On December 14, 2018 Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLCM), a leader in developing novel, controllable cellular immunotherapies for cancers and orphan inherited blood disorders, reported safety and promising activity of BPX-601 in Part 1 of a Phase 1/2 dose-escalation study in patients with advanced, metastatic pancreatic cancer expressing PSCA (prostate stem cell antigen) (Press release, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, DEC 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234532061]). BPX-601 is a novel GoCAR-T cell candidate incorporating Bellicum’s co-activation domain, iMC, designed to boost T cell proliferation and persistence via administration of rimiducid. Data were reviewed during an oral presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology Immuno-Oncology Congress (ESMO-IO) held in Geneva, Switzerland from December 13-16.

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"These initial results in advanced pancreatic cancer suggest that having greater control over the expansion and persistence of therapeutic cells may provide unique treatment benefits. We have observed promising initial clinical activity with BPX-601 in patients with one of the most challenging solid tumors, where there is a critical need for better treatments," commented Carlos R. Becerra, M.D., lead study investigator and oncologist and medical director of the Innovative Clinical Trials Center at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. "I am looking forward to the next phase of our study, which allows for a standard lymphodepletion regimen and administration of multiple doses of rimiducid to further increase the expansion and persistence of BPX-601 cells and the potential for greater impact against pancreatic and other tumor types."

Study Overview
A total of 12 patients with advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer expressing PSCA were treated with escalating doses of BPX-601 cells in a 3+3 design. Nine of 12 patients received a single dose of rimiducid following BPX-601 treatment to evaluate its effect on cell expansion and persistence. Patients in the study received a reduced conditioning regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide only.

Interim Results:

The administration of BPX-601 without rimiducid resulted in limited expansion of cells, but the cells did not persist; A single dose of rimiducid 7 days following BPX-601 administration resulted in significant expansion of cells (three-fold to 20-fold) in four patients in spite of a reduced conditioning regimen; BPX-601 cells persisted longer than three weeks in three patients after a single dose of rimiducid; Increases in key cytokine levels were observed in patients receiving higher doses of BPX-601 cells and rimiducid; 4 of 6 efficacy-evaluable patients treated with BPX-601 and a single dose of rimiducid had stable disease, with two patients demonstrating tumor shrinkage greater than 20 percent; No cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity of any grade was reported; The most frequently observed AEs were consistent with those experienced by advanced cancer patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy or other cancer immunotherapies; Patients continue to be evaluated in the study.
"These results provide the first clinical evidence suggesting that our GoCAR-T technology drives expansion and persistence of therapeutic T cells in patients," said Rick Fair, President & CEO of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals. "We are excited about BPX-601 and the broader application of our technology intended to improve the safety and efficacy of cell therapies. With these promising results, we’re preparing to begin Part 2 of the BPX-601 study, adding patients with prostate and gastric cancers, allowing multiple doses of rimiducid and a more complete conditioning regimen. We’re looking forward to reporting updated results in 2019."

About BPX-601
BPX-601, the Company’s first GoCAR-T product candidate, incorporates iMC, Bellicum’s inducible co-activation domain. iMC (inducible MyD88/CD40) is designed to provide a powerful boost to T cell proliferation and persistence, and enable the CAR-T to override key immune inhibitory mechanisms, including PD-1 and TGF-beta. BPX-601 is being evaluated as a treatment for solid tumors expressing prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), including pancreatic, prostate and gastric cancers.

On December 13, 2019 IMV Inc. (Nasdaq: IMV; TSX: IMV), a clinical stage immuno-oncology corporation, reported that investigators shared new positive data from the company’s ongoing DeCidE1 (DPX-Survivac with low dose CyclophosphamIDe and Epacadostat) clinical trial at the 2018 ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Immuno-Oncology Congress (Press release, IMV, DEC 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234534100]). The phase 1b/2 study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the combination of IMV’s lead candidate DPX-Survivac, low dose cyclophosphamide, and 100 mg or 300mg of Incyte’s IDO1 enzyme inhibitor epacadostat in patients with advanced recurrent ovarian cancer.

