On August 6, 2018 Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 and recent corporate updates (Press release, Arcus Biosciences, AUG 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234528461]).

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!

"We are pleased with the progress we have made in advancing our molecules into studies in patients with three product candidates now in clinical development," said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Arcus. "We continue to believe that AB928, our dual adenosine receptor antagonist, has the potential to significantly enhance the activity of anti-PD-1 antibodies as well as certain chemotherapies and have designed our clinical program for AB928 to demonstrate the potential of these combinations in multiple tumor types where the adenosine pathway is believed to play a critical role. The program will include extensive biomarker analysis to identify biomarkers that may be predictive of response and to demonstrate that changes in immune markers correlate with responses and are consistent with AB928’s mechanism. We look forward to reporting initial safety, biomarker and clinical data for our AB928 combinations in patients in the first half of 2019."

Pipeline Updates

AB928 (dual A 2a R/A 2b R antagonist)

Reported the unblinded safety results from the Phase 1 double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial for AB928 in healthy volunteers. AB928 was found to be safe and well tolerated at all doses evaluated, including the highest dose tested of 200 mg once daily (QD) (with food). At the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April 2018, the Company presented pharmacodynamic data demonstrating that an AB928 dose between 75 mg and 150 mg QD should be sufficient to achieve greater than 90% inhibition of the adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR) pathway.
Initiated dosing of patients in dose-escalation trial to evaluate AB928 in combination with AB122. This trial is designed to identify the recommended dose of AB928 that can be combined with a fixed dose of AB122 for the AB928 + AB122 expansion cohorts in the AB928 Phase 1/1b program. Dosing began with 75 mg QD of AB928 and 240 mg of AB122 every two weeks (Q2W). Subsequent dose-escalation cohorts will evaluate doses of 150 mg and 200 mg QD of AB928, or intermediate doses, in combination with 240 mg Q2W of AB122.
Preparing to initiate Phase 1/1b trials to evaluate AB928 in combination with three different chemotherapy regimens. Each trial will evaluate AB928 in combination with a chemotherapy regimen that is considered a standard of care for each tumor type:
–AB928 in combination with Doxil in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and ovarian cancer
–AB928 in combination with mFOLFOX in colorectal and gastroesophageal cancers
–AB928 in combination with carboplatin/pemetrexed and pembrolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Each of these chemotherapy regimens induces immunogenic cell death (a hallmark of which is the generation of significant amounts of adenosine), and therefore their anti-cancer activity is believed to be enhanced by A2aR antagonism. The trials will begin with a dose-escalation portion to identify the recommended dose of AB928 for each chemotherapy regimen, which will be followed by expansion cohorts. The dose-escalation portion will enroll patients with the same tumor types as the expansion cohorts. The Company also plans to evaluate other AB928 combinations, e.g. AB928 + AB122, in these trials.

Initiated development of an immunohistochemistry assay with a leading cancer diagnostic company to be used in Arcus’s clinical trials for AB928 and future clinical trials of AB680. This assay will test for expression of multiple proteins, including PD-L1 and CD73, as well as CD8+ T cells, in the Company’s Phase 1/1b program for AB928.
AB122 (anti-PD-1 antibody)

Continued dosing in the ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation trial in cancer patients in Australia. The Company has identified 240 mg as the recommended dose for AB122 when administered every two weeks and is currently enrolling patients in additional cohorts to explore other dosing schedules.
Preparing to initiate an expansion cohort to evaluate AB122 as a monotherapy in NSCLC. The objective of this cohort is to confirm that the clinical activity of AB122 is similar to that of approved anti-PD-1 antibodies in NSCLC patients.
AB154 (anti-TIGIT antibody)

Received regulatory approval to initiate a Phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical activity of AB154 as monotherapy and in combination with AB122 in Australia. The dose-escalation portion will first evaluate increasing doses of AB154 as a monotherapy and subsequently in combination with AB122. Once the recommended doses for AB154 as a monotherapy and in combination with AB122 have been identified, the Company plans to initiate expansion cohorts to evaluate AB154 as a monotherapy and in combination with AB122 in selected tumor types. In the future, the Company plans to explore AB154 in combination with some of its other product candidates. The Company also plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the fourth quarter of 2018 to initiate clinical testing of AB154 in the U.S.
AB680 (small molecule CD73 inhibitor)

Initiated pre-clinical development of an oral formulation of AB680. IND-enabling studies of an oral formulation of AB680 are ongoing.
Corporate Updates

