On January 24, 2022 Greenwich LifeSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLSI) (the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of GLSI-100, an immunotherapy to prevent breast cancer recurrences in patients who have previously undergone surgery, reported that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company’s management to implement a stock repurchase program for up to $10 million of the Company’s common stock at any time (Press release, Greenwich LifeSciences, JAN 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234606707]).

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The term of the board authorization of the repurchase program is until March 31, 2023. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and will be funded using the company’s working capital.

CEO Snehal Patel commented, "The implementation of this board-approved share repurchase program provides us with another tool to deliver shareholder value. We have the ability to make opportunistic share repurchases while continuing our clinical development plans for GP2."

In addition, the Board of Directors has also extended the lock-up of the shares owned by the Company’s directors, officers, and existing pre-IPO investors to March 24, 2023 (30 months from date of the Company’s IPO) from March 24, 2022 (18 months from date of the Company’s IPO). During this period, current officers, directors and certain shareholders will not be able to sell their shares of the Company’s common stock unless otherwise modified by the Board of Directors.

About FLAMINGO-01 and GLSI-100

The Phase III clinical trial will be called FLAMINGO-01 and the combination of GP2 + GM-CSF will be called GLSI-100. The Phase III trial is comprised of 2 blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled arms for approximately 500 HLA-A*02 patients and 1 open label arm of up to 100 patients for all other HLA types. An interim analysis has been designed to detect a hazard ratio of 0.3 in IDFS, where 28 events will be required. An interim analysis for superiority and futility will be conducted when at least half of those events, 14, have occurred. This sample size provides 80% power if the annual rate of events in placebo-treated subjects is 2.4% or greater. The trial is currently being registered on clinicaltrials.gov and the link and trial identifier will be published shortly. For future updates about FLAMINGO-01 please visit the Company’s clinical trial tab at View Source

About Breast Cancer and HER2/neu Positivity

One in eight U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over her lifetime, with approximately 282,000 new breast cancer patients and 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in 2021. HER2/neu (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) protein is a cell surface receptor protein that is expressed in a variety of common cancers, including in 75% of breast cancers at low (1+), intermediate (2+), and high (3+ or over-expressor) levels.

On January 24 2022 Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (Nasdaq: ABUS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its extensive virology expertise to develop novel therapeutics that target specific viral diseases, reported its 2022 corporate objectives and provided a financial update (Press release, Arbutus Biopharma, JAN 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234606726]).

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William Collier, President and CEO, stated, "This year is an important one for Arbutus and the HBV patient community based on the many accomplishments we achieved in 2021. With five clinical trials on-going in HBV that include either AB-729 or AB-836, we are now poised for several key data readouts throughout this year that we anticipate will support Phase 2b clinical development. In addition, we intend to advance AB-101, our oral PD-L1 inhibitor compound for HBV which is designed to re-awaken the immune system, through IND-enabling studies this year. Similarly, this year we intend to complete IND-enabling studies for our RNA destabilizer, AB-161."

Mr. Collier continued, "As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, we are expediting our efforts to advance novel oral pan-coronavirus compounds against viral protease and polymerase targets. We intend to advance an Mpro candidate into IND-enabling studies for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 this year.

"Lastly, we are entering 2022 from a position of financial strength, with a cash runway expected to extend into the second quarter of 2024. I am thrilled with the company’s accomplishments and execution in 2021 and look forward to providing further updates over the course of this coming year."

Summary of 2022 Anticipated Key Milestones:

HBV Franchise:

Announce preliminary AB-729 data in the second half of 2022 from the following three on-going Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trials in patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection:
AB-729 in combination with ongoing standard-of-care nucleos(t)ide analogues ("NA") therapy and short courses of PEG-IFNα-2a.
AB-729 plus vebicorvir ("VBR"), Assembly Bio’s lead investigational HBV core inhibitor (capsid inhibitor) candidate, and a NA.
AB-729 plus ATI-2173, Antios’ proprietary Active Site Polymerase Inhibitor Nucleotide (ASPIN), and Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate).
Initiate a triple combination Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial in the first half of 2022 to evaluate AB-729, combined with VTP-300, Vaccitech’s therapeutic vaccine, and a NA.
Present at a medical conference the long-term on- and off-treatment follow-up data from our Phase 1a/1b clinical trial evaluating multiple doses and dosing schedules of AB-729.
Announce data from our Phase 1a/1b clinical trial evaluating AB-836 in patients with chronic HBV in the first half of 2022.
Complete IND-enabling studies with our oral PD-L1 inhibitor compound, AB-101, in the second half of 2022.
Complete IND-enabling studies for AB-161, our next-generation oral HBV specific RNA destabilizer, in the second half of 2022. Arbutus has conducted extensive non-clinical safety evaluations with AB-161 that gives us confidence in this molecule’s ability to circumvent the peripheral neuropathy findings seen in non-clinical safety studies with the Company’s first-generation oral RNA destabilizer, AB-452.
COVID-19 & Pan-Coronavirus Franchise

