n=9) following the 3-month CR were both 80.9% (95% CI, 73.9%, 86.2%). The ENVISION trial also met its primary endpoint, showing a 79.6% (95% CI, 73.9%, 84.5%) CR rate at three months in patients treated with UGN-102.

"These data from the ENVISION trial provide compelling evidence that treatment with UGN-102 achieves a clinically meaningful complete response rate and also demonstrates remarkable durability in patients with LG-IR-NMIBC," said Sandip Prasad, MD, M.Phil., Director of Genitourinary Surgical Oncology at Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health System, NJ, and Principal Investigator of the ENVISION trial. "The long-term results, with 82.3% duration of response at 12 months, further strengthen UGN-102’s potential as a non-surgical, effective treatment for patients facing the recurrent and challenging nature of LG-IR-NMIBC."

According to Mark Schoenberg, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, UroGen, "The impressive duration of response data from the ENVISION trial further highlights UGN-102’s potential to transform the treatment landscape for patients with LG-IR-NMIBC. Many of these patients are elderly and face the burden of repeated surgeries under general anesthesia, so there is a critical need for innovative treatment options for this patient population. We believe that, if approved, UGN-102’s ability to achieve durable complete responses and potentially reduce recurrence rates while extending treatment-free intervals will represent a significant advance in managing LG-IR-NMIBC."

UroGen initiated the submission of a rolling New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for UGN-102 as a treatment for LG-IR-NMIBC in January 2024 and completed the NDA submission in August, ahead of schedule. The FDA accepted the NDA for UGN-102 with a PDUFA goal date of June 13, 2025.

The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in the ENVISION trial were dysuria, hematuria, urinary tract infection, pollakiuria, fatigue, and urinary retention. The TEAEs were typically mild-to-moderate in severity and either resolved or were resolving. The ENVISION trial demonstrated a similar safety profile to that observed in other studies of UGN-102.

About UGN-102

UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution is an innovative drug formulation of mitomycin, currently in Phase 3 development for the treatment of LG-IR-NMIBC. Utilizing UroGen’s proprietary RTGel technology, a sustained release, hydrogel-based formulation, UGN-102 is designed to enable longer exposure of bladder tissue to mitomycin, thereby enabling the treatment of tumors by non-surgical means. UGN-102 is delivered to patients using a standard urinary catheter in an outpatient setting by a trained healthcare professional. UroGen completed the NDA submission in August, ahead of schedule. The FDA accepted the NDA for UGN-102 and assigned a PDUFA goal date of June 13, 2025.

About Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)

In the U.S., bladder cancer is the second most common urologic cancer in men. LG-IR- NMIBC represents approximately 23,000 newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients each year and an estimated 59,000 recurrences annually among patients diagnosed from previous years. Bladder cancer primarily affects older populations with increased risk of comorbidities, with the median age of diagnosis being 73 years. Guideline recommendations for the management of NMIBC include trans-urethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) as the standard of care. Up to 70 percent of NMIBC patients experience at least one recurrence and LG-IR-NMIBC patients are even more likely to recur and face repeated TURBT procedures.

About ENVISION

The Phase 3 ENVISION trial is a single-arm, multinational, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution as a chemoablative therapy in patients with LG-IR-NMIBC. The Phase 3 ENVISION trial completed target enrollment with approximately 240 patients across 56 sites. Study participants received six once-weekly intravesical instillations of UGN-102. The primary endpoint evaluated the CR rate at the three-month assessment after the first instillation, and the key secondary endpoint evaluated durability over time in patients who achieved a CR at the three-month assessment. Learn more about the Phase 3 ENVISION trial at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05243550).

On January 15, 2025 Orna Therapeutics, Inc. ("Orna") and Shanghai Simnova Biotech Co., Ltd. ("Simnova") reported the expansion of their strategic collaboration to include BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen) as a designated biological target for RNA-based therapeutics development (Press release, Orna Therapeutics, JAN 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234649741]). This partnership leverages Orna’s groundbreaking circular RNA (oRNA) technology and Simnova’s expertise in cell therapy to deliver transformative treatments for patients worldwide.

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Under the agreement, Simnova will pursue the research and development and commercialization of in vivo panCar cell therapies targeting BCMA in greater China and Orna will retain all rights for development and commercialization in the rest of the world. Each party will have the right to receive an upfront payment within their respective licensed territories and is eligible for clinical development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones as well as royalties on any approved products derived from the collaboration.

In January 2023, Simnova and Orna announced a collaboration agreement granting Simnova exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Orna’s in vivo cell therapy products in the Greater China region. This includes Orna’s lead isCAR project targeting CD19, "ORN-101."

