On January 22, 2019 Klaria AB (Klaria) (Parent Company, Klaria Pharma Holding AB, Stockholm OMX Nasdaq:KLAR) and Purdue Pharma (Canada) reported they have entered into an exclusive development agreement for KL-01401 (Epinephrine Oromucosal Film) (Press release, Purdue Pharma, JAN 22, 2019, View Source;license-and-supply-agreements-with-purdue-pharma–canada–for-th,c2724247 [SID1234553985]). KL-01401 is a developmental stage formulation of epinephrine for emergency treatment of severe anaphylactic reactions in patients who are at increased risk for anaphylaxis. KL-01401 will be co-developed by Klaria and Purdue Pharma (Canada). The development agreement includes exclusive global license and supply options for the independently associated Purdue/Napp/Mundipharma network of companies upon achievement of defined milestones.

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Under the terms of the agreement, the total value of all milestones achievable is 55.2 million US Dollars. In addition, Klaria will receive mid-to-upper single digit royalties on net sales. Further terms of the agreements give Klaria exclusive manufacturing rights to supply the global market with KL-01401.

In order to complete the agreement with Purdue, Klaria AB has also added epinephrine to its license agreement with Uppsalagruppen Medical AB. In the agreement between Klaria and Uppsalagruppen, Uppsalagruppen will receive a four precent royalty on Klaria’s net income from sales of KL-01401.

KL-01401 is based on Klaria’s novel patented drug delivery platform, which provides several benefits to patients who may require emergency treatment, for anaphylactic reactions. It is planned as an easy to use, non-injectable self-administered treatment that allows patients and their caregivers to discreetly carry a life-saving emergency treatment medication with them at all times.

Dr. Scott Boyer, CEO, Klaria commented: "We are extremely pleased and encouraged to enter into this agreement with Purdue – our second collaboration to date. This agreement combines the strengths of our patented drug delivery platform with a partner who is a leader in development and commercialization of innovative treatments. We are confident that the result of our partnership will meet an unmet medical need for patients relying on epinephrine in the event of a severe allergic reaction."

David Pidduck, President and CEO of Purdue Pharma (Canada) commented:"Today’s agreement signals an exciting move for Purdue as we endeavour to shift the treatment paradigm for Canadians living with the threat of an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis is the most serious type of allergic reaction and current treatment options continue to face increasing challenges, including availability. The deepening of our partnership with Klaria by entering into a second development agreement with them is another example of our commitment to investing in new technologies and treatment options that will make a positive impact on the healthcare system and on patients’ lives. This agreement is consistent with our overall strategy of expanding opportunities through business development."

On January 22, 2019 Notable Labs, a startup that accelerates drug development by matching drugs with patients who are most likely to respond, reported that it has launched its first drug development program, ND-1000, which targets pediatric and adult blood cancers (Press release, Notable Labs, JAN 22, 2019, View Source [SID1234532886]). In an industry first, the company has opted to donate the commercial rights to price, manufacture, and distribute ND-1000 for pediatric leukemia to global repurposing non-profit Cures Within Reach in order to provide the drug to pediatric leukemia patients at a very low cost.

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The partnership between Notable and Cures Within Reach is intended to further Cures Within Reach’s mission to develop and implement effective economic incentives for the repurposing of inexpensive generic drugs, devices, and other products which is especially critical in rare diseases. This collaborative venture will be supported by philanthropy from individuals, foundations and disease non-profits, as well as investment from for-profit stakeholders.

As a for-profit company, Notable Labs is able to donate ND-1000’s pediatric commercial rights to Cures Within Reach due to the drug’s eligibility for the FDA’s Pediatric Priority Review Voucher Program, which has a financial value due to an awarded voucher’s ability to be sold to another pharmaceutical company.

"We need to create and use incentives to secure approval for existing drugs that have additional therapeutic value," said Dr. Bruce Bloom, CEO, Cures Within Reach. "To our knowledge, this would be a unique therapeutic development partnership that creates both commercial value for shareholders and philanthropic impact at a significantly lower development cost. Our hope is that this type of alliance between a for-profit company and a non-profit organization to repurpose drugs and improve outcomes at lower costs to patients could become a model for others to use."

Notable Labs will open the first clinical trial for ND-1000 at The University of Kansas Cancer Center later this year through a partnership with the University’s Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation (IAMI). "We are thrilled to bring our drug repurposing and blood cancer clinical trial expertise to the unique partnership established by Notable Labs and Cures Within Reach," said IAMI Director Scott Weir, Pharm.D., Ph.D. "We are focused on bringing life-saving cancer treatments to patients and we are eager to enroll trial participants into the first clinical trial for ND-1000, joining this groundbreaking effort."