Nominate a candidate that inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 nsp5 main protease (Mpro) in the first half of 2022 and advance into IND-enabling studies.
Continue lead optimization activities for an Nsp12 viral polymerase candidate.
Other Opportunities

Explore potential oncology applications for internal PD-L1 portfolio.
Financial Update:

We had cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities totaling $191 million as of December 31, 2021. This amount does not include a $40 million upfront payment and $15 million of proceeds resulting from the sale of common stock to Qilu Pharmaceutical as part of the exclusive licensing agreement and strategic partnership to develop and commercialize AB-729 in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. These amounts were received in January 2022.
For the full year of 2021 we received $135 million of net proceeds from the issuance of common shares under Arbutus’s "at-the-market" offering program. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately 145 million common shares issued and outstanding, and approximately 11.4 million stock options outstanding.
We expect our net cash burn to range from $90 to $95 million in 2022. We believe our cash, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities of $191 million as of December 31, 2021, plus the amounts received from Qilu Pharmaceutical in January 2022 are sufficient to fund the Company’s operations into the second quarter of 2024.
The preliminary cash, cash equivalents and investments, the amount received from the issuance of common shares under Arbutus’s "at-the-market" offering program and the common shares and stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2021 were calculated prior to the completion of an audit by Arbutus’ independent registered public accounting firm and are therefore subject to adjustment.
COVID-19 Impact

In December 2019 an outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China. This virus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has spread to nearly every country in the world. The impact of this pandemic has been, and will likely continue to be, extensive in many aspects of society. The pandemic has resulted in and will likely continue to result in significant disruptions to businesses. A number of countries and other jurisdictions around the world have implemented extreme measures to try and slow the spread of the virus. These measures include the closing of businesses and requiring people to stay in their homes, the latter of which raises uncertainty regarding the ability to travel to hospitals in order to participate in clinical trials. Additional measures that have had, and will likely continue to have, a major impact on clinical development, at least in the near-term, include shortages and delays in the supply chain, and prohibitions in certain countries on enrolling subjects and patients in new clinical trials. While we have been able to progress with our clinical and pre-clinical activities to date, it is not possible to predict if the COVID-19 pandemic will materially impact our plans and timelines in the future.

About AB-729

AB-729 is an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic specifically designed to reduce all HBV viral proteins and antigens, including hepatitis B surface antigen, which is thought to be a key prerequisite to enable reawakening of a patient’s immune system to respond to the virus. AB-729 targets hepatocytes using Arbutus’ novel covalently conjugated N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) delivery technology that enables subcutaneous delivery. Clinical data generated thus far has shown single- and multi-doses of AB-729 to be generally safe and well-tolerated while providing meaningful reductions in hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B DNA. AB-729 is currently in multiple Phase 2a clinical trials.

About AB-836

AB-836 is a next generation oral hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid inhibitor that interacts with HBV core protein, which in turn is required for viral replication. The current standard-of-care therapy for HBV is primarily nucleos(t)ide analogues that inhibit the viral polymerase and significantly reduce, but do not eliminate viral replication. AB-836 in combination with nucleos(t)ide analogues is designed to completely eliminate viral replication in infected cells by preventing the assembly of functional viral capsids. In addition, AB-836 has been shown to inhibit the replenishment of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), the viral genetic reservoir which the virus needs to replicate itself. Preliminary data from an on-going Phase 1a/1b clinical trial has shown that AB-836 is generally safe and well-tolerated and provides robust antiviral activity.

