On October 9, 2017 ARMO BioSciences, Inc., a late-stage immuno-oncology company, reported the appointment of Joseph Leveque, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. An accomplished industry veteran, Dr. Leveque has significant experience in immuno-oncology drug development, with a focus on bringing novel therapies to patients living with cancer (Press release, ARMO BioSciences, OCT 9, 2017, View Source [SID1234520853]).

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Dr. Leveque will lead the ongoing and planned pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of ARMO’s lead investigational immuno-oncology drug AM0010 (pegilodecakin, PEGylated Interleukin-10) as well as the plans to advance the Company’s pipeline, which includes an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody.

"Joe has been on the forefront of innovation in the immuno-oncology field and has successfully brought multiple drugs to patients," said Peter Van Vlasselaer, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of ARMO BioSciences. "After being involved in developing some of the most important breakthrough immuno-oncology drugs, Joe brings valuable experience to the company as we advance AM0010, which we believe may offer the next important breakthrough in this field. We are confident that Joe will help drive the full potential of this novel cancer therapy as well as our broader pipeline."

"Over the past decade, I was involved in the development and commercialization of the first generation of immuno-oncology (IO) therapeutics, including a CTLA-4 inhibitor, a PD-1 inhibitor, and a PD-L1 inhibitor," said Dr. Leveque. "I believe next-generation IO therapeutics like AM0010, used alone or in combination with other IO therapies or other novel approaches, have the promise to significantly advance the oncology field and provide renewed hope to cancer patients who have difficult-to-treat tumors."

Dr. Leveque has more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry leading teams in the successful development and commercialization of oncology therapeutics. Dr. Leveque was the Chief Medical Officer of EMD Serono, the North America subsidiary of Merck KGaA and the Vice President and Head of U.S. Medical Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) where he was involved in the development and commercialization of the first generation of immuno-oncology (IO) therapeutics, including Bavencio, Opdivo and Yervoy. Prior to BMS, Dr. Leveque was the Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, where he was involved in the development of Kyprolis and was recognized by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation as one of the top 15 innovators in multiple myeloma over the last 15 years. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs at Cephalon Oncology and a Medical Director at Amgen, where he worked on several therapeutic programs for solid tumor and hematological malignancies.

Dr. Leveque received a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in biology from the Santa Clara University. He earned a Medical Doctorate from University of Texas School of Medicine in Houston and completed his post-graduate medical training in internal medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of UCLA. In addition, Dr. Leveque holds a Master in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

On October 09, 2017 ImCheck Therapeutics, an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing a new generation of immunomodulatory antibodies against cancer and auto-immune diseases, reported a funding award of €930,000 from Bpifrance to contribute to the advancement of one of its novel immunotherapy program in cancer (Press release, ImCheck Therapeutics, OCT 9, 2017, View Source [SID1234522234]).

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The funding will be dedicated to conducting translational studies and launching the production of a novel therapeutic antibody active on both adaptive and innate immune cells and whose target remains confidential at this stage. These studies will be performed in partnership with several renowned international expert academic institutions and will aim at validating the clinical benefit of predictive biomarkers for future treatments as well as study the mechanism of action of the antibody in various hematological cancers (e.g. acute myeloid leukemia, lymphoma) and solid tumors (e.g. colorectal, pancreas, lung, gynecological cancers).

«We are delighted to benefit from the support of the French State as we are preparing for the entry of our antibody in its clinical development phases. ImCheck has a very ambitious development plan building on the discovery work of Daniel Olive’s team, notably on the control mechanisms of gamma-delta T-cells, an immune cell population drawing increasing attention» said Benjamin Charles, Chief Business Officer of ImCheck Therapeutics.

« Bpifrance supports several companies in the highly-innovative and highly-competitive field of immuno-oncology. ImCheck’s projects are highly-differentiated and very well-positioned. We are pleased to support them with this funding. » added Françoise Marchand, Project Innovation Officer at Bpifrance.

The Company plans to take this first antibody candidate into Phase 1 in 2019 and will apply for further additional non-dilutive funding, notably through the FUI program from Bpifrance.

«We hope to rapidly deliver this new generation of immunomodulators with the potential to overcome resistance to existing cancer immunotherapies. In parallel, we intend to develop the proper personalization tools to precisely identify & select responders to this new therapeutic agents» concluded Pierre d’Epenoux, CEO of ImCheck Therapeutics.