How Notable Labs works

Notable Labs has built an automated laboratory that rapidly evaluates thousands of drug combinations on cancer cells relative to healthy cells. A report is generated which prioritizes the drugs that are most specifically active against cancer cells. The first validation trials have been in blood cancers due to the accessibility and large number of cancer cells available.

The company was founded by Matt De Silva, whose father was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a deadly stage 4 brain cancer that claimed the lives of Beau Biden, John McCain, and Ted Kennedy. A hedge fund manager by background, Matt spent more than a year researching potential treatments and clinical trials, and realized that the physicians running the trials didn’t have the ability to accurately predict which medications would be most effective for his father. Unfortunately, cancer doesn’t wait, and Matt lost his father before he could find the right treatment. During that time Matt founded Notable Labs and built a platform that could solve the problem for other patients that he couldn’t for his own father.

"Our goal is to ensure that if a patient chooses to enroll on a clinical trial, they’ll have a strong chance of responding. If we can quickly and accurately match the right drugs with the right patients, the cost of clinical trials will drastically fall, enabling reduced drug prices that our healthcare system desperately needs," said De Silva, CEO and Founder of Notable Labs. "The work we do in our lab and this partnership with Cures Within Reach and the KU Cancer Center will ensure that more families and patients will have access to this therapy in the future."

About Cures Within Reach
Cures Within Reach (CWR) is a US-based global philanthropic leader that improves patient quality and length of life by leveraging the speed, safety and cost-effectiveness of medical repurposing research, driving more treatments to more patients more quickly. CWR catalyzes research to facilitate and validate repurposing opportunities that create clinical impact, and enables and facilitates conversation and action among stakeholders that help transform healthcare through repurposing opportunities. Through repurposing, CWR drives both market impact and health savings to patients and patient groups, from academia/researchers, with payers and the healthcare industry and with support from the government, philanthropy and others. CWR’s repurposing research projects have generated "new" treatments in over a dozen indications, making patient impact through off-label use in clinical practice or through a commercialization track.

CWR currently has a global portfolio of more than 20 repurposing research projects, as well as more than 180 repurposing research projects available for funding in a wide range of diseases on its CureAccelerator site. Visit cureswithinreach.org or follow CWR via Twitter @CuresWReach, LinkedIn (LinkedIn.com/company/cures-within-reach), YouTube (YouTube.com/cureswithinreach) or Facebook (Facebook.com/CuresWithinReach).

On January 22, 2019 Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SELB) ("Selecta"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of biologic therapies based on its immune tolerance platform technology, ImmTOR (SVP Rapamycin), reported that it intends to offer and sell, subject to market and other conditions, shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering (Press release, Selecta Biosciences, JAN 22, 2019, View Source [SID1234532826]). Selecta expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 15% of the shares of its common stock offered in the offering. There can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

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Stifel is acting as book-running manager for the offering. Canaccord Genuity and Needham & Company are acting as co-lead managers, and Janney Montgomery Scott is acting as co-manager for the offering.

Selecta intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, in addition to its existing cash resources, to advance the clinical development of SEL-212, including the completion of a head-to-head superiority trial of SEL-212 compared to the current FDA-approved uricase therapy, completion of the Phase 2 clinical trial and preparations for a Phase 3 clinical trial, for other pre-clinical programs, including gene therapy development work, and for other operational activities and general corporate purposes.

The securities described will be offered by Selecta pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-219900), including a base prospectus, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on August 28, 2017. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may also be obtained, when available, from: Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate, One Montgomery Street, Suite 3700, San Francisco, California 94104, by telephone at 415-364-2720 or by email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offer will be made only by means of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming a part of the effective registration statement.

On January 22, 2019 Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reported sales of $20.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of 1.0% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2017 (Press release, Johnson & Johnson, JAN 22, 2019, View Source [SID1234532806]).

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Operational sales results increased 3.3% and the negative impact of currency was 2.3%. Domestic sales increased 1.5%. International sales increased 0.4%, reflecting operational growth of 5.1% and a negative currency impact of 4.7%. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales for the fourth quarter of 2018 increased 5.3%, domestic sales increased 2.6% and international sales increased 8.3%.*

Worldwide sales for the full-year 2018 were $81.6 billion, an increase of 6.7% versus 2017. Operational results increased 6.3% and the positive impact of currency was 0.4%. Domestic sales increased 5.1%. International sales increased 8.5%, reflecting operational growth of 7.7% and a positive currency impact of 0.8%. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales for the full-year 2018 increased 5.5%, domestic sales increased 3.4% and international sales increased 7.8%.*