In July, Arcus announced that Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. exercised its option under the Option and License Agreement entered into in September 2017 to obtain an exclusive development and commercialization license to the Company’s adenosine receptor antagonist program, which includes AB928 and back-up compounds, in Japan and certain other territories in Asia (excluding China).
In June, Arcus and Infinity Pharmaceuticals announced a clinical collaboration to evaluate two triple combination therapies in TNBC and ovarian cancer. These cohorts will be incorporated into Arcus’s Phase 1/1b trial for AB928 in TNBC and ovarian cancer.
In June, Arcus announced the promotion of Jennifer Jarrett to Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Jarrett also continues to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
Upcoming Milestones

In the second half of 2018, the Company expects to

Present the final data from the Phase 1 trial of AB928 in healthy volunteers at a medical conference in the fall.
Initiate a Phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of AB680 in healthy volunteers.
Present safety, pharmacokinetic, receptor occupancy and clinical activity data from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of AB122.
In the first half of 2019, the Company expects to

Present initial data from the dose-escalation trials of AB928 + AB122 and AB928 + chemotherapy, which will include data on safety, biomarker analysis and clinical activity for each of the combinations.
Initiate the expansion cohorts for the AB928 + AB122 and AB928 + chemotherapy combinations. Initial data from the expansion cohorts are expected in late 2019.
Report safety and pharmacokinetic data from the Phase 1 trial of AB680 in healthy volunteers.
Initiate clinical testing of AB680 in cancer patients.
Second Quarter and Year-to-Date 2018 Financial Results

Cash Position: At June 30, 2018, cash and investments (which include cash equivalents and both short- and long-term investments) were $277.5 million, compared to $175.7 million at December 31, 2017. The increase was primarily attributable to $124.7 million in net proceeds from the Company’s initial public offering in March.
Revenues: Collaboration and license revenues for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 were $1.3 million, compared to no revenue for the same period in 2017. Collaboration and license revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2018 were $2.5 million, compared to no revenue for the same period in 2017. The increase in revenues for both periods was attributable to revenues recognized from the Option and License Agreement the Company entered into with Taiho in September 2017.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 were $13.7 million, compared to $7.8 million for the same period in 2017. The increase was primarily driven by the Company’s ongoing clinical studies of AB928 and AB122, pre-clinical and manufacturing costs to prepare two additional programs, AB154 and AB680, for clinical trials, an increase in R&D headcount to support the Company’s other programs and a milestone payable due to the regulatory filing for AB154. Research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2018 were $25.4 million, compared to $13.6 million for the same period in 2017.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 were $3.5 million, compared to $1.8 million for the same period in 2017. The increase was primarily due to higher legal and accounting fees and additional staff in key areas required to support a public company infrastructure, as well as increased facilities and office expenses related to our expanded facility in Hayward. General and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2018 were $6.4 million, compared to $3.3 million for the same period of 2017.
Net Loss: Net loss for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 was $13.5 million, compared to $9.6 million for the same period in 2017. Net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was $26.5 million, compared to $16.8 million for the same period in 2017. The increase in net loss was primarily attributable to the increase in operating expenses noted above.
Based on its current operating plan, the Company expects that its cash and investments as of June 30, 2018 will enable the Company to fund its anticipated operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into at least the fourth quarter of 2020.

On August 6, 2018 Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune disease, asthma and allergic diseases, and cancer, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 and provided a review of recent business and clinical highlights (Press release, Xencor, AUG 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234528631]).

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!

"Our recent activities and upcoming milestones reflect our commitment to building a broad pipeline of antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune disorders and cancer," said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer at Xencor. "In 2018, we are focused on advancing multiple oncology programs, all built from our XmAb bispecific technology, to potentially produce a new generation of targeted immunotherapies. In addition to initiating DUET-2, the first-in-human trial of our lead TME activator, we remain on track to announce Phase 1 data from our lead bispecific oncology candidate, XmAb14045, and to file IND applications for our next two TME activators by year-end. In parallel, we continue to advance our autoimmune disease candidate, XmAb5871, toward Phase 3 development."

Recent Business Highlights and Upcoming Clinical Plans

XmAb5871: XmAb5871 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets CD19 with its variable domain and uses Xencor’s XmAb immune inhibitor Fc domain to target FcyRIIb, a receptor that inhibits B-cell function.

·Initiation of Phase 3 trial in IgG4-RD expected in 2H18.

·Topline data from Phase 2 trial in SLE expected in 4Q18.

Bispecific Oncology Pipeline: Xencor’s initial bispecific antibody programs are tumor-targeted antibodies that contain both a tumor antigen binding domain and a cytotoxic T-cell binding domain (CD3). These bispecific antibodies activate T cells for highly potent and targeted killing of malignant cells. Their XmAb Fc domains confer long circulating half-lives, stability and ease of manufacture.

· Initial data from Phase 1 study of XmAb14045 for the treatment of AML and other CD123-expressing hematologic malignancies expected in 2018, pending alignment on timing with Novartis.

