On February 22, 2018 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE:CFBI), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address cancer, liver and inflammatory diseases, reported that it has submitted annual safety summaries for 2017 on both Piclidenoson and Namodenoson to regulatory authorities around the world (Filing, 6-K, Can-Fite BioPharma, FEB 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234524124]).

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The safety reports, known as Development Safety Update Reports (DSURs), are required annually and serve to create timely and transparent communication between drug development sponsors and regulatory agencies. The DSURs summarize safety data from all clinical trials conducted during the year-long reporting period. Can-Fite is pleased to note that both of its molecules under clinical development continue to demonstrate favorable safety profiles in human clinical trials.

In the DSUR for Piclidenoson, Can-Fite notes that there were no deaths, serious adverse events (SAEs), serious adverse reactions (SARs), or suspected unexpected SARs (SUSARs) related to the use of the drug to treat inflammatory diseases during 2017. Furthermore, over the span of development, an estimated 1167 human subjects have received Piclidenoson, without evidence of emerging treatment-limiting toxicities. The Namodenoson development program includes patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), in whom serious adverse events, cancer progression, and mortality are expected and occurred; nevertheless, despite the underlying illness of this population, no SARs or SUSARs were reported during 2017. To date, an estimated 115 human subjects have been dosed with Namodenoson, again without evidence of novel safety concerns.

Both Piclidenoson and Namodenoson target the A3 adenosine receptor, overexpressed in pathological but not in normal body cells. This means that when the drugs enter the body they specifically bind to the diseased but not to the normal cells. This unique drug characteristic is believed to account for the observed favorable safety profile.

The importance of these favorable data allow the Company to continue with the various clinical indications entailing Piclidenoson for the Phase III study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and Namodenoson for the Phase II studies in advanced liver cancer and NAFLD/NASH.

Dr. Michael Silverman, Can-Fite’s Medical Director, commented: "Can-Fite’s Piclidenoson and Namodenoson drugs are unique in today’s autoimmune inflammatory, oncology and NASH drugs under development due to their favorable safety profile and the specific anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. We are very happy to continue with our clinical development programs."

About Piclidenoson (CF101)
Piclidenoson is a novel, first-in-class, A3 adenosine receptor agonist (A3AR) small molecule, orally bioavailable drug with a favorable therapeutic index demonstrated in Phase II clinical studies. Piclidenoson is currently under development for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (Phase III ongoing) and psoriasis (completed Phase II/III).

About Namodenoson
Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Namodenoson is being evaluated in Phase II trials for two indications, as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential effect accounts for the excellent safety profile of the drug.

On February 22, 2018 Endocyte, Inc., (NASDAQ:ECYT) reported that the company will host a conference call on Monday, Feb. 26th, at 8:30 a.m. EST to discuss its fourth quarter and full year financial results and provide an operational update (Press release, Endocyte, FEB 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234524180]).

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Know more, wherever you are:
Latest on Endocyte’s Cancer Pipeline, book your free 1stOncology demo here.

Investors and the general public are invited to listen to a live webcast of the call, which can be accessed in the Investors & News section of the Company’s website at www.endocyte.com or by dialing (877) 845-0711 (U.S./Canada) or (760) 298-5081 (International).

The webcast will be recorded and available on the Company’s website for 90 days following the call.

On February 22, 2018 Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) reported that its fourth quarter and year end results for 2017 will be released on Thursday, March 8, 2018, after the close of the stock market (Press release, Cerus, FEB 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234524113]). The company will host a conference call and webcast at 4:15 PM ET that afternoon, during which management will discuss the Company’s financial results and provide a general business overview and outlook.

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To access the live webcast, please visit the Investor Relations page of the Cerus website at View Source Alternatively, you may access the live conference call by dialing (866) 235-9006 (U.S.) or (631) 291-4549 (international).

A replay will be available on the company’s website, or by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (international) and entering conference ID number 3395359. The replay will be available approximately three hours after the call through March 22, 2018.

On February 22, 2018 Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) reported the first patient has been dosed in a phase 1 study assessing the safety and tolerability of DS-1062, an investigational TROP2-targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC), in patients with unresectable advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are refractory to or have relapsed following standard treatment or for whom no standard treatment is available (Press release, Daiichi Sankyo, FEB 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234524126]).

