MorphoSys Reports Updated Data from L-MIND Study of MOR208 plus Lenalidomide in Aggressive Lymphoma (r/r DLBCL)

On March 13, 2018 MorphoSys Reported Updated Data from L-MIND Study of MOR208 plus Lenalidomide in Aggressive Lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) (Press release, MorphoSys, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234556340]).

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– New data from the ongoing L-MIND trial of MOR208 plus lenalidomide in relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation confirm earlier data reported from this trial

– 81 patients enrolled, 68 available for efficacy assessment at cut-off date

– Preliminary median progression-free survival (PFS) not reached, preliminary PFS rate at 12 months of 50.4%

– Overall response rate (ORR) of 49% with 29 out of 33 responses ongoing, complete response (CR) rate of 31%

– Data show that MOR208 in combination with lenalidomide has been well tolerated in the study: no unexpected toxicities were observed for the treatment combination and no infusion-related reactions were reported for MOR208

– MorphoSys continues to have productive discussions with the FDA under the current breakthrough therapy designation on the path to market for MOR208, including the possibility of an expedited regulatory submission and approval for MOR208 based primarily on the L-MIND study.

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC: MPSYY) today reported updated data from the ongoing single-arm phase 2 clinical trial known as L-MIND. L-MIND is designed to investigate the antibody MOR208 plus lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (r/r DLBCL) who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). MOR208 is an investigational Fc-engineered monoclonal antibody directed against CD19 and is currently in clinical development in blood cancer indications.

The L-MIND study enrolled patients with r/r DLBCL, who are ineligible for HDC and ASCT, after up to three prior lines of therapy, with at least one prior therapy including an anti-CD20 targeting therapy (such as rituximab). In November 2017, the trial completed patient enrollment with 81 patients. The updated interim data reported today (cut-off date December 12, 2017) included all 81 patients enrolled in the L-MIND trial, 68 of whom were available for efficacy assessment by the investigators at the time of data cut-off. Patients enrolled had a median age of 72 years and had received a median of two prior treatment lines.

Data reported today, with a median observation time of 8.3 months, showed a response in 33 out of 68 patients (overall response rate (ORR) 49%) and a complete response (CR) in 31% of the patients. The preliminary progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 12 months was 50.4% (95% confidence interval 40 – 67%) and the preliminary median PFS had not been reached (95% confidence interval: 4.3 months-not reached). 29 out of 33 responses (88%) were ongoing at the time of data-cut off. Median time to response was 1.8 months, median time to complete response was 3.6 months.

No unexpected toxicities were observed for the treatment combination and no infusion-related reactions (IRRs) were reported for MOR208. The most frequent adverse events with a toxicity grading of 3 or higher were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, febrile neutropenia and pneumonia, observed in 36%, 12%, 7% and 7% of patients, respectively.

The results reported today confirm and corroborate earlier interim data reported from this trial (Salles et al, ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2017), which had been based on 51 patients enrolled, 44 of whom had been eligible for investigators’ efficacy assessment at the June 13, 2017 cut-off date.

"We are truly excited about this data and our productive discussions with FDA under the current breakthrough therapy designation on the path to market for MOR208, including the possibility of an expedited regulatory submission and approval for MOR208 based primarily on the L-MIND study. We look forward to continuing the analysis of maturing data from the L-MIND trial and to maintaining our interactions with the FDA," commented Dr. Malte Peters, Chief Development Officer of MorphoSys AG.

"There is a very high unmet medical need for patients with r/r DLBCL who, after having failed initial therapies, are ineligible for high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation," said Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "We are very encouraged by our most recent clinical data from the ongoing L-MIND trial, which support our plan to develop MOR208 in combination with lenalidomide as a chemo-free treatment option for this patient population."

About DLBCL
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequent type of malignant lymphoma worldwide and accounts for approximately 30% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Between 30% and 40% of all patients with DLBCL either fail to respond to or show a relapse to initial therapy. Patients who failed frontline therapy and are not eligible to high dose chemotherapy and autologous transplantation have a very poor outcome and require more therapeutic options.

