On February 7, 2019 Medpace Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDP) ("Medpace") reported that it will report its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2018 financial results after the market close on Monday, February 25, 2019 (Press release, Medpace, FEB 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234533135]). The Company will host a conference call the following morning, Tuesday, February 26, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss these results.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

To participate in the conference call, dial 800-219-7113 (domestic) or 574-990-1030 (international) using the passcode 5975717.

To access the conference call via webcast, visit the "Investors" section of Medpace’s website at investor.medpace.com. The webcast replay of the call will be available at the same site approximately one hour after the end of the call.

A supplemental slide presentation will also be available at the "Investors" section of Medpace’s website prior to the start of the call.

A recording of the call will be available from 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 until 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. To hear this recording, dial 855-859-2056 (domestic) or 404-537-3406 (international) using the passcode 5975717.

On February 7, 2019 Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARWR) reported financial results for its fiscal 2019 first quarter ended December 31, 2018 (Press release, Arrowhead Research Corporation, FEB 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234533173]). The company is hosting a conference call at 4:30 p.m. EST to discuss results.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Conference Call and Webcast Details

Investors may access a live audio webcast on the Company’s website at View Source For analysts that wish to participate in the conference call, please dial 855-215-6159 or 315-625-6887 and provide Conference ID 3194897.

A replay of the webcast will be available on the company’s website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for 90 days. An audio replay will also be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will be available for 3 days. To access the audio replay, dial 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406 and provide Conference ID 3194897.

Selected Fiscal 2019 First Quarter and Recent Events

Signed a license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., part of the Janssen Pharmaceuticals Companies of Johnson & Johnson, for ARO-HBV (now JNJ-3989) and a collaboration agreement for up to three RNAi therapeutic candidates that use our proprietary TRiMTM platform against new targets to be selected by Janssen

The total potential deal value is approximately $3.7 billion plus royalties on commercial sales

Received $175 million as an upfront payment and received $75 million in the form of an equity investment by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., at a price of $23.00 per share of Arrowhead common stock

Presented clinical data on ARO-AAT at the AASLD Liver Meeting 2018 demonstrating:

Three monthly doses of 300 mg ARO-AAT led to reductions in serum alpha-1 antitrypsin to below the level of quantitation in 100% of subjects

Reductions were sustained for greater than 14 weeks indicating that quarterly or less frequent dosing appears feasible

Single and multiple doses of ARO-AAT appeared to be well-tolerated at all doses tested

Presented clinical data on ARO-HBV (now JNJ-3989) at the AASLD Liver Meeting 2018 demonstrating:

Mean HBsAg reduction of -1.9 Log10 (-98.7%) with a range of -1.3 Log10 (-95.0%) to -3.8 Log10 (-99.98%)

ARO-HBV (now JNJ-3989) appeared to be well-tolerated at monthly doses up to 400 mg

Hosted an R&D Day in October 2018 to discuss in more detail our emerging pipeline of RNAi therapeutics that leverage the TRiMTM platform

Began dosing in a Phase 1 single and multiple dose study of ARO-ANG3, a subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic targeting angiopoietin like protein 3, being developed as a potential treatment for patients with dyslipidemias and metabolic diseases

Filed for regulatory clearance to begin a Phase 1 study of ARO-APOC3, a subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic targeting apolipoprotein C-III, being developed as a potential treatment for patients with hypertriglyceridemia

On February 6, 2019 Arch Oncology, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation anti-CD47 antibody therapies for cancer, reported the initiation of a new Phase 1 clinical trial of AO-176 in select solid tumors with the first patient dosed (Press release, Arch Oncology, FEB 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234533100]). AO-176 is an anti-CD47 antibody with a best-in-class profile that works by blocking the "don’t eat me" signal and also by directly killing tumor cells, with preferential binding to tumor versus normal cells.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Dosing the first patient in this new trial is a significant milestone for our Company," said Julie M. Cherrington, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Arch Oncology. "AO-176 is an anti-CD47 antibody with a best-in-class profile and we are excited to be part of the effort to advance this new class of therapeutics. Our team has worked diligently to bring AO-176 into the clinic, and our aim is to develop this antibody as a new treatment approach for patients with cancer."

Howard A. "Skip" Burris, III, M.D., President, Clinical Operations, Chief Medical Officer, and Principal Investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, commented, "There is a growing body of research on AO-176, which has demonstrated in preclinical studies a highly differentiated mechanism among the anti-CD47 agents. With greater insights into the number of tumors that overexpress CD47, we are excited to participate in this study to assess this next-generation anti-CD47 antibody’s safety and preliminary efficacy profile."

