On August 21, 2018 Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: RNN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative, targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) to evaluate the combination of Rexahn’s RX-5902 and Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in a Phase 2 trial in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (Press release, Rexahn, AUG 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234529020]).

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"Rexahn is excited to announce this collaboration with Merck, an established leader in the field of immuno-oncology," said Peter D. Suzdak, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Rexahn. "RX-5902 has both antitumor and immune-modulatory effects and augments the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in animal models. Based on the mechanism of action of RX-5902 and our observations in preclinical studies, we are optimistic that the combination of RX-5902 with KEYTRUDA may provide meaningful clinical benefit in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer – a cancer that is notoriously difficult to treat".

The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of RX-5902 and KEYTRUDA in patients with metastatic TNBC who have progressed following at least one prior treatment. Under the terms of the agreement, Rexahn will sponsor the RX-5902 and KEYTRUDA study.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

About RX-5902

RX-5902 (Supinoxin) is an orally administered, potential first-in-class, small molecule inhibitor of phosphorylated-p68 (P-p68). P-p68, which is selectively overexpressed in cancer cells and is absent in normal tissue, modulates the activity of the β-catenin/Wnt pathway and plays a role in tumor progression, metastasis and tumor immunogenicity.

In preclinical studies, RX-5902 has been shown to inhibit the growth and proliferation of multiple human cancer cell lines (including triple negative breast cancer), decrease tumor growth in patient derived xenograft models and potentiate the activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other anti-tumor agents. RX-5902 is currently being evaluated as monotherapy in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with metastatic TNBC. Preliminary data was presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) (American Society for Clinical Oncology) Annual Meeting in June 2018. Additional information on RX-5902 can be found at: View Source

On August 21, 2018 Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 4151 President and COO: Masashi Miyamoto; "Kyowa Hakko Kirin") reported that it has obtained the partial change approval for POTELIGEO* (code name: KW-0761; generic name: mogamulizumab) from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan (Press release, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, AUG 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234529005]). The approved partial change includes removing the requirement for pre-treatment diagnostic testing, and changing the dosage and administration in patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)*

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The approval is based on data from the MAVORIC (Mogamulizumab anti-CCR4 Antibody Versus ComparatOR In CTCL) study, the largest global randomized clinical trial of systemic therapy in CTCL. In the MAVORIC study, identification of CCR4 positive cells in patients before enrollment into the study was not required and the enrolled patients were treated with mogamulizumab 1.0 mg/kg intravenously on a weekly basis for the first 28-day cycle, then on days 1 and 15 of subsequent cycles. With the partial change approval, the requirement for diagnostic testing for CCR4 expression will be unnecessary and the dosage schedule will be changed for CTCL in Japan.

"With this approval, I believe POTELIGEO is more helpful for patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and healthcare professionals in Japan," said Mitsuo Satoh Ph.D., Executive Officer, Vice President Head of R&D Division of Kyowa Hakko Kirin, "Kyowa Hakko Kirin is dedicated to using advanced science and research methodologies to contribute to patients with unmet medical needs."

On August 8, POTELIGEO was approved for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides (MF) or Sézary syndrome (SS) after at least one prior systemic therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The marketing authorization application for mogamulizumab is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe. The Kyowa Hakko Kirin Group companies strive to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world by creating new value through the pursuit of advances in life sciences and technologies.

About CTCL (Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma)
CTCL is a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s T-cell lymphoma. The two most common types of CTCL are mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS), and depending on the stage, the disease may involve skin, blood, lymph nodes, and viscera. In advanced stage CTCL is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

About POTELIGEO (KW-0761)
News Release
POTELIGEO is a humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4), which is frequently expressed on leukemic cells of certain hematologic malignancies including CTCL (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma). POTELIGEO was produced using Kyowa Hakko Kirin’s proprietary POTELLIGENT platform, which is associated with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). It was approved first in japan for treatment of relapsed or refractory CCR4 positive adult T cell lymphoma (ATL) in March 2012 (brand name: POTELIGEO). In addition, mogamulizumab received approvals in Japan for an additional indication for relapsed or refractory CCR4-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in March 2014 and for chemotherapy-naïve CCR4-positive adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) in December 2014.

About MAVORIC
MAVORIC is a Phase 3 open-label, multi-centre, randomized study of mogamulizumab versus Vorinostat, active comparator in patients with CTCL who have failed at least one prior systemic treatment. The study was the largest comparative trial in patients with CTCL conducted in the US, Europe, Japan and Australia, and randomized 372 patients.

On August 21, 2018 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (YmAbs), an immunotherapy company discovering and developing innovative treatments for patients with cancer, reported that the Company has received a Breakthrough Therapy designation for naxitamab, in combination with GM-CSF, for the treatment of high risk neuroblastoma refractory to initial therapy or with incomplete response to salvage therapy in patients older than 12 months of age with persistent, refractory disease limited to bone marrow with or without evidence of concurrent bone involvement (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, AUG 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234529164]).

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YmAbs Founder, President and Head of Business Development and Strategy, Thomas Gad said, "We are very pleased that the FDA has granted the Breakthrough Therapy designation to naxitamab and we look forward to continuing to work with the FDA to make this therapy potentially available to children facing an unmet medical need. We believe that Naxitamab provides a new opportunity for pediatric patients otherwise faced with little or no options. This is an important milestone achievement for YmAbs, and we continue to work with the regulatory authorities to advance naxitamab to patients suffering from high risk neuroblastoma as quickly as possible."

Dr. Claus Møller, Chief Executive Officer further notes, "This is the first time naxitamab has earned the distinction of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation. We are pleased that the FDA continues to recognize the potential of naxitamab to help patients with high risk neuroblastoma."

