On November 22, 2018 CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB reported that it has received a 1 MSEK grant from Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency (Press release, CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals, NOV 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234533265]). The funds will be used to upscale the production of a novel drug candidate CellProtect, an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP), for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital.

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The grant has been provided to CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB within the program "Competence Centers; Support for SMEs 2018″. Its aim is to stimulate active and sustainable participation of small and medium size enterprises facilitating growth of the Swedish biologics industry.

Moreover, CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB and the Karolinska University Hospital, via the Karolinska Cell Therapy Center (KCC) and its production unit Vecura, are partners of the Vinnova Competence Centre for Advanced BioProduction by Continuous Processing (AdBIOPRO). This key competence centre, focusing on manufacturing of emerging potent therapeutic products, is coordinated by the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and includes a number of industrial partners.

"We are very grateful for the grant for this important work. Upscaling of the production is an imperative step in order to initiate confirmatory clinical trials with CellProtect in patients with multiple myeloma which is a primary indication for our drug candidate" says Karin Mellström, CEO of CellProtect Nordic Pharmaceuticals AB.

On November 22, 2018 Oasmia Pharmaceutical AB (NASDAQ: OASM) reported that the European Commission has granted an approval of Apealea for treatment of adult patients with first relapse of platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer, primary peritoneal cancer and fallopian tube cancer in combination with Carboplatin (Press release, Oasmia, NOV 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234556568]). This approval marks the first approval for a systemic platinum-based paclitaxel combination therapy approved for first relapse of platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer.

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The European Commission has granted a centralized marketing authorization with unified labelling that is valid in 28 countries of the European Union (EU), as well as the European Economic Area members, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.

Today’s milestone for Apealea is an important one for patients in Europe experiencing a relapse of their ovarian cancer disease since this treatment allows a platinum-based treatment option with a high dose paclitaxel free from Cremophor EL (CrEL).

About the OAS-07OVA study

The European Commission decision is based on clinical trials including the pivotal study OAS 07OVA conducted on patients with disease relapse. This study showed that the risks of disease progression or death after Apealea treatment in combination with carboplatin are similar as after comparator; CrEL-formulated paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin.

Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.3 months in the Apealea arm compared to 10.1 months in the comparator arm (HR:0.86; 95% CI: 0.72 – 1.03)
Median overall survival (OS) was 25.7 months in the Apealea arm compared to 24.8 months in the comparator arm (HR:0.95; 95% CI: 0.78 – 1.16)

About epithelial ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women. Approximately 239,000 women are annually diagnosed with ovarian cancer globally and 152,000 dies from the disease. Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common form and accounts for about 90% of ovarian cancers. The disease is often diagnosed at an advanced staged since it has no symptoms at early stages. The five-year survival rate (i.e. survival of patients with ovarian cancer compared to survival in the general population at the same age) for ovarian cancer has been estimated to 38% in Europe. During 2018, approximately 68,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Europe and 45,000 are predicted to die from the disease. Carboplatin and paclitaxel are common chemotherapy drugs for treatment of ovarian cancer, and are often used in combination.

About Apealea

Apealea is a Cremophor- and albumin-free formulation of the well-known cytostatic paclitaxel combined with Oasmia’s excipient technology XR17. Paclitaxel is one of the most widely used anticancer substances and is included in the standard treatment of a variety of cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Apealea consists of a freeze-dried powder, which is dissolved in conventional solutions for infusion.

On November 21, 2018 PellePharm, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to targeting rare dermatologic conditions at their source, reported that Sanuj K. Ravindran, M.D., chief executive officer and president, will present at the Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 27, at 12:30 p.m. EST in New York (Press release, PellePharm, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531545]).

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A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed on the company’s website at www.pellepharm.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the PellePharm website for at least two weeks following the presentation.

On November 21, 2018 The Board of Directors of Alliance HealthCare Services, Inc. ("Alliance") reported the promotion of Rhonda Longmore-Grund, currently the organization’s Interim CEO, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately (Press release, Alliance HealthCare Services, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531546]).

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Ms. Longmore-Grund joined Alliance in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, bringing significant international and capital market experience and having led organizations through strategic expansion and growth. Prior to joining Alliance, she held several CFO roles including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Printronix, a global provider of industrial print technology solutions serving Fortune 500 customers around the world. She has also served on the executive teams of Ingram Micro, Inc., Exult, Inc., Velocium (now owned by Northrop Grumman) and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Ms. Longmore-Grund holds a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and International Business from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

At Alliance, Ms. Longmore-Grund has been instrumental in several key strategic initiatives for the organization, including two ownership transitions, privatization and refinancing, earning her and the Alliance team an excellent reputation in the financial community. Ms. Longmore-Grund has also served a pivotal role in the organization’s acquisitions, strategic planning, and culture and engagement initiatives. Most recently, Ms. Longmore-Grund recruited Ms. Prudence Kuai as Chief Information Officer to Alliance, a former WellPoint, Arcadian and Florida Blue executive team member who brings significant payer and information systems expertise to the Alliance senior team.

"We were fortunate to have several very strong internal and external candidates for the CEO role at Alliance," said Paul Viviano, Board Member and search committee chair. "In the end, it was Rhonda’s unique blend of values-based and collaborative leadership, proven record of success both in finance and more generally, and her earned reputation as a trusted and effective leader both within the Alliance team and in the healthcare marketplace that make her the right choice for leading Alliance’s continued success as a national leader in outsourced medical services."

Alliance partners with health systems, hospitals and physician groups to provide radiology, cancer care and pain management services across the United States. The company has become one of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations, with more than 1,100 customers and a patient average satisfaction score of 97%.

In fall of 2017, the organization became wholly owned by Tahoe Investment Group. Says Board Member Charles Feng, "On behalf of Chairman Huang, the Tahoe team and our Board, we are thrilled to have Rhonda in the CEO role. Our growth plan depends on our team’s ability to succeed in a shifting healthcare marketplace, and we look forward to their continued progress on behalf of our patients and partners under Rhonda’s leadership."

The company plans to immediately begin a search for the Chief Financial Officer role

On November 21, 2018 Pfizer Inc. reported that it invites investors and the general public to listen to a webcast of a discussion with Chris Boshoff, senior vice president and head, Immuno-Oncology, Early Development and Translational Oncology, at the Evercore ISI HealthConX Conference on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 8:45 a.m. EST (Press release, Pfizer, NOV 21, 2018, View Source [SID1234531547]).

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To listen to the webcast, visit our web site at www.pfizer.com/investors. Information on accessing and pre-registering for the webcast will be available at www.pfizer.com/investors beginning today.

Visitors will be able to listen to an archived copy of the webcast at www.pfizer.com/investors