About CD19 and MOR208
CD19 is broadly and homogeneously expressed across different B cell malignancies including DLBCL and CLL. CD19 has been reported to enhance B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, which is assumed important for B cell survival, making CD19 a potential target in B cell malignancies.
MOR208 (previously Xmab(R)5574) is an investigational humanized Fc-engineered monoclonal antibody directed against CD19. Fc-modification of MOR208 is intended to lead to a significant potentiation of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), thus aiming to improve a key mechanism of tumor cell killing. MOR208 has been observed in preclinical models to induce direct apoptosis by binding to CD19, which is assumed to be a crucial component for B cell receptor (BCR) signaling.
MorphoSys AG is clinically investigating MOR208 as a therapeutic option in B cell malignancies in a number of ongoing combination trials. An open-label phase 2 combination trial (L-MIND study) is investigating the safety and efficacy of MOR208 in combination with lenalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Based on interim data from L-MIND, in October 2017 the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MOR208 plus lenalidomide in this patient population. The pivotal phase 2/3 B-MIND study is designed to investigate MOR208 in combination with the chemotherapeutic agent bendamustine in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in comparison to the combination of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab plus bendamustine. In addition, MOR208 is currently being investigated in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL after discontinuation of a prior Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor therapy (e.g. ibrutinib) in combination with idelalisib or venetoclax.

10-K – Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405]

Scynexis has filed a 10-K – Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-K, Scynexis, 2018, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234524715]).

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NantKwest to Present at Upcoming Investment and Healthcare Conferences

On March 13, 2018NantKwest (Nasdaq:NK), a leading, clinical-stage natural killer cell-based therapeutics company, reported that the company will be presenting and conducting one-on-one meetings at a number of investment and healthcare conferences in the month of March and April 2018 (Press release, NantKwest, MAR 13, 2018, http://ir.nantkwest.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254059&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2337947 [SID1234524736]). The presentations and one-on-one discussions will feature a science and business overview, along with a clinical update provided by company management.

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Conference Details:
Event: Roth Capital 30th Annual Investment Conference
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 13, 2018, one-on-one meetings
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA

Event: Cowen & Company 38th Annual Healthcare Conference
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 14, 2018, one-on-one meetings
Location: Boston, MA

Event: Oppenheimer & Company 28th Annual Healthcare Conference
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 20, 2018, one-on-one meetings
Location: New York, NY

Event: Needham & Company 17th Annual Healthcare Conference
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 28, 2018, presentation at 12:45pm
Location: New York, NY

Event: Hanson Wade Innate Killer Summit
Date/Time: Thursday, March 29, 2018, presentation at 12:50pm
Location: New York, NY

Event: Jefferies IO Cell Therapy Investment Conference
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 3, 2018, presentation at 11:40am
Location: Boston, MA

Actinium Announces FDA Clearance of IND For Phase 1 trial of Actimab-A in Combination with CLAG-M for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory AML

On March 13, 2018 Actinium Pharmaceuticals reported that the Medical College of Wisconsin received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the previously announced Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase 1 trial of Actimab-A in combination with CLAG-M for relapsed or refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients (Press release, Actinium Pharmaceuticals, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234524720]). This investigator initiated trial will be conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin and led by principal investigator Dr. Sameem Abedin in collaboration with Dr. Ehab Atallah. This trial will enroll up to 18 patients and will assess safety as well as efficacy, which will be based on response rates, percentage of patients receiving a bone marrow transplant and overall survival. Actimab-A is an antibody radio-conjugate (ARC) that combines the anti-CD33 antibody lintuzumab with the radioisotope actinium-225. CLAG-M is a salvage chemotherapy regimen consisting of cladribine, cytarabine, filgrastim and mitoxantrone that has become the standard of care at many institutions across the U.S. in AML patients with relapse.

