On January 26, 2022, Epizyme, Inc. (the "Company") reported that entered into an underwriting agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") with Jefferies LLC, as representative of the several underwriters listed therein (collectively, the "Underwriters"), relating to an underwritten public offering (the "Offering") of 56,666,667 shares (the "Shares") of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Common Stock") at a public offering price of $1.50 per share. All of the Shares are being sold by the Company (Filing, 8-K, Epizyme, JAN 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234607443]). The Underwriters have agreed to purchase the Shares from the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement at a price of $1.41 per share. Under the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, the Company has also granted the Underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days, to purchase up to an additional 8,500,000 shares of Common Stock (the "Additional Shares"), at the same price per share as the Shares.

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The Company estimates that the net proceeds from the Offering will be approximately $79.5 million, or approximately $91.4 million if the Underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase Additional Shares, in each case, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Based on the Company’s research and development plans and its timing expectations related to the progress of its programs, the Company expects that the net proceeds from the Offering, together with the Company’s existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of December 31, 2021, and product revenue the Company expects to generate from product sales, will enable the Company to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2023.

The Shares, and any Additional Shares, will be issued pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated January 26, 2022 and an accompanying base prospectus dated May 13, 2021 that form a part of the registration statement on Form S-3 that the Company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") (File No. 333-255806), which was declared effective by the SEC on May 13, 2021. The closing of the Offering is expected to take place on or about January 31, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Underwriting Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants and agreements by the Company, customary conditions to closing, indemnification obligations of the Company and the Underwriters, including for liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other obligations of the parties and termination provisions. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Underwriting Agreement were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties. A copy of the Underwriting Agreement is attached as Exhibit 1.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the material terms of the Underwriting Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

On January 26, 2022 Nordic Pharma reported that on the 24th of January, the European Commission (EC) approved the new indication for Teysuno (tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil) for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who cannot continue fluoropyrimidine treatment due to specific toxicities: hand-foot syndrome and cardiotoxicity (Press release, Nordic Pharma, JAN 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234607539]).

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Nordic Pharma received a positive scientific opinion recommending approval of the use of Teysuno in metastatic colorectal cancer from EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in December 2021.

Based on this approval, Teysuno will be indicated in adults:

for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer when given in combination with cisplatin (current indication).
as monotherapy or in combination with oxaliplatin or irinotecan, with or without bevacizumab, for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer for whom it is not possible to continue treatment with another fluoropyrimidine due to hand-foot syndrome or cardiovascular toxicity that developed in the adjuvant or metastatic setting

New fluoropyrimidine for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

nordic_pharma_thumbnail_green_colon

In metastatic colorectal cancer the typical first-line chemotherapy consists of a fluoropyrimidine used in various combinations.

Teysuno is an oral fluoropyrimidine with similar efficacy, but improved specific safety profile compared with other fluoropyrimidines.

Jean-Michel Quinot, CEO of Nordic Pharma stated: "This is important news for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Teysuno offers those patients suffering from toxicities that can cause discontinuation of therapy an alternative fluoropyrimidine therapy which allows them to continue systemic treatment that is known to significantly prolong survival. By being able to meet this medical need, we hope to contribute to improving the lives of these patients. We want to particularly thank medical oncologists and patients in different European countries who contributed to collecting crucial clinical data for this new indication."

Iris van Lakerveld, Global Oncology Lead added: "Fluoropyrimidines are, and will continue to be, the cornerstone of chemotherapy treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer. A significant group of patients can now be offered an alternative, in the event that chemotherapy needs to be delayed, the dose reduced or fully stopped because of hand-foot syndrome or cardiotoxicity. Side effects with chemotherapy are inevitable. With Teysuno, physicians and patients will have an additional therapy when needed, allowing optimal benefit of fluoropyrimidine treatment.

Nordic Pharma licences Teysuno from Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Japan. In Japan, the product is known as TS-1 and is approved for various solid tumours, including gastric and colorectal cancer. Since 2011 Teysuno has been on the European market in 17 countries. In total, the product is marketed in over 30 countries worldwide. The approval of the European Commission is an important step in providing patients with metastatic colorectal cancer access to Teysuno. Subsequently country-specific reimbursement applications will be done at the level of each Member State to ensure this access.

