On May 9, 2018 Protagen AG has reported the start of a collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to utilize Protagen’s SeroTag technology to investigate the immuno-profiling of prostate cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors and therapeutic vaccines (Press release, Protagen, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526386]).

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Cancer immunotherapies can be very powerful and provide novel opportunities for the treatment of cancer. However, they currently work for a limited number of indications and patients. In addition, as these therapies re-activate the immune system to fight the cancer, they sometimes can cause severe immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs). Through the collaboration, Protagen and UCSF intend to provide further insight into utilizing immune system profiling to predict treatment response and monitor prostate cancer patients for irAEs, specifically, a so-called cold tumor that it is difficult to target with immuno-therapies.

Dr. Peter Schulz-Knappe, Protagen’s Chief Scientific Officer, commented: "Our proprietary SeroTag technology has enabled patient stratification and immuno-profiling of patients into homogenous disease subgroups for several autoimmune indications. The strong link between immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease, confirmed by the observed irAEs under immunotherapy, provides us with an opportunity to improve immuno-profiling of cancer patients. We feel honored that Dr. Fong and UCSF share this view and we are excited about our collaboration, especially in an indication like prostate cancer that has shown to be difficult to target with immuno-therapies."

Dr. Lawrence Fong, the UCSF Efim Guzik Distinguished Professor in Cancer Biology and leader of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program in the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center added: "Although cancer immunotherapies can be effective in many different cancers, success in prostate cancer has been more limited. Nevertheless, we know that a small proportion of prostate cancer patients can respond to monotherapies. Immunologic profiling of these patients could enable approaches to patient selection. This collaboration could provide opportunities to accomplish this goal."

Disclaimer

The information stated above was prepared by Protagen AG and reflects solely the opinion of Protagen AG. Nothing in this statement shall be construed to imply any support or endorsement of Protagen AG, or any of its products, by the Regents of the University of California, its officers, agents and employees.

About UC San Francisco (UCSF)

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, transitional and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise.

It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area.

Please visit www.ucsf.edu/news.

On May 9, 2018 Savara Inc. (NASDAQ:SVRA), an orphan lung disease company, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 and provided a business update (Press release, Savara, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526406]).

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"It has been an incredibly productive quarter, including the launch of two new clinical studies, OPTIMA and IMPALA-X, with our lead product candidate Molgradex," stated Rob Neville, chief executive officer of Savara. "With a total of four ongoing clinical studies, our focus for the remainder of the year will continue to be the advancement of our core programs, while actively exploring the further expansion of our pipeline."

Upcoming Milestones and Recent Developments

Anticipating completion of enrollment in the Molgradex Phase 3 IMPALA study in Q3 2018. The IMPALA study is evaluating our inhaled formulation of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or GM-CSF, for the treatment of autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, or aPAP. At the end of Q1, enrollment was at 96 patients out of a total target of 135 patients, with completion of enrollment currently on track for Q3 2018 and topline data anticipated in Q2 2019.

Anticipating completion of enrollment in the AeroVanc Phase 3 AVAIL study in Q1 2019. The AVAIL study is evaluating our vancomycin hydrochloride inhalation powder for the treatment of persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) lung infection in individuals living with cystic fibrosis. At the end of Q1, enrollment was at 62 patients out of a total target of 200 patients, with completion of enrollment currently on track for Q1 2019 and topline data anticipated in H2 2019.

Anticipating completion of enrollment in the Molgradex Phase 2a OPTIMA study in Q3 2018. The OPTIMA study is evaluating our inhaled GM-CSF for the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infection. The study was initiated in mid-March 2018 and is expected to be completed in Q3 2018. As OPTIMA is an open-label study, depending on enrollment and other factors, interim results from the study may be provided during 2018.