·Initial data from Phase 1 study of XmAb13676 for the treatment of B-cell malignancies expected in 2019, pending alignment on timing with Novartis.

·Initial data from Phase 1 study of XmAb18087 for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors and gastrointestinal stromal tumors expected in 2019.

Xencor’s bispecific pipeline also includes a suite of TME activators that engage multiple targets, such as T-cell checkpoints or agonists.

In July 2018, Xencor dosed the first patient in DUET-2, a Phase 1 study of XmAb20717, a PD-1 x CTLA-4 dual checkpoint inhibitor. The trial is a multiple ascending dose study to determine the safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunogenicity and preliminary anti-tumor activity of intravenous administration of XmAb20717 in patients with advanced solid tumors.

· IND filing for XmAb23104, a PD-1 x ICOS bispecific antibody for the treatment of multiple oncology indications, expected in 2018 and initiation of Phase 1 trial expected in 2019.

· IND filing for XmAb22841, a CTLA-4 x LAG-3 dual checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of multiple oncology indications, expected in 2018 and initiation of Phase 1 trial expected in 2019.

·IND filing for XmAb24306, an IL15/IL15Rα-Fc bispecific antibody for the treatment of multiple oncology indications, expected in 2019.

XmAb7195: XmAb7195 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that targets IgE with its variable domain and uses Xencor’s XmAb immune inhibitor Fc domain to target FcyRIIb, resulting in three distinct mechanisms of action for reducing IgE. In a Phase 1b study, subcutaneously-administered XmAb7195 induced potent IgE reduction with improved tolerability. Xencor is currently seeking a development partner for XmAb7195.

Partnered XmAb Programs: Eight pharmaceutical companies and the National Institutes of Health are advancing novel drug candidates either discovered at Xencor or that rely on Xencor’s proprietary XmAb technology. Four such programs are currently undergoing clinical testing, including MOR208, which is in Phase 3 development as a combination agent for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In addition, regulatory submissions have been filed in the U.S. and EU for Alexion’s ravulizumab (formerly ALXN1210) for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Corporate: In July 2018, Xencor announced the resignation of Edgardo Baracchini, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer, effective August 15, 2018. Xencor has initiated a search to appoint a new Chief Business Officer.

Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2018 Financial Results:

Effective January 1, 2018, Xencor adopted the new revenue recognition standard, Accounting Standard Codification 606 (ASC606). In addition to adopting the standard for 2018, revenue reported for the prior period ending June 30, 2017 has been revised to reflect the new standard.

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $555.4 million as of June 30, 2018, compared to $363.3 million at December 31, 2017. The increase reflects net proceeds of $245.5 million from Xencor’s sale of additional stock in March 2018, offset by cash used to fund operating activities in the six months ended June 30, 2018.

No revenues were reported for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2018, compared to $12.5 million and $16.0 million of income reported for the same periods in 2017. Revenues in the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2017 were primary milestones received from the Company’s MorphoSys and CSL collaborations. Revenue reported for both periods was affected by the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard on January 1, 2018. Under historic revenue recognition methods, the Company would have recognized $0.6 million and $13.3 million of revenue for the three-month periods, and $7.5 million and $17.7 million of revenue for the six-month periods, ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017, respectively.

Research and development expenditures for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 were $23.3 million, compared to $16.9 million for the same period in 2017. Total research and development expenditures for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 were $49.4 million, compared to $32.0 million for the same period in 2017. The increased research and development spending for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 reflects additional spending on Xencor’s pipeline of bispecific oncology candidates.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 were $5.0 million, compared to $4.1 million in the same period in 2017. Total general and administrative expenditures for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 were $9.5 million, compared to $8.9 million for the same period in 2017. The increased spending on general and administration for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 reflects additional facility costs resulting from the expansion of space under lease at Xencor’s Monrovia and San Diego locations and increased stock- based compensation charges.

Non-cash, share based compensation expense for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 was $9.4 million, compared to $6.6 million for same period in 2017.

Net loss for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 was $25.9 million, or $(0.46) on a fully diluted per share basis, compared to a net loss of $7.7 million, or $(0.17) on a fully diluted per share basis, for the same period in 2017. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, net loss was $55.4 million, or $(1.07) on a fully diluted per share basis, compared to a net loss of $23.2 million, or $(0.50) on a fully diluted per share basis, for the same period in 2017. The increased loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 over the same periods in 2017 is primarily due to lower revenue and increased research and development spending in the 2018 periods.

The total shares outstanding were 55,821,310 as of June 30, 2018, compared to 46,854,762 as of June 30, 2017. The additional shares outstanding at June 30, 2018 reflect the 8,395,000 shares sold in Xencor’s March financing.

