On February 26, 2025 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the resubmission of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for odronextamab in relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy (Press release, Regeneron, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650637]). The target action date for the FDA decision is July 30, 2025 .

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Acceptance of the BLA resubmission follows the achievement of an FDA-mandated enrollment target for the Phase 3 confirmatory trial in R/R FL ( OLYMPIA -1). This was the sole approvability issue identified by the FDA in the complete response letter associated with the previous submission. The BLA resubmission is supported by data from the Phase 1 and pivotal Phase 2 trials (ELM-1 and ELM-2), which demonstrated an overall response rate of 80% (n=103), with 74% (n=95) achieving a complete response. Serious adverse events occurred in 67% of patients; those occurring in ≥10% of patients included cytokine release syndrome, COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Odronextamab is approved as Ordspono in the European Union for the treatment of R/R FL or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy although its safety and efficacy have not been fully evaluated by any other regulatory authority. For complete product information, please see the Summary of Product Characteristics that can be found on www.ema.europa.eu.

About FL
FL is one of the most common subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). While FL is a slow-growing subtype, it is an incurable disease, and most patients will relapse after initial treatment. It is estimated that approximately 122,000 FL cases are diagnosed globally every year with more than 13,600 FL cases anticipated in the U.S. in 2025.

About the Odronextamab Clinical Development Program
Odronextamab is a CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody designed to bridge CD20 on cancer cells with CD3-expressing T cells to facilitate local T-cell activation and cancer-cell killing.

ELM-1 is an ongoing, open-label, multicenter Phase 1 trial to investigate the safety and tolerability of odronextamab in patients with CD20+ B-cell malignancies previously treated with CD20-directed antibody therapy.

ELM-2 is an ongoing, open-label, multicenter Phase 2 trial investigating odronextamab across five independent disease-specific cohorts, including DLBCL, FL, mantle cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and other subtypes of B-NHL. The primary endpoint is objective response rate according to the Lugano Classification as assessed by independent review committee, and secondary endpoints include complete response, progression-free survival, overall survival and duration of response. The pivotal results in FL were published in the Annals of Oncology.

Odronextamab is being investigated in a broad clinical development program exploring its use as a monotherapy as well as in combination regimens in several types of B-NHLs in earlier lines of therapy. In FL, odronextamab is being evaluated as a monotherapy against rituximab plus standard-of-care chemotherapies in a Phase 3 confirmatory trial ( OLYMPIA -1) and in combination with chemotherapy against rituximab plus standard-of-care chemotherapies in a separate Phase 3 trial ( OLYMPIA -2). For more information on Regeneron’s clinical trials in blood cancer, visit the clinical trials website or contact via [email protected] or +1 844-734-6643.

On February 26, 2025 Pyxis Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: PYXS), a clinical-stage company developing next-generation therapeutics for difficult-to-treat cancers, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to PYX-201 for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) whose disease has progressed following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and an anti-PD-(L)1 antibody (Press release, Pyxis Oncology, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650636]). PYX-201 is a first-in-concept antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that uniquely targets Extradomain-B Fibronectin (EDB+FN), a non-cellular structural component within the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM), which is highly expressed in various tumor types.

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"Receiving Fast Track designation for PYX-201 from the FDA marks a significant milestone for Pyxis Oncology, recognizing our potential to address the significant medical need in R/M HNSCC. This designation underscores the urgency of bringing differentiated treatment options to patients and will help accelerate the development of PYX-201 as we actively recruit patients for our trial," said Lara S. Sullivan, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to working with the FDA to advance this promising therapy as efficiently as possible."

Fast Track designation is an FDA program intended to facilitate and expedite the development and review of new drugs in the U.S. for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition. To qualify for this designation, there must be clear data demonstrating the drug has potential to address unmet medical need in the designated condition.

About Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world, with 1,464,550 new cases and 487,993 deaths from HNC globally1. Squamous Cell Carcinoma presents as the most common subtype and is derived from the mucosal lining of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Almost 50% of cases progress to recurrent or metastatic cancer post-initial treatment, presenting patients with a median overall survival of less than a year. The overall incidence of HNSCC is expected to rise, with a predicted 30% increase annually by 20302. The increase has been associated with multiple factors, including but not limited to tobacco use, alcohol consumption, a rise in HPV infections, and other environmental catalysts. With limited development outside of immunotherapy in the last decade, HNSCC remains one of the most difficult to treat carcinomas, highlighting the unmet need.

About PYX-201

PYX-201, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with a microtubule inhibitor (optimized auristatin) payload that uniquely targets Extradomain-B Fibronectin (EDB+FN), a non-cellular structural component of the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM), is the company’s lead clinical drug candidate.

Two PYX-201 trials are now actively recruiting. One trial, PYX-201-101, is designed to evaluate PYX-201 as monotherapy in patients with R/M HNSCC. A second trial, PYX-201-102, is evaluating PYX-201 in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with R/M HNSCC and other advanced solid tumors. The combination trial is part of a recently announced Clinical Trial Collaboration Agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside of the US and Canada).

KEYTRUDAis a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.

