On February 12, 2019 BioPharma (LSKB, Company) reported it has reached the pre-specified number of events required for unblinding and analysis of the primary endpoint of overall survival in the ANGEL study, a global Phase III clinical trial, which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of rivoceranib (also known as apatinib) in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (Press release, LSK BioPharma, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533268]).

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"Reaching the primary completion date in our global pivotal trial is an important milestone in the development of rivoceranib" said Scott Houston, Vice President of Clinical Development, "Outside of China, where apatinib is marketed, there is no small-molecule angiogenesis inhibitor approved for gastric cancer. We believe it will be the first such drug available for these patients worldwide."

The Company, which has conducted pre-submission meetings with FDA and EMA in the last month, will now focus on completion of database lock activities and subsequent data analysis with an expectation that the top-line, unblinded safety and efficacy data will be reported in the middle of this year. LSKB further expects to complete preparations in the second half of this year for filing marketing authorizations applications in several territories worldwide, including the US.

About Rivoceranib (Apatinib)
Rivoceranib is the first successful small-molecule angiogenesis inhibitor in gastric cancer. Rivoceranib acts by inhibiting angiogenesis, a critical process in cancer growth and proliferation. Specifically, rivoceranib selectively inhibits VEGFR-2 which mediates the primary pathway for tumor-mediated angiogenesis. It was approved in China (advanced gastric cancer, Dec 2014) where it is marketed by the Chinese-territory license-holder Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd. LSK BioPharma holds the global rights (ex-China). The Company is currently conducting a global (12 countries including US, Japan, Korea, Italy, Germany, and Russia) Phase 3 clinical trial of rivoceranib in advanced or metastatic gastric cancer patients. Rivoceranib has been clinically tested in over 1,000 patients worldwide and has demonstrated efficacy in numerous cancers including gastric cancer, CRC, HCC, NSCLC, esophageal cancer, thyroid cancer, mesothelioma, and neuroendocrine tumors. It has also shown potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes in combination with chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy, as well as for maintenance therapy. LSKB has received notification designating rivoceranib as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of gastric cancer from the European Commission in the European Union, the US FDA, as well as the MFDS in South Korea.

On February 12, 2019 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: GEN) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved a split dosing regimen for DARZALEX (daratumumab) (Press release, Genmab, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533251]). The approval will be included in an update to the Prescribing Information in order to provide healthcare professionals the option to split the first infusion of DARZALEX over two consecutive days. The supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) was submitted by Genmab’s licensing partner, Janssen Biotech, Inc., in July, 2018. The split dosing option was previously approved in Europe by the European Commission in December 2018. In August 2012, Genmab granted Janssen an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.

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"We are pleased that, with this change, patients in the U.S. receiving their first infusion of DARZALEX may now have this more flexible dosing option," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab

This approval was supported by data from the Phase Ib EQUULEUS (MMY1001) clinical trial, which demonstrated DARZALEX pharmacokinetics (PK) concentrations were comparable regardless of whether the first dose was administered as a split infusion or as a single first infusion in patients with multiple myeloma. The safety profile of DARZALEX was comparable when administered initially as either a split or a single dose.

About the EQUULEUS (MMY1001) Study
The Phase Ib EQUULEUS open-label study includes up to 240 patients with the goal of evaluating the safety, tolerability and dose of daratumumab when administered in combination with various backbone treatment regimens for different settings of multiple myeloma.

About DARZALEX(daratumumab)
DARZALEX (daratumumab) injection for intravenous infusion is indicated in the United States in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; 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; in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI); and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a PI and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double-refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent.1 DARZALEX is the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) approval to treat multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is indicated in Europe in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant; 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. The option to split the first infusion of DARZALEX over two consecutive days has been approved in both Europe and the U.S. In Japan, DARZALEX is approved in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. DARZALEX is the first human CD38 monoclonal antibody to reach the market in the United Stated, Europe and Japan. 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).1,2,3,4,5

Daratumumab is being developed by Janssen Biotech, Inc. under an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab from Genmab. A comprehensive clinical development program for daratumumab is ongoing, including multiple Phase III studies in smoldering, relapsed and frontline multiple myeloma settings and in amyloidosis. Additional studies are ongoing or planned to assess the potential of daratumumab in other malignant and pre-malignant diseases, such as NKT-cell lymphoma, B and T-ALL. 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 February 12, 2019 Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUPN), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, reported that the Company expects to report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2018 after 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 (Press release, Supernus, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533252]).

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Jack Khattar, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Greg Patrick, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to present the fourth quarter and full year 2018 business results on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Following management’s prepared analysis and discussion of business results, the call will be open for questions.

A live webcast will be available at www.supernus.com.

Please refer to the information below for conference call dial-in information. Callers should dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.

Conference dial-in: (877) 288-1043
International dial-in: (970) 315-0267
Conference ID: 2170478
Conference Call Name: Supernus Pharmaceuticals Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Earnings Conference Call
Following the live call, a replay will be available on the Company’s website under the ‘Investors’ section. The webcast will be available on the Company’s website for 60 days following the live call.

On February 12, 2019 Hutchison China MediTech Limited ("Chi-Med") (AIM/Nasdaq: HCM) reported the availability of preliminary results from the Phase II CALYPSO study of the savolitinib / Imfinzi (durvalumab) combination in a cohort of patients with metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma ("PRCC"), an investigator initiated study led by Professor Thomas Powles, Lead for Solid Tumour Research at Barts Cancer Institute, and sponsored by Queen Mary University of London (Press release, Hutchison China MediTech, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533272]).

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Full data from the PRCC cohort of the CALYPSO study will be presented on Saturday, February 16, 2019, in oral and poster presentations at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium ("ASCO GU") in San Francisco, CA.