Net earnings and diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2018 were $3.0 billion and $1.12, respectively. Fourth-quarter 2018 net earnings included after-tax intangible amortization expense of approximately $1.0 billion and a net charge for after-tax special items of approximately $1.4 billion. Fourth-quarter 2017 net earnings included after-tax intangible amortization expense of approximately $0.9 billion and a net charge for after-tax special items of approximately $14.6 billion. Included in these special items was the provisional amount of approximately $13.6 billion associated with the enactment of tax legislation. Excluding after-tax intangible amortization expense and special items, adjusted net earnings for the current quarter were $5.4 billion and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.97, representing increases of 12.5% and 13.2%, respectively, as compared to the same period in 2017.* On an operational basis, adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 16.1%.* A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures is included as an accompanying schedule.

Net earnings and diluted earnings per share for the full-year 2018 were $15.3 billion and $5.61, respectively. Full-year net earnings included after-tax intangible amortization expense of approximately $3.9 billion and a net charge for after-tax special items of approximately $3.1 billion. Full-year 2017 net earnings included after-tax intangible amortization expense of approximately $2.5 billion and a charge for after-tax special items of approximately $16.2 billion. Included in these special items was a provisional amount of approximately $13.6 billion associated with the enactment of tax legislation. Excluding after-tax intangible amortization expense and special items, adjusted net earnings for the full-year of 2018 were $22.3 billion and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $8.18, representing increases of 11.4% and 12.1%, respectively, as compared to the same period in 2017.* On an operational basis, adjusted diluted earnings per share also increased 10.4%.* A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures is included as an accompanying schedule.

"Johnson & Johnson delivered another year of strong operational sales growth of 6.3% and achieved our 35th consecutive year of adjusted operational earnings growth at 9.8% in 2018. This can be attributed to accelerated underlying sales performance across each of our businesses, where we also leveraged our scale across the enterprise to improve margins," said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Looking ahead, the strength of our broad-based business and disciplined approach to portfolio management positions us to continue to fuel investments in innovation that enable us to capitalize on strategic opportunities and deliver strong performance over the long-term."

Mr. Gorsky continued, "Our performance is the result of our talented Johnson & Johnson colleagues and their extraordinary dedication to help advance health and well-being for patients and customers around the world."

In December, the Company announced a share repurchase program of up to $5.0 billion of the Company’s common stock. Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion from time to time on the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. The repurchase program has no time limit and may be suspended for periods or discontinued at any time.

The Company announced its 2019 full-year guidance for sales of $80.4 billion to $81.2 billion reflecting expected operational growth in the range of 0.0% to 1.0% and expected adjusted operational growth in the range of 2.0% to 3.0%. The Company also announced adjusted earnings guidance for full-year 2019 of $8.50 to $8.65 per share reflecting expected operational growth in the range of 5.7% to 7.6%.* Adjusted earnings guidance excludes the impact of after-tax intangible amortization expense and special items.

Segment Sales Performance
Worldwide Consumer sales of $13.9 billion for the full-year 2018 represented an increase of 1.8% versus the prior year, consisting of an operational increase of 2.2% and a negative impact from currency of 0.4%. Domestic sales increased 3.5%; international sales increased 0.7%, which reflected an operational increase of 1.4% and a negative currency impact of 0.7%. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales increased 3.2%, domestic sales increased 3.1% and international sales increased 3.3%*.

Worldwide operational results, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, were driven by growth in over-the-counter products, including TYLENOL and MOTRIN analgesics and digestive health products; NEUTROGENA and OGX beauty products; and LISTERINE oral care products. Subsequent to the quarter, the Company announced the completion of the acquisition of Ci:z Holdings Co., Ltd., which markets the DR.CI:LABO, LABO LABO and GENOMER line of skincare products.

Worldwide Pharmaceutical sales of $40.7 billion for the full-year 2018 represented an increase of 12.4% versus the prior year with an operational increase of 11.8% and a positive impact from currency of 0.6%. Domestic sales increased 8.4%; international sales increased 18.0%, which reflected an operational increase of 16.5% and a positive currency impact of 1.5%. Sales included the impact of Actelion Ltd which contributed 3.4%, to worldwide operational sales growth. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales increased 8.4%, domestic sales increased 4.9% and international sales increased 13.5%.*

Worldwide operational results, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, were driven by STELARA (ustekinumab) and SIMPONI/SIMPONI ARIA (golimumab), biologics for the treatment of a number of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate), an oral, once-daily medication for use in combination with prednisone for the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, DARZALEX (daratumumab), for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma, IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib), an oral, once-daily therapy approved for use in treating certain B-cell malignancies, a type of blood or lymph node cancer, TREMFYA (guselkumab), for the treatment of adults living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION/INVEGA TRINZA/TREVICTA (paliperidone palmitate), a long-acting, injectable atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, partially offset by declines in REMICADE (infliximab), a biologic approved for the treatment of a number of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, due to biosimilar entrants.