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With the discovery of driver genes and introduction of targeted therapies, there has been improvement in patient outcomes for certain types of NSCLC. However, for patients with unresectable advanced NSCLC, there is still a need for new therapeutic strategies as the five-year survival rates for patients with advanced stages of NSCLC are low.1

DS-1062 is designed to target and deliver chemotherapy inside cancer cells expressing trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2), which is overexpressed in many cancers including NSCLC.2 Overexpression of TROP2 is a driver in cancer growth and has been associated with decreased patient survival, increased tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, and drug resistance in several tumor types.3

"We are initially focusing on evaluating DS-1062 in patients with advanced NSCLC with potential expansion into other tumor types depending on the results of this early critical test in a study designed to provide evidence supporting unique properties of this particular TROP2 ADC construct," said Antoine Yver, MD, MSc, Executive Vice President and Global Head, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "With the initiation of this study of DS-1062, we move our third ADC into the clinic and continue to investigate the potential of the smart delivery of chemotherapy in various cancers including lung, breast and gastric cancer."

About the Study
The phase 1, open-label study will investigate the safety and tolerability of DS-1062 in patients with unresectable advanced NSCLC who are refractory to or have relapsed following standard treatment or for whom no standard treatment is available. The first part of the study (dose escalation) will assess the safety and tolerability of increasing doses of DS-1062 to determine the maximum tolerated dose and recommended dose for expansion. The second part of the study (dose expansion) will evaluate the safety and tolerability of DS-1062 at the recommended dose for expansion. Study endpoints include safety, pharmacokinetics, objective response rate, duration of response, disease control rate, time to response, progression-free survival, overall survival, biomarker analysis and immunogenicity. This portion of the study is expected to enroll approximately 40 patients with unresectable advanced NSCLC in the United States and Japan.

Following the outcome of both the dose escalation and dose expansion parts of the study in patients with unresectable advanced NSCLC, there may be two additional expansion cohorts opened for other solid tumors where high expression of TROP2 is frequently observed. For more information about the study, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

About DS-1062
Part of the investigational ADC Franchise of the Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise, DS-1062 is an investigational TROP2-targeting ADC. ADCs are targeted cancer medicines that deliver cytotoxic chemotherapy ("payload") to cancer cells via a linker attached to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed on cancer cells. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary ADC technology, DS-1062 is a smart chemotherapy comprised of a humanized anti-TROP2 monoclonal antibody attached to a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor payload by a tetrapeptide-based linker. It is designed to target and deliver chemotherapy inside cancer cells and reduce systemic exposure to the cytotoxic payload (or chemotherapy) compared to the way chemotherapy is commonly delivered. DS-1062 is an investigational agent that has not been approved for any indication in any country. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

About Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise
The mission of Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise is to leverage our world-class, innovative science and push beyond traditional thinking to create meaningful treatments for patients with cancer. We are dedicated to transforming science into value for patients, and this sense of obligation informs everything we do. Anchored by three pillars including our investigational Antibody Drug Conjugate Franchise, Acute Myeloid Leukemia Franchise and Breakthrough Science Franchise, we aim to deliver seven distinct new molecular entities over eight years during 2018 to 2025. Our powerful research engines include two laboratories for biologic/immuno-oncology and small molecules in Japan, and Plexxikon Inc., our small molecule structure-guided R&D center in Berkeley, CA. Compounds in pivotal stage development include: DS-8201, an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) for HER2-expressing breast, gastric and other cancers; quizartinib, an oral selective FLT3 inhibitor, for newly-diagnosed and relapsed/

refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3-ITD mutations; and pexidartinib, an oral CSF-1R inhibitor, for tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). For more information, please visit: www.DSCancerEnterprise.com.

On February 22, 2018 Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in the engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and health of the planet, reported it will release fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results after the market closes on Thursday, March 1st, 2018 (Press release, Intrexon, FEB 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234524114]). The Company will host a conference call that day at 5:30 PM ET to discuss the results and provide a general business update.

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The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-888-317-6003 (Domestic US), 1-866-284-3684 (Canada), and 1-412-317-6061 (International) and providing the number 1163462 to join the Intrexon Corporation Call. Participants may also access the live webcast through Intrexon’s website in the Investors section at View Source