On August 13, 2018 Checkpoint Therapeutics, Inc. ("Checkpoint") (NASDAQ: CKPT), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of novel treatments for patients with solid tumor cancers, reported that preliminary safety and efficacy data from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of CK101 (also known as RX518), a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor ("EGFR")
tyrosine kinase inhibitor ("TKI") being evaluated in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, has been selected for a late-breaking oral presentation at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer, to be held September 23-26, 2018, in Toronto (Press release, Checkpoint Therapeutics, AUG 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234528977]).

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"We are thrilled to announce that preliminary data from the Phase 1/2 trial of our novel thirdgeneration EGFR inhibitor has been selected for a late-breaking oral presentation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. This marks the first clinical data to be reported by Checkpoint, an important clinical and corporate milestone," said James F. Oliviero, President and Chief Executive Officer of Checkpoint Therapeutics. "Third-generation EGFR inhibitors are highly selective and have the potential to demonstrate improved safety and tolerability versus earlier-generation
therapies. There is currently only one third-generation EGFR inhibitor approved and we believe CK-101 could be second to market potentially with a differentiated safety profile."
Details of the presentation are as follows:

Title: CK-101 (RX518), a Third Generation Mutant-Selective Inhibitor of EGFR in NSCLC: Results of an Ongoing Phase I/II Trial
Date: Monday, Sept. 24, 2018
Session: Novel Therapies in ROS1, HER2 and EGFR
Presenter: Melissa L. Johnson, M.D., Associate Director, Lung Cancer Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Tennessee Oncology, PLLC, Nashville, Tenn.
The full abstract will be posted on the conference website on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, at 5 p.m. ET. For additional information, please visit: View Source Checkpoint holds an exclusive worldwide license (except with respect to certain Asian countries) to CK‐101, which it acquired from NeuPharma, Inc. in 2015.

About CK-101
CK-101 (also known as RX518) is an oral, third-generation, irreversible kinase inhibitor against selective mutations in the EGFR gene. Activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR, such as L858R and exon 19 deletion, are found in approximately 20 percent of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC").
Compared to chemotherapy, first-generation EGFR inhibitors significantly improved objective response rate and progression-free survival in previously untreated NSCLC patients carrying EGFR mutations. However, tumor progression could develop due to resistance mutations, often within months of treatment with first-generation EGFR inhibitors. The EGFR T790M "gatekeeper" mutation is the most common resistance mutation found in patients treated with first-generation EGFR inhibitors. The mutation decreases the affinity of first-generation inhibitors to EGFR kinase domain, rendering the drugs ineffective. Second-generation EGFR inhibitors have improved
potency against the T790M mutation, but have not provided meaningful benefits in NSCLC patients due to toxicity from also inhibiting wild-type EGFR. Third-generation EGFR inhibitors are designed to be highly selective against both EGFR-TKI-sensitizing and resistance mutations, with minimal activity on wild-type EGFR, thereby improving tolerability and safety profiles. Checkpoint Therapeutics is developing CK-101 for the treatment of NSCLC patients carrying the
susceptible EGFR mutations. These include the EGFR T790M mutation in second-line NSCLC patients, as well as the EGFR L858R and exon 19 deletion mutations in first-line NSCLC patients.

On August 13, 2018 Sun BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB:SNBP), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapeutics for the treatment of pancreatic diseases,reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2018 (Press release, Sun BioPharma, AUG 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234528948]).

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Front-Line Combination PDA Study
The Company’s newest trial, a Phase 1a/1b combination of SBP-101 to be administered with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in previously untreated patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), enrolled the first patients on June 13, 2018. Patients were enrolled at the Adelaide Cancer Centre in Adelaide, Australia under the direction of Associate Professor Dusan Kotasek and at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center in Gainesville,
Florida under the direction of Thomas J. George, MD, F.A.C.P. The Phase 1a portion of this study will treat up to 18 PDA patients in three cohorts in order to determine a recommended dose of SBP-101 to be given in combination with standard treatment. The Phase 1b portion will be an expansion at the recommended dose of SBP-101 and will guide SBP-101’s subsequent development for patients with PDA. This multi-center, front-line study has 3 sites in Australia, The Austin Health Cancer Trials Centre in Melbourne, The Adelaide Cancer Centre in Adelaide, The Blacktown Cancer and Haematology Centre in Sydney and one site in the United States, The University of Florida Health Cancer Center in Gainesville, Florida.

Suzanne Gagnon, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Sun BioPharma, Inc. commented, "The Company and our investigators are excited to have begun this first cohort of patients in the Phase 1a portion of this study. The clinics are enthusiastic about utilizing SBP-101 in front-line combination for previously untreated patients with metastatic PDA. We all will be closely monitoring these patients as they move through the protocol for this study."
Partial Close of Private Placement of Common Stock and Warrants During the quarter ended June 30, 2018 the Company entered into Securities Purchase Agreements (the "2018 Purchase Agreements") with accredited purchasers. The previously announced closing on May 16, 2018 totaled $1.0 million. Total common stock issued in this Private Placement was 216,000 shares with warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 216,000
additional shares.