During the quarter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an additional indication for INVOKANA (canagliflozin) to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events, including heart attack, stroke or death due to a cardiovascular cause in adults with type 2 diabetes who have established CV disease. In addition, the European Commission approved apalutamide, a next generation oral androgen receptor inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) who are at high risk of developing metastatic disease.

A supplemental Biologics License Application was submitted to the FDA and a Type II Variation Application was submitted to European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking approval of STELARA (ustekinumab) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. A supplemental New Drug Application was submitted to the FDA seeking to broaden the use of XARELTO (rivaroxaban) for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots, in medically ill patients. Two Type II Variation Applications were submitted to EMA for the expanded use of IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) in combination with obinutuzumab in previously untreated adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and in combination with rituximab for the treatment of previously untreated and relapsed/refractory adults with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.

Additionally, the Company entered into a worldwide collaboration and license agreement with argenx BVBA and argenx SE to develop and commercialize cusatuzumab (ARGX-110), an investigational therapeutic antibody that targets CD70, an immune checkpoint implicated in numerous cancers, including hematological malignancies.

Worldwide Medical Devices sales of $27.0 billion for the full-year 2018 represented an increase of 1.5% versus the prior year consisting of an operational increase of 1.1% and a positive currency impact of 0.4%. Domestic sales increased 0.1%; international sales increased 2.8%, which reflected an operational increase of 1.9% and a positive currency impact of 0.9%. Sales included the impact of the divestiture of its Lifescan business which negatively impacted worldwide operational sales growth by 1.4%. Excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, on an operational basis, worldwide sales increased 2.6%, domestic sales increased 1.0% and international sales increased 4.0%.*

Worldwide operational results, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, were driven by electrophysiology products in the Interventional Solutions business; ACUVUE contact lenses and surgical products in the Vision business; wound closure products in the General Surgery business; along with endocutters and biosurgicals in the Advanced Surgery business.

On January 22, 2019 Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: RNN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies to improve patient outcomes in cancers that are difficult to treat, reported updated, preliminary data from the ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial of RX-3117 in combination with ABRAXANE (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients at the 2019 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers (ASCO GI) Symposium on January 18, 2019 (Press release, Rexahn, JAN 22, 2019, View Source [SID1234532825]).

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The multicenter, single-arm, open-label study is designed to evaluate RX-3117 in combination with ABRAXANE in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. The Phase 2a trial is expected to enroll 40 evaluable patients. As of January 9, 2019, 36 patients were enrolled into the study, and 24 patients had at least one scan on treatment and were included in the evaluation of overall response. One patient (1/24, 4.2%) had a complete response (CR) after 6 cycles of treatment and eight patients (8/24, 33.3%) had a partial response (PR). A further 13 patients had stable disease (13/24, 54.2%). The overall response rate (ORR) was 38%, and the disease stabilization rate at eight weeks was 92%. The combination of RX-3117 and ABRAXANE appears to be safe and well-tolerated. The most common related adverse events were nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, alopecia, decreased appetite, rash, vomiting, and anemia.

While no head-to-head studies have been conducted between RX-3117 and gemcitabine in metastatic pancreatic cancer, for background purposes, the registration trial for the combination of gemcitabine and ABRAXANE demonstrated an ORR of 23%.

"We continue to be encouraged by the preliminary data from this study," said Ely Benaim, M.D., chief medical officer of Rexahn. "Because most patients are still being treated in the study, it is too early to estimate progression free survival, but we expect to complete enrollment and report additional efficacy data later this year."

A copy of the poster is available on the Company’s website at View Source

About RX-3117

RX-3117 is a novel, investigational, oral, small molecule nucleoside compound. As observed in preclinical studies, once intracellularly activated (phosphorylated) by uridine cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2), it is incorporated into the DNA or RNA of cells and inhibits both DNA and RNA synthesis, which induces apoptotic death of tumor cells. Due to the high level of overexpression of UCK2 in cancer cells, RX-3117 offers the potential for a targeted anti-cancer therapy with an improved efficacy and safety profile. RX-3117 is currently being studied in a Phase 2a clinical trial in combination with Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) in first line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients and a Phase 2a clinical trial in patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. It has received Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Additional information on RX-3117 can be found at: View Source

ABRAXANE is a registered trademark of Celgene Corporation.