I-Mab Biopharma and Bio-Cancer Treatment International Announce Intention for Collaboration on Arginine Depletion Therapy and Biomarker Study, with Plans for I-Mab to Establish a Translational Medicine Lab in Hong Kong

On February 1, 2019 I-Mab Biopharma (I-Mab), a China-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company exclusively focused on the development of innovative biologics in immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases, reported that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hong Kong-based Bio-Cancer Treatment International Limited (BCT) to jointly explore and investigate new therapeutic potentials for BCT’s arginine depletion therapy in autoimmune diseases and cancers (Press release, I-Mab Biopharma, FEB 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234533019]).

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I-Mab Biopharma and Bio-Cancer Treatment International Announce Intention for Collaboration on Arginine Depletion Therapy and Biomarker Study, with Plans for I-Mab to Establish a Translational Medicine Lab in Hong Kong
I-Mab Biopharma and Bio-Cancer Treatment International Announce Intention for Collaboration on Arginine Depletion Therapy and Biomarker Study, with Plans for I-Mab to Establish a Translational Medicine Lab in Hong Kong
Under the terms of the MOU, I-Mab and BCT will work together to explore the potential of arginine depletion therapy in autoimmune diseases, as well as biomarkers in arginine and other immunologic targets in the tumor microenvironment for experimental cancer immunotherapy.

In conjunction with this development collaboration, I-Mab also plans to establish a translational medicine lab in Hong Kong to conduct exploratory biomarker work on BCT’s lead drug candidate, BCT-100, as well as a number of important assets in I-Mab’s own pipeline. Over the longer term, I-Mab will consider expanding the lab into a full-functioning R&D center in Hong Kong, taking advantage of the local scientific talent pool, clinical resources and government initiatives to encourage life sciences development.

"BCT is a biotech company with an established unique focus on targeting arginine metabolism to treat cancers and immune disorders. We are especially impressed by BCT’s ability to bring about collaborations among like-minded academic groups and clinician-scientists, to really understand, exploit and expand the therapeutic potential of something as vital as amino acid metabolism. We look forward to working closely with BCT to explore creating synergy with our pipelines. The partnership also provides I-Mab with an opportunity to set up a world-class translational medicine hub in Hong Kong, with further potential to develop clinical presence in Hong Kong," said Jielun Zhu, Chief Financial Officer of I-Mab.

"BCT is extremely honored to be working with I-Mab’s team of highly experienced biotech professionals in developing first-in-class biologics in autoimmune diseases and cancers to find ways to collaborate. The proposed biomarker study is very important to BCT both as precision medicine to identify cancer patients that would benefit the most from the BCT-100 treatment and also to apply the arginine depletion therapy to a wider patient population," said Derek Wong, CFO of BCT.

Leap Therapeutics Announces Pricing of $11.5 Million Public Offering of Common Stock and Warrants

On February 1, 2019 Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics, reported the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 6,571,428 shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase up to 6,571,428 shares of its common stock (Press release, Leap Therapeutics, FEB 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234533017]). Each share of common stock is being sold together with a warrant to purchase one share of common stock for a combined offering price of $1.75 per share and accompanying warrant. The warrants will be exercisable commencing on the date of issuance, will expire seven years from the date of issuance, and have an exercise price of $1.95 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The gross proceeds to Leap from this offering are expected to be approximately $11.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by Leap and excluding the proceeds from the exercise of any warrants. All shares of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock to be sold in the offering are being sold by Leap. The shares of common stock and warrants are being purchased together but will be issued separately and will be immediately separable upon issuance. In addition, Leap has granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an aggregate of an additional 985,714 shares of its common stock offered in the public offering and/or warrants to purchase up to 985,714 shares of its common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The offering is expected to close on February 5, 2019, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

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Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Ladenburg Thalmann are acting as book-running managers for the offering.

Leap intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include, without limitation, funding new clinical trials of DKN-01 and TRX518 and the continuation of ongoing studies, capital expenditures, working capital and general and administrative expenses.

The shares are being offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-223419) that was previously filed by Leap with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 2, 2018 and was declared effective by the SEC on March 16, 2018. A preliminary prospectus supplement and the related prospectus have been filed with the SEC and a final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. The preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus is also available, and the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus will be available, for free on the SEC’s website at View Source Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained from: Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, or by telephone at (800) 248-8863, or e-mail at [email protected]; or from Ladenburg Thalmann, 277 Park Ave, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10172, or by email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy 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.