About Breakthrough Therapy Designation:

The Breakthrough Therapy Designation was enacted as part of the 2012 FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) and is intended to expedite development of drugs to treat serious and life-threatening medical conditions when preliminary clinical evidence demonstrates that the drug may have substantial improvement on at least one clinically significant endpoint over available therapies. Breakthrough Therapy Designation includes all the features of the Fast Track Designation, as well as more intensive guidance from the FDA on a drug’s clinical development program.

On August 20, 2018 Cellectar Biosciences (Nasdaq: CLRB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of cancer, reported that data from Cohort 5 of the company’s ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating CLR 131 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma (MM) (Press release, Cellectar Biosciences, AUG 20, 2018, View Source [SID1234529088]).

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Unlike prior cohorts that used single doses of CLR 131, Cohort 5 utilized a fractionated two-dose regimen of 15.625 mCi/m2 given approximately one week apart. This dosing schedule provides higher average drug exposure but lower peak serum levels than non-fractionated dosing potentially reducing adverse events and improving efficacy. The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) determined the fractionated dose used in Cohort 5 to be safe and well tolerated and recommended advancement to a higher dose cohort.

Results from Cohort 5 indicate enhanced tolerability and safety in comparison to Cohort 4 despite an 18% increase in total average dose from 55.29 mCi to 65.15 mCi of CLR 131. Patients in Cohort 5 required less supportive care such as transfusions of platelets or packed red blood cells than seen in previous cohorts. Based on the results and DMC recommendation, the company plans to initiate a sixth cohort using a fractionated dose regimen of two doses of 18.75 mCi/m2 administered one week apart and to modify the dosing regimen of its ongoing Phase 2 trial of R/R hematologic malignancies to use fractionated dosing.

In addition to the improved safety profile demonstrated in Cohort 5, the company also monitored signals of efficacy. Despite Cohort 5 patients averaging 5 lines of prior systemic therapies, all patients experienced clinical benefit with two patients achieving minimal responses and two stable disease. Furthermore, looking at surrogate markers, patients in Cohort 5 monitored by M-protein showed a nearly 50% further reduction in M-protein than seen in Cohort 4.

"We are encouraged with the potential for improving the CLR 131 profile with the fractionated dose regimen. These results point to the promise of this dosing strategy to increase efficacy and improve clinical outcomes," said James Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Cellectar Biosciences. "In the fight against cancer, dose-limiting toxicities are a critical challenge to achieving therapeutic efficacy. We believe the fractionated dose regimen and our targeted drug delivery may overcome this challenge and we plan to incorporate it into current and future trial designs."

About Phospholipid Drug Conjugates

Cellectar’s product candidates are built upon a patented delivery and retention platform that utilizes optimized phospholipid ether-drug conjugates (PDCs) to target cancer cells. The PDC platform selectively delivers diverse oncologic payloads to cancerous cells and cancer stem cells, including hematologic cancers and solid tumors. This selective delivery allows the payloads’ therapeutic window to be modified, which may maintain or enhance drug potency while reducing the number and severity of adverse events. This platform takes advantage of a metabolic pathway utilized by all tumor cell types in all cell cycle stages. Compared with other targeted delivery platforms, the PDC platform’s mechanism of entry does not rely upon specific cell surface epitopes or antigens. In addition, PDCs can be conjugated to molecules in numerous ways, thereby increasing the types of molecules selectively delivered. Cellectar believes the PDC platform holds potential for the discovery and development of the next generation of cancer-targeting agents.

About CLR 131

CLR 131 is Cellectar’s investigational radioiodinated PDC therapy that exploits the tumor-targeting properties of the company’s proprietary phospholipid ether (PLE) and PLE analogs to selectively deliver radiation to malignant tumor cells, thus minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissues. CLR 131 is in a Phase 2 clinical study in R/R MM and a range of B-cell malignancies and a Phase 1b clinical study in patients with R/R MM exploring fractionated dosing. The objective of the multicenter, open-label, Phase 1b dose-escalation study is the characterization of safety and tolerability of CLR 131 in patients with R/R MM. Patients in Cohorts 1-4 received single doses of CLR 131 ranging from 12.5 mCi/m2 to 31.25 mCi/m2. All study doses have been deemed safe and well tolerated by an independent Data Monitoring Committee. The company is currently initiating a Phase 1 study with CLR 131 in pediatric solid tumors and lymphoma, and is planning a second Phase 1 study in combination with external beam radiation for head and neck cancer.

On August 20, 2018 Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies against cancers and infectious diseases, reported the completion of the transactions signed with Tasly Biopharmaceuticals. Co. Ltd. ("Tasly Biopharmaceuticals") on July 10, 2018 (Press release, Transgene, AUG 20, 2018, View Source [SID1234621825]). These agreements demonstrate the significant potential of the novel oncolytic virus TG6002 and the chronic hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine TG1050, on which the regional products T6011 and T1011 are based. T601 and T101 are now being developed by Tasly Biopharmaceuticals for patients in Greater China2.

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All closing conditions including completion of the administrative transfer of the assets contributed by Transgene to Tasly Biopharmaceuticals have been completed and 27.4 million newly-issued shares of Tasly Biopharmaceuticals valued at $48 million have been delivered to Transgene.

As a result of the transactions, Transgene holds approximately 2.53% of the outstanding capital of Tasly Biopharmaceuticals, which announced its intention to float on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Tasly Biopharmaceuticals controls all research, development and commercial rights to T601 and T101 in Greater China.

Transgene continues to develop TG6002 and TG1050 outside of Greater China.

The details of the transactions are described in the press release distributed on July 10, 2018.