On January 26, 2022 Immunocore Holdings plc (Nasdaq: IMCR) ("Immunocore" or the "Company"), a commercial-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a novel class of T cell receptor (TCR) bispecific immunotherapies designed to treat a broad range of diseases, including cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases reported approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of KIMMTRAK (tebentafusp-tebn) for the treatment of HLA-A*02:01-positive adult patients with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) (Press release, Immunocore, JAN 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234607391]).

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KIMMTRAK’s approval establishes many firsts as the first TCR therapeutic to receive regulatory approval from the FDA, the first bispecific T cell engager to receive regulatory approval from the FDA to treat a solid tumor, and the first and only therapy for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma to be approved by the FDA.

Bahija Jallal, Chief Executive Officer of Immunocore, said: "Today’s approval of KIMMTRAK is a historic milestone and the culmination of years of dedication by the Immunocore team, patients, and our healthcare partners. Every year in the United States, hundreds of people are diagnosed with metastatic uveal melanoma who, until now, had no approved treatment options. KIMMTRAK is the first therapy to demonstrate a survival benefit to patients with this disease and we are focused on making KIMMTRAK available as quickly as possible.

Dr. Jallal continues, "We’re also proud to have developed the world’s first approved TCR therapeutic, which we believe validates the strength of our platform and opens doors for us to explore further breakthrough discoveries in TCR therapeutics for the treatment of other cancers and diseases with high unmet need."

"Uveal melanoma is a devastating disease that has historically resulted in death within a year of metastasis for our patients," said John Kirkwood, MD, director of the Melanoma Center at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. "The approval of KIMMTRAK (tebentafusp-tebn) represents a major paradigm shift in the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma, and for the first time offers hope to those with this aggressive form of cancer."

The approval of KIMMTRAK is based on the results of Immunocore’s Phase 3 IMCgp100-202 clinical trial, which were published in the September 23, 2021 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The randomized pivotal trial evaluated overall survival (OS) of KIMMTRAK compared to investigator’s choice (either pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, or dacarbazine) in patients with previously untreated mUM. 378 patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to either KIMMTRAK or investigator’s choice. Data from the trial, the largest Phase 3 trial undertaken in mUM, showed that KIMMTRAK demonstrated unprecedented median OS benefit as a first-line treatment. The OS Hazard Ratio (HR) in the intent-to-treat population favored KIMMTRAK, HR=0.51 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.71); p< 0.0001, over investigator’s choice (82% pembrolizumab; 13% ipilimumab; 6% dacarbazine). In the clinical trials, across both arms, patients stopped treatment for disease progression, unless the patient was otherwise deriving benefit, or for unacceptable toxicity.

"When my husband, Gregg, was diagnosed with metastatic uveal melanoma, it was devastating to learn that there were no treatment options shown to extend life." said Sara Selig, MD, MPH, Co-Founder and Director of the Melanoma Research Foundation’s (MRF) CURE OM initiative. "Now, for the first time in the history of this disease, we will soon see extended survival in the next generation of metastatic uveal melanoma patients."

In the randomized Phase 3 trial of KIMMTRAK (tebentafusp-tebn), treatment-related adverse reactions were manageable and consistent with the proposed mechanism. Among the patients treated with KIMMTRAK, the most common Grade 3 or higher adverse reactions were rash (18%), pyrexia (4%), and pruritus (5%). In the 245 patients treated with KIMMTRAK, Grade 3 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in <1% of patients and were generally well-managed. There were no Grade 4 or fatal CRS events observed in the Phase 3 trial. A boxed warning is included for CRS as it has the potential to become serious or life-threatening if not managed appropriately.

"Until now, effective treatment options for metastatic uveal melanoma patients were virtually non-existent. The approval of KIMMTRAK represents not only a new therapy but a new hope for the individuals and the families of those diagnosed with the deadliest form of eye cancer," said Kyleigh LiPira, MBA, CEO of the MRF.