"We are excited to deepen our partnership with Simnova to bring an in vivo BCMA panCAR therapy to patients with multiple Myeloma," said Ansbert Gadicke, M.D., Chairman of Orna and Managing Partner of MPM BioImpact. "Orna’s panCAR approach holds the potential to introduce a novel class of in vivo CAR therapies that overcomes the limitations of current ex vivo cell therapies. The exciting pre-clinical and non-human primate data that Orna has generated continues to reinforce our commitment in this area. We look forward to advancing our programs towards the clinic."

Dr. Zhuoxiao CAO, CEO of Simnova, added, "Our shared commitment to advancing immunotherapies and oncology treatments opens new opportunities to address unmet medical needs through the development of BCMA-targeted therapeutics."

On January 15, 2025 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), a leading clinical-stage company specializing in immunotherapy for oncology, reported that Germany’s medical regulatory body, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute (PEI), has approved the continuation of patient enrollment into Cohort 5 of the GOBLET study (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, JAN 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234649740]). This cohort is evaluating pelareorep in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) with or without atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in newly diagnosed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients.

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Following a positive safety review by the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), which recommended continuation, the PEI’s approval allows Cohort 5 to progress to full enrollment. Early safety data will be presented at the upcoming 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium later this month, with initial efficacy results expected in the second half of the year.

"Pelareorep has the potential to meaningfully improve outcomes for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer," said Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer for Oncolytics Biotech. "Encouraging tumor response rates observed in an earlier cohort of the GOBLET study underscore pelareorep’s promise in this disease. GOBLET Cohort 5 extends our evaluation by testing pelareorep with a different chemotherapy regimen, mFOLFIRINOX, which broadens the range of pancreatic cancer patients who may benefit from this innovative therapy. Positive results from this cohort may ultimately enable pelareorep to benefit the large majority of metastatic pancreatic patients for whom improved treatment options are badly needed."

About GOBLET Cohort 5
The mFOLFIRINOX cohort of the Phase 1/2 GOBLET study is designed to evaluate newly diagnosed metastatic PDAC patients treated with pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX with or without atezolizumab. A three-patient safety run-in was incorporated to evaluate the safety and tolerability of each treatment arm: pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX + atezolizumab and pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX. A total of fifteen evaluable patients will be randomized to each arm in Stage 1 of this Simon two-stage study. The co-primary endpoints are objective response rate and safety. If Stage 1 success criteria are met, one or both treatment arms may be expanded to Stage 2, in which 17 additional evaluable patients per arm will be enrolled. Blood and tumor samples will also be collected for translational evaluations.

About GOBLET
The GOBLET (Gastrointestinal tumOrs exploring the treatment comBinations with the oncolytic reovirus peLarEorep and anTi-PD-L1) study is a phase 1/2 multiple indication study in advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal tumors. The study is being conducted at 17 centers in Germany and is being managed by AIO-Studien-gGmbH. The co-primary endpoints of the study are objective response rate (ORR) and/or disease control rate and safety. Key secondary and exploratory endpoints include additional efficacy assessments and evaluation of potential biomarkers. The study comprises five treatment groups:

1.Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel in 1st line advanced/metastatic PDAC patients;

2.Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab in 1st line MSI (microsatellite instability)-high metastatic colorectal cancer patients;

3.Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab and TAS-102 in 3rd line metastatic colorectal cancer patients;

4.Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab in 2nd line or later advanced and unresectable anal cancer patients; and

5.Pelareorep in combination with mFOLFIRINOX with and without atezolizumab in newly diagnosed metastatic PDAC patients.

Any cohort meeting pre-specified efficacy criteria in Stage 1 may be advanced to Stage 2 and enroll additional patients.

About AIO
AIO-Studien-gGmbH (AIO) emerged from the study center of the medical oncology working group within the German Cancer Society (DKG). AIO operates with a non-profit purpose of promoting science and research with a focus on medical oncology. Since its foundation, AIO has become a successful sponsor and study management company and has established itself both nationally and internationally.

On January 15, 2025 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), a leading immunotherapy company, reported significant progress in its ongoing discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding three areas of its clinical development pipeline in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, ImmunityBio, JAN 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234649739]).

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NMIBC BCG Unresponsive Papillary Disease: ImmunityBio is preparing to submit a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) in 2025 for its innovative treatment targeting Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in the papillary indication. As published in the Chamie 2022 NEJM1 publication, the primary endpoint was met with a disease-free rate of 55% at 12 months, 51% at 18 months, and 48% at 24 months. In addition, patients receiving ANKTIVA + BCG achieved a 93% avoidance of cystectomy with a median follow up of 20.7 months. This immunotherapy of rescuing BCG with ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), now approved in the CIS indication, represents a step towards providing therapeutic options in patients with BCG unresponsive NMIBC in papillary disease who currently have limited treatment choices and face radical total cystectomy (removal of bladder). The addition of the papillary indication could expand the potential patient population benefiting from this therapy and may allow patients to avoid the high morbidity and mortality associated with radical total cystectomy.