Q BioMed to Present at 2019 BIO CEO & Investor Conference

On February 1, 2019 Q BioMed Inc. (OTCQB: QBIO), a biotechnology acceleration company, reported the Company’s CEO Denis Corin will deliver a corporate presentation and conduct one-on-one meetings with investors and potential business partners at the BIO CEO & Investor Conference on February 11th -12th, 2019 in New York City (Press release, Q BioMed, FEB 1, 2019, View Source;investor-conference-300788230.html [SID1234533016]). The BIO CEO & Investor Conference is one of the largest investor conferences focused on established and emerging publicly traded and select private biotech companies.

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Mr. Corin is scheduled to present at 3:00 PM on Monday, February 11th in the Chelsea room of the New York Marriott Marquis.

He will provide an update on the Company’s robust clinical pipeline including its FDA approved non-opioid drug Metastron, which relieves the severe pain associated with cancer that has metastasized to the bones. Metastron is expected to begin generating revenues for the Company in 2019.

TCR2 Therapeutics Launches Proposed Initial Public Offering

On February 1, 2019 TCR2 Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing the next generation of novel T cell receptor therapies for patients suffering from cancer, reported that it has launched an underwritten initial public offering of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock at an initial public offering price expected to be between $14.00 and $16.00 per share (Press release, TCR2 Therapeutics, FEB 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234533015]). TCR2 also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares of common stock. All of the shares to be sold in the proposed offering will be offered by TCR2. TCR2 has applied to list the shares on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "TCRR".

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Jefferies, SVB Leerink and BMO Capital Markets are acting as joint book running managers for the offering. Wedbush PacGrow and China Renaissance are acting as co-managers for the offering. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed.

The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. When available, a copy of the prospectus may be obtained from: Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Departments, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at [email protected]; SVB Leerink LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA, 02110, by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6132; or BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attn: Equity Syndicate Department, 3 Times Square, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10036, tel: (800) 414-3627, email:[email protected].

Important Information
A registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to these securities and describing the terms of the proposed offering has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. The registration statement may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, 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 law of any such state or jurisdiction.

Pfizer Receives Positive CHMP Opinion for Vizimpro® (dacomitinib) for the First-line Treatment of Adult Patients with Locally Advanced Or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with EGFR-Activating Mutations

On February 1, 2019 Pfizer reported that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending Vizimpro (dacomitinib) 45 mg, as monotherapy, be granted marketing authorization in the European Union (EU) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-activating mutations (Press release, Pfizer, FEB 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234533014]). The CHMP’s opinion will now be reviewed by the European Commission (EC).

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Vizimpro was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test. It was also recently approved in Japan for EGFR gene mutation-positive, inoperable or recurrent NSCLC.

"Patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, a disease that is associated with low overall survival rates, are in need of more treatment options. This positive CHMP opinion is an important step toward bringing this treatment to patients in Europe as a potential new first-line treatment option," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Development Officer, Oncology, Pfizer Global Product Development. "Vizimpro’s development is a direct result of Pfizer’s focus on precision drug development to create tailored options that improve patient outcomes."

The Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Vizimpro was based on results from ARCHER 1050, a randomized, multicenter, multinational, open-label, Phase 3 study conducted in patients with locally advanced unresectable, or metastatic NSCLC harboring EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1; with no prior therapy for metastatic disease or recurrent disease with a minimum of 12 months disease-free after completion of systemic therapy. A total of 452 patients were randomized 1:1 to Vizimpro 45 mg (n=227) or gefitinib 250 mg (n=225).

About Vizimpro (dacomitinib)

Vizimpro is an oral, once-daily, irreversible pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitor for first-line treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-activating mutations.

Vizimpro is approved in the U.S. for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test. Vizimpro is also approved in Japan for EGFR gene mutation-positive, inoperable or recurrent NSCLC. The applications in the US and Japan were reviewed and approved under the Priority Review program.

In 2012, Pfizer and SFJ Pharmaceuticals entered into a collaborative development agreement to conduct ARCHER 1050 across multiple sites. SFJ is a global drug development company, which provides a unique and highly customized co-development partnering model for the world’s top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Under the terms of this agreement, SFJ Pharmaceuticals provided the funding and conducted the trial to generate the clinical data used to support this application. Pfizer retains all rights to commercialize Vizimpro globally.

About ARCHER 1050

The efficacy of Vizimpro was demonstrated in ARCHER 1050, a global Phase 3 head-to-head trial conducted in patients with locally advanced unresectable, or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations, with no prior therapy for metastatic disease or recurrent disease with a minimum of 12 months disease-free after completion of systemic therapy. A total of 452 patients were randomized 1:1 to Vizimpro 45 mg (n=227) or gefitinib 250 mg (n=225). Randomization was stratified by region and EGFR mutation status. The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival (PFS) as determined by blinded Independent Radiology Central (IRC) review. Key secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DoR), overall survival (OS), and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

VIZIMPRO (dacomitinib) IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FROM THE U.S. PRESCRIBING INFORMATION

There are no contraindications for VIZIMPRO.

