On May 17, 2018 Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq:EXEL) reported that its partner Ipsen received approval from the European Commission (EC) for CABOMETYX (cabozantinib) 20 mg, 40 mg and 60 mg for the first-line treatment of adults with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the European Union (Press release, Exelixis, MAY 17, 2018, View Source;p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2349524 [SID1234526729]).

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"The expanded marketing authorization of CABOMETYX to include previously untreated patients in Europe with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced kidney cancer is an exciting milestone for a patient population in need of more treatment options," said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelixis. "We look forward to our continued collaboration with our partners Ipsen and Takeda to bring new options to more patients with difficult-to-treat cancers in Europe and around the world."

Under the terms of the Collaboration and License Agreement with Ipsen, Exelixis will receive a milestone payment of $50 million for the EC approval, of which approximately $46 million was recognized as collaboration revenue in the first quarter of 2018. The payment will be made by Ipsen within the next 70 days.

CABOMETYX was approved in the European Union in September 2016 for the treatment of advanced RCC in adults following prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy. The expanded EC approval to include first-line treatment is based on results of the CABOSUN trial, which met its primary endpoint of improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with sunitinib in patients with previously untreated advanced RCC determined to be intermediate- or poor-risk by the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria. In December 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CABOMETYX for the expanded indication of patients with advanced RCC based on the results from the CABOSUN trial.

Please see Important Safety Information below and full U.S. prescribing information at View Source

About the CABOSUN Study

On May 23, 2016, Exelixis announced that the phase 2 CABOSUN study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared with sunitinib in patients with advanced intermediate- or poor-risk RCC as determined by investigator assessment. The CABOSUN study was conducted by The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute-Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (NCI-CTEP) under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Exelixis for the development of cabozantinib. These results were first presented by Dr. Toni Choueiri at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2016 Congress, and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Choueiri, JCO, 2016).1 In June 2017, a blinded independent radiology review committee (IRC) confirmed that cabozantinib provided a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in the primary efficacy endpoint of investigator-assessed PFS. Results from the IRC review were presented by Dr. Toni Choueiri at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2017 Congress.

CABOSUN was a randomized, open-label, active-controlled phase 2 trial that enrolled 157 patients with advanced RCC determined to be intermediate- or poor-risk by the IMDC criteria. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive cabozantinib (60 mg once daily) or sunitinib (50 mg once daily, 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off). The primary endpoint was PFS. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, objective response rate and safety. Eligible patients were required to have locally advanced or metastatic clear-cell RCC, ECOG performance status 0-2 and had to be intermediate- or poor-risk per the IMDC criteria (Heng, JCO, 2009).2 Prior systemic treatment for RCC was not permitted.

About Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

The American Cancer Society’s 2018 statistics cite kidney cancer as among the top ten most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer among both men and women in the U.S.3 Clear cell RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.4 If detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for RCC is high; for patients with advanced or late-stage metastatic RCC, however, the five-year survival rate is only 12 percent, with no identified cure for the disease.3 Approximately 30,000 patients in the U.S. and 68,000 globally require treatment, and an estimated 14,000 patients in the U.S. each year are in need of a first-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer.5

The majority of clear cell RCC tumors have lower than normal levels of a protein called von Hippel-Lindau, which leads to higher levels of MET, AXL and VEGF.6,7 These proteins promote tumor angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), growth, invasiveness and metastasis.8,9,10,11 MET and AXL may provide escape pathways that drive resistance to VEGF receptor inhibitors.7,8

About CABOMETYX (cabozantinib)

CABOMETYX tablets are approved in the United States for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC. CABOMETYX tablets are also approved in the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Australia, Switzerland and South Korea for the treatment of advanced RCC in adults who have received prior VEGF-targeted therapy, and in the European Union for previously untreated intermediate- or poor-risk advanced RCC. Regulatory applications were recently submitted for CABOMETYX for additional advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) indications: on March 15, 2018, Exelixis announced the completed submission of a supplemental New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA for CABOMETYX for previously treated patients with advanced HCC; on March 28, 2018, Ipsen announced that the European Medicines Agency validated its application for a new indication for cabozantinib as a treatment for previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the European Union.

In 2016, Exelixis granted Ipsen exclusive rights for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib outside of the United States and Japan. In 2017, Exelixis granted exclusive rights to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib for all future indications in Japan, including RCC.