Sarah Cannon Research Institute dosed the first patient in the Phase 1 clinical trial of AO-176. The multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study is evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of AO-176 in patients with select solid tumors.

About AO-176

AO-176 is a humanized anti-CD47 IgG2 antibody with a best-in-class profile. Arch Oncology’s next-generation anti-CD47 antibody AO-176 is highly differentiated, with the potential to improve upon the safety and efficacy profile relative to other agents in this class of checkpoint inhibitors. AO-176 works by blocking the "don’t eat me" signal, the standard mechanism of anti-CD47 antibodies. Beyond blocking this signal, AO-176 also works by directly killing tumor cells. Importantly, AO-176 binds preferentially to tumor cells, instead of to normal cells, and binds even more potently to tumors in their acidic microenvironment (low pH). AO-176 is in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with select solid tumors.

Data presented on AO-176 at recent medical and scientific meetings can be found at View Source

On February 6, 2019 Vaxart, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018 (Press release, Vaxart, FEB 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234533101]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"As we execute on our objective of building a leading oral vaccine company, we continue to expand our understanding of the unique properties of our oral vaccine platform and the important advantages we believe it can offer over conventional injectable vaccines, particularly for mucosal pathogens such as norovirus, flu and RSV," said Wouter Latour, M.D., chief executive officer of Vaxart. "We are focused on our lead product candidate, the first oral vaccine against norovirus, a disease with a $34 billion economic impact in high income countries including the United States, Europe and Japan. After laying the groundwork in 2018, we expect to initiate our norovirus Phase 1 bivalent study and Phase 2 monovalent challenge study during the first half of 2019. In parallel, we are advancing our first therapeutic vaccine targeting HPV-associated dysplasia and cancer toward the clinic."

2018 Highlights:

Corporate:

In February, Vaxart commenced trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "VXRT" following the closing of its merger with Aviragen Therapeutics.
In October, at ID Week in San Francisco, the Company presented data from its H1 influenza Phase 2 challenge study demonstrating that its oral H1 flu vaccine, while providing 39% reduction in flu illness compared to 27% for Fluzone, protected primarily through mucosal immunity, in contrast to Fluzone which primarily protected through serum antibodies. This finding provides evidence that Vaxart’s oral vaccines may deliver better protection against mucosal pathogens than injectable vaccines.
In July, Vaxart announced the publication of the comprehensive results of the previously disclosed Phase 1 clinical trial with its norovirus oral tablet vaccine in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight. As reported in the article, the vaccine generated robust systemic and mucosal immune responses, including mucosal IgA, memory B cells, and serum blocking antibody titers (BT50), all potential correlates of protection.
In October at the 32nd International Papillomavirus Conference, the Company presented preclinical data on its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine trial. The Vaxart HPV vaccine created CD8 tumor-infiltrating T cells and eliminated or significantly reduced the majority of tumors with or without a checkpoint inhibitor.
In June, the Company announced the publication of preclinical results from its oral F-protein based Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV-F) vaccine in Vaccine. As described in the article, the oral RSV-F vaccine candidate provided complete sterilizing protection against RSV infection in the cotton rat challenge model at the target dose.
Financial Results for the Three Months and Year Ended December 31, 2018

Vaxart reported a net loss of $4.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to a net loss of $1.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the net loss was $18.0 million compared to a net loss of $9.6 million for 2017.
Vaxart ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of $11.5 million compared to $17.9 million at September 30, 2018. The decrease was primarily due to cash used in operations.
Revenue for the quarter was $1.8 million compared to $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The increase was due to royalty revenue resulting from our merger with Aviragen, offset by lower revenues from the contract with BARDA, which ended on September 30, 2018.
Research and development expenses were $4.5 million for the quarter compared to $1.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. The increase was mainly due to higher clinical and manufacturing costs incurred in the Company’s norovirus program and amortization of intangible assets acquired in the merger with Aviragen, offset by lower expenditures incurred under the BARDA contract.
General and administrative expenses were $1.2 million for the quarter compared to $1.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. The decrease was a result of significant one-off costs incurred in the 2017 period in connection with the merger with Aviragen