About HBV

Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV can cause chronic infection which leads to a higher risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Chronic HBV infection represents a significant unmet medical need. The World Health Organization estimates that over 250 million people worldwide suffer from chronic HBV infection, while other estimates indicate that approximately 2 million people in the United States suffer from chronic HBV infection. Approximately 900,000 people die every year from complications related to chronic HBV infection despite the availability of effective vaccines and current treatment options.

On January 24, 2022 Demonstrating innovation leadership on a global level, ImmVira reported that, its custom-designed new-generation oncolytic herpes simplex virus ("oHSV") vector enabling CAR-T treatment for solid tumors has started pilot-scale manufacturing and Pharmacological and toxicological studies for IND filing in both the U.S. and China (Press release, Immvira, JAN 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234606744]).

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Solid tumor has long been a challenge for CAR-T. Major obstacles include solid tumor heterogeneity, lack of tumor associated antigens as CAR-T targets, complicated tumor microenvironment ("TME"), inadequacy of T-cell homing to the tumor site, T-cell immunosuppression and exhaustion and etc. While most efforts continue to focus on further modification of CAR-T cells, including locating highly-specific targets, receptor modification, recognition of multiple antigens, modulating CAR-T viability through other drugs, incorporation of external "weapons" to overcome immunosuppression and etc. ImmVira takes a new approach, leveraging viral vectors that can modify the tumor into targets to achieve a more direct and safe effect. The first three products of MVR-T7 series are MVR-T7011 with the combination of CD19 and BCMA, MVR-T7012 with the combination of CD19 and Trop-2, and MVR-T7013 with the combination of CD19 and HER-2. With MVR-T7, extracellular domains of aforementioned biomarkers can be continuously and precisely expressed on the cell membranes of solid tumors after customized oHSV entering into tumor site, providing targets for CAR-T treatment. At the same time, MVR-T7 series also carry chemokine CCL5, PD-1 antibody and IL-12 genes to further enhance the killing effects on tumor cells.

The design principle of MVR-T7 series is to use oHSV as vector to safely deliver biomarkers that have demonstrated success in CAR-T treatment of hematologic malignancies and make these biomarkers viable in solid tumors. Specifically engineered to allow biomarkers to be precisely expressed on target tumor cell membranes with a long and continuous time window, CAR-T therapy can be enabled on solid tumors without any further modification on the CAR-T cells targeting blood cancer. In addition, oncolysis caused by oHSV turn dense solid tumor tissues soft and loose, allowing CAR-T penetration into solid tumor stroma. More importantly, incorporation of CCL5 carried by the product enhances T-cell infiltration in solid tumors. CCL5 attracts and activates T-cells, and also promote macrophages and dendritic cells to secret CXCL9 thus further promoting circulating T-cell infiltration. Besides tumor modification, exogenous therapeutic genes including PD-1 antibody and IL-12 can induce prompt IFN-γ secretion to create 3-in-1 anti-tumor effects. The elegant design is a breakthrough to achieve maximum treatment benefit for CAR-T therapy on solid tumors.

As CAR-T enabler, MVR-T7 series made optimal modification of viral vector, combinations of biomarkers, chemokines and promoters based on scientific and treatment target specific design, in accordance with scientific foresight and clinical application. Completing rigorous in-vitro and in-vivo experiments, these three products did not compromise proliferation and viability of CAR-T and showed significant anti-tumor activities used in combination with CAR-T. Currently, ImmVira has independently completed in-house pilot-scale manufacturing for MVR-T7011, the first product of MVR-T7 series, and comprehensively launched extensive research for the purpose of IND application with strategic partners. In recent years, several CAR-T products have been approved as treatment, this breakthrough to treat solid tumors will open a significant market opportunity for CAR-T therapy.

ImmVira’s unique approach to modify the tumor environment paves way for a large range of current and emerging cancer therapies to become more effective. In addition to CAR-T, MVR-T7 series is designed to enhance treatment outcome when in combination with CAR-NK, ADC and BiTE. ImmVira will continue to adhere to a science-driven, original innovations and patient-focused philosophy, to continue research and development of new viral vectors drugs. Meanwhile, non-viral vector anti-tumor pipelines research, such as engineering exosomes for targeted drug delivery are underway with innovations in specific delivery scenarios or safety parameters to reignite the hope for patients around the world.