Please see Important Safety Information below and full U.S. prescribing information at View Source

U.S. Important Safety Information

Hemorrhage: Severe and fatal hemorrhages have occurred with CABOMETYX. In two RCC studies, the incidence of Grade ≥ 3 hemorrhagic events was 3% in CABOMETYX-treated patients. Do not administer CABOMETYX to patients that have or are at risk for severe hemorrhage.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Perforations and Fistulas: In RCC studies, fistulas were reported in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Fatal perforations occurred in patients treated with CABOMETYX. In RCC studies, gastrointestinal (GI) perforations were reported in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Monitor patients for symptoms of fistulas and perforations, including abscess and sepsis. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who experience a fistula which cannot be appropriately managed or a GI perforation.
Thrombotic Events: CABOMETYX treatment results in an increased incidence of thrombotic events. In RCC studies, venous thromboembolism occurred in 9% (including 5% pulmonary embolism) and arterial thromboembolism occurred in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Fatal thrombotic events occurred in the cabozantinib clinical program. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop an acute myocardial infarction or any other arterial thromboembolic complication.
Hypertension and Hypertensive Crisis: CABOMETYX treatment results in an increased incidence of treatment-emergent hypertension, including hypertensive crisis. In RCC studies, hypertension was reported in 44% (18% Grade ≥ 3) of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Monitor blood pressure prior to initiation and regularly during CABOMETYX treatment. Withhold CABOMETYX for hypertension that is not adequately controlled with medical management; when controlled, resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose. Discontinue CABOMETYX for severe hypertension that cannot be controlled with anti-hypertensive therapy. Discontinue CABOMETYX if there is evidence of hypertensive crisis or severe hypertension despite optimal medical management.
Diarrhea: In RCC studies, diarrhea occurred in 74% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 11% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Withhold CABOMETYX in patients who develop intolerable Grade 2 diarrhea or Grade 3-4 diarrhea that cannot be managed with standard antidiarrheal treatments until improvement to Grade 1; resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose.
Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (PPE): In RCC studies, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) occurred in 42% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Grade 3 PPE occurred in 8% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Withhold CABOMETYX in patients who develop intolerable Grade 2 PPE or Grade 3 PPE until improvement to Grade 1; resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose.
Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS), a syndrome of subcortical vasogenic edema diagnosed by characteristic finding on MRI, occurred in the cabozantinib clinical program. Perform an evaluation for RPLS in any patient presenting with seizures, headache, visual disturbances, confusion or altered mental function. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop RPLS.
Embryo-fetal Toxicity may be associated with CABOMETYX. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during CABOMETYX treatment and for 4 months after the last dose.
Adverse Reactions: The most commonly reported (≥25%) adverse reactions are: diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, hypertension, PPE, weight decreased, vomiting, dysgeusia, and stomatitis.
Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors: If concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors cannot be avoided, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage.
Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: If concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inducers cannot be avoided, increase the CABOMETYX dosage.
Lactation: Advise women not to breastfeed while taking CABOMETYX and for 4 months after the final dose.
Hepatic Impairment: In patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage. CABOMETYX is not recommended for use in patients with severe hepatic impairment.

On May 17, 2018 Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading genome editing company focused on developing curative therapeutics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and its research collaborator, Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR), presented at the 21st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) the first update on their joint discovery and development efforts of Wilms’ Tumor 1 (WT1)-specific transgenic T cells (Press release, Intellia Therapeutics, MAY 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234526747]). In conjunction with this presentation, Intellia reported that its first cell therapy target is WT1 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and other potential hematological malignancies, as well as for solid tumors.

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"As Intellia expands its wholly owned T cell therapy ex vivo efforts, we are pleased to present our first set of data in this cell therapy area," said Intellia President and Chief Executive Officer John Leonard, M.D. "WT1 is over-expressed in many tumor types, including both leukemias and solid tumors, and is an ideal target for immuno-oncological therapies seeking to treat these malignancies. This early data being presented is part of Intellia’s broader strategy to develop next-generation solutions for immuno-oncology and autoimmune disorders, with novel, modular platforms based on genome editing."

