On December 20, 2018 Servier reported the the Food and Drug Administration approved calaspargase pegol-mknl (ASPARLAS, Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC), an asparagine specific enzyme, as a component of a multi-agent chemotherapeutic regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in pediatric and young adult patients age 1 month to 21 years (Press release, Servier, DEC 20, 2018, View Source [SID1234645703]). This new product provides for a longer interval between doses compared to other available pegaspargase products.

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Approval was based on a demonstration of the achievement and maintenance of nadir serum asparaginase activity above the level of 0.1 U/mL when using calaspargase pegol-mknl, 2500 U/m2 intravenously, every 3 weeks. The pharmacokinetics of calaspargase pegol-mknl were studied when administered in combination with multiagent chemotherapy in 124 patients with B-cell lineage ALL.

The most common (incidence ≥ 10%) grade ≥ 3 adverse reactions were elevated transaminase, increased bilirubin, pancreatitis, and abnormal clotting studies. In a randomized trial, the safety profile of calaspargase pegol-mknl administered every 3 weeks was similar to that of pegaspargase administered every 2 weeks.

The recommended calaspargase pegol-mknl dose is 2,500 units/m2 intravenously administered at a minimum dosing interval of every 21 days.

View full prescribing information for ASPARLAS.

Calaspargase pegol-mknl received FDA orphan product designation.

Healthcare professionals should report all serious adverse events suspected to be associated with the use of any medicine and device to FDA’s MedWatch Reporting System or by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.

Follow the Oncology Center of Excellence on Twitter @FDAOncologyExternal Link Disclaimer.

Check out recent approvals at the OCE’s podcast, Drug Information Soundcast in Clinical Oncology (D.I.S.C.O.).

On December 20, 2018 Mustang Bio, Inc. ("Mustang") (NASDAQ: MBIO), a company focused on the
development of novel immunotherapies based on proprietary chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cell (CAR T)
technology and gene therapies for rare diseases, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to MB-102 (CD123 CAR T) for the treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), a rare and incurable blood cancer with a median survival of less than 18 months and no standard of care (Press release, Mustang Bio, DEC 20, 2018, View Source [SID1234532176]).

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Martina Sersch, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Mustang, said, "We are pleased to receive Orphan Drug
Designation for MB-102, which has shown the potential to address an area of high unmet medical need. This significant milestone for Mustang will provide additional market exclusivity and financial benefits to advance MB-102, which we believe is an important new treatment for patients with BPDCN. Based on the Phase 1 data presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in December 2017 and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy in November 2018, we expect to initiate a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), BPDCN and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome in 2019."

MB-102 is currently being studied in a single center, first-in-human Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial evaluating the
safety and anti-tumor activity of escalating doses of MB-102 in patients with relapsed or refractory AML (cohort 1) and BPDCN (cohort 2). Patients receive a single dose of MB-102 with an option for a second infusion if they continue to meet safety and eligibility criteria and still have CD123+ disease. MB-102 has demonstrated complete responses at low doses in AML and BPDCN without dose-limiting toxicities.

The FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to drugs and biologics that are intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Orphan Drug Designation provides certain incentives, such as tax credits toward the cost of clinical trials and prescription drug user fee waivers. If a product holding Orphan Drug Designation receives the first FDA approval for the disease in which it has such designation, the product is entitled to seven years of market exclusivity, which is independent from intellectual property protection.

About Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm
Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and incurable blood cancer with a median survival of less
than 18 months and no standard of care. High levels of CD123 expression is one of the diagnostic hallmarks of BPDCN, making CD123 an attractive target for T cell-based adoptive immunotherapy.

About MB-102 (CD123 CAR T)
MB-102 (CD123 CAR T) is a CAR T cell therapy that is produced by engineering patient T cells to recognize and eliminate CD123-expressing tumors. CD123 is widely expressed on bone marrow cells of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, as well as in hematologic malignancies including AML, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, BPDCN, chronic myeloid leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In the first-in-human clinical trial at City of Hope (NCT02159495), MB-102 has demonstrated complete responses at low doses in AML and BPDCN without dose-limiting toxicities, as reported at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in December 2017 and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy in November 2018. Dose escalation continues at City of Hope in both indications.

On December 20, 2018 Endocyte, Inc. (Nasdaq:ECYT) ("Endocyte"), a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapeutics for cancer treatment, reported that at its Special Meeting of Stockholders held earlier today, Endocyte’s stockholders approved the adoption of the merger agreement pursuant to which Novartis AG will acquire Endocyte for $24 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $2.1 billion, in cash (Press release, Endocyte, DEC 20, 2018, View Source [SID1234532192]).

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Approximately 99.8% of the votes cast at the meeting voted to approve the adoption of the merger agreement, representing approximately 69.5% of Endocyte’s outstanding common stock as of the record date for the Special Meeting of Stockholders.

Subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, the proposed merger is expected to close on or about December 21, 2018.

On December 20, 2018 Merus N.V. (Nasdaq:MRUS), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative bispecific antibody therapeutics (Biclonics), reported a settlement of all pending patent litigation and administrative proceedings between Merus and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. pertaining to certain antibody generation platforms of each company (Press release, Merus, DEC 20, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2381425 [SID1234532208]).