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In a poster presentation, Oliver Dorigo, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Oncology), Stanford University Medical Center, who served as the trial’s lead investigator and author on the poster, shared topline safety results from 53 enrolled patients and efficacy data from the 32 participants evaluable for immune-related and clinical responses, as well as blood sample and tumor biopsy analyses.

Key findings include:

Evidence of a clinical marker based on Baseline Tumor Burden (BTB), a measure of tumor size predictive of patient response to DPX-Survivac

37.5% (12/32) of evaluable study subjects began treatment with a non-bulky disease defined as BTB < 5 cm.

73% (8/11) of tumor regressions and 80% of clinical responses (4/5) observed in subset of patients with BTB < 5 cm.

Responders showing prolonged duration of clinical benefits reaching up to more than two years, surpassing the progression-free interval from their previous chemotherapy treatment

Robust systemic survivin-specific T cell responses and evidence of survivin-specific T cells tumor infiltration correlated with clinical benefits

100% of durable clinical responses correlated with T cell infiltration

Epacadostat triggered inhibition of the conversion of tryptophan into kynurenine that was dose dependent

Cohort demographics were balanced and the combination yielded a tolerable safety profile

"This data set provided meaningful information on how the potential benefits of DPX-Survivac may best be translated to patients, including the connection between tumor regressions and T cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment," said Frederic Ors, Chief Executive Officer at IMV. "We believe that DPX-Survivac is the first targeted T cell therapy to induce significant tumor regressions in challenging tumors such as those seen in ovarian cancer. We remain committed to developing DPX-Survivac for patients with significant unmet medical needs, and look forward to our upcoming discussions with regulatory authorities in the USA, Canada and Europe."

Updated Clinical Response and Safety Data for DeCidE1

At the time of data cut-off, 53 patients were enrolled in the phase 1b clinical trial, including 14 from the 100mg epacadostat dosing cohort and 39 from 300mg epacadostat cohort. Based on 300 mg cohort results, IMV and Incyte agreed to stop dosing patients with epacadostat before completion of the study. Patients who completed at least one CT scan, as required per the trial protocol, were evaluable for response analysis.

71% of patients were evaluable for responses in the 100mg cohort and 56% in the 300mg dose cohort. At time of data cut-off, 8 participants remained on treatment and were being evaluated for clinical responses.

(1) Partial Response (PR) is defined as ≥30% decrease in sum of target lesions
(2) Stable Disease (SD) is defined as  30% decrease and ≤ 20% increase in sum of target tumor lesions
(3) Disease Control Rate (DCR) refers to the total number of patients achieving complete response, partial response, and stable disease.

"Recurrent ovarian cancer treatment remains a significant unmet need and represents a challenge for immunotherapy," said Gabriela Nicola Rosu, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at IMV Inc. "What we have showed here is that the dynamic interaction between the survivin specific T cells induced by DPX-Survivac and the tumor size and its growth kinetics can be a determinant of clinical responses. We

believe that this information is significant for the future development of DPX-Survivac and may indicate a pathway to more efficacious immunotherapeutic treatments for patients."

Poster Session Details

Session Title: Poster Display Session
Location: Foyer, Geneva Palexpo
Poster ID: 87P; Abstract ID 262
Abstract Title: "New clinical data from the DeCidE1 trial: Results on DPX-Survivac, low dose cyclophosphamide (CPA), and epacadostat (INCB024360) in subjects with advanced recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer"
Date: December 14 – 15, 2018
Time: 12:30 p.m. – 13:00 p.m. (local time)
Presenter: Dr. Oliver Dorigo, DeCidE1 Clinical Investigator and Lead Author
Investor Call Information

IMV will host a webcast and conference call on Thursday, December 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET to provide an overview of its ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO presentation.

Dial-in: (844) 461-9932 (U.S. and Canada) or (636) 812-6632 (International)

Conference ID#: 6192578

A live audio webcast and presentation will be available via this link, or by pasting this URL in an internet browser: View Source

About the DeCidE1 Phase 1b/2 Trial

The phase 1b/2 trial is an open label, uncontrolled, safety and efficacy study for individuals with advanced, platinum-sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer. The phase 1b portion has two dosing cohorts:

100mg of epacadostat twice daily (BID), with DPX-Survivac and low dose cyclophosphamide, and

300mg of epacadostat BID in combination with DPX-Survivac and low dose cyclophosphamide.