On February 26, 2025 Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TARA), a clinical-stage company developing transformative therapies for the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, reported that management will participate in a fireside chat at the TD Cowen 45th Annual Health Care Conference on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 9:50 am ET in Boston (Press release, Protara Therapeutics, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650635]).

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A live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed by visiting the Events and Presentations section of the Company’s website: View Source The webcast will be archived for a limited time following the presentation.

On February 26, 2025 Microbiotica, a clinical-stage biopharma company developing a pipeline of oral precision microbiome medicines called live biotherapeutic products (LBPs), reported that it has presented new data on the mechanism of action of MB097 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) IO meeting held in Los Angeles, February 23-26 (Press release, Microbiotica, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650634]). MB097 is an LBP in development as an adjunct to immune-oncology treatments such as MSD’s (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab).

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Dr Mat Robinson, Microbiotica’s Senior Vice-President of Research, presented data from new pre-clinical studies in a poster entitled "Clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma is associated with distinct gut bacterial species that promote anti-tumor immunity by different mechanisms". The poster can be accessed here (View Source)

The bacteria comprising MB097 were found to be associated with response to immune-oncology treatments, such as KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in multiple cohorts of melanoma patients. These new data demonstrate that the bacterial strains within MB097 can interact directly with dendritic cells to potently activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). In addition, certain MB097 bacteria also produced metabolites that enhanced the tumor cell-killing potential of CTLs. One strain released metabolites that reversed the inhibitory effects of tumor-associated macrophages.

Mat Robinson, Microbiotica’s Senior VP of Research, said, "These data begin to identify the different mechanisms by which gut commensal bacteria drive immunotherapy response."

MB097 is being tested in an international Phase Ib clinical study, in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with cutaneous melanoma who have failed to respond to immunotherapies. Data readout expected by the end of 2025.

On February 26, 2025 Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, reported fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results and provided a corporate update (Press release, Kura Oncology, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650633]).

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"We are very pleased the KOMET-001 registrational trial achieved its primary endpoint. We look forward to sharing topline data at an upcoming medical conference and expect to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) NPM1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) next quarter," said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. "In parallel, we are advancing ziftomenib into registrational studies in the frontline (1L) setting. Approximately half of patients with newly diagnosed NPM1-mutated (NPM1-m) AML and 80% of patients with KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) AML will die from the disease within five years. Given this unmet need, we are pleased to have reached alignment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) on key aspects of our Phase 3 trials, including the use of minimum residual disease (MRD)-negative complete response (CR) as a primary endpoint for potential accelerated approval in the U.S., with topline results anticipated in 2028. Our KOMET-017 trial is breaking new ground, and we and our partners at Kyowa Kirin are working as rapidly as possible to bring ziftomenib to AML patients worldwide."

Recent Highlights

Positive topline results from registration-directed trial of ziftomenib in R/R NPM1-m AML – Kura and Kyowa Kirin announced positive topline results from KOMET-001, the Phase 2 registration-directed trial of ziftomenib in patients with R/R NPM1-m AML. The KOMET-001 trial achieved its primary endpoint, consistent with the targeted 20-30% CR/CR with partial hematological recovery (CRh) rate, and data have been submitted for presentation at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper). The benefit-risk profile for ziftomenib is highly encouraging, and safety and tolerability were consistent with previous reports. Facilitated by the Breakthrough Therapy Designation status of ziftomenib in R/R NPM1-m AML, the Company completed its pre-NDA meeting with FDA and anticipates submitting an NDA in the second quarter of 2025.

Positive feedback from FDA for 1L combination trial designs – Earlier this month, Kura and Kyowa Kirin announced alignment with FDA on the KOMET-017 global trial protocol evaluating ziftomenib in combination with both intensive and non-intensive combination regimens in patients with newly diagnosed NPM1-m and/or KMT2A-r AML. This includes alignment on potential pathways for accelerated approval in the U.S. in both the KOMET-017-IC (intensive chemotherapy) and KOMET-017-NIC (non-intensive chemotherapy) trials by allowing the trials to use MRD-negative CR and CR, as primary endpoints, respectively. The companies also gained alignment with the EMA on the KOMET-017 protocol, and expect to initiate the KOMET-017 Phase 3 trials in the second half of 2025.

Positive clinical data for Phase 1 trial of ziftomenib in combination with standards of care – In December 2024, Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin announced encouraging clinical data from KOMET-007, a Phase 1 trial of ziftomenib in combination with standards of care, including cytarabine/daunorubicin (7+3) and venetoclax/azacitidine in patients with NPM1-m and KMT2A-r AML. Among response-evaluable patients enrolled in the 7+3 combination cohort for patients with 1L NPM1-m or KMT2A-r adverse risk AML, 91% achieved a CR (100% for NPM1-m, 83% for KMT2A-r patients). Ziftomenib was generally well tolerated in combination at all dose levels evaluated across all cohorts in the Phase 1a dose-escalation portion of the trial. The positive results from KOMET-007 reported at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) reinforce the companies’ commitment to evaluating ziftomenib across the continuum of 1L AML treatment options.

