On 28 April 2017 BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV) reported that the European Patent Office, EPO, has communicated its intention to grant the company a patent relating to the immune-oncology antibody BI-1206 (Press release, BioInvent, APR 28, 2017, View Source [SID1234518727]). This patent is important since it covers the use of the company’s drug candidate BI-1206, and similarCD32b antibodies, in combination with a CD19, CD20 or CD40 antibody in the treatment of cancer or inflammatory diseases in certain groups of patients. Such a CD20 antibody may, for example, be rituximab.

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The European patent will be granted by the EPO once all remaining administrative actions have been completed by BioInvent. The maximum patent term expires in 2031.

The company has earlier been granted a corresponding patent in Australia and has patent applications pending in other countries.

On April 28, 2017 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: GEN) reported that the European Commission (EC) has granted a marketing authorization for DARZALEX (daratumumab) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy (Press release, Genmab, APR 28, 2017, View Source [SID1234518724]). The EC approval follows a positive opinion issued for DARZALEX by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in February 2017. This approval also converts the previous conditional marketing authorization for DARZALEX to a full approval. DARZALEX is being developed under an August 2012 agreement in which Genmab granted Janssen an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize the product.

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Genmab will receive milestone payments totaling USD 48 million from Janssen Biotech, Inc. in connection with the first commercial sales of DARZALEX under the expanded label. The sales are expected to occur quickly after the approval. These milestone payments were included in the financial guidance issued by Genmab on February 22, 2017 and therefore there is no change to the company’s financial guidance following this approval.

"We are very pleased that DARZALEX is now approved in Europe in combination with other standard multiple myeloma therapies and that a far greater number of patients suffering from this incurable disease will now have access to this first-in-class immunotherapy," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab.

The positive opinion of the CHMP was based on data from two Phase III studies: the CASTOR study of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August 2016), and the POLLUX study of daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (published in the New England Journal of Medicine in October 2016). Data from two early stage studies also supported the approval: the Phase I MMY1001 study (daratumumab in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone) and the Phase I/II GEN503 study (daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone).

About the CASTOR study
The Phase III CASTOR study included 498 patients who had relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Patients were randomized to receive either daratumumab combined with subcutaneous bortezomib (a type of chemotherapy, called a proteasome inhibitor) and dexamethasone (a corticosteroid), or bortezomib and dexamethasone alone. The study met the primary endpoint of improving progression free survival (PFS); Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.53, p<0.0001. Patients who received treatment with daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone had a 61% reduction in risk of their disease progressing, compared to those who did not receive daratumumab. The median PFS for patients treated with daratumumab has not been reached, compared to median PFS of 7.2 months for patients who did not receive daratumumab. Daratumumab also significantly increased the overall response rate (ORR) (83% vs. 63%, p<0.0001), including doubling rates of complete response (CR) or better (19% vs. 9%) and rates of very good partial response (VGPR) or better (59% vs. 29%). The proportion of patients that achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negative status at the 10-4 threshold (one tumor cell in 10,000 white cells) was 13.5% vs 2.8%, p<0.000006 for patients treated with daratumumab versus patients who did not receive daratumumab. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events in patients treated with daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone compared to those who only received bortezomib and dexamethasone were thrombocytopenia (45% vs 33%), anemia (14% vs 16%) and neutropenia (13% vs 4%). Daratumumab-associated infusion-related reactions were reported in 45% of patients, were mostly grade 1/2, and occurred predominantly during the first infusion. This is consistent with the reported safety profile of daratumumab monotherapy and combination therapy of bortezomib and dexamethasone.

About the POLLUX study
The Phase III POLLUX study enrolled 569 patients who had relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Patients were randomized to receive either daratumumab combined with lenalidomide (an immunomodulatory drug) and dexamethasone, or lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone. The study met the primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival (PFS) (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.37; 95% CI 0.27-0.52; p<0.0001) for patients treated with daratumumab versus patients who did not receive daratumumab. Patients who received treatment with daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone had a 63% reduction in risk of their disease progressing, compared to those who did not receive daratumumab. The median PFS for patients treated with daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone has not been reached, compared to an estimated median PFS of 18.4 months for patients who received lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone.

