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Rigel to Present One-Year Efficacy and Safety Results for Fostamatinib in ITP at the 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

On December 8, 2017 Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:RIGL) reported that the one-year efficacy and safety results from its FIT Phase 3 clinical program of fostamatinib for chronic or persistent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) will be featured in an oral presentation at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting being held in Atlanta, GA from December 9 to December 12, 2017 (Press release, Rigel, DEC 8, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2321827 [SID1234522471]).

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During the presentation, James B. Bussel, M.D., professor emeritus of pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and the principal study investigator on the FIT Phase 3 program who has served as a member of an advisory/scientific board for Rigel Pharmaceuticals, will share an overview of the FIT clinical program.

Oral Presentation Details:
TITLE: Long-Term Maintenance of Platelet Responses in Adult Patients with Persistent/Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia Treated with Fostamatinib: 1-Year Efficacy and Safety Results
Session Name: 311. Disorders of Platelet Number or Function: ITP: clinical aspects
Session Date: Saturday, December 9, 2017
Session Time: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM EST
Presentation Time: 8:15 AM EST
Location: Georgia World Congress Center, Bldg B, Lvl 3, B304-B305 (Atlanta, GA)

About Fostamatinib in ITP
Fostamatinib, an oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor, is an investigational drug for adult patients with chronic or persistent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The New Drug Application (NDA) for fostamatinib for adult patients with chronic or persistent ITP, which was previously granted Orphan Drug designation, is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of April 17, 2018. The conditionally approved proprietary name for fostamatinib (as confirmed by the FDA) is TAVALISSETM.

The NDA is supported by data from the FIT Phase 3 clinical program, which was comprised of three studies, two randomized placebo-controlled studies (Studies 047 and 048) and an open-label extension study (Study 049). Together with an initial proof of concept study, the NDA included 163 ITP patients. Across all indications, fostamatinib has been evaluated in over 4,600 subjects. Data from all studies, including preclinical evaluation and drug manufacturing data, were included in the NDA submission.

About ITP
In patients with ITP, the immune system attacks and destroys the body’s own blood platelets, which play an active role in blood clotting and healing. Common symptoms of ITP are excessive bruising and bleeding. People suffering with chronic ITP may live with increased risk of severe bleeding events that can result in serious medical complication, or even death. Current therapies for ITP include steroids, blood platelet production boosters (TPOs) and splenectomy. However, not all patients are adequately treated with existing therapies. As a result, there remains a significant medical need for additional treatment options for patients with ITP.

10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Enzo Biochem has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Enzo Biochem, 2017, DEC 7, 2017, View Source [SID1234522436]).

Alexion and Halozyme Enter License Agreement for ENHANZE Technology

On December 7, 2017 Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) and Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO) announced today a collaboration and license agreement that enables Alexion to use Halozyme’s ENHANZE drug-delivery technology in the development of subcutaneous formulations for their portfolio of products (Press release, Halozyme, DEC 7, 2017, View Source [SID1234522425]). The agreement provides Alexion with the opportunity for exclusive development of up to four targets, including a next generation subcutaneous formulation of ALXN1210 (ALXN1210 SC), the company’s investigational long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, to potentially further extend the dosing interval of ALXN1210 SC to once every two weeks or once per month.

"Alexion’s goal is to provide continued innovation and more treatment options that can significantly improve the lives of patients with rare diseases," said John Orloff, M.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development at Alexion. "We are excited to partner with Halozyme and look forward to utilizing its ENHANZE technology, which enables rapid injection of subcutaneous treatments and potentially increases bioavailablity, in our development programs."

"We are delighted to support Alexion’s innovative development initiatives focused on improving the lives of patients with rare diseases," said Dr. Helen Torley, president and CEO of Halozyme. "ENHANZE has become the industry standard for converting intravenous therapies to a subcutaneous delivery, helping partners and health care providers reduce the treatment burden and administration time for patients."

Under the terms of the agreement, Halozyme will receive an initial $40 million with the potential to earn additional payments of up to $160 million for each target developed, subject to achievement of specified development, regulatory and sales-based milestones. Halozyme will also receive mid-single digit royalties on sales of commercialized products.

The Halozyme ENHANZE technology is based on a proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme (rHuPH20) that temporarily degrades hyaluronan — a glycosaminoglycan or chain of natural sugars in the body — to aid in the dispersion and absorption of other injected therapeutic drugs. For Halozyme partners, this technology may allow for more rapid delivery of injectable medications through subcutaneous injection (just under the skin). This delivery has been shown in studies to reduce health care practitioner time required for administration and shorten time for drug administration.

Alexion is Halozyme’s eighth global collaboration and license partner for the ENHANZE technology, and the third partnership formed in 2017. These partnerships cover nearly 50 therapeutic targets and include three commercialized products.

Generex Announces Collaboration with Shenzhen BioScien Pharmaceuticals to Develop and Commercialize the AE37 Immunotherapeutic Vaccine for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer in China

On December 7, 2017 Generex Biotechnology Corporation (OTCQB:GNBT) (View Source) (www.generex.com) reported that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Antigen Express, Inc. (www.antigenexpress.com), has entered into a License and Research Agreement with Shenzhen BioScien Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. www.BioScien.cn to develop and commercialize the Antigen Express AE37 immunotherapeutic vaccine for prostate cancer in the People’s Republic of China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau) (Press release, Generex, DEC 7, 2017, View Source [SID1234522511]).