Intellia and OSR are collaborating to develop best-in-class CRISPR-edited T cells directed to WT1, a tumor-associated antigen expressed across a wide range of different tumor types and a known driver of leukocyte blasts in hematological cancers. At this year’s ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, OSR researchers, led by Chiara Bonini, M.D., Ph.D., shared findings showing the generation, characterization and advancement of WT1-specific, transgenic T cells against multiple WT1 epitopes presented on HLA-A*02:01 and other Class I alleles. Initial data demonstrating both recognition and killing of acute myeloid leukemia cells also was presented.

OSR researchers and Intellia presented the poster, entitled "Hunting WT1-Specific T Cell Receptors for TCR Gene Editing for Acute Myeloid Leukemia." The abstract is available on the ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) website here.

"Our collaboration with Intellia represents our shared belief that the characteristics of T cell receptors as a targeting moiety may be an excellent approach to broadening the field of oncology cell therapy, opening the door to many more potential antigen targets in liquid and solid tumors," added Bonini, full professor at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele; deputy director, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases; and head, Experimental Hematology Unit, Ospedale San Raffaele, Italy.

This ex vivo research effort is part of an integrated strategy to develop CRISPR-edited T cell therapies to address hard-to-treat cancers and overcome certain limitations of current-generation cell therapies, includin

On May 17, 2018 Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Syndax," the "Company" or "we") (Nasdaq: SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies, reported updated results from multiple cohorts of the ongoing Phase 2 ENCORE 601 trial of entinostat in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy (Press release, Syndax, MAY 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234526765]). This data will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting being held June 1-5, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

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ENCORE 601 is a Phase 1b/2 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab across multiple cohorts of PD-(L)1 treatment-naïve and pretreated cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma and microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC). Confirmed objective responses with the combination regimen have been observed across all cohorts. Updated data continue to demonstrate a
manageable toxicity profile for the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination, with treatment emergent adverse events observed consistent with those previously reported. The ENCORE 601 study also incorporates an extensive biomarker assessment of pre- and on-treatment blood and tumor samples from all patient cohorts with the goal of identifying a patient enrichment strategy that may predict enhanced clinical benefit across various cohorts and, therefore, potentially inform the design of future registration-directed studies.

"The additional data from the ENCORE 601 program continue to support the potential for the entinosta pembrolizumab combination to serve as an effective therapeutic option across a variety of indications," said Briggs Morrison, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syndax. "We are especially pleased to be able to share preliminary findings from our efforts to identify biomarkers that could aid in predicting which patients may derive a clinical benefit from this combination therapy. We have now identified a potential registration pathway in NSCLC and look forward to providing further updates as our plans come together."

NSCLC Update
The PD-(L)1 pretreated NSCLC cohort, which enrolled patients who have received prior chemotherapy and anti-PD-(L)1 treatment, provides the most mature dataset from the Company’s ongoing biomarker analyses. At the time of data cut-off, there were 6 confirmed partial responses (PRs) among the first 57 patients enrolled, for an 11% objective response rate (ORR) (95% CI: 4-21%) among patients treated with the entinostat-pembrolizumab
combination regimen. A total of 4 of the 6 responders were negative for PD-(L)1 expression at study entry. Among the 57 patients enrolled, 22 were refractory to prior PD-(L)1 therapy, and only 4 had a documented prior response to PD-(L)1 therapy. Median duration of prior PD- (L)1 therapy was < 6 months and the median time between last dose of prior PD-(L)1 therapy and first dose with the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 65 days. The median duration of response (DOR) to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 4.6 months,
with the longest observed response over 14 months. At the time of the data cut-off, 7 patients remain on study.
Blood samples were collected and analyzed for 51 of the 57 NSCLC patients enrolled. By measuring pre-treatment baseline levels of classical peripheral blood monocytes (CD14+CD16-HLA-DRhi), the Company has been able to identify a subset of patients that appears to exhibit enhanced clinical benefit to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination
regimen. Preliminary results from this assessment indicate that patients characterized by elevated baseline levels of monocytes ("high monocyte" subset, n=14) had a confirmed ORR of 29% (4 PRs/14 patients) and a Progression Free Survival (PFS) of 5.4 months, which compares favorably to the 2.8 month benefit recently demonstrated in NSCLC patients treated with third-line chemotherapy following progression after platinum doublet and PD-(L)1
treatment¹. In contrast, the subgroup of patients characterized by lower baseline levels of monocytes ("low monocyte" subset, n=37) had a confirmed ORR of 5% (2 PRs/37 patients) and a PFS of 2.5 months. The overall patient population (n=57) achieved a PFS of 2.7 months. Based upon these findings, the Company has identified a potential registration path in patients with NSCLC who have progressed on a PD(L)1 inhibitor. The trial is anticipated to commence by the end of 2018.