David B. Kaysen, President and CEO commented, "This private placement, managed by the Company, when completed, will provide the capital necessary to continue the first phase of our new combination trial for SBP-101. We anticipate early results from this first portion of the trial by early fourth quarter of 2018 depending on rate of patient enrollment. We are excited to take SBP-101 into the next stage of the clinical development process."
Financial Results for the Three and Six Months ending June 30, 2018

Operating Results
General and administrative ("G&A") expenses increased 34.3% to $654,000 in the second quarter of 2018 up from $487,000 in the second quarter of 2017. G&A decreased 24.5% to 1.3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2018, down from $1.7 million in the six months ended June 30, 2017. The increase in the second quarter is due primarily to an increase in stock compensation expense. The decrease in the six months ended June 30, 2018 is due primarily to lower salary expense associated with the waiver of contingent payments which occurred in February of 2018.
Our research and development ("R&D") expenses decreased 34.5% to $442,000 in the second
quarter of 2018 down from $675,000 in the second quarter of 2017. R&D decreased 27.8% to 1.0
million in the six months ended June 30, 2018, down from $1.4 million in the six months ended
June 30, 2017. The decrease for both the quarter and the six months ended June 30, 2018 was
due primarily to decreased salary expense associated with fewer employees and modest
spending on the Company’s new clinical study which just began dosing patients in the current
quarter.

Other net expense was $1.5 million and $364,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Other expense in the current quarter was primarily interest expense on the Company’s convertible notes payable, including the write-off of the outstanding debt discount on May 16, 2018 when the notes were converted to common stock and warrants per the original terms of the notes. Other expense in the quarter ended June 30, 2017 was prima Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Total cash was $0.9 million as of June 30, 2018, compared to $152,000 as of December 31, 2017. Total current assets were $1.5 million and $767,000 as of June 30, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively. Thisincrease in cash is the result of our sale of equity securities in the 2018 Purchase Agreements totaling $2.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 partially offset by the use of cash to fund operations. Current liabilities decreased to $1.4 million as of June 30, 2018, compared to $4.2 million as of December 31, 2017. The decrease in current liabilities resulted primarily from the conversion of the Company’s convertible notes payable, totaling approximately $3.3 million in principal and accrued interest, for common stock and warrants and from the waiver of contingent payment obligations of $1.1 million.

Net cash used in operating activities was $1.6 million in the six-months ended June 30, 2018, compared to $2.4 million in the same period of the prior year. The net cash used in each of these periods primarily reflects the net loss for these periods and was partially offset by the effects of changes in operating assets and liabilities. In the six months ended June 30, 2017, the net loss is also offset by non-cash charges recorded for the loss on induced debt conversion and sharebased compensation.

About SBP-101
SBP-101 is a first-in-class, proprietary, polyamine compound designed to exert therapeutic effects in a mechanism specific to the pancreas. Sun BioPharma originally licensed SBP-101 from the University of Florida Research Foundation in 2011. The molecule has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies of human pancreatic cancer models, demonstrating superior activity to existing FDA-approved chemotherapy agents. Combination therapy potential has also been shown for pancreatic cancer. SBP-101 is expected to differ from current pancreatic cancer
therapies in that it specifically targets the exocrine pancreas and has shown efficacy against primary and metastatic disease in animal models of human pancreatic cancer. Therefore management believes that SBP-101 may effectively treat both primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer, while leaving the insulin-producing islet cells and non-pancreatic tissue unharmed. The safety and metabolic profile demonstrated in our first-in-human safety study further supports
evaluation of the potential for additive or synergistic effects in combination with current standard pancreatic cancer treatment.

On August 13, 2018 Unum Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: UMRX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of cellular immunotherapies based on its novel, universal Antibody-Coupled T cell Receptor (ACTR) technology platform, reported financial results and provided a corporate update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 and recent activities (Press release, Unum Therapeutics, AUG 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234528937]).

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"In our first full quarter as a public company, we made significant progress in developing our proprietary, universal ACTR technology platform and advancing our pipeline of cellular immunotherapies through clinical development," said Chuck Wilson, CEO of Unum. "We continue to evaluate ACTR T cell potential in combination with different tumor-targeting antibodies in three ongoing multicenter Phase I trials. We expect to report preliminary data from these trials late this year. In addition, we are particularly pleased to announce that our investigational new drug (IND) application for ACTR T cells in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of patients with HER2+ advanced cancers is now active and we are preparing to initiate a multi-center Phase I trial, ATTCK-34-01, by the end of 2018. This represents our first solid tumor product candidate based on our universal ACTR technology."

Recent Highlights

Cohort Expansion Phase of ATTCK-20-2 Phase I trial is Underway: During the quarter, Unum initiated the cohort expansion phase of the ATTCK-20-2 trial evaluating safety and anti-lymphoma activity of ACTR087 at the preliminary recommended phase 2 dose level used in combination with rituximab in patients with CD20+ relapsed or refractory (r/r) NHL. Unum expects to have updated data, including preliminary data from the cohort expansion part of the ATTCK-20-2 trial, by the end of 2018 and to report these at that time or in early 2019.