The primary endpoints are to determine:

The safety profile of the combination regimen,

Induction of systemic survivin specific T cells in the blood, and

Induction of T cell infiltration into tumors.

Secondary endpoints include objective response rate (ORR) using modified RECIST v1.1 criteria; duration of response based on modified RECIST criteria; time to progression (TTP); and overall survival (OS.)

IMV conducted the phase 1b/2 study in collaboration with Incyte Corporation. IMV recently announced that, based on the 300 mg cohort results, IMV and Incyte have agreed to stop dosing patients in this trial with epacadostat. IMV is continuing the phase 2 portion of the trial as a monotherapy study evaluating DPX-Survivac in the advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer subpopulation with BTB < 5 cm.

IMV intends to report updated results from the phase 1b when data from at least 16 evaluable participants in the second dosing cohort are available. Investigators plan to submit final results for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

About Ovarian Cancer

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Often diagnosed in its advanced stages, about 21,290 women received a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2015; approximately 14,180 women would die from the disease, according to ACS estimates.

Ovarian cancer has a significant impact globally as well. The World Cancer Research Fund reports that ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women worldwide (18 most common cancer overall), with 239,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012.

On December 13, 2018 Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN) ("Applied DNA" or the "Company"), a leader in large-scale PCR-based DNA manufacturing, reported selected preliminary unaudited financial results for the full fiscal year and quarter ended September 30, 2018 (Press release, Applied DNA Sciences, DEC 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234532062]).

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Preliminary (Unaudited) Fiscal 2018 Financial Results:

Revenues for fiscal 2018 totaled $3.9 million, a decrease of 18% from $4.8 million from the same period in the prior fiscal year. The decrease in revenues was attributable to a decrease in revenues of approximately $2.2 million in the textile industry for protecting cotton and synthetic supply chains. This decrease was offset by an increase in revenue from Contract Manufacturing of DNA for diagnostics as well as an increase from development projects, primarily those associated with partners’ pre-commercial business initiatives in legal cannabis and pharmaceuticals.
Deferred revenue increased to $1.9 million as of September 30, 2018 as compared to $352 thousand at September 30, 2017. The reason for this increase is due to the initial cotton order of $1.2 million shipped during June 2018 having extended payment terms and to be recognized to revenue as the payments become due. The extended payment terms for this shipment are three equal installments due 90, 180 and 270 days from shipment. One-third of the revenue was recognized during the fiscal fourth quarter of 2018. The increase in deferred revenue is also attributable to fees received for a variety of contracts that include specific milestones and therefore were not able to be fully recognized as revenue during the quarter ended September 30, 2018.
Operating expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 decreased by $2.2 million or 13% as compared to the prior fiscal year. The decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in stock-based compensation of approximately $1.9 million and bad debt expense of $403 thousand.
Net loss for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 decreased to $11.7 million or $0.40 per share, compared with a net loss of $12.9 million or $0.49 per share for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.
Preliminary (Unaudited) Fiscal Fourth Quarter Results:

Revenues increased 4% for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 to $1.2 million, compared to $1.1 million reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, and increased 18% as compared to revenues for the fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2018 of $1.0 million. The year-over-year increase in revenues is primarily attributable to an increase in revenues from development and pre-commercial pilots in pharmaceuticals and cannabis. This increase was offset by a decrease in textile revenues.
Total operating expenses were $4.4 million, compared with $3.7 million in the prior year’s quarter, an increase of approximately 19%. The increase in year-over-year total operating expenses is attributable to an increase in stock-based compensation expense due to the timing of the annual employee grant, payroll and research and development expenses, offset by a decrease in depreciation and amortization expense.
Net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 was $3.5 million, or $0.12 per share, compared with a net loss of $2.9 million, or $0.10 per share for the same period in the prior fiscal year and a net loss of $2.9 million, or $0.10 per share for the third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2018.
The Company also announced that it anticipates filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 with the Securities and Exchange Commission during the week of December 17, 2018, and will hold an investor call during the week of December 24, 2018.

