Calithera Biosciences Highlights Breadth of Innovative Pipeline at R&D Day

On October 5, 2019 Calithera Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs that target novel and critical metabolic pathways in tumor and cancer-fighting immune cells, reported that it will provide an update on the company’s growing research pipeline of novel therapies in oncology and cystic fibrosis during an R&D day hosted today in New York City (Press release, Calithera Biosciences, OCT 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234535234]).

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Calithera management, including Susan Molineaux, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer and Keith Orford, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President of Clinical Development will discuss progress on Calithera’s clinical and emerging programs. Nizar Tannir, MD, Deputy Department Chair, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will discuss the advanced renal cell carcinoma treatment landscape.

"R&D Day is an opportunity to provide additional insight into our clinical development programs, delineate key milestones, and highlight our innovative pipeline," said Susan Molineaux, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calithera. "In 2019, we plan to report data from our Phase 2 ENTRATA study in renal cell carcinoma. In addition, we and our partner Incyte expect data on INCB001158 to be presented at a medical meeting in the first half of 2019.

Pipeline Highlights

During R&D Day, Calithera will discuss its clinical development pipeline of innovative therapies including:

Two Randomized Phase 2 Combination Trials of CB-839 for the Treatment of Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma. The ENTRATA trial, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of late line patients, will enroll approximately 66 patients to receive either everolimus and CB-839 or everolimus alone. Topline results are expected in 2019. CANTATA is a randomized, global, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing patients treated with cabozantinib and CB-839 to patients treated with cabozantinib alone. This trial will enroll approximately 300 clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients who have previously received one or two prior lines of therapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for CB-839 in combination with cabozantinib for the treatment of this patient population.

CB-839 Phase 1b Cabozantinib Combination Data in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. Updated results of CB-839 in combination with cabozantinib will be presented. In the Phase 1b trial, 12 advanced renal cell carcinoma patients, including 10 clear cell and two papillary patients, were treated with CB-839 plus cabozantinib and were evaluable for response. Patients enrolled in the trial have advanced or metastatic disease and had received a median of three prior treatments, which included tyrosine kinase inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, and checkpoint inhibitors. One hundred percent of evaluable patients experienced tumor shrinkage and disease control, including five patients who had a partial response and seven patients who had stable disease. In the clear cell patient population, the disease control rate was 100% and the response rate was 50%.

Pfizer collaboration to develop CB-839 in combination with PARP inhibitors and CDK4/6 inhibitors. As part of a clinical collaboration with Pfizer announced today, Calithera will initiate Phase 1/2 clinical studies in the first quarter of 2019. Preclinical data suggest that CB-839 synergizes with CDK4/6 inhibitors by enhancing cell cycle arrest and blocking cancer cell proliferation. CB-839 also synergizes with PARP inhibitors to impair DNA synthesis, enhance DNA damage, and block cancer cell proliferation.

INCB001158 Arginase Inhibitor Immuno-oncology Program. INCB001158 is being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of patients with solid tumors both as a monotherapy, and in combination with immunotherapies and chemotherapy. INCB001158 is being developed as part of a collaboration and license agreement with Incyte. Data from INCB001158 is expected to be presented at a medical meeting in the first half of 2019.

CB-280 Arginase Inhibitor for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. Arginase is believed to be critical in the pathology of cystic fibrosis. It impairs production of nitric oxide and generates metabolites of arginine that may impair lung function. CB-280 is an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of arginase. An investigational new drug (IND) application for CB-280 with the U.S. FDA is planned for the first half of 2019.

CB-708 Oral Small Molecule CD73 Inhibitor. The immuno-oncology target CD73 is an enzyme that plays a critical role in the process of ATP conversion to adenosine. An IND application for CB-708, an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of CD73, is planned for 2019. Webcast Information Calithera will host R&D Day today from 8:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. ET in New York, NY. For those not able to attend, a live webcast that will include audio and slides of the presentation can be accessed through the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.calithera.com. Following the live presentations, a replay of the webcast will be available on the company’s website for at least 90 days

Progenics Reports Results of Phase 2/3 Trial of PSMA PET Imaging Agent PyL for the Detection of Prostate Cancer

On October 5, 2018 Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PGNX), an oncology company developing innovative medicines and imaging analysis technology for targeting and treating cancer, reported data from its OSPREY 2301 Study of PyLTM (18F-DCFPyL). PyL is the Company’s PSMA-targeted small molecule PET imaging agent designed to visualize prostate cancer (Press release, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, OCT 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234530641]). In the study, PyL demonstrated high sensitivity in reliably detecting distant metastatic prostate cancer lesions and high specificity in confirming the absence of pelvic lymph node disease. The associated strong positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PyL imaging in these disease settings indicate its potential high clinical utility.