On October 9, 2017 Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC (PPD), a leading global contract research organization (CRO), reported it was named Best CRO Providerat the World ADC Awards (Press release, PPD, OCT 8, 2017, View Source [SID1234520813]). This recognition acknowledges the excellence and dedication of PPD Laboratories professionals in supporting clients’ antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) research to develop new anticancer therapies.

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ADCs are complex biotherapeutic molecules, combining monoclonal antibodies with an attached payload of highly potent cytotoxic drugs. They are designed to target and destroy cancer tumor cells with high specificity and efficiency, while minimally impacting healthy cells. To date, PPD Laboratories’ experience includes more than 100 different ADC molecules.

PPD Laboratories has supported numerous ADC development programs since 2009, ranging from early development projects to preclinical good laboratory practice (GLP) and human clinical trials.

"This award is evidence that PPD Laboratories’ employees are at the leading edge of ADC research and are driven to help clients succeed in combating cancer," said Chris Fikry, M.D., executive vice president of PPD Laboratories for PPD. "In the past five years, the bioanalytical lab has completed more than 5,000 studies, providing vital pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunogenicity data to support our clients’ efforts to develop new medicines to improve health."

PPD Laboratories’ scientists have extensive experience in bioanalytical testing utilizing diverse measurement technologies, including immunochemistry, chromatography-mass spectrometry, cell-based assays, flow cytometry and molecular genomics. PPD’s expertise includes small molecules, biologics, vaccines and biomarkers across a wide variety of therapeutic areas. In oncology, our largest therapeutic area, PPD Laboratories helped develop all of 2016’s top 20 cancer therapies.

The fourth annual World ADC Awards, which recognize distinction within ADC research, were held Sept. 21 in conjunction with the eighth annual World ADC San Diego Conference.

On October 6, 2017– Incyte Corporation (Nasdaq:INCY) and Cancer Support Community Delaware (CSCDE) reported the establishment of the Incyte Cancer Care Assistance Fund for Delaware which will provide emergency financial assistance for cancer patients, their caregivers and family members living in Delaware (Press release, Incyte, OCT 6, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2305148 [SID1234520802]).

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Through the Incyte Charitable Giving Foundation, Incyte has committed to providing a maximum of $100,000 each year to CSCDE over the next 5 years, beginning in 2018.

"We are very pleased to announce the creation of the Incyte Cancer Care Assistance Fund for Delaware with Cancer Support Community Delaware, an organization which, like Incyte, is dedicated to supporting patients with cancer and the local community," said Paula Swain, Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Chair of The Incyte Charitable Giving Foundation. "Today, as we celebrate the opening of our newly expanded headquarters in Wilmington, we reaffirm our commitment to Delaware and to the well-being of the communities we serve."
The fund will be administered by Cancer Support Community Delaware. Additional details about the Incyte Cancer Care Assistance Fund for Delaware will be made available in January 2018.

"Through the establishment of this fund, we aim to address the emergent needs that patients with cancer in Delaware face as they navigate their disease and its impact across all aspects of their lives," said Nicole Topkis Pickles, Executive Director of Cancer Support Community Delaware.

On October 6, 2017 ERYTECH Pharma (Paris:ERYP) (ADR:EYRYY) (Euronext Paris: ERYP) ("ERYTECH"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, reported that it has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") relating to a proposed initial public offering of its American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"), each representing one ordinary share, in the United States and a concurrent private placement of its ordinary shares in Europe and other countries outside of the United States and Canada (together, the "Global Offering") (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, OCT 6, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2305243 [SID1234520826]). All securities to be sold in the Global Offering will be offered by ERYTECH. The number of securities to be sold and the price range for the proposed Global Offering have not yet been determined. ERYTECH has applied to list its ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol "ERYP." The ordinary shares are listed on Euronext Paris under the symbol "ERYP."

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Jefferies LLC is acting as global coordinator and joint book-runner for the Global Offering. Cowen and Company, LLC is acting as joint book-runner and JMP Securities LLC is acting as lead manager for the offering of ADSs in the United States. Oddo BHF SCA is acting as joint book-runner for the offering of the Company’s ordinary shares in Europe.

The securities referred to in this press release will be offered only by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the Global Offering may be obtained from Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by telephone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at [email protected]; or from Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by telephone at (631) 274-2806.

A registration statement relating to the securities referred to herein has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.