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD): Severe and fatal ILD/pneumonitis occurred in patients treated with VIZIMPRO and occurred in 0.5% of the 394 VIZIMPRO-treated patients; 0.3% of cases were fatal. Monitor patients for pulmonary symptoms indicative of ILD/pneumonitis. Withhold VIZIMPRO and promptly investigate for ILD in patients who present with worsening of respiratory symptoms which may be indicative of ILD (e.g., dyspnea, cough, and fever). Permanently discontinue VIZIMPRO if ILD is confirmed.

Diarrhea: Severe and fatal diarrhea occurred in patients treated with VIZIMPRO. Diarrhea occurred in 86% of the 394 VIZIMPRO-treated patients. Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea was reported in 11% of patients and 0.3% of cases were fatal. Withhold VIZIMPRO for Grade 2 or greater diarrhea until recovery to less than or equal to Grade 1 severity, then resume VIZIMPRO at the same or a reduced dose depending on the severity of diarrhea. Promptly initiate anti-diarrheal treatment (loperamide or diphenoxylate hydrochloride with atropine sulfate) for diarrhea.

Dermatologic Adverse Reactions: Rash and exfoliative skin reactions occurred in patients treated with VIZIMPRO. Rash occurred in 78% of the 394 VIZIMPRO-treated patients. Grade 3 or 4 rash was reported in 21% of patients. Exfoliative skin reactions of any severity were reported in 7% of patients. Grade 3 or 4 exfoliative skin reactions were reported in 1.8% of patients. Withhold VIZIMPRO for persistent Grade 2 or any Grade 3 or 4 dermatologic adverse reaction until recovery to less than or equal to Grade 1 severity, then resume VIZIMPRO at the same or a reduced dose depending on the severity of the dermatologic adverse reaction. The incidence and severity of rash and exfoliative skin reactions may increase with sun exposure. At the time of initiation of VIZIMPRO, initiate use of moisturizers and appropriate measures to limit sun exposure. Upon development of Grade 1 rash, initiate treatment with topical antibiotics and topical steroids. Initiate oral antibiotics for Grade 2 or more severe dermatologic adverse reactions.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: VIZIMPRO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with VIZIMPRO and for at least 17 days after the final dose.

Adverse Reactions: The most common (>20%) adverse reactions were diarrhea (87%), rash (69%), paronychia (64%), stomatitis (45%), decreased appetite (31%), dry skin (30%), decreased weight (26%), alopecia (23%), cough (21%), and pruritus (21%). The most common (≥1%) serious adverse reactions were diarrhea (2.2%) and interstitial lung disease (1.3%).

Drug Interactions: Concomitant use with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) decreases dacomitinib concentrations, which may reduce VIZIMPRO efficacy. Avoid the concomitant use of PPIs with VIZIMPRO. As an alternative to PPIs, use locally-acting antacids or an H2-receptor antagonist. Administer VIZIMPRO at least 6 hours before or 10 hours after taking an H2-receptor antagonist. Concomitant use of VIZIMPRO increases the concentration of drugs that are CYP2D6 substrates which may increase the risk of toxicities of these drugs. Avoid concomitant use of VIZIMPRO with CYP2D6 substrates where minimal increases in concentration of the CYP2D6 substrate may lead to serious or life-threatening toxicities.

Lactation: Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants from VIZIMPRO, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with VIZIMPRO and for at least 17 days after the last dose.

Hepatic Impairment: No dose adjustment is recommended in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment. The recommended dose of VIZIMPRO has not been established for patients with severe hepatic impairment.

Renal Impairment: No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with mild or moderate renal impairment. The recommended dose of VIZIMPRO has not been established for patients with severe renal impairment.

Please see full prescribing information at www.VIZIMPRO.com.

About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with more than two million new cases diagnosed globally in 2018.1 About 85 percent of all lung cancers are identified as non-small cell, and approximately 75 percent of these are metastatic, or advanced, at diagnosis.2

EGFR is a protein that helps cells grow and divide. When the EGFR gene is mutated it can cause the protein to be overactive resulting in cancer cells to form. EGFR mutations may occur in 10 to 35 percent of NSCLC tumors globally, and most common activating mutations are deletions in exon 19 and exon 21 L858R substitution, which together account for more than 80 percent of known activating EGFR mutations. The disease is associated with low survival rates and disease progression remains a challenge.1,2