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As part of the settlement, both parties have signed a global patent cross-license agreement, and Regeneron has agreed to provide an investment in Merus of $15 million through the purchase of 600,000 common shares at a price of $25 per share representing a premium of 118% from the close of trading on December 20, 2018. The cross-license and stock purchase are being made in conjunction with the dismissal of all claims to approximately $10.5 million for the reimbursement of attorney fees and other expenses, plus interest, awarded to Merus by the trial court on July 10, 2018. The settlement marks the end of all adversarial proceedings.

"This settlement marks the conclusion of a multi-year and multi-jurisdiction dispute," said Ton Logtenberg, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Merus. "Today’s agreement to resolve these matters in an amicable manner is a positive result, and we believe, continues to ensure that Merus is able to further advance our Biclonics platform to discover and develop differentiated bispecific antibody therapeutics for cancer patients in need."

Under the terms of settlement, all worldwide patent proceedings related to the parties’ respective antibody generation platforms have been resolved. Under the global patent cross-license agreement, the parties have granted certain royalty-free rights to each other, while maintaining the uniqueness of their respective platform technologies. Neither party is licensed to exploit the other party’s products.

The settlement also resolves a pending Dutch proceeding of a related counterpart patent, which has been stayed since 2014, and a number of opposition proceedings in multiple jurisdictions the parties have outstanding.

"Merus’ platform technology and associated patents reflect the Company’s ongoing groundbreaking work in the field of bispecific antibody generation and development," said Peter B. Silverman, J.D., EVP and General Counsel of Merus. "This settlement further validates the strength of our IP portfolio and our ability to develop innovative Biclonics candidates."

Both parties have agreed to keep details relating to the global settlement confidential, other than what is disclosed in this press release or is otherwise required to be disclosed by law.

About U.S. Patent No. 8,502,018 (‘018 patent) Litigation
In March 2014, Regeneron filed a complaint against Merus alleging that it infringed one or more claims in the U.S. Patent No. 8,502,018 (‘018 patent), entitled "Methods of Modifying Eukaryotic Cells." Merus filed counterclaims seeking, among other things, a declaratory judgment that Merus did not infringe the ‘018 patent, that the ‘018 patent was invalid and a declaratory judgment of unenforceability of the ‘018 patent on the basis that the patent was procured by inequitable conduct. Merus prevailed at the trial court on these counterclaims. Regeneron stipulated to non-infringement and invalidity of the patent following the district court’s decision on claim construction. And after a trial in June 2015, the trial court concluded that Regeneron’s ‘018 patent was unenforceable. On July 27, 2017, the Federal Circuit affirmed. On December 26, 2017, the full Federal Circuit denied Regeneron’s request to rehear the matter, and the Supreme Court denied Regeneron’s petition for certiorari on October 1, 2018, ending the case in favor of Merus.

On March 26, 2018, the trial court granted Merus’ motion for attorneys’ fees, expert fees, and costs, and on July 10, 2018, granted Merus’ motion for approximately $10.5 million plus interest. Regeneron appealed the decision to the Federal Circuit. The parties have now agreed to dismiss the appeal and the claim for fees as a result of the settlement and Regeneron’s $15 million investment in Merus.

On December 20, 2018 Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, reported that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Ares Trading, it has evolved its agreement with Intrexon Corporation (NASDAQ: XON) for the development of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies, genetically engineered T-cells with synthetic receptors that recognize a specific antigen expressed on tumor cells (Press release, Merck KGaA, DEC 20, 2018, View Source;utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=press-mailer&utm_content=en&global_redirect=1 [SID1234532177]). The agreement with Intrexon and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Precigen, Inc. enables Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to continue to implement its focused R&D strategy, while maintaining an investment in the future potential of next-generation CAR-T development.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will assign its exclusive CAR-T development rights to Intrexon. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will receive shares of Intrexon common stock valued at $150 million in exchange for assigning Intrexon its CAR-T rights.

"Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is excited to maintain its interest in the potential of CAR-T technology, which may offer significant future benefits to patients fighting cancer," said Belén Garijo, Member of the Executive Board and CEO Healthcare, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. "The agreement is also illustrative of our efforts to enhance our focus on accelerating the delivery of our innovative clinical pipeline to patients."

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, first entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Intrexon in 2015 to develop and commercialize CAR-T cancer therapies utilizing Intrexon’s proprietary RheoSwitch Therapeutic System and the Sleeping Beauty non-viral gene integration technology. The combination of these platforms enables regulation of gene expression and delivery with a non-viral approach and preclinical data indicate the potential to improve therapeutic safety and facilitate shortened manufacturing to improve time-to-treatment. As of December 31, 2017, these rights were considered intangible assets not yet available for use with a carrying amount of € 104 million.

"Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s leading immuno-oncology research and commitment to developing innovative medicines made them an ideal partner for us in advancing targeted and controllable CAR-T therapies," said Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President of Precigen. "We look forward to continued development of these promising treatments with the goal of delivering more cost-effective, powerful, and precise therapies to patients in need."

In addition to receiving $150 million of Intrexon common stock, this agreement also includes a further $25 million investment in Intrexon. In return, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will receive a $25 million convertible note, providing the option to receive either Precigen or Intrexon stock. The closing of the transactions contemplated by the agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.