The company is ready to commercialize KIMMTRAK and expects to make the product commercially available in the United States within weeks.

KIMMTRAK was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma by the FDA in February 2021. The Biologics License Application (BLA) approval followed review under the Real-Time Oncology Review (RTOR) program, an initiative of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence designed for efficient delivery of safe and effective cancer treatments to patients. The approval was granted four weeks ahead of the assigned PDUFA date of February 23, 2022. Immunocore provided an Assessment AID to facilitate FDA review. KIMMTRAK is being reviewed under the FDA’s Project Orbis initiative, which enabled concurrent review by the health authorities in partner countries that have requested participation.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Health Canada, and the Australian Government Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) have accepted the submission of the Company’s Marketing Authorisation Application. Additionally, Immunocore launched a global early access program to make KIMMTRAK readily available to mUM patients. There are currently over 200 patients in 13 countries in the early access program.

Immunocore is committed to helping patients who need KIMMTRAK obtain access via its KIMMTRAKConnect program. The program provides services with dedicated nurse case managers who provide personalized support, including educational resources, financial assistance, and site of care coordination. To learn more, visit KIMMTRAKConnect.com, which will launch later this week, or call 844-775-CARE (2273).

On January 26, 2022 Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (NYSE American: SYN), a diversified clinical-stage company developing therapeutics designed to treat diseases in areas of high unmet need, reported that the Company will be presenting at the B. Riley Securities Oncology Conference being held virtually on January 27-28, 2022 (Press release, Synthetic Biologics, JAN 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234607411]).

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Synthetic Biologics, Inc. www.syntheticbiologics.com (PRNewsFoto/Synthetic Biologics, Inc.)

Steven Shallcross, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Synthetic Biologics, Manel Cascalló, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of VCN, and other key members of Company management are scheduled to present on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:30 PM Eastern Time. The live presentation will be available at View Source and a replay of the presentation will be publicly available under the "News/Events" section of the Synthetic website at View Source

On January 26,2022 Defence Therapeutics Inc. ("Defence" or the "Company"), a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing various immune-oncology products, is pleased to reported the development of AccuVAC-PT009, a new protein-based HPV vaccine, leading to a humoral response bypassing Gardasil-9 (Merck) immunogenicity in animals (Press release, Defence Therapeutics, JAN 26, 2022, View Source [SID1234626246]).

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ACCUMTM is a platform technology 100% owned by Defence Therapeutics. ACCUMTM is an enabling technology as it can be used to enhance the intracellular accumulation of various proteins of pharmacological interests into any target cells. As such, it is currently used by Defence for the development of several anti-cancer and COVID vaccines, as well as for the improvement of approved or in development antibody-drug conjugates.

To further demonstrate the ACCUMTM versatility, the Defence research and development team designed and engineered a HPV vaccine (a mix of the same 9 HPV-derived L1 proteins used in Gardasil-9) and compared its immunogenicity to a group of Gardasil-9-immunized animals. Compared to Gardasil-9, AccuVAC-PT009 triggers an impressive 27-and 36-fold increase in antibody titer at 4-and 6-weeks post-immunization respectively.

"We are extremely proud to demonstrate again how ACCUMTM can be exploited and applied to significantly improve any protein-based vaccine. Not only can this vaccine have a tremendous impact on improving the immunogenicity of the commercialized Gardasil-9, but it can in addition lower the dosing regimen (at least by 10-fold) yet triggering similar or more potent humoral response", says Mr. Plouffe, the CEO of Defence.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global HPV vaccine market size was valued at $3.80 Bn in 2019 & is projected to reach $12.69 Bn by 2027, with a CAGR of 16.3%.

Defence Therapeutics is currently working on various scenarios. Although its initial intent is to pursue the development of its AccuVAC-PT009 HPV vaccine candidate or even adding other subtypes currently not covered by Gardasil-9, the company is actively looking for to establish partnerships with major pharmaceuticals players to bring forward its vaccine portfolio.