"Monocyte levels may reflect the ability of the immune system to respond after elimination of immune suppression," said Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D., Christopher M. Davis Professor and Program Leader, Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program at The Wistar Institute. "The data from this PD-1 pre-treated population suggest that monocytes are associated with positive clinical outcome from entinostat combined with pembrolizumab, and if confirmed, can potentially be used for patient selection in future studies."

"NSCLC patients whose disease has progressed on PD-(L)1 and chemotherapy are in need of options that offer meaningful clinical benefits. Initial findings from this cohort of NSCLC patients receiving the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination provide encouraging benefit in ORR and PFS," said Leena Gandhi, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Thoracic Medicine Oncology Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. "Although more data is needed, promising results for a population of patients with high monocyte counts further highlight that a selection strategy may
lead to enhanced benefits for patients."

Melanoma and MSS-CRC Update Within the anti-PD-1 pretreated melanoma cohort, a total of 6 confirmed PRs (ORR 18%; 95% CI: 6.8-34.5%) and 3 unconfirmed PRs were observed in the 34 evaluable patients at the time
of the data cut-off. Among these patients, 16 were PD-1 refractory, and only 2 had a documented response to prior anti-PD-1 therapy. The majority of these evaluable patients, 22 of 34, previously received the anti-CTLA-4 antibody YERVOY (ipilimumab) in addition to an anti-PD-1 regimen. Two of the 3 patients with unconfirmed responses had progressive disease within 6 weeks of the scan, while the third patient discontinued due to an adverse event. The median duration of prior anti-PD-1 therapy was < 6 months, and the median time between last dose of prior anti-PD-1 therapy and first dose with the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 64 days. The median DOR to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 9.1 months. Four of the 34 patients remain on therapy as of the data cut-off date, while 3 of the 34 evaluable patients received therapy for over a year.

Enrollment in this cohort was recently completed (n=55), and further efficacy analyses and biomarker assessments from the recently enrolled patients will be utilized to supplement and strengthen the Company’s development strategy for melanoma.

Within the MSS-CRC cohort, 16 patients were initially enrolled, with a median of three lines of prior therapy in the advanced setting. One patient from the initial patient cohort had a confirmed PR and remains on treatment at >6 months. Nine patients experienced stable disease as best response, 2 for at least 4 months. As the Company recently announced, following discussions with investigators and collaborator Merck, the decision was made to expand enrollment of this cohort to include a total of 37 patients in the first stage of the Simon-two stage study. Enrollment is expected to resume into the modified stage 1 cohort by the end of the second quarter, with
at least three responses required to advance to the second stage, at which point an additional 47 patients would be enrolled. A decision on whether to continue to the second stage of this cohort is expected in the first half of 2019. As with the other ENCORE 601 cohorts, peripheral blood and pre- and on-treatment biopsies are being evaluated.

The data announced today will be presented in poster presentations at the upcoming ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) meeting:

Title: Efficacy and safety of entinostat (ENT) and pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy
First Author: Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center
Abstract Number: 9036
Poster Session: Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic
Poster Board: 359
Date and Time: Sunday, June 3, 2018, 8:00-11:30 AM CT, Hall A

Title: Efficacy and safety of entinostat (ENT) and pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) in patients with melanoma progressing on or after a PD-1/L1 blocking antibody
First Author: Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD, St. Luke’s Hospital
Abstract Number: 9530
Poster Session: Melanoma/Skin Cancers
Poster Board: 357
Date and Time: Monday, June 4, 2018, 1:15-4:45 PM CT, Hall A

Title: ENCORE 601: A phase 2 study of entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer
First Author: Nilofer Saba Azad, MD, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Abstract Number: 3557
Poster Session: Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer
Poster Board: 50
Date and Time: Sunday, June 3, 2018, 8:00-11:30 AM CT, Hall A

Conference Call and Webcast
In connection with today’s announcement, Syndax’s management team will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET today, Thursday, May 17, 2018.

The live audio webcast and accompanying slides may be accessed through the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.syndax.com. Alternatively, the conference call may be accessed as follows:
Conference ID: 5778787
Domestic Dial-in Number: 1-855-251-6663
International Dial-in Number: 281-542-4259

Live webcast: View Source For those unable to participate in the conference call or webcast, a replay will be available for 30 days on the Investors section of the Company’s website, www.syndax.com.