On February 6, 2019 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 positive results from SOPHIA, the Company’s Phase 3 clinical study of margetuximab in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients (Press release, MacroGenics, FEB 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234533103]). Margetuximab is an investigational immune-enhancing monoclonal antibody derived from the Company’s proprietary Fc Optimization technology platform. The SOPHIA clinical trial met the primary endpoint of prolongation of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients treated with the combination of margetuximab plus chemotherapy compared to trastuzumab plus chemotherapy. Patients in the margetuximab arm experienced a 24% risk reduction in PFS compared to patients in the trastuzumab arm (HR=0.76, p=0.033). Notably, approximately 85% of patients in the study were carriers of the CD16A (FcγRIIIa) 158F allele, which has been previously associated with diminished clinical response to HERCEPTIN and other antibodies. In this pre-specified subpopulation, patients in the margetuximab arm experienced a 32% risk reduction in PFS compared to patients in the trastuzumab arm (HR=0.68, p=0.005). Results of the SOPHIA study are being prepared for submission for publication and presentation later this year at a major scientific conference. Follow-up for determination of the impact of therapy on the sequential primary endpoint of overall survival (OS) is ongoing, as pre-specified in the study protocol and recommended by the trial’s independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee. MacroGenics anticipates submitting a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the second half of 2019.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The SOPHIA study enrolled 536 patients at approximately 200 trial sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Patients were treated with either margetuximab or trastuzumab in combination with one of four chemotherapy agents (capecitabine, eribulin, gemcitabine or vinorelbine). All study patients had previously received trastuzumab and pertuzumab, and approximately 90% had previously received ado-trastuzumab emtansine. The combination of margetuximab and chemotherapy demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability, comparable overall to that of trastuzumab and chemotherapy.

"There are currently no approved agents for the treatment of patients with metastatic HER2+ breast cancer who have previously received trastuzumab, pertuzumab and ado-trastuzumab emtansine. If margetuximab is approved, based on SOPHIA data, I believe that this agent could become a valuable treatment option for these patients," said Hope S. Rugo, M.D., Director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education, University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"We are pleased with the SOPHIA clinical results and are especially grateful to the patients, their caregivers, trial investigators and site personnel who participated in the study. I would also like to thank the entire MacroGenics team and our business partners who worked diligently to bring margetuximab to the clinic and execute the SOPHIA study," said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., MacroGenics’ President and CEO. "Our Fc-engineered, immune-enhanced molecule has demonstrated a superior outcome in a head-to-head study against HERCEPTIN. We look forward to additional opportunities to develop margetuximab in other HER2-positive breast and gastric cancer populations."
Conference Call Information

MacroGenics will host a conference call today at 8:30 am (ET) to discuss the results of the SOPHIA clinical study. To participate in the conference call, please dial (877) 303-6253 (domestic) or (973) 409-9610 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and provide the Conference ID: 7965575.
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.

About Margetuximab
Margetuximab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that targets the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2 oncoprotein. HER2 is expressed by tumor cells in breast, gastroesophageal and other solid tumors. Margetuximab was designed to provide HER2 blockade and has been engineered with an Fc domain to enhance the engagement of the immune system. In addition to studying margetuximab in breast cancer, MacroGenics is developing the antibody in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy to engage both innate and adaptive immunity for the treatment of patients with gastroesophageal cancer.

About MacroGenics’ Fc Optimization Technology
MacroGenics’ Fc Optimization platform is designed to modulate an antibody’s interaction with immune effector cells. The Fc region of certain antibodies binds activating and inhibitory receptors, referred to as FcγRs, on immune cells found within the innate immune system. Such interactions affect killing of cancer cells through antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), among other Fc-dependent functions.
Activating FcγRs occur in two variants, or alleles, with high (158V) or low (158F) affinity for the Fc domain of IgG1. A majority (approximately 85%) of the population carries the 158F allele, either in the homozygous or heterozygous form with 158V. Patients that carry the 158F allele have been reported to show diminished clinical responses to certain therapeutic antibodies, including HERCEPTIN.
MacroGenics’ optimized Fc region binds with increased affinity to the activating FcγRs, including the 158F low-affinity allele, and, unique to MacroGenics’ technology, with reduced affinity to the inhibitory FcγR, resulting in improved effector functions, such as ADCC. To date, MacroGenics has successfully incorporated its proprietary Fc Optimization technology in margetuximab, as well as enoblituzumab, an anti-B7-H3 monoclonal antibody currently in development in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy for cancer treatment.