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Dr. Mark Berger, Actinium’s Chief Medical Officer said, "The use of our actinium-225 – anti-CD33 ARC in combination with cytotoxic therapies such as CLAG-M has the potential to improve outcomes for a significant number of patients. We believe our ARC approach, which has shown to be potent while having minimal extramedullary toxicities in over 100 patients to date, has the potential to be synergistic with cytotoxic chemotherapy agents. CLAG-M has shown compelling results in patients with relapsed or refractory disease and we believe that the combination with our ARC can improve response rates, transplant rates and overall survival for patients. We are excited to begin enrolling patients on this trial and look forward to working with Dr. Abedin, Dr. Atallah and their colleagues at the Medical College of Wisconsin on this important Phase 1 study."

This Phase 1 combination trial is the fourth clinical trial from Actinium’s CD33 program. The Company’s other CD33 program trials include its Phase 2 trial Actimab-A trial for patients newly diagnosed with AML who are over the age of 60 and unfit for intense chemotherapy and the Phase 1 Actimab-M trial for patients with refractory multiple myeloma. A Phase 2 trial is planned for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome with a p53 genetic mutation for myeloablation prior to a bone marrow transplant.

Sandesh Seth, Actinium’s Chairman and CEO said, "We see the use of our ARC’s in combination with chemotherapy as an exciting development opportunity that has the potential to bring benefits to a significant number patients. We believe that this will be the first of many combinations given the potency of our ARC approach together with its minimal extramedullary toxicities and its unique mechanism of action. Together these attributes make our ARC a versatile therapy that we believe can bring benefits to patients as a monotherapy, in combination and for myeloablation prior to a bone marrow transplant."

About Actimab-A

Actimab-A is Actinium’s lead drug candidate from its CD33 program and is an antibody radio-conjugate (ARC) that is comprised of the CD33 targeting antibody lintuzumab and actinium-225, an alpha-emitting radioisotope. This ARC is currently being studied in the Phase 2 Actimab-A is clinical trial in patients that are newly diagnosed with AML who are over the age of 60 that are ineligible for intense chemotherapy, also known as unfit patients. Actimab-A has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for newly diagnosed AML in patients 60 and above by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. The Company is also conducting the Phase 1 Actimab-M trial, an investigator initiated trial for patients with refractory multiple myeloma. Also, Actinium plans to begin the Phase 2 Actimab-MDS trial for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that have a p53 genetic mutation myeloablation prior to a bone marrow transplant. Actimab-A is a second-generation therapy from the Company’s CD33 Program, which was developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and has now been studied in over 100 patients in four clinical trials.

Pfenex Inc. to Present at Oppenheimer’s 28th Annual Healthcare Conference

On March 13, 2018 Pfenex Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN: PFNX), reported that the company will present at Oppenheimer’s 28th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York City (Press release, Pfenex, MAR 13, 2018, View Source2018-03-13-Pfenex-Inc-to-Present-at-Oppenheimers-28th-Annual-Healthcare-Conference" target="_blank" title="View Source2018-03-13-Pfenex-Inc-to-Present-at-Oppenheimers-28th-Annual-Healthcare-Conference" rel="nofollow">View Source [SID1234524737]).

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President and Chief Executive Officer, Eef Schimmelpennink, is scheduled to present on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 from 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM ET in the Track 2 room.

Interested parties can access the live audio webcast for this presentation from the Investors Section of Pfenex’s website at www.pfenex.com. The webcast replay will be available after the conclusion of the live presentation for approximately 60 days.

Pfenex investors and others should note that we announce material information to the public about the Company through a variety of means, including our website (View Source), our investor relations website (View Source), press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, corporate Twitter account (View Source), Facebook page (View Source), and LinkedIn page (View Source) in order to achieve broad, non-exclusionary distribution of information to the public and to comply with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. We encourage our investors and others to monitor and review the information we make public in these locations as such information could be deemed to be material information. Please note that this list may be updated from time to time.