Morphotek Announces Agreement to License its Proprietary Eribulin-Linker Payload to Bliss Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for Development of a Therapeutic Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC)

On April 9, 2018 Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., reported that it licensed its eribulin-linker payload to Bliss Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (BlissBio) of China (Press release, Morphotek, APR 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234527215]). The licensing agreement grants BlissBio the exclusive right to use the eribulin-linker payload to develop a therapeutic ADC against an undisclosed oncology target for the China market. The licensing agreement includes an upfront payment, milestones and sales royalty payments, which are undisclosed. BlissBio has an exclusivity option to expand the territory beyond China to the global market and to develop therapeutic ADCs to two additional undisclosed oncology targets.

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Morphotek’s ADC Services offer third parties the opportunity to license the proprietary eribulin-linker payload to develop investigational ADCs using either Morphotek’s REsidue-SPEcific Conjugation Technology (RESPECT) or an alternative approach to conjugation. The eribulin-linker payload consists of a cytotoxic agent, eribulin, modified by a chemical linker to facilitate optimal conjugation. Eribulin’s anti-tumor activity is mediated by the inhibition of microtubule elongation and mitotic spindle formation, resulting in apoptosis. Eribulin mesylate, marketed as Halaven, is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer who have previously received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for metastatic disease, including an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting.

Our end-to-end ADC Services provide multiple entry points for clients, starting from development of an antigen site-specific bioconjugate-ready monoclonal antibody and ADC through in vivo safety and efficacy validation. Additional options include manufacture of GMP clinical trial material, GLP toxicology studies and development of immunohistochemistry (IHC) companion diagnostics for patient screening. For more information on Morphotek’s ADC Services business and RESPECT platform, please contact [email protected].

*The ADCs described herein are investigational, as efficacy and safety have not been established. There is no guarantee that the ADCs will be available commercially.

TARIS® Announces Late-Breaking Poster Presentation at American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting

On April 9, 2018 -TARIS reported that it will present a late-breaking poster related to TAR-200 (GemRIS), the company’s lead clinical program in bladder cancer, at the upcoming American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, April 14-18, 2018 in Chicago (Press release, TARIS Biomedical, APR 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234525235]).

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Poster presentation details are as follows:

Poster Title: Significant cytotoxic and immumomodulatory effects of continuous low dose intravesical gemcitabine in rodent bladder tumor models
Poster Number:

LB-122
Session Title:

LBPO.IM01 – Late-Breaking Research: Immunology 1
Session Date:

April 16, 2018, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Poster Section 45, Board #19

About Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common neoplasm in industrialized countries, affecting roughly 2.7 million people worldwide. In the United States, there were an estimated 79,000 new cases and nearly 17,000 deaths in 2017; Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC) accounts for 20-25% of the newly diagnosed cases and the majority of disease-related mortality.

While some potentially curative treatments, including surgical organ removal and chemoradiation, are available, 40% or more of patients with MIBC are unfit to undergo these morbid procedures, or opt to not receive them.i Available treatment options for these patients are limited to palliative care.

About TAR-200 (GemRIS)

TAR-200 is TARIS’s lead investigational program in bladder cancer, and is designed to release the chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine continuously in the bladder for multiple weeks.

CEL-SCI Corporation to Present at The MicroCap Conference

On April 9, 2018 CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE American: CVM), a Phase 3 cancer immunotherapy biopharmaceutical company, reported that Geert Kersten, Chief Executive Officer, will present a corporate overview at The MicroCap Conference on Tuesday, April 10th at 10 a.m. Eastern time (Press release, Cel-Sci, APR 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234525236]). The conference will be held April 9-10, 2018 at the Essex House in New York City.

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CEL-SCI Corporation to present at The MicroCap Conference

About The MicroCap Conference

The MicroCap Conference is an exclusive event dedicated to connecting high-performing small and microcap companies with committed investors. It is an opportunity to be introduced to and speak with management at some of the most attractive companies, learn from various expert panels, and network with other small and microcap investors.

FDA Accepts New Drug Application for Duvelisib and Grants Priority Review

On April 9, 2018 Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing medicines to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing with Priority Review its New Drug Application (NDA) for its lead product candidate duvelisib (Press release, Verastem, APR 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234529549]). Duvelisib is a first-in-class oral dual inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-delta and PI3K-gamma, for which Verastem is seeking full approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) and accelerated approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL). The FDA target action date is October 5, 2018.

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"Obtaining Priority Review in the U.S. for duvelisib marks another important milestone for Verastem and speaks to the unmet need in relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL and FL and the urgency to identify effective therapies to treat these patients," said Robert Forrester, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verastem. "As an orally administered therapy, we believe duvelisib will provide an important treatment option for patients with CLL/SLL and FL, and for the physicians who treat them. We look forward to working with the FDA during the review process. We are continuing our commercial preparations for duvelisib to execute the launch promptly in the U.S. if approved. In parallel, we are exploring ex-U.S. partnering opportunities for duvelisib and plan to file a European Marketing Application towards the end of the year."

Priority Review is granted by the FDA to drugs that, if approved, would provide significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of a serious condition. Duvelisib has received Fast Track Designation from the FDA for patients with CLL who have received at least one prior therapy and for patients with FL who have received at least two prior therapies. In addition, duvelisib received orphan drug designation in the United States and the European Union for patients with CLL, SLL and FL.

About Duvelisib

Duvelisib is a first-in-class investigational, dual inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-delta and PI3K-gamma, two enzymes known to help support the growth and survival of malignant B-cells and T-cells. PI3K signaling may lead to the proliferation of malignant B- and T-cells and is thought to play a role in the formation and maintenance of the supportive tumor microenvironment.1,2,3 Duvelisib was evaluated in late- and mid-stage extension trials, including DUO, a randomized, Phase 3 monotherapy study in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL),4 and DYNAMO, a single-arm, Phase 2 monotherapy study in patients with refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL).5 Both DUO and DYNAMO achieved their primary endpoints and the FDA is reviewing a New Drug Application (NDA) requesting the full approval of duvelisib for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL, and accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL). Duvelisib is also being developed by Verastem for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), which has Fast Track status, and is being investigated in combination with other agents through investigator-sponsored studies.6 Information about duvelisib clinical trials can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Onxeo to Present Corporate Overview at the H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Life Sciences Conference

On April 9, 2018 Onxeo S.A. (Euronext Paris, NASDAQ Copenhagen: ONXEO FR0010095596), a biotechnology company specializing in the development of innovative drugs in oncology, in particular against rare or resistant cancers, reported that Nicolas Fellmann, CFO of Onxeo, will present and hold one-to-one meetings with investors at the H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Life Sciences Conference (Press release, Onxeo, APR 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234525237]). The conference is being held on April 8-10, 2018, at the Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

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Onxeo corporate presentation – H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Life Sciences Conference:

Date: April 10, 2018

Time: 11:30-11:55 am CEST

Location: Salon Atlantique-Meridional (2nd floor); Le Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel in Monte Carlo, Monaco

UPCOMING FINANCIAL PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS

Q1 2018 financial information: Friday, May 4, 2018, after market
Shareholder’s general meeting on the first call: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Shareholder’s general meeting on the second call (if the required quorum was not reached at the first AGM): Tuesday, June 19, 2018