Further details from the presentation are as follows:

Presentation Title:

A phase II study investigating the safety and efficacy of savolitinib and durvalumab in metastatic papillary renal cancer (CALYPSO)

First Author:

Thomas Powles, MD, PhD, FCRP

Abstract No:

545

Oral Presentation:

Oral Abstract Session C: Renal Cell Cancer

Date & Time:

Saturday, February 16: 2:00 PM-3:30 PM PST

Poster Presentation:

Session C: Renal Cell Cancer

Date & Time:

Saturday, February 16: 7:00 AM-7:55 AM and 12:30 PM-2:00 PM PST

About PRCC in the CALYPSO study

PRCC is a subtype of kidney cancer that is unusually difficult to treat, with low response rates from current treatment options and no treatments approved for this specific indication. The CALYPSO study is an independently sponsored open-label Phase II study of Imfinzi in combination with several drug candidates in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma in the U.K. and Spain. Several arms of CALYPSO are evaluating the treatment of PRCC and clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) with savolitinib, a highly selective inhibitor of the c-MET receptor tyrosine kinase, both as a monotherapy and in combination with Imfinzi (durvalumab), AstraZeneca’s anti-programmed death-ligand 1 ("PD-L1") antibody. CALYPSO enrolls an all-comer PRCC population with planned retrospective molecular profiling. For further details, please refer to clinicaltrials.gov number NCT02819596.

About Savolitinib

Savolitinib is a potential first-in-class inhibitor of c-MET, an enzyme which has been shown to function abnormally in many types of solid tumors. Chi-Med designed savolitinib to be a potent and highly selective oral inhibitor, which, through chemical structure modification, addresses human metabolite-related renal toxicity, the primary issue that halted development of several other selective c-MET inhibitors. In clinical studies to date, involving over 700 patients, savolitinib has shown promising signs of clinical efficacy in patients with c-MET gene alterations in PRCC, NSCLC, colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer with an acceptable safety profile. Chi-Med is currently testing savolitinib in partnership with AstraZeneca in Phase Ib/II studies, in multiple solid tumor indications, both as a monotherapy and in combinations.

On February 12, 2019 Ascletis Pharma Inc. (Ascletis, 1672.HK) and 3-V Biosciences, Inc. (3-V Biosciences) jointly reported that Ascletis, through its subsidiary, and 3-V Biosciences have entered into an exclusive license agreement for 3-V Biosciences’ FASN (fatty acid synthase) inhibitor TVB-2640 (Ascletis code: ASC40), a first-in-class, Phase 2-ready drug candidate for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in Greater China (Press release, Ascletis, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234577322]).

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In conjunction with the license agreement, 3-V Biosciences raised US$18 million in a Series E financing led by new investor Ascletis, through its subsidiary. Ascletis is joined in this financing by new investor Qianhai Ark (Cayman) Investment Co. Limited and existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) and Kleiner Perkins (KP). All investors have committed to fund an additional US$7 million in a subsequent financing. 3-V Biosciences expects to use the proceeds of the financing to support the continued development of TVB-2640, including its Phase 2 trials for NASH in the United States and China.

Under the terms of the license agreement, 3-V Biosciences granted Ascletis an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize ASC40 (TVB-2640) and related compounds in Greater China. 3-V Biosciences is eligible to receive development and commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties on future net sales of ASC40 (TVB-2640).

"We are excited about this strategic collaboration with 3-V Biosciences. Results from the phase 1b trial showed significant decrease in liver fat synthesis and indicate that ASC40 (TVB-2640) may be a promising treatment for NASH," said Jinzi J. Wu, PhD, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, "There are no approved therapies today for NASH in China and globally. We’re thrilled to develop ASC40 (TVB-2640) for NASH in Greater China and support 3-V Biosciences’ Phase 2 multi-center trials in the United States and China."

"3-V Biosciences is excited about our partnership with Ascletis; Ascletis brings expertise and capabilities that can accelerate the advancement of TVB-2640 (ASC40) on a global scale for this important emerging disease," said George Kemble, PhD, CEO of 3-V Biosciences.

"The partnership with Ascletis, a leading expert in liver diseases, will accelerate the development of TVB-2640. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Wu to the board, and I look forward to working with him," said Beth Seidenberg, MD, board director of 3-V Biosciences and managing director of KP, an existing shareholder.

According to Dr. Rohit Loomba, MD of Univ. California San Diego, Director, NAFLD Research Center, and Principal Investigator of the upcoming Phase 2 study of TVB-2640, "I am excited to see the advancement of this compound; lipid synthesis is an important driver of NASH. This study will evaluate the impact of TVB-2640 on liver fat using advanced imaging techniques that are expected to predict the ability of this drug to address this unmet medical need."

"In 2016, there were approximately 243 million people in China with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). By 2030, this is expected to increase to approximately 314 million people, of which 2.3 million will have cirrhosis," said Professor Wei Lai, MD, Director, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Chair, NAFLD and Alcoholic Liver Disease Special Interest Group (ALD SIG), Past-immediate President, Chinese Society of Hepatology of the Chinese Medical Association. "Inhibition of FASN is a promising mechanism of action for NASH. It is encouraging that Chinese biotech takes on the challenge to develop the first-in-class drug for such unmet medical need."

About TVB-2640 (ASC40).

TVB-2640 is an orally bioavailable, first-in-class inhibitor of FASN. FASN is a key enzyme in the de novo lipogenesis (DNL) pathway and catalyzes the biosynthesis of palmitate, which can then undergo further modifications into other fatty acids and complex lipids. Dysregulation of FASN activity is found in a number of different diseases, including liver diseases and cancer. NAFLD and the more advanced disease of NASH can progress to significant liver diseases, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.