On May 17, 2018 Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative immunotherapies for hematologic malignancies and other blood-related disorders, reported that investigators from Cellerant’s recently completed Phase 2 clinical trial of CLT-008 (romyelocel-L, human myeloid progenitor cells) will present key study results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago, June 1-5, 2018, and at the 23rd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper) in Stockholm, June 14-17, 2018 (Press release, Cellerant Therapeutics, MAY 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234526782]).

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"AML patients who undergo induction chemotherapy suffer severe and prolonged neutropenia, and the results from this study show significantly reduced infections in the CLT-008 group relative to control"

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Cellerant is developing CLT-008, a universal, off-the-shelf cell therapy intended to prevent infections during neutropenia. Neutropenia is a serious side effect of myelosuppressive chemotherapy that leaves patients at high risk of serious, potentially life-threatening infections, leading to prolonged hospitalization and often reduced or delayed treatment doses. The Company conducted a randomized, controlled Phase 2 study of CLT-008 in patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who received induction chemotherapy.

"AML patients who undergo induction chemotherapy suffer severe and prolonged neutropenia, and the results from this study show significantly reduced infections in the CLT-008 group relative to control," said Ram Mandalam, Ph.D., CEO of Cellerant Therapeutics. "This product addresses a serious unmet need in AML patients. We are excited to present the study results at these two important medical meetings, and look forward to advancing CLT-008 to a Phase 3 study."

Presentation details are as follows:

ASCO Abstract #7043: Abboud, et al., A randomized controlled open label exploratory trial of CLT-008 myeloid progenitor cells (MPC) to decrease infections during induction for AML. Poster discussion on June 4, 2018, 8:00-11:30am CDT. Presenting author: Farhad Ravandi, M.D., Janiece and Stephen A. Lasher Professor of Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

EHA Abstract #1405: Desai, et al., Decreased incidence of infection, use of antibacterials and days in hospital after administration of CLT-008 myeloid progenitor cells to subjects receiving AML induction therapy: Phase 2 Study Results. Oral presentation on June 16, 2018, 4:45-5:00pm CEST. Presenting author: Pinkal Desai, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York.

On May 17, 2018 Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) reported the appointment of Roger D. Dansey, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (Press release, Seattle Genetics, MAY 17, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2349629 [SID1234526766]). Dr. Dansey brings extensive experience in cancer drug development, most recently from Merck Inc. where he was Therapeutic Area Head for Late Stage Oncology, responsible for the ongoing registration efforts for KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) across multiple tumor types.

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"Roger’s appointment reflects the growing importance of late-stage clinical drug development at Seattle Genetics as we transition to a global, multi-product oncology company," said Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle Genetics. "Roger’s drug development and approval experience at industry leaders, including Merck, Gilead and Amgen, his deep oncology background and proven ability to collaborate and lead teams, make him an ideal fit for Seattle Genetics as we strive to bring transformative therapies to people with cancer."

Dr. Dansey stated, "This is an exciting time at Seattle Genetics with both a growing, approved drug in ADCETRIS as well as a product pipeline with important new opportunities, including three solid tumor programs in ongoing or planned pivotal trials. I look forward to working with the many talented individuals at Seattle Genetics to bring these new therapies to patients."

Roger D. Dansey was Senior Vice President at Merck Inc. from January 2015 to April 2018, where he led the company’s late-stage oncology development efforts including the approved PD-1 inhibitor, KEYTRUDA. Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Dansey was Vice President, Oncology Clinical Research at Gilead Sciences. He initially joined the industry at Amgen working in roles of increasing responsibility in Amgen’s oncology and hematology therapeutic area, including as Global Development Leader for XGEVA. He received his Medical Degrees from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr. Dansey succeeds Jonathan Drachman, M.D., who will remain with Seattle Genetics as a strategic advisor for innovation. Dr. Siegall added, "Jonathan has been a key contributor and leader at Seattle Genetics since joining the company nearly 14 years ago. He has been instrumental in the development of ADCETRIS, the expansion of Research and Development and advancement of our robust pipeline of both antibody-drug conjugates and novel immuno-oncology programs. I look forward to working with Jonathan on innovation initiatives that can ultimately benefit cancer patients."