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Dr. Michael Morris, Associate Professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and a lead investigator of the trial said, "These are highly encouraging results in a large, well-controlled and rigorous trial showing PyL has excellent positive and negative predictive value in assessing the distribution of disease in men with high-risk prostate cancer. Furthermore, in men intended to go to surgery, the specificity of PyL was exceedingly good. Taken together, a PyL PET avid lesion is a reliable reflection of histologically proven disease and may provide additional important information to men with prostate cancer and their doctors. That information may provide important guidance in the decision-making for their treatment."

Phase 2/3 Trial Results

The trial examined the diagnostic performance of PSMA-targeted PET imaging agent, PyL, to detect prostate cancer in pelvic lymph nodes in patients with high risk locally advanced prostate cancer (Cohort A) and distant metastases in patients with metastatic or recurrent (Cohort B) prostate cancer. The diagnostic performance of PyL PET imaging in this "gold standard" trial was evaluated against histopathology as the standard of truth. The OSPREY study dosed 385 patients with either high-risk locally advanced prostate cancer (268) or metastatic or recurrent prostate cancer (117). The study’s co-primary endpoints were the assessment of specificity and sensitivity of PyL PET imaging in Cohort A to detect prostate cancer in pelvic lymph nodes in patients scheduled to undergo radical prostatectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection. Key secondary endpoints for Cohort A were positive predictive value and negative predictive value. The study also evaluated several key secondary endpoints in Cohort B, including the sensitivity and positive predictive value of PyL PET imaging in detecting metastatic prostate cancer in patients where lesion biopsies (bone, soft tissues, lymph nodes other than pelvic lymph nodes) were feasible.

In the trial, the diagnostic performance of PyL in detecting disease in pelvic lymph nodes (Cohort A) showed a high specificity (96-99% among the three blinded independent readers), meeting the first co-primary endpoint of the trial, with the lower bound of the 95th percent confidence interval (94-96%) exceeding 80%. The sensitivity of 31-42%, did not meet the second co-primary endpoint, as the lower bound of the 95th percentile confidence interval (19-30%) did not exceed the required 40%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value of pelvic lymph node detection were 78-91% and 81-84%, respectively.

In the metastatic or recurrent prostate cancer setting (Cohort B), PyL exhibited sensitivity of 93-99% and positive predictive value of 81-88% in detecting metastatic lesions. Specificity and negative predictive value were not endpoints specified in the protocol for Cohort B as all men in Cohort B were suspected to have disease.

PyL was very well tolerated. A total of 27 (7%) subjects experienced at least one treatment related adverse event. There were no serious adverse events related to study drug. The most frequent drug related events included dysgeusia (2.1%) and headache (2.1%).

"The data from this trial shows the strength of PyL in prostate cancer detection, and its potential to be highly valuable for disease and treatment monitoring," said Dr. Vivien Wong, Executive Vice President of Development at Progenics. "While specificity and sensitivity are often used to describe diagnostic performance, PPV and NPV are increasingly considered more relevant indicators of actual clinical utility. Following our discussions with FDA, our Phase 3 trial design will use a primary endpoint based on PPV parameters in the biochemical recurrence setting."

"PyL imaging holds great promise in transforming how physicians manage and treat high risk, metastatic, and recurrent prostate cancer," said Mark Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Progenics. "Our data from OSPREY provides strong rationale for continued development, and we look forward to launching our Phase 3 trial by year-end."

Progenics plans to submit the full results from the trial for presentation at a medical meeting.

Progenics Reports Results of Phase 2/3 Trial of PSMA PET Imaging Agent PyL Page 3

About PyL for PET Imaging of Prostate Cancer

PyL (also known as [18F]DCFPyL) is a fluorinated PSMA-targeted Positron Emission Topography ("PET") imaging agent that enables visualization of both bone and soft tissue metastases to determine the presence or absence of recurrent and/or metastatic prostate cancer.

Investor Conference Call

Progenics will host a conference call today at 8:30 AM Eastern Time to discuss the approval. The live and replayed webcast of the call will be available through the Company’s website at www.progenics.com. To participate in the live call by phone, dial (877) 250-8889 (USA) or (720) 545-0001 (international) and enter the passcode 4282148. The replay of the call will be available for 90 days.

About Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer affecting men in the United States: an estimated one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that each year approximately 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and about 26,730 men will die of the disease. Approximately 2.9 million men in the U.S. currently count themselves among prostate cancer survivors.

Calithera Biosciences Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration to Evaluate IBRANCE® (palbociclib) and talazoparib in Combination with CB-839

On October 5, 2019 Calithera Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALA), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel cancer therapeutics, reported two new clinical trial collaborations to evaluate Pfizer’s palbociclib, also known as IBRANCE, and the investigational dual-mechanism poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor talazoparib, each in combination with Calithera’s glutaminase inhibitor CB-839 (Press release, Calithera Biosciences, OCT 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234535235]). As part of the collaboration, Pfizer will provide palbociclib and talazoparib, as well as financial support.