In addition, Unum has now filed a protocol amendment to the ATTCK-20-2 trial to explore ACTR087 in combination with an alternative rituximab dosing regimen from what has been studied to date. Preclinical studies have shown that the level of ACTR T cell activity depends upon the amount of the co-administered antibody. As such, ACTR087 safety and anti-tumor activity in combination with rituximab in CD20+ r/r NHL may be even further optimized by an alternative rituximab regimen. Testing of the alternative regimen will be incorporated into the expansion cohort of the study, which is already underway.
Continued Patient Enrollment and Dosing in ATTCK-20-03 Phase I trial: Unum continued to enroll and dose patients in ATTCK-20-03, a Phase I, multi-center, open-label clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, and anti-lymphoma activity of ACTR707 used in combination with rituximab in patients with CD20+ r/r NHL. The Company expects to report preliminary data from the trial in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Continued Patient Enrollment and Dosing in ATTCK-17-01 Phase I trial: Unum continued to enroll and dose patients in ATTCK-17-01, a Phase I, multi-center, open-label clinical trial designed to test the safety, tolerability, and anti-myeloma activity of ACTR087 used in combination with SEA-BCMA in patients with r/r multiple myeloma. This is the first clinical trial under our collaboration with Seattle Genetics. Unum expects to report preliminary data from this study in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Active IND for First Solid Tumor ACTR Product Candidate:Unum announced that the IND for ACTR T cells used in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of patients with HER2+ advanced cancers is now active and the Company expects to initiate clinical development for this product candidate by end of 2018.

Presented Pre-Clinical Data on ACTR Platform at American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Summit (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) On Emerging Immunotherapies for Hematological Diseases: In July, Unum presented pre-clinical data on its proprietary ACTR T cells used in combination with daratumumab, a CD38-specific antibody. The Company is particularly interested in the potential benefit that CD38-targeted ACTR T cells can provide for patients with hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma. These data support Unum’s development of ACTR T cells in patients with these diseases, and against a highly-validated tumor target for which other T cell therapies have seen significant challenges.
Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Collaboration Revenue: Collaboration revenue recognized during the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, of $1.7 million and $2.1 million, respectively, reflects the recognition of a portion of the $25.0 million upfront payment received from Seattle Genetics under Unum’s collaboration agreement as well as reimbursements of research and development costs by Seattle Genetics. Effective January 1, 2018, Unum adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, which changed the manner in which the Company recognizes revenue from this collaboration agreement compared to the prior year period.

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $9.1 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018, compared to $7.1 million for the same period last year. The increase reflects higher clinical trial costs for the active Phase I clinical trials, as well as increased personnel-related costs, materials and facility-related costs related to scaling manufacturing processes, and increased consultant costs. This was partially offset primarily by a decrease in consulting and manufacturing costs incurred for the Phase I clinical trial of ACTR087 in combination with rituximab as there was no production activity in the second quarter of 2018.

G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018, were $2.0 million, compared to $1.0 million for the same period last year. The increase is primarily due to expenses around operating as a public company and higher personnel related costs.

Net Loss: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $9.0 million, or $0.31 per share, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018, and $5.9 million, or $0.58 per share, for the same period last year.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities: As of June 30, 2018, Unum had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $94.4 million, which includes approximately $63.9 million in net proceeds from the IPO and $5.0 million from the concurrent private placement. The Company believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, will fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through at least December 2019, without considering $15.0 million in available borrowings under its loan and security agreement.

On August 13, 2018 Unum Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: UMRX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of cellular immunotherapies based on its novel, universal Antibody-Coupled T Cell Receptor (ACTR) technology platform, reported that an investigational new drug (IND) application is now active for ACTR T cells in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of patients with HER2+ advanced cancers (Press release, Unum Therapeutics, AUG 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234528936]). This represents the first solid tumor product candidate based on Unum’s novel, universal ACTR technology, and the fourth clinical trial program for the Company.

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"We are very happy to reach this important milestone for patients and for Unum," said Chuck Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Unum. "ACTR represents a promising novel technology that can be used to target different tumor types and it’s exciting to expand its application to target solid tumors. We are committed to developing ACTR for patients with HER2+ advanced cancers who need better treatment options."

Under this IND, Unum is preparing to initiate a multi-center Phase I trial, called ATTCK-34-01, by the end of 2018 in patients with HER2+ advanced cancers. ATTCK-34-01 is designed as a dose escalation study where both the ACTR T cell drug product and trastuzumab doses are escalated in order to define the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor activity of the combination. Expansion at the recommended Phase 2 dose is planned.

On August 13, 2018 PharmaMar (MSE:PHM) reported that The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) announced on Friday August 10th the titles for the presentations at the 19th World Conference on Lung cancer which will take place September 23-26 in Toronto, Canada (Press release, PharmaMar, AUG 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234528928]). PharmaMar will present a poster titled "Overall survival with lurbinectedin plus doxorubicin in relapsed SCLC. Results from an expansion cohort of a phase Ib trial"

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