Announcing first patient enrolled in the Molgradex IMPALA-X safety extension study. The IMPALA-X study is an open-label, multicenter study designed to determine the long-term safety and utilization of Molgradex in patients with aPAP. IMPALA-X offers patients the opportunity to continue treatment with Molgradex for up to three years after completion of the pivotal Phase 3 IMPALA study. Savara plans to initiate the IMPALA-X study in a rolling fashion in 12 of the countries participating in the IMPALA study by the end of 2018.
First Quarter Financial Results

Savara’s net loss attributable to common shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $26.8 million, or $(0.88) per share, compared with a net loss attributable to common shareholders of $5.0 million, or $(1.65) per share, for the first quarter of 2017, which represents the historical financial information of the private company Savara Inc., which completed its merger transaction with Mast Therapeutics, Inc. on April 27, 2017 (the "Merger").

Research and development expenses were $8.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared with $2.9 million for the first quarter of 2017. The increase was primarily due to $2.7 million in increased expenses associated with the development of Molgradex, including the expansion of the IMPALA study in the U.S. and other countries and the commencement of the Molgradex NTM study, an increase of $2.2 million in AeroVanc study costs related to Phase 3 activities, and $0.7 million related to non-recurring milestone payments relating to the Aironite study acquired in the Merger, which was not a part of our product pipeline in the first quarter of 2017.

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were $1.8 million, compared with $1.7 million for the first quarter of 2017.

Also, during the three months ended March 31, 2018, we recognized a one-time noncash impairment charge of $21.7 million to the carrying value of IPR&D related to the Aironite product candidate assumed in the Merger due to the unfavorable results from a Phase 2 study in which Aironite failed to meet the endpoints of the study and showed limited effectiveness in patients. We do not intend to further support or pursue the development of Aironite.

We reported a $4.6 million tax benefit for the first quarter of 2018 related to the reversal of a deferred tax liability resulting from the impairment of IPR&D acquired in the Merger.

As of March 31, 2018, Savara had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of approximately $85.0 million. The company’s operating expenses for the first quarter of 2018 were approximately $32.1 million which included the one-time noncash impairment charge of $21.7 million to the carrying value of IPR&D acquired in the Merger. Savara ended the first quarter of 2018 with approximately $14.9 million in debt.

Conference Call and Webcast
Savara will hold a conference call today beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 4:30 p.m. Central Time to provide a business update. Shareholders and other interested parties may access the conference call by dialing (855) 239-3120 from the U.S., (855) 669-9657 from Canada, and (412) 542-4127 from elsewhere outside the U.S. and should request the Savara Inc. call. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online from the Investors section of Savara’s website at View Source Replays of the webcast will be available on Savara’s website for 30 days and a telephone replay will be available through May 16th, 2018 by dialing (877) 344-7529 from the U.S., (855) 669-9658 from Canada, and (412) 317-0088 from elsewhere outside the U.S. by entering replay access code 10119917.

Arcus Biosciences has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Arcus Biosciences, 2018, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234527532]).

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On May 9, 2018 Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTPH), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibiotics to treat life-threatening multidrug-resistant infections, reported that its corporate presentation will be webcast live at the UBS Global Healthcare Conference on Monday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time at the Grant Hyatt New York in New York City (Press release, Tetraphase, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526321]). Live audio webcasts of the presentation will be available on the company’s website at View Source Archived presentations will be available for 30 days.

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On May 9, 2018 Immunomedics, Inc. (NASDAQ:IMMU) ("Immunomedics" or the "Company"), a science-based and innovation-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and worldwide commercialization of its unique and proprietary antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform, reported financial results for the third quarter ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, Immunomedics, MAY 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234526371]). The Company also highlighted recent key progress and planned activities for its sacituzumab govitecan program. Please refer to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed today with the SEC for more details on the Company’s financial results.

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"We have made tremendous progress in achieving our regulatory, clinical and organizational objectives in the prior quarter. Through the outstanding work of our colleagues, we remain on track to file our first BLA with the FDA later this month for the approval of sacituzumab govitecan for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). The FDA has previously granted us Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of patients with mTNBC who received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease," stated Michael Pehl, President and Chief Executive Officer of Immunomedics. "In addition, Rob Iannone joined us as the Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer, and under his leadership we will continue to unlock the full potential of sacituzumab govitecan, as well as new value creation opportunities with our unique ADC platform."