Financial Guidance:

Based on current operating plans, Xencor expects to have cash to fund research and development programs and operations into 2023. Xencor expects to end 2018 with approximately $500 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

Conference Call and Webcast:

Xencor will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) to discuss these second quarter 2018 financial results and provide a corporate update.

The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 359-9508 for domestic callers or (224) 357-2393 for international callers and referencing conference ID number 6399929. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online from the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.xencor.com. The webcast will be archived on the company’s website for 90 days.

On August 6, 2018 BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: BLRX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and immunology, reported it will release its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2018 on Monday, August 13, 2018, before the US markets open (Press release, BioLineRx, AUG 6, 2018, View Source;itemid=619 [SID1234528445]).

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 Company will host a conference call on Monday, August 13, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. EDT featuring remarks by Philip Serlin, Chief Executive Officer. The conference call will be available via webcast and can be accessed through the Investor Relations page of BioLineRx’s website. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the site and download any necessary software to listen to the live broadcast.

To dial into the conference call, please dial +1-888-281-1167 from the U.S. or +972-3-918-0664 internationally. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after completion of the live conference call on the Investor Relations page of BioLineRx’s website. A dial-in replay of the call will be available until August 16, 2018; please dial +1-877-456-0009 from the U.S. or +972-3-925-5937 internationally.

On August 6, 2018 Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALPN), a company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies to treat cancer, autoimmune/inflammatory, and other diseases, reported the company will present a business overview and update at the 2018 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 3:40 pm Eastern Time in New York, NY (Press release, Alpine Immune Sciences, AUG 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234528462]).

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!

A live webcast of the presentation will be available online in the investor relations section of the company’s website at View Source A replay of the presentation will be available on the company website for 90 days following the webcast.

On August 6, 2018 Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: APDN), reported it plans to release financial results for its fiscal 2018 third quarter ended June 30, 2018 after market close on Monday, August 13, 2018 (Press release, Applied DNA Sciences, AUG 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234529278]). In conjunction with the release, the Company has scheduled a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time that will also be broadcast live over the Internet.

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!

What: Applied DNA’s Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Financial Results Conference Call

When: Monday, August 13, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Where: Via phone by dialing +1 844-887-9402 or +1 412-317-6798 and ask for the Applied DNA call; via webcast.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available for one day and may be accessed by calling +1 877-344-7529 or +1 412-317-0088 with the passcode 10122259. The webcast will be archived in the Investors section of the company’s website.

These projects are following the typical preclinical biotherapeutic path of proving efficacy at small scale prior to securing larger production appropriate for clinical trials and deployment.

Most DNA-based therapeutic products, both approved and in development, rely on legacy science of plasmid and viral vector production methods that are time-consuming, carry the risks of bacterial toxins and triggering complications or unintended consequences. Several recent clinical trials have been halted by FDA due to unintended consequences of plasmid-derived DNA. As an alternative, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), is a well-proven technique of DNA amplification first introduced in the 1980’s as an investigative tool in research and diagnostic laboratories. Applied DNA’s patented large-scale PCR production capability is a breakthrough for therapeutic applications as it has already demonstrated that PCR product can be made available very cleanly and at the scale required for population-scale diagnostics.

The most significant Applied DNA milestones recently achieved in this field come from work with multiple companies worldwide to qualify PCR-based linear DNA expression constructs for therapeutic applications. From these collaborative efforts, we have shown that linear DNA is effective in expression of genes in vivo.

These forms are in direct contradistinction to Applied DNA’s DNA tags for supply chains, which are too small to express proteins, have no means of entering cells or tissues, and contain none of the control elements necessary to do so.

This accomplishment is among the first times a linear DNA expression amplicon produced by PCR has demonstrated expression in vivo.

In all cases, companies in our pipeline have been driven to Applied DNA’s market position as an alternative to the current science of plasmid-produced DNA to gain PCR-based linear DNA vectors inherently superior to plasmid and viral vectors in several important aspects:

Bacteria-free: Absence of bacterial plasmid contaminants or sequences of prokaryotic origin such as genes for antibiotic resistance,
Speed: Shorter lead times (days) from vector design to large scale production,
Custom design turnaround time: custom modifications in sequence during the PCR process to enable experimentation comparisons on therapeutic performance, and,
On-site Production: patented platform for large scale production supports the feasibility of DNA production closer and tailored to the point of care to support the concept of personalized medicine.
"The milestones achieved to-date are a result of a multi-year business plan beginning with the acquisition of Vandalia Research assets three years ago. Now attracting new business at an accelerating rate and showing results that go toe-to-toe with legacy plasmid production is a major milestone for the viability of PCR-produced DNA for use in therapeutics," said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. "We will continue to work with companies developing therapeutics to expand the processes necessary to grow this business alongside our mainstay tagging business."