On January 24, 2022 MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT – the "Company"), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of microbiome-based ecosystem therapies dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer, reported that positive interim engraftment data from the first four cohorts of the CIMON trial with MaaT033, the Company’s high-richness, high-diversity, Microbiome Ecosystem Therapy for oral administration (Press release, MaaT Pharma, JAN 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234606708]). These results represent the first confirmation of MaaT033’s mechanism of action in humans. MaaT033 is the company’s second product in clinical development and is intended to improve survival in patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), which represents approximately 22,000 patients every year in the 7 major markets. Its oral formulation, designed for targeted delivery in the intestine, may support long-term, ambulatory use.

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In this dose-ranging study, data from four out of five intended cohorts showed satisfactory safety and good microbiome engraftment, which is characterized by the presence of microbial OTUs[1] in the gut as a result of product administration and that were not present at treatment start.

Based on this positive data, the Company will close the CIMON trial to enable faster than planned completion and evaluation of the full data from the trial, in order to advance MaaT033 towards a planned Phase 2/3 trial, which could start in the second half of 2022. Complete results from the Phase 1b CIMON trial are expected in the first half of 2022.

"These interim results are an important milestone for MaaT Pharma as MaaT033 is our second product, and our first oral formulation, to demonstrate proof of engraftment in humans. This expands the potential of our proprietary Microbiome Ecosystem Therapy (MET) platform to the ambulatory setting, after positive data achieved in aGvHD with MaaT013, an enema product for acute, hospital use. This is the first step towards treating larger patient populations that may benefit from orally-administered microbiome therapies, including patients receiving allo-HSCT, but also patients with solid tumors."

said Hervé Affagard, CEO and co-founder of MaaT Pharma.

MaaT033 is intended to improve survival outcomes in hemato-oncology patients receiving allo-HSCT by protecting and restoring their gut microbiome. In these patients, intensive chemotherapy and antibiotic treatments that are administered to prepare for the allo-HSCT procedure result in a severely damaged gut microbiome. Importantly, higher gut microbiome diversity at the time of allo-HSCT has been correlated to higher survival and lower risks of complications, including incidence of graft-vs-host-disease and multi-resistant infections[2].

"With a very satisfactory safety profile and very promising engraftment data in the first four cohorts of this trial, we believe we have the appropriate amount of data in hand to confidently move forward with MaaT033’s clinical development, without testing the highest planned dose of nine capsules a day. We look forward to further exploring the data from CIMON and preparing for a Phase 2/3 trial start."

added John Weinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer at MaaT Pharma.

The CIMON Phase 1b trial (NCT04150393) is an open-label, dose-ranging study and has enrolled to date a total of 21 patients in four cohorts (up to three capsules a day for 14 days) across six sites in France. CIMON is designed to investigate the maximum tolerated dose of MaaT033, over 7 or 14 days of therapy, that supports optimal gut microbiome colonization in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome who have undergone intensive chemotherapy. Overall, four Data and Safety Monitoring Board meetings have been conducted evaluating the safety of the trial. All concluded in support of the continuation of the study with the latest taking place in December 2021. Complete results from the trial will be submitted for a presentation at an upcoming key major conference in hemato-oncology as well as for peer-reviewed publication.

[1] OTU or Operational Taxonomic Unit is used to classify bacteria at the genus level, based on sequence similarity of the 16S marker gene. An OTU consists of a group of bacteria whose 16S marker gene shows a sequence identity of 97 percent and above.
[2] Peled, J.U. & al N Engl J Med 2020;382:822-34
About MaaT033

MaaT033 is an oral, full-ecosystem, off-the-shelf, standardized, pooled-donor, high-richness Microbiome Ecosystem Therapy. It is manufactured at MaaT Pharma’s centralized European cGMP production facility. MaaT033 is designed to restore the gut ecosystem to full functionality to improve clinical outcomes as well as to control adverse events related to conventional treatments for liquid tumors. The capsule formulation facilitates administration while maintaining the high and consistent richness and diversity of microbial species, including anti-inflammatory ButycoreTM species, which characterize MaaT Pharma’s Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies.

On January 24, 2022 TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TGTX), reported that Michael S. Weiss, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat during the B. Riley Securities’ 2022 Virtual Oncology Investor Conference, taking place on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at 10:00 AM ET (Press release, TG Therapeutics, JAN 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234606727]).

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A live webcast of this presentation will be available on the Events page, located within the Investors & Media section, of the Company’s website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be available on TG’s website following the event.