ISA Pharmaceuticals and Scancell enter collaboration agreement for the manufacturing, development and commercialisation of Modi-1 / AMPLIVANT® combination

On 15 February, 2018 ISA Pharmaceuticals B.V. (‘ISA’), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, and Scancell Holdings plc, (‘Scancell’ or the ‘Company’), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, reported that they have entered into a worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement to use ISA’s AMPLIVANT adjuvant technology for the manufacturing, development and commercialisation of Scancell’s first Moditope development candidate, Modi-1 (Press release, ISA Pharmaceuticals, FEB 15, 2018, https://www.isa-pharma.com/isa-pharmaceuticals-and-scancell-enter-collaboration-agreement-for-the-manufacturing-development-and-commercialisation-of-modi-1-amplivant-combination/ [SID1234612392]). This partnership has the potential to provide a new treatment option for patients with triple negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, sarcomas, and other solid tumours.

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Under the terms of this agreement, ISA has granted Scancell an exclusive worldwide license to manufacture, develop and commercialise the AMPLIVANT:Modi-1 conjugate therapy and will contribute know-how and expertise related to AMPLIVANT. Clinical studies will be conducted by Scancell and are expected to commence in H1 2019.

In return, ISA will receive an upfront payment from Scancell and is entitled to milestone and royalty fees following achievement of certain criteria as defined in the agreement. Financial details were not disclosed.

Previous pre-clinical data demonstrated that conjugation of the Modi-1 peptides to AMPLIVANT enhances anti-tumour immune responses 10-100 fold and resulted in highly efficient tumour eradication, including protection against tumour re-challenge.

ISA’s AMPLIVANT technology can be applied to any type of targeted immunotherapy, significantly enhancing its efficacy. It is based on a proprietary and synthetic small molecule TLR1/2 ligand with enhanced immunostimulatory activity that can be chemically coupled to the respective immunotherapeutic. AMPLIVANT conjugates allow lower dosing with higher efficacy through better dendritic cell antigen processing and presentation, as well as enhanced T cell priming.

Scancell’s Moditope platform acts by stimulating the production of CD4+ T cells using citrullinated tumour-associated peptide epitopes. This technology overcomes the immune suppression induced by tumours themselves, allowing activated T cells to seek out and kill tumour cells that would otherwise be hidden from the immune system.

"This collaboration is an important step to advance new adjuvant technologies such as AMPLIVANT to clinical-stage programmes and bring patients better treatments," said Ronald Loggers, CEO of ISA Pharmaceuticals. "The partnership will further validate the power of AMPLIVANT conjugates for use in therapeutic cancer vaccines that carry a variety of epitopes, including post-translationally modified epitopes such as Scancell’s Moditope products."

Cliff Holloway, CEO of Scancell, commented: "This collaboration with ISA Pharmaceuticals is an important step in the continued development and commercialisation of our first Moditope immunotherapy, Modi-1, which has the potential to treat patients with triple negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and sarcoma who are resistant to other immunotherapies. Our pre-clinical studies have demonstrated Modi-1 induces potent anti-tumour responses and significant improvements in survival. We believe that combining Modi-1 with an enabling adjuvant technology such as AMPLIVANT has the potential to significantly enhance its efficacy in patients and we are looking forward to moving this important and novel therapy into the clinic in the first half of 2019."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR).

Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Year End 2017 Financial Results on February 26, 2018

On February 15, 2018 Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Eagle" or "the Company") (Nasdaq: EGRX) reported that the Company will release its 2017 fourth quarter and full year financial results on Monday, February 26, 2018, before the market opens (Press release, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, FEB 15, 2018, View Source [SID1234524002]).

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Scott Tarriff, Chief Executive Officer, and Pete Meyers, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to discuss the results as follows:


Date Monday, February 26, 2018
Time 8:30 a.m. EST
Toll free (U.S.) 866-518-6930
International 203-518-9797
Webcast (live and replay)
www.eagleus.com, under the "Investor Relations" section

A replay of the conference call will be available for one week after the call’s completion by dialing 800-677-7320 (US) or 402-220-0666 (International) and entering conference call ID EGRXQ417. The webcast will be archived for 30 days at the aforementioned URL.

Athenex Meets Enrollment Target for Oraxol Phase III Clinical Trial in Metastatic Breast Cancer

On February 15, 2018 Athenex (Nasdaq:ATNX), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and related conditions, reported that the enrollment of patients is on target for the Company to be able to conduct a second interim analysis in the Oraxol KX-ORAX-001 Phase III clinical trial in the third quarter of 2018 (Press release, Athenex, FEB 15, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2332730 [SID1234523998]).