Additionally, daratumumab significantly increased ORR (93% vs. 76%, p<0.0001), including doubling rates of CR or better (43% vs. 19%), as well as rates of VGPR or better (76% vs. 44%). The proportion of patients that achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negative status at the 10-4 threshold was 29% vs 7.8%, p<0.000001 for patients treated with daratumumab versus patients who did not receive daratumumab. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events in patients treated with daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus those who received only lenalidomide and dexamethasone were neutropenia (52% vs 37%), thrombocytopenia (13% vs 14%), and anemia (12% vs 20%). Daratumumab-associated infusion-related reactions occurred in 48% of patients, were mostly grade 1/2, and occurred predominantly during the first infusion. Overall, the reported safety profile was consistent with known toxicities of daratumumab monotherapy and combination therapy of lenalidomide and dexamethasone.

About multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and is characterized by an excess proliferation of plasma cells.1 Multiple myeloma is the third most common blood cancer in the U.S., after leukemia and lymphoma.2 Approximately 30,330 new patients were expected to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and approximately 12,650 people were expected to die from the disease in the U.S. in 2016.3 Globally, it was estimated that 124,225 people would be diagnosed and 87,084 would die from the disease in 2015.4 While some patients with multiple myeloma have no symptoms at all, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms which can include bone problems, low blood counts, calcium elevation, kidney problems or infections.5 Patients who relapse after treatment with standard therapies, including proteasome inhibitors or immunomodulatory agents, have poor prognoses and few treatment options.6

About DARZALEX (daratumumab)
DARZALEX (daratumumab) injection for intravenous infusion is indicated in the United States in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double-refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent.6 DARZALEX is the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to treat multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is indicated in Europe for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy and as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, whose prior therapy included a PI and an immunomodulatory agent and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. DARZALEX is the first human CD38 monoclonal antibody approved in Europe. For more information, visit www.DARZALEX.com.

Daratumumab is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds with high affinity to the CD38 molecule, which is highly expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells. Daratumumab triggers a person’s own immune system to attack the cancer cells, resulting in rapid tumor cell death through multiple immune-mediated mechanisms of action and through immunomodulatory effects, in addition to direct tumor cell death, via apoptosis (programmed cell death).6,7,8,9,10

Daratumumab is being developed by Janssen Biotech, Inc. under an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab from Genmab. Five Phase III clinical studies with daratumumab in relapsed and frontline multiple myeloma settings are currently ongoing, and additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess its potential in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases on which CD38 is expressed, such as smoldering myeloma, NKT-cell lymphoma, amyloidosis, myelodysplastic syndromes and solid tumors. Daratumumab has received two Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the U.S. FDA, for multiple myeloma, as both a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies.

On April 28, 2017 Celyad (Euronext Brussels and Paris, and NASDAQ:CYAD), a leader in the discovery and development of engineered cell therapies, reported the dosing of the first patient of the second dose in the solid tumor arm of its THINK trial (THerapeutic Immunotherapy with NKR-2) (Press release, Celyad, APR 28, 2017, View Source [SID1234518722]). This first ovarian cancer patient has been dosed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Buffalo, New York).

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At the first solid tumor dose-level, one pancreatic and two colorectal cancer patients were successfully dosed. None of these patients experienced dose limiting adverse events.

THINK is a multinational open-label Phase I study to assess the safety and clinical activity of multiple administrations of autologous NKR-2 T-cells in seven refractory cancers including five solid tumors (colorectal, ovarian, bladder, triple-negative breast and pancreatic cancers) and two hematological tumors (acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma). These cancer indications were selected based on strong preclinical evidence and NKG2D ligand expression.

The THINK trial is being conducted in the US and in Europe. It contains a dose escalation and an extension stage. The dose escalation is conducted in parallel in the solid and liquid cancer groups, while the extension phase will evaluate in parallel each tumor independently.

The dose escalation design includes three dose levels adjusted to body weight: up to 3×108, 1×109 and 3×109 NKR-2 T-cells. At each dose, the patients receive three successive administrations, two weeks apart, of NKR-2 T-cells at the specified dose.

"The opening of the first U.S. arm of the THINK study is an exciting milestone, and one we are very proud to contribute to", said Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, Deputy Director of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the co-Principal Investigator leading Roswell Park’s involvement in the international basket trial. "NKR-2 represents a unique approach to CAR T- cell therapy, and we hope that our efforts help to establish a new treatment option that will benefit many people with cancer". Dr. Odunsi is also Chair of Gynecologic Oncology, M. Steven Piver Professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Executive Director of the Center for Immunotherapy at the Buffalo, N.Y., comprehensive cancer center.