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"Tumor metabolism is a unique therapeutic approach that exploits the way in which cancer cells utilize nutrients to grow and survive," said Susan Molineaux, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calithera. "CB-839, a novel glutaminase inhibitor, has the potential to be developed in combination with palbociclib or talazoparib to improve patient outcomes. We look forward to collaborating with Pfizer on the combination clinical trials planned in the first quarter of 2019.

" Preclinical data suggest that CB-839, which is designed to starve tumor cells of the key nutrient glutamine, synergizes with CDK4/6 inhibitors by enhancing cell cycle arrest and blocking cancer cell proliferation. The combination of CB-839 with CDK4/6 inhibitors has demonstrated synergistic activity in a number of preclinical cancer models, including colorectal cancer (CRC), non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and ER+ breast cancer. Based on these data, Calithera will initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the combination of CB-839 plus palbociclib in patients with KRAS mutated CRC and patients with KRAS mutated NSCLC in the first quarter of 2019.

CB-839 also synergizes with PARP inhibitors to impair DNA synthesis, enhance DNA damage, and block cancer cell proliferation. The combination of CB-839 with PARP inhibitors has demonstrated synergistic activity in a number of preclinical cancer models, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), TNBC, CRC, NSCLC, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. Based on these data, Calithera will initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the combination of CB-839 plus talazoparib in patients with RCC, and TNBC in the first quarter of 2019

Teva to Report Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results on November 1, 2018

On October 5, 2018 Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) reported that it will release its third quarter 2018 financial results on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. ET (Press release, Teva, OCT 5, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2370421 [SID1234529812]).

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Teva will host a conference call and live webcast on the same day, at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss its third quarter 2018 results and overall business environment. A Question & Answer session will follow this discussion.

In order to participate, please dial the following numbers (at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time):

United States 1 (866) 966-1396
International +44 (0) 2071 928000
For a list of other international toll-free numbers, click here.
Passcode: 7193665
A live webcast of the call will also be available on Teva’s website at: ir.tevapharm.com Please log in at least 10 minutes prior to the conference call in order to download the applicable software.

Following the conclusion of the call, a replay of the webcast will be available within 24 hours on the Company’s website. The replay can also be accessed until November 30, 2018, 9:00 a.m. ET by calling United States 1 (866) 331-1332 or International +44 (0) 3333-009785; passcode: 7193665.

Generex Biotechnology Provides Update on AE37 Immuno-Therapeutic Clinical Development Program

On October 5, 2018 Generex Biotechnology Corporation (www.generex.com) (OTCQB:GNBT) (View Source) reported that the Company, in conjunction with its research collaborators Merck and the NSABP Foundation, will file an IND in October to initiate A Phase II Clinical Trial of Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in Combination with the AE37 Peptide Vaccine in Patients with Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Press release, Generex, OCT 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234529796]). It is anticipated that the trial will initiate sites in the fourth quarter and begin enrolling patients in the first quarter of 2019.

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Also, as previously announced, AE37 is being developed for the treatment of prostate cancer by the Company’s partner, Shenzhen Bioscien. The Company has nearly completed the non-clinical toxicology and pharmacology work required by the Chinese Food & Drug Administration (CFDA) and is preparing the necessary documentation for application to obtain authorization on the regulatory path for approval in China. Pending acceptance of that regulatory package, Shenzhen plans to initiate a Phase II clinical trial in Europe in 2019, with Generex maintaining Rest-of-World, ex-China rights to AE37 for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Further, in conjunction with the launch of the AE37/KEYTRUDA combination trial, and as part of the continuing restructuring of Generex, the Antigen Express name will be changed to NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology, remaining a wholly-owned subsidiary under the umbrella of the parent Company.

"We are excited to launch the clinical development of our HER2/neu immunotherapeutic vaccine AE37 in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda, for the treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer," said Dr. Eric von Hofe, President of NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology. "With this trial and our partnership with Shenzhen Bioscien, NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology is positioned to realize the full potential of AE37 while advancing our proprietary Ii-Key technology platform for use in other cancers and diseases."

Generex Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Dr. Jason Terrell, added: "NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology will be an important division within our restructured and diversified organization. This represents a successful advancement of our overall strategy to improve patient care through the development of innovative products and healthcare solutions."

Generex President & Chief Executive Officer Joe Moscato stated, "NuGenerex Immuno-Oncology is being established to not only to advance the Antigen Express core technology, but also to expand the Company’s portfolio in the field of immunotherapy and personalized medicine through partnerships and acquisitions. Generex has long demonstrated a belief and commitment to immune-therapy for the treatment of cancer through our extensive Ii-Key research & development program, and we are proud to be a leader in this emerging era of personalized, immuno-therapeutic cancer care."