"Our performance in fiscal 2018 reflects execution on pre-commercial sales and business development initiatives to sow new revenue streams by leveraging our proven DNA taggant technology platform and capitalizing on secular industry trends emphasizing supply chain security, sustainability and traceability all along the value chain," stated Dr. James A. Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. "During the year we continued to expand our business beyond cotton with diverse partners using synthetic fibers and generating initial revenues from the legal cannabis and pharmaceutical markets while progressing other programs, such as leather traceability, towards commercialization while also implementing feasibility pilots with a diverse customer base.

"Notable advancements made during the year included: in textiles, we furthered adoption of our platform for the tagging of non-cotton synthetic textiles to complement our cotton business that itself has begun to expand internationally; in the nascent legal cannabis industry where compliance with governmental permitting requirements is fundamental to its future, our partnership with TheraCann has yielded a seed-to-sale tracking program powered by blockchain and molecular tagging technologies and the development of a tagging system specifically designed to meet the needs of commercial growers; in pharmaceuticals, we advanced the manufacturing scale-up of our on-dose solution for enhanced patient safety and supply chain security with partner Colorcon; in biotherapeutics, we formally launched our LineaRx subsidiary that has already expanded our opportunity-set to include the potentially high-reward therapeutics space. We also saw continued demand for development pilots that serve as an indicator of growing industry interest in our technology platform and its value proposition."

Concluded Dr. Hayward, "Building on these advancements, we anticipate revenue from our key business verticals in fiscal 2019 with opportunities for increased contributions from certain verticals, such as in textiles where we are progressing towards big-box and online retailer adoption of DNA-tagged synthetic fiber products manufactured by ecosystem partners. In pharmaceuticals, we are pursuing regulatory approval of our molecular tag that if realized during 2019 should generate a second revenue milestone from Colorcon and make our solution compelling for pharmaceutical manufacturers in an era of government-mandated serialization practices."

Preliminary Results
The financial data contained in this press release are unaudited, preliminary, based upon Applied DNA’s good faith estimates and subject to completion of Applied DNA’s financial closing procedures. While Applied DNA expects that its final financial results for the fiscal year and quarter ended September 30, 2018, following the completion of its financial closing procedures, will generally be consistent with the amounts provided in this press release, Applied DNA’s actual results may differ materially from these estimates as a result of the completion of its financial closing procedures, as well as final adjustments and other developments that may arise between now and the time that its financial results for the fiscal year and quarter ended September 30, 2018 are finalized.

The results provided in this press release are preliminary and subject to completion and audit of Applied DNA’s financial statements in conjunction with the Company’s 2018 Form 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission anticipated to occur during the week of December 17, 2018.

On December 13, 2018 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Y-mAbs") (Nasdaq:YMAB) a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, reported that Dr. Claus Møller, MD, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Y-mAbs Therapeutics will provide an overview and update on the company’s business at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, DEC 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234532065]). The presentation will take place on Thursday, January 10, 2019, at 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time.

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On December 13, 2018 Veru Inc. (NASDAQ: VERU) reported its financial results for the fiscal (FY) 2018 fourth-quarter and full-year ended September 30, 2018 (Press release, Veru, DEC 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234532047]).

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"Our fiscal 2018 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results improved significantly driven by increased US demand for the FC2 Female Condom / FC2 Internal Condom (FC2) and improving gross profit," said Mitchell Steiner, M.D., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Veru. For the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter, net revenues increased 41% to $5.2 million and gross profit grew by 78% to $3.2 million over the prior-year period."

"We continue to see increasing US Rx demand and related improving gross profit for our FC2 product through the first two months of the current fiscal quarter as well. For example, US FC2 Rx net revenues were 15% of total global FC2 net revenues in all channels for FY 2018. Q4 FY 2018 US FC2 Rx net revenues were 67% of total US FC2 Rx net revenues for the full FY 2018. Already through the first two months of the current fiscal year 2019, US FC2 Rx net revenues are at 120% of Q4 FY 2018 US FC2 Rx net revenues.

The Company also was granted a significant tender award for FC2 from the Republic of South Africa, which could generate approximately $30 million of future net revenues spread over a three-year period. No orders from this new South African tender are reflected in the FY 2018 financial results.