Dr. Frédéric Lehmann, VP Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Celyad added: "Preliminary results from the first dose-level are encouraging, further reinforcing the favorable safety profile of NKR-2. The THINK study is progressing very well and we look forward to the completion of the dose-escalation stage of the trial and the initiation of the expansion segments to confirm the encouraging clinical signal seen in our previous Phase I study. The active participation of a first key cancer institute in U.S. with the NKR-2 manufacturing in Europe demonstrates the ability of Celyad to conduct a global clinical development."

On April 28, 2017 OncoCyte Corporation (NYSE MKT:OCX), a developer of novel, non-invasive blood based tests to aid in the early detection of cancer, reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017(Press release, BioTime, APR 28, 2017, View Source [SID1234518721]). In addition, OncoCyte announced it will conduct an investor call on May 22, 2017 at 4:30pm ET/1:30 pm PT after its lead investigator Dr. Anil Vachani presents data from the 300 patient R&D Validation study at the American Thoracic Society 2017 International Conference (ATS) in Washington D.C.

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"We made significant progress during the first quarter towards the commercialization of our lung cancer diagnostic product, including initiating a search for a head of our sales organization as well as beginning the expansion of our sales, marketing and market access teams," commented William Annett, Chief Executive Officer. "We believe the data on our lung cancer test being presented in May demonstrates the robustness of our science and strengthens our market position."

"We plan to provide investors with an overview of the results from the 300 patient R&D Validation study on our conference call following the presentation. We believe the total addressable market for our lung cancer diagnostic test could be over $4 billion, and that we are positioned to be the first company to provide a highly accurate non-invasive confirmatory blood test to address this market. Our focus over the next few months is to complete the development process, obtain CLIA certification of our laboratory, and prepare for our anticipated commercial launch in the second half of the year."

Significant First Quarter Accomplishments

Reported the successful results of the R&D Validation study for its lung cancer diagnostic test. The results, based on the analysis of samples from approximately 300 patients, confirmed previously reported data presented by The Wistar Institute at the CHEST 2016 Annual Meeting in October. The data from the study exceed levels OncoCyte believes necessary for a commercially successful test.

Reported that it locked its prediction algorithm and intends to move to the Clinical Validation phase of development—the last phase before commercial launch.

Submitted the application for CLIA certification of OncoCyte’s laboratory where the assay will be run.

Announced that its breast cancer test is developing ahead of schedule, and began a follow-up, multi-center study to further develop and verify the results of the earlier studies.
Near-term Milestones

OncoCyte is continuing to make progress and has several upcoming events and milestones related to the development of its lung cancer diagnostic:

Poster presentation of lung cancer diagnostic R&D Validation study at the (ATS) International Conference. The data will be presented by Dr. Anil Vachani, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, at 2:15 p.m. ET on May 22, 2017.

Conference call to report on 300-patient R&D Validation study, to be held at 4:30pm ET on May 22, 2017.

Establishment of a medical advisory committee (MAC), headed by top lung cancer specialists. The MAC will advise OncoCyte on clinical unmet needs and future development strategy.

CLIA certification and California state clinical laboratory license, which OncoCyte expects to receive during the second quarter of 2017.

Clinical Validation study to confirm and replicate OncoCyte’s findings in a commercial CLIA lab setting.

Expansion of OncoCyte’s commercial capabilities in sales and marketing, revenue cycle management and reimbursement.

Launch of lung cancer test during second half of 2017 assuming successful completion of the Clinical Validation and CLIA certification.
First Quarter 2017 Financial Results

For the quarter ended March 31, 2017, OncoCyte incurred a net loss of $4.7 million, or $0.16 per share, compared to a net loss of $2.9 million, or $0.12 per share, in 2016. The $4.7 million net loss includes a $1.1 million noncash expense, or $0.04 per share, related to issuance of warrants to certain shareholders as an inducement to exercise warrants. During the first quarter OncoCyte used $3.3 million in operating activities compared to $2.2 million from the comparative prior quarter.

Research and development expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 were $1.8 million compared to $1.7 million for the same period in 2016. Overall the slight increase in research and development expenses was due to increased staffing and laboratory expenses.

General and administrative expenses increased to $2.0 million from $1.0 million for the same period in 2016. Sales and marketing expenses increased to $0.7 million from $0.2 million. The increases were attributable to a $1.1 million noncash expense for the issuance of warrants as well as increased staffing for the expected commercial launch of OncoCyte’s lung cancer diagnostic during second half of 2017.

At March 31, 2017, OncoCyte had liquid assets of $13 million, including $11.4 million of cash and cash equivalents, and available-for-sale securities valued at $1.6 million.