Highlights of Recent Progress

In March 2018, the Phase 3 ASCENT study dosed the first patient in Europe, reflecting the encouraging progress of the confirmatory trial with sacituzumab govitecan in patients with mTNBC.

In March 2018, the Company’s abstract on the efficacy of sacituzumab govitecan for treatment-refractive, HR+, HER2- mBC was selected for oral presentation at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting.

In April 2018, Immunomedics further expanded its executive leadership team with the appointment of Robert Iannone, M.D., M.S.C.E., as Head of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Iannone brings more than 13 years of experience in clinical drug development, including the approval of several targeted and immuno-oncology medicines at AstraZeneca/MedImmune and Merck & Co.

In April 2018, the FDA agreed to the Company’s proposed amendments to the confirmatory ASCENT trial protocol that is under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA). The amendments incorporated recommendations from EU National Health authorities and advice from key breast cancer experts. As a result, the sample size will be increased to 488 patients, and will ensure robust power to evaluate the key objectives in the primary population of interest. Based on strong early enrollment trends, these changes are not expected to meaningfully impact overall study timelines. Immunomedics believes that the FDA’s agreement to this SPA amendment may further increase the probability of success of the study, while leaving key study objectives and endpoints intact.
Key Upcoming Events/Anticipated Milestones

BLA submission for accelerated approval of sacituzumab govitecan in third-line mTNBC (May 2018).

Oral presentation of results with sacituzumab govitecan in patients with HR+/HER2- mBC at the 2018 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (morning of Sunday, June 3, 2018).

Investor Event at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) (evening of Sunday, June 3, 2018).
Third Quarter and Nine Months Fiscal 2018 Results

Total revenues were $0.5 million for the third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2018 and $1.8 million for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $1.3 million in the third fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2017 and $2.4 million for the nine months ended March 31, 2017. The decreases were due primarily to lower sales volume of LeukoScan in Europe. The Company discontinued the sale of LeukoScan during the third quarter of fiscal 2018 to focus on its ADC business.

Total costs and expenses were $38.1 million for the quarter and $90.4 million for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $23.4 million in the third quarter and $54.9 million for the nine months for the prior fiscal year. The higher costs and expenses in the third quarter and nine months of fiscal 2018 were due primarily to increases in research and development expenses as well as in sales and marketing expenses. The increases in third quarter costs and expenses of fiscal 2018 were offset partially by a $3.6 million decrease in general and administrative expenses in the third quarter due primarily to higher legal and advisory fees incurred in fiscal 2017 during the Company’s proxy contest.

The increases in research and development expenses were due primarily to increases in clinical trial costs as well as increases in labor related costs in connection with preparations for the regulatory submission and launch of sacituzumab govitecan in the United States for patients with mTNBC. The increases in sales and marketing expenses were due primarily to commercial launch preparation activities.

The Company recognized $9.8 million in non-cash income for the quarter and $49.8 million in non-cash expense for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $28.3 million in non-cash expense for the third quarter and $35.6 million for the nine months for the prior fiscal year. The changes in non-cash cost were due to the change in the fair value of warrant liabilities.

Net loss attributable to stockholders was $35.5 million, or $0.21 per share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to net loss attributable to stockholders of $59.3 million, or $0.55 per share, for the same quarter in fiscal 2017. Net loss attributable to stockholders was $156.8 million, or $1.08 per share, for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, compared to net loss attributable to stockholders of $99.9 million, or $0.97 per share, for the same period in fiscal 2017.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had $358.8 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities which it believes is sufficient to support its next phase of growth and continue operations into 2020.

Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2018, and review key clinical developments and planned activities. To access the conference call, please dial (877) 303-2523 or (253) 237-1755 using the Conference ID 9679918. The conference call will be webcast via the Investors page on the Company’s website at View Source Approximately two hours following the live event, a webcast replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website for approximately 30 days.