"We are pleased to be able to include this in our innovative pipeline of novel therapeutics."
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A previously completed Phase I study of the vaccine conducted by Antigen Express in patients with prostate cancer demonstrated robust, long-term, and specific activation of cancer-fighting T cells in immunized patients.

Shenzhen BioScien will pay Generex a non-refundable, up-front license fee of $700,000 USD. Under the Agreement, Shenzhen BioScien will also make milestone payments to Generex of $1,000,000 USD each upon completion of the Phase II and Phase III clinical studies of the vaccine as well as a milestone payment of $2,000,000 USD upon regulatory approval of the vaccine in the territory. Generex will also receive a 10% royalty on net sales of the product.

Under the Agreement, Shenzhen BioScien has responsibility for paying for and conducting the clinical trials, securing Chinese regulatory approvals, and the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and sale of the product. The clinical trials will be designed and conducted so as to meet the regulatory requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency and Antigen Express will have free access to all data for support of global regulatory filings and further development and commercialization initiatives outside the licensed territories.

The AE37 vaccine is designed using a proprietary technology platform that ensures a more robust and long-lasting immune response than would be possible otherwise. In addition to the Phase I prostate study, the clinical activity of AE37 has been demonstrated in a controlled, randomized Phase II study in 300 breast cancer patients. Based on encouraging efficacy data from that study, the Company has entered into an agreement with Merck (d.b.a. as Merck Sharp & Dohme outside the United States and Canada) to evaluate Antigen’s AE37 cancer vaccine in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

"We are delighted that Shenzhen BioScien will continue development of AE37 for prostate cancer," said Joe Moscato, President & Chief Executive Officer of Generex. "AE37 is the lead compound being developed using our Antigen Express technology platform. The clinical studies conducted to date establish the wide applicability of AE37 and its underlying Ii-Key technology. This license, together with the Merck collaboration, highlights the value of the core assets of Generex as we reinvigorate those assets in the wake of our recently completed reorganization."

"The AE37 cancer vaccine has shown impressive results in clinical trials," said Dr. Yinke Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Shenzhen BioScien. "We are pleased to be able to include this in our innovative pipeline of novel therapeutics."

ERYTECH Reports Top-line Results of Phase 2b Study of Eryaspase for the Treatment of AML

On December 7, 2017 ERYTECH Pharma (Euronext Paris: ERYP) (Nasdaq: ERYP) ("ERYTECH"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, reported topline results from its Phase 2b clinical study evaluating eryaspase (GRASPA) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, DEC 7, 2017, View Source [SID1234522449]).

The open-label, randomized, multi-center clinical study, evaluated eryaspase in newly diagnosed AML patients over the age of 65 and unfit for intensive chemotherapy. The study enrolled a total of 123 patients at 30 European sites. The median age of the patients was 78 years. Patients were randomized two-to-one to receive eryaspase in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) versus LDAC alone. The primary endpoint in this proof-of concept study was overall survival (OS). The key secondary endpoints included progression free survival, overall response and toxicity. The study was performed in collaboration with Orphan Europe (Recordati Group), ERYTECH’s partner for the anticipated commercialization of GRASPA for the treatment of ALL and AML in Europe.

The study did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). The OS Hazard Ratio (HR) was 1.06 (95% CI; 0.70, 1.61). When adjusting for minor imbalances in the main prognostic factors at baseline (age, karyotype and FAB status), the OS HR was 0.98 (95% CI; 0.64, 1.50). The median number of months on treatment was less then 2 months in both treatment arms. The toxicity profile was acceptable and consistent with previously reported data for eryaspase.

"These data reflect the complexity of this disease, particularly in the older age group." commented Iman El-Hariry, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of ERYTECH. "While we are disappointed with the outcome, we are reassured with the safety profile of eryaspase in these very frail and elderly patients."

Gil Beyen, Chairman and CEO of ERYTECH, added, "Although clearly disappointing, these results do not change our commitment to the development of the eryaspase product candidate. Eryaspase has shown positive safety and efficacy results in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia and we remain committed to bringing this treatment option to patients in these and potential other indications."

ERYTECH will hold a conference call and webcast on Monday, December 11th at 10:00 am EST to discuss the results of this study. The full dataset will be discussed at a scientific congress in 2018.

Investors and analysts wishing to participate can access the call via the following teleconferencing numbers:

USA: +1 833 8186807 United-Kingdom: +080 00323836
Switzerland: +080 0561782 Germany: +080 01815287
France: +080 5081485 Belgium: +080 073308
Sweden: +020 798505 Finland : +080 0412874
Netherlands: +080 00200089

Password: 6983889

The webcast can be followed live online via the following link:

Webcast Link: View Source

An archive of the webcast will be available for 90 days on the "Webcast" section of the Company’s investor relations site at www.erytech.com.

Additionally, a replay of the call will be available for 7 days. To listen to the replay, please dial:

USA: +1 404 537 3406
Participant Password: 6983889

About acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

AML is a form of acute leukemia or blood cancer that results from the improper maturation of myeloid stem cells leading to the production of myeloblasts. The increasing numbers of abnormal blasts crowd out healthy cells in bone marrow (resulting in infection, anemia, and bleeding) and can spread to other parts of body. With about 40,000 new patients per year in Europe and the United States, AML is the most common type of acute leukemia. Affecting mainly the adult and senior patient population, the median age of patients diagnosed with AML is approximately 67 years, and AML represents one of the highest mortality rates among all type of cancers and an important unmet medical need.