"Importantly, Veru is rapidly transforming into a biopharmaceutical company with a strong focus on prostate cancer with several drugs under development to provide a continuum of care for these cancer patients. To that end, earlier this quarter we announced that we have begun enrolling patients for our zuclomiphene citrate Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of hot flashes caused by androgen deprivation therapy for men with advanced prostate cancer with "top line" results, or general summary data, expected in the first half of FY 2019.

"In addition, in November, we submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VERU-111 (bisindole), a first-in-class, next generation, proprietary, oral tubulin inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. We expect this drug to advance into an open label Phase 1b/2 clinical trial by no later than early January 2019. We also announced earlier this month that the first patient was dosed in our bioequivalence study of Tadalafil (Cialis) and Finasteride (PROSCAR) combination tablet for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This combination tablet is designed to improve patient compliance and convenience with bioequivalency results expected in January 2019.

"Regarding our existing portfolio of commercial products, we have expanded our FC2 presence in the US market by partnering with a leading telemedicine marketing and sales channel, as well as utilizing a contracted independent sales force. For PREBOOST we recently entered into a US distributor agreement with a premier and fast-growing men’s health and telemedicine company that discreetly sells men’s health products via the internet."

"In early October, just after the close of our fiscal year, we strengthened our balance sheet, completing an underwritten public stock offering that generated $9.2 million of net proceeds. We intend to use the proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes, including research and development, clinical trials and marketing expenditures."

"In summary, our accomplishments over the past year further solidify our foundation and position Veru for future success. In the coming year, we look to build on these achievements with the planned submission to the FDA of New Drug Applications for Tadalafil and Finasteride combination tablets and Tamsulosin XR capsules and sprinkles. We look to continue our transformation into a biopharmaceutical company with a strong focus on prostate cancer treatment and prostate cancer supportive care with several drugs to provide a continuum of care for these patients."

Fiscal 2018 Fourth-Quarter Results

For the fiscal 2018 fourth-quarter, net revenues, which were primarily derived from sales of FC2, rose 41% to $5.2 million from $3.7 million for the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017. Gross profit increased by 78% to $3.2 million, or 61% of net revenues, compared with $1.8 million, or 49% of net revenues, for the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017. Operating expenses were $7.0 million compared with $4.6 million for the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017. Non-operating income was $63 thousand compared with non-operating expenses of $32 thousand for the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017. Income tax expense was $4.2 million compared with an income tax benefit of $0.1 million in the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017. Net loss was $7.9 million, or $0.14 per share, compared with net loss attributable to common stockholders of $4.7 million, or $0.10 per share, for the fourth-quarter of fiscal 2017.

Fiscal 2018 Full-Year Results

For the fiscal 2018 full-year, net revenues, which were primarily derived from sales of FC2, climbed 16% to $15.9 million from $13.7 million for fiscal 2017. Gross profit increased 23% to $8.8 million, or 55% of net revenues, compared with $7.0 million, or 51% of net revenues, for fiscal 2017. Operating expenses were $29.7 million compared with $15.5 million for fiscal 2017. Non-operating expenses were $2.2 million compared with $0.1 million for fiscal 2017. Income tax expense was $0.9 million compared with an income tax benefit of $2.0 million in fiscal 2017. Net loss was $23.9 million, or $0.44 per share, compared with net loss attributable to common stockholders of $8.6 million, or $0.25 per share, for fiscal 2017.

As of September 30, 2018, cash (including restricted cash) was $3.8 million. Subsequent to September 30, 2018, the Company completed a stock offering that generated net proceeds of approximately $9.2 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses payable by the Company.

Conference Call Event Details

Veru Inc. will host a conference call today at 8 a.m. ET to review the company’s performance. Interested investors may access the call by dialing 800-341-1602 from the U.S. or 412-902-6706, and asking to be joined into the call.

In addition, investors may access a replay of the conference call the same day beginning at approximately 12 p.m. (noon) ET by dialing 877-344-7529 for US callers, or 412-317-0088 from outside the U.S., passcode 10126693. The replay will be available for one week, after which, the recording will be available via the company’s website at View Source