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Oraxol, an innovative development in the treatment of cancer, is a novel oral formulation of paclitaxel, a very effective and commonly used chemotherapy treatment for many cancers, combined with HM30181A (a novel orally non-absorbable gastrointestinal tract P-glycoprotein pump inhibitor). The Oraxol KX-ORAX-001 Phase III clinical trial is an international randomized controlled clinical trial comparing Oraxol monotherapy against intravenous (IV) paclitaxel monotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer, with target sample size of 360 patients. The study is designed to show superiority of clinical efficacy of Oraxol over IV paclitaxel based on independently confirmed response rates.

In accordance with the protocol the Company conducted a first interim analysis when 90 patients completed 18 weeks of treatment in October 2017. Based on that analysis, the independent Drug Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) unanimously recommended continuation of the study. The DSMB was impressed by the conduct of the study in achieving a good overall response rate. The DSMB noticed that neuropathy was rare with Oraxol treatment. Neuropathy is a dose limiting toxicity of IV paclitaxel. The DSMB encouraged the rapid patient recruitment toward the scheduled second interim analysis at 180 patients.

Athenex has already enrolled more than 180 patients and therefore expects the second interim analysis in the third quarter of 2018.

Dr. Rudolf Kwan, Chief Medical Officer, commented, "In January 2018, we had positive feedback from the FDA that if this study meets the primary endpoint with an acceptable benefit/risk profile, it could be adequate as a single comparative trial to support registration of Oraxol for a metastatic breast cancer indication in the United States. We are looking forward to seeing results from the second interim analysis of this clinical trial."

Dr. Johnson Lau, Athenex’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, stated, "We are very proud of the excellent planning and execution of our clinical team. To be able to deliver both the enrollment for the Oraxol Phase III study on target time and the enrollment of two Phase III studies for KX-01 Ointment for the treatment of actinic keratosis ahead of schedule reflect the hard work, quality and the commitment of our clinical operation team. We are delighted that we are going to again deliver an interim analysis of the topline Oraxol Phase III study results on schedule as planned. Athenex is also conducting clinical studies on Oraxol in other geographic areas as well as for the expansion of clinical indications. We are also proud that Oraxol has recently obtained the Promising Innovative Medicine (PIM) designation by the United Kingdom Health Authority MHRA and also the allowance of two IND (HM30181A and oral paclitaxel capsules) by the Chinese FDA."

MacroGenics Announces Date of Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Financial Results Conference Call

On February 14, 2018 MacroGenics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported that on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, the Company will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2017 (Press release, MacroGenics, FEB 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234523974]). The Company’s management team will host a conference call discussing the Company’s financial results and recent corporate developments on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 4:30 pm ET. The call can be accessed by dialing (877) 303-6253 (domestic) or (973) 409-9610 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the passcode 6481429.

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The recorded, listen-only webcast of the conference call can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and archived on the Company’s website for 30 days following the call.

Ohr Pharmaceutical Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

On February 14, 2018 Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. (Nasdaq:OHRP), a pharmaceutical company developing therapies for ophthalmic diseases, today reported financial results and operating highlights for its fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2017 (Press release, Ohr Pharmaceutical, FEB 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234523976]).

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"We recently announced top-line results from the MAKO study evaluating the efficacy and safety of topically administered squalamine in combination with monthly Lucentis injections for the treatment of wet-AMD, which did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint," said Dr. Jason Slakter, chief executive officer of Ohr Pharmaceutical. "Based on these results, we have discontinued development of squalamine, taken measures to preserve cash and are evaluating strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value."

Corporate Highlights for the Fiscal First Quarter Ended December 31, 2017

Reported topline data from the MAKO study which did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint. There were no differences in the safety profile between the two treatment groups. The MAKO study evaluated the efficacy and safety of topically administered squalamine in combination with monthly Lucentis injections for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration ("wet-AMD"). Based on the results, the Company has discontinued further development of squalamine and is evaluating strategic alternatives.
The Board of Directors has engaged Roth Capital Markets, LLC, to advise the Board of Directors and management, and to assist in pursuing a range of strategic alternatives.
Financial Results for the Quarter ended December 31, 2017

For the quarter ended December 31, 2017, the Company reported a net loss of approximately $4.2 million, or ($0.07) per share, compared to a net loss of approximately $7.0 million, or ($0.21) per share in the same period of 2016.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2017, total operating expenses were approximately $4.2 million, consisting of $1.5 million in general and administrative expenses, $2.4 million of research and development expenses, and $0.3 million in depreciation and amortization. This compares to total operating expenses of $7.0 million in the same period of 2016, comprised of approximately $1.7 million in general and administrative expenses, $4.9 million in research and development expenses, and $0.3 million in depreciation and amortization.
At December 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $8.7 million. This compares to cash and equivalents of approximately $12.8 million at September 30, 2017.