Verastem Oncology Signs an Exclusive License Agreement with Sanofi for the Development and Commercialization of COPIKTRA® (duvelisib) in Russia and CIS, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa

On July 25, 2019 Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) operating as Verastem Oncology, (or "the Company"), reported their entry into an exclusive licensing agreement with Sanofi to develop and commercialize Verastem Oncology’s COPIKTRA (duvelisib), an oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the first approved dual inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, for the treatment of all oncology indications in Russia and CIS, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa (Press release, Verastem, JUL 25, 2019, View Source [SID1234537762]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Verastem Oncology shall receive an upfront payment of $5 million USD. Verastem Oncology is also eligible to receive up to an additional $42 million USD in development and sales milestone payments, plus double-digit percentage royalties based on future net sales of COPIKTRA in the licensed territories. Sanofi will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize COPIKTRA, and hold the marketing authorization and product license for COPIKTRA, in the licensed territories. Sanofi will also have the right to collaborate with Verastem Oncology on certain global development and clinical trial activities.

"Sanofi brings world-class capabilities in developing and commercializing products, making them an ideal partner to bring COPIKTRA to patients in these territories," said Dan Paterson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Verastem Oncology. "Establishing this third partnership outside the U.S. validates the global potential of COPIKTRA and underscores our commitment to bring COPIKTRA to patients worldwide."

David Khougazian, Head of Sanofi Genzyme, China & Emerging Markets, commented, "As a specialty care leader, we welcome partnerships that have the potential to bring value for patients and caregivers. This agreement adds to our pipeline an oncology medicine with an innovative mechanism of action and a significant potential of new hope for the patients suffering from those types of blood malignancies with high unmet medical need. Partnering with Verastem Oncology for the development and commercialization of COPIKTRA is consistent with our goals to deliver enhanced patient care and to expand our presence in oncology in Emerging Markets."

COPIKTRA was approved in September 2018 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies. In addition, COPIKTRA has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after at least two prior systemic therapies. Accelerated approval in FL was based on overall response rate and continued approval may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. COPIKTRA includes a Boxed Warning for fatal and serious toxicities including infections, diarrhea or colitis, cutaneous reactions and pneumonitis. See full Prescribing Information for complete Boxed Warning and other important safety information.

M2Gen® Donates $3M for Inaugural ORIEN NOVA Grants to Support Cancer Research Projects

On July 25, 2019 M2Gen, a health informatics solutions company focused on accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of precision medicine, reported a $3 million donation to fund seven team science research projects as part of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) New Oncologic Visionary Awards (NOVA) program (Press release, M2Gen, JUL 25, 2019, View Source [SID1234537761]). Each project will bring together researchers from a variety of leading cancer centers around the country, including ORIEN’s founding members, Moffitt Cancer Center and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, to address some of cancer’s toughest questions. Each of the awarded projects are led by ORIEN Member institutions, an alliance of key oncology stakeholders dedicated to breaking down the silos that can inhibit discovery and progress. The ORIEN NOVA program was designed to advance research by encouraging collaborative multidisciplinary team science across the ORIEN members, allowing researchers to share information and expertise, to ultimately improve patient care.

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"Cancer is a complicated disease, and no single entity can solve it alone – innovative partnerships and access to data are the keys to answering cancer’s toughest questions," said William S. Dalton, PhD, MD, Executive Chair of M2Gen. "We’ve initiated the ORIEN NOVA program to give researchers and physician scientists the opportunity to access all of the resources of ORIEN’s research alliance, breaking down barriers between institutions to enable rapid learning and accelerate research efforts and discovery to bring new treatments to patients. Together with the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, we have setup the ORIEN Foundation in March of this year to support future NOVA awards which will help facilitate ongoing research collaborations across ORIEN members for years to come."