Global strategic collaboration with Kyowa Kirin to develop and commercialize ziftomenib in acute leukemias – In November 2024, Kura Oncology and Kyowa Kirin announced they entered into a global strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize ziftomenib (Kyowa Agreement), funding the expansive AML development program through U.S. commercialization in 1L combinations. Under the partnership, Kura retains leadership and key strategic rights to ziftomenib in the U.S. and preserves strategic flexibility, while enabling development and commercialization of ziftomenib across the continuum of care in acute leukemias, including both fit and unfit 1L indications, post-transplant maintenance setting and combinations with targeted therapies.

Preclinical data supporting opportunity for ziftomenib in treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) – In October 2024, Kura reported preclinical data presented at the 36th EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, supporting the potential for ziftomenib in combination with KIT inhibitors for GIST patients. The combination of ziftomenib and imatinib demonstrated robust and durable antitumor activity in imatinib-sensitive (1L) and imatinib-resistant (2L/3L) GIST patient-derived xenograft models. Sixty percent of patients develop resistance to imatinib within two years and ziftomenib has the potential to delay the onset of resistance to, or overcome resistance in patients pre-treated with, imatinib. In August 2024, Kura announced clearance by the FDA of an IND application and the Company remains on track to initiate the KOMET-015 trial evaluating ziftomenib plus imatinib in patients with advanced GIST, in the first half of 2025.

Clinical and preclinical data support combinations of farnesyl transferase inhibitors with targeted therapies – Despite multiple advances, innate and adaptive resistance remain a challenge for many classes of targeted therapies in cancer. A growing body of clinical and preclinical data demonstrates the potential of farnesyl transferase inhibitors as companion therapeutic agents to augment the antitumor activities of various targeted therapies and overcome resistance in combination. Enrollment in the FIT-001 trial evaluating our next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor KO-2806 continues to progress and the dose-escalation portion of the KURRENT-HN trial with tipifarnib is now complete. Kura expects to present the first clinical data for KO-2806 as a monotherapy and in combination, as well as clinical data from the KURRENT-HN trial, in the second half of 2025.
Financial Results

Collaboration revenue from our Kyowa Kirin partnership for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 was $53.9 million, compared to no revenue in 2023.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $52.3 million, compared to $32.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. R&D expenses for the full year 2024 were $170.0 million, compared to $115.2 million for the prior year.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $24.1 million, compared to $14.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. G&A expenses for the full year 2024 were $77.1 million, compared to $50.6 million for the prior year.

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $19.2 million, compared to a net loss of $42.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. Net loss for the full year 2024 was $174.0 million, compared to a net loss of $152.6 million for the prior year.

Net loss for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 included non-cash, share-based compensation expense of $8.6 million and $33.9 million, respectively. This compares to $7.2 million and $28.1 million for the same periods in 2023.

As of December 31, 2024, Kura had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $727.4 million, including the upfront payment of $330.0 million from Kyowa Kirin, compared to $424.0 million as of December 31, 2023.

Based on our current plans, we believe our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2024 will be sufficient to enable us to fund our current operating expenses into 2027, and combined with anticipated collaboration funding under the Kyowa Agreement, should support our ziftomenib AML program through commercialization in the 1L combination setting.
Forecasted Milestones

Submit an NDA for ziftomenib in R/R NPM1-m AML in the second quarter of 2025.

Present topline data from KOMET-001 Phase 2 registration-directed trial in R/R NPM1-m AML in the second quarter of 2025.

Present preliminary clinical data from the KOMET-007 Phase 1b expansion cohort evaluating ziftomenib with intensive chemotherapy (7+3) at a medical meeting in the second quarter of 2025.

Initiate the KOMET-015 trial evaluating ziftomenib and imatinib in patients with advanced GIST in the first half of 2025.

Initiate two independent Phase 3 registration-enabling trials in 1L intensive (KOMET-017-IC) and non-intensive (KOMET-017-NIC) AML in the second half of 2025.

Present preliminary clinical data from the KOMET-007 Phase 1b expansion cohort evaluating ziftomenib with venetoclax and azacitidine at a medical meeting in the second half of 2025.

Nominate a development candidate for next-generation menin inhibitor program in diabetes in mid-2025.

Initiate one or more expansion cohorts of KO-2806 and cabozantinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma in the first half of 2025.

Present data from the Phase 1 monotherapy dose escalation of KO-2806 in patients with RAS mutations in the second half of 2025.

Present data from the Phase 1 trial evaluating KO-2806 and cabozantinib in patients with renal cell carcinoma in the second half of 2025.

Present data from the dose escalation portion of KURRENT-HN trial evaluating tipifarnib and alpelisib in PIK3CA-dependent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the second half of 2025.
Conference Call and Webcast

Kura’s management will host a webcast and conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT today, February 26, 2025, to discuss the financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 and to provide a corporate update. The live call may be accessed by dialing (800) 579-2543 for domestic callers and (785) 424-1789 for international callers and entering the conference ID: KURAQ4. A live webcast and archived replay of the event will be available here or online from the investor relations section of the company website at www.kuraoncology.com.