Alternative Source of BCG: In collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, ImmunityBio plans a regulatory submission for an alternative source of BCG in the first quarter of 2025. Serum Institute’s GMP capacity to manufacture large-scale volumes of BCG, already tested for safety and efficacy in clinical trials in Europe in subjects with NMIBC, aims to address the shortage of BCG, ensuring a reliable supply for patients in need. This initiative underscores ImmunityBio’s commitment to addressing critical supply issues and expanding the opportunity for patients and physicians to have access to high quality and quantities of BCG to initialize and maintain treatments for bladder cancer, subject to regulatory approvals.

Second-Line and Third-Line NSCLC Patients Who Have Progressed on Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Phase 2b study (QUILT-3.055) included (N=86) NSCLC patients and demonstrated prolonged overall survival when ANKTIVA was combined with the same checkpoint inhibitors on which patients were progressing, validating the rescue potential of ANKTIVA for T cells and checkpoint inhibitors. Compared to the most frequently used chemotherapy docetaxel in this setting with overall survival ranging from 7 to 10 months and associated with high toxicities of this chemotherapeutic agent, ANKTIVA plus a checkpoint inhibitor represents an immunotherapeutic advance for this disease.

ImmunityBio plans to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2025 for second- and third-line treatment of patients with NSCLC, who are progressing on checkpoint inhibitors. As presented at the IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer by Dr. Wrangle2, the QUILT-3.055 study (Phase 2b, N=86) has shown promising results demonstrating a median overall survival for all patients at 14.1 months. In PD-L1 negative subjects, the median overall survival extended to 15.8 months.

"The potential to improve outcomes for NSCLC patients who have already relapsed on checkpoints is an unmet need. The combination of administering ANKTIVA plus a checkpoint even after checkpoint relapse/refractory represents a large potential for ANKTIVA to rescue checkpoint failure and prolong overall survival without the toxicities of chemotherapy," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of ImmunityBio. "This submission underscores ImmunityBio’s dedication to advancing cancer treatment and providing new hope for patients battling this aggressive disease. This BLA submission together with our randomized ResQ201A-NSCLC (NCT06745908) Phase 3 trial in NSCLC is a potential stepping stone towards advancing novel immunotherapies in this indication for patients who have failed checkpoint inhibitor therapy."

About ANKTIVA

The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response.

ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 receptor agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and drives the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones. The proliferation of the trifecta of these immune killing cells and the activation of trained immune memory results in immunogenic cell death, inducing a state of equilibrium with durable complete responses. ANKTIVA has improved pharmacokinetic properties, longer persistence in lymphoid tissues, and enhanced anti-tumor activity compared to native, non-complexed IL-15 in-vivo.

On January 15, 2025 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX) reported the completion of the submissions of its marketing authorization applications (MAA) for ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept) plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without papillary tumors, to both the European Union (EU) European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United Kingdom’s (UK) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) (Press release, ImmunityBio, JAN 15, 2025, View Source [SID1234649738]).

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The EMA covers 27 countries in the EU, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. The assessment is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2025. Similarly, the UK assessment of the MAA is anticipated to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2025. ImmunityBio is in continued dialog for requests for information from the two agencies, with the potential of approval by 2026.

"The submission of our applications to EMA and MHRA represents a significant milestone in our efforts to address this critical need and improve patient outcomes globally," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio.

ImmunityBio continues to make strides in its mission to provide innovative therapies for patients with limited treatment options. The U.S. launch of ANKTIVA for NMIBC CIS has gained momentum, with the product now widely accessible through commercial and government insurance programs. The company recently announced the unique, permanent Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) J-code (J9028) assigned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the United States for ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) under J9028 (Injection, nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln, for intravesical use, 1 microgram). To date, commercial and governmental insurance cover over 240 million lives for ANKTIVA.

About ANKTIVA

The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response.

ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 receptor agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and drives the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones. The proliferation of the trifecta of these immune killing cells and the activation of trained immune memory results in immunogenic cell death, inducing a state of equilibrium with durable complete responses. ANKTIVA has improved pharmacokinetic properties, longer persistence in lymphoid tissues, and enhanced anti-tumor activity compared to native, non-complexed IL-15 in-vivo.