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 11, 2019 CTI BioPharma Corp. (NASDAQ:CTIC) reported that it has received a $10 million milestone payment from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. related to the achievement of sales milestones for TRISENOX (arsenic trioxide) (Press release, CTI BioPharma, FEB 11, 2019, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2386868 [SID1234533209]). TRISENOX was acquired from CTI BioPharma by Cephalon, Inc. (Cephalon). Cephalon was subsequently acquired by Teva. The milestone was paid pursuant to an acquisition agreement for TRISENOX entered into with Cephalon under which CTI BioPharma is eligible to receive up to an additional $40 million in payments upon achievement by Teva of specified sales and development milestones related to TRISENOX.

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On February 11, 2019 Aduro Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADRO) reported that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 trial of ADU-S100 (MIW815), a novel stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway activator, in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), an approved anti-CTLA-4 antibody for the treatment of relapsed and refractory melanoma (Press release, Aduro Biotech, FEB 11, 2019, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2386898 [SID1234533231]). The multicenter trial (see www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT02675439), which is part of an ongoing research and development collaboration with Novartis, will enroll advanced melanoma patients who have relapsed after or are refractory to treatment with anti-PD-1 antibodies, nivolumab or pembrolizumab.

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"We are pleased to initiate this study evaluating ADU-S100 with ipilimumab in a homogeneous patient population. Despite recent advancements in treating earlier stages of melanoma, the relapsed and refractory patient segment remains underserved due to a lack of therapeutic options. Based on their potential synergistic activity, ADU-S100 in combination with an anti-CTLA-4 antibody could generate a systemic adaptive immune response in patients with late-stage melanoma," commented Stephen Isaacs, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aduro Biotech. "As demonstrated leaders in the STING pathway, we are committed to build upon the growing body of data we’ve generated thus far, including encouraging clinical signals demonstrated by ADU-S100 as a single agent and in combination with spartalizumab, an investigational anti-PD-1 antibody."

The protocol for investigation of ADU-S100 as a single agent was amended to include evaluation of ADU-S100 in combination with ipilimumab. During the ongoing dose escalation phase of the trial, ipilimumab will be administered at its approved dose and schedule, while the dose of ADU-S100 will be escalated. The dose expansion phase of the trial will evaluate the optimized dose of ADU-S100 in combination with ipilimumab in two expansion cohorts that will enroll patients with cutaneously and viscerally accessible melanoma.

As previously presented at the 2018 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, target engagement of ADU-S100 and activation of the STING pathway was demonstrated in the ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation of ADU-S100 alone through increases in key systemic cytokines, IL-6, MCP-1 and IFN- β after administration. Partial responses were observed in 4.9 percent of patients (n=2/41), including one patient with parotid gland cancer who received prior anti-PD-1 therapy. Stable disease (SD) was achieved in 26.8 percent of patients (n=11/41), including five patients who had received prior checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In the ongoing study of ADU-S100 in combination with spartalizumab, clinical responses were observed in several tumor types, including two patients who had previously demonstrated responses to checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone.

In preclinical models, activation of the STING pathway has been shown to rapidly invoke an innate immune response, which subsequently leads to a systemic and sustained adaptive immune response through tumor-specific-CD8+ T cells. Ipilimumab may further augment such immunity, by blocking the activity of the checkpoint protein, CTLA-4, resulting in enhanced activity of T cells that attack melanoma cells in the body, supported by the demonstration of combined activity of ADU-S100 and anti-CTLA-4 in preclinical models.

About STING Pathway Activator Technology
The Aduro-proprietary STING pathway activator product candidates, including ADU-S100 (MIW815), are synthetic small molecule immune modulators that are designed to target and activate human STING. STING is generally expressed at high levels in immune cells, including dendritic cells. Natural activation of STING is not always sufficient to prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. In preclinical models, ADU-S100 directly activates STING to further amplify the natural anti-tumor response. Once activated, the STING receptor initiates a profound innate immune response through multiple pathways, inducing the expression of a broad profile of cytokines, including interferons and chemokines. This subsequently leads to the development of a systemic tumor antigen-specific T cell adaptive immune response.

Aduro’s lead molecule, ADU-S100, is the first therapeutic in development specifically targeting STING. In collaboration with Novartis, it is being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial as a single agent and in combination with ipilimumab, and in a Phase 1b combination trial with spartalizumab (PDR001), an investigational anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. These studies are enrolling patients with cutaneously accessible, advanced/metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas. The trials are evaluating the ability of ADU-S100 to activate the immune system and recruit specialized immune cells to attack the injected tumor, leading to a broad immune response that seeks out and kills distant metastases.