More than 60 proposals were received from ORIEN cancer center faculty across the United States. Three ORIEN Avatar NOVA grants totaling $2 million and four ORIEN Investigator Initiated Proposal (IIP) NOVA grants totaling $1 million were selected after a scientific, peer-review of the proposed projects. Selected projects included those that demonstrated the potential for high-impact cancer research, as well as utilization of new data analytics and data acquisition tools. To view the full list of ORIEN Member recipients, please click here ORIEN NOVA.

"We are honored that our research project, led by Dr. Donghai Dai, was selected for the ORIEN NOVA grant, and grateful to M2Gen for their continued efforts to support collaborative research in the oncology field," said George Weiner, MD, Director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We are eager to address the development of intra-tumor driver mutation prevalence and this funding gives us a runway to accelerate this valuable work."

"The future of science lies in collaboration and our team is thrilled to work alongside seven other leading cancer centers to advance Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma research as a result of ORIEN’s NOVA grant program," said Walter Curran Jr., MD, Executive Director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Selected research projects were reviewed, scored and chosen by a scientific review panel consisting of ORIEN scientists and external researchers from cancer centers across the country.

For more information on ORIEN NOVA program, please visit View Source

If you are interested in supporting the ORIEN Foundation’s effort to accelerate cancer research, please visit the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay website: View Source

AgilVax Appoints Dr. Joseph Patti as Chief Executive Officer

On July 25, 2019 AgilVax Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted antibody-based products to treat multiple types of cancer in combination with chemotherapy, checkpoint, and KRAS inhibitors, reported that its Board of Directors has appointed Joseph Patti, PhD, to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer (Press release, Agilvax, JUL 25, 2019, View Source [SID1234537760]). Dr. Patti, the current Executive Chairman of the AgilVax Board of Directors, succeeds Federica Pericle, PhD, MBA, who resigned as President and CEO from the company to pursue another opportunity.

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Ebetuel Pallares, PhD, AgilVax’s Chairman, said, "Agilvax has made great strides in advancing its therapeutic antibody-based programs toward the clinic and we continue to see tremendous potential in the technology to treat many different types of devastating cancers. We credit Federica for her scientific contributions, including building our versatile therapeutic antibody platform. Her creativity and intellectual contributions are assets and undoubtedly will continue to serve her well in her future endeavors."

Dr. Patti stated, "I’m honored to join the company at such an exciting time as it advances its xCT antibody-based therapeutics into human clinical trials. Data generated to date with the VLP-based AX09 and monoclonal antibodies validate the important biological role that xCT plays in various cancers. Our data, taken together with numerous scientific publications, strongly suggest that our antibody-based therapeutics in combination with chemotherapy, checkpoint and KRAS inhibitors could play a significant role in treating metastatic cancer."

About Joseph Patti, PhD

Dr. Patti has over twenty years of executive operating experience and played a critical role in raising over $300M in private and public equity. He led multiple R&D teams that successfully filed six Investigational New Drug Applications. Dr. Patti currently serves as President of JP Biotech Advisors, Inc., which provides strategic growth and drug development advice to emerging biotechnology companies. In May 2019, Dr. Patti was named a director at Armata Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: ARMP). Previously, Dr. Patti served as Aviragen Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ: AVIR) President and Chief Executive Officer. Before joining Aviragen, Dr. Patti co-founded Inhibitex, Inc. (NASDAQ: INHX) and served as its Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development from 2007 until it was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMS) in February 2012. Dr. Patti received a BS in Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh, a MSPH from the University of Miami, School of Medicine and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Reports Second Quarter Financial Results

On July 25, 2019 Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) reported results for the second quarter of 2019, which were highlighted by strong sales for Eliquis (apixaban) and Opdivo (nivolumab) and a robust operating performance across the portfolio (Press release, Bristol-Myers Squibb, JUL 25, 2019, View Source [SID1234537759]).

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"We had a very good second quarter where we delivered strong financial results while also advancing our integration planning for the acquisition of Celgene," said Giovanni Caforio, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "Through strong commercial execution and financial discipline we are establishing a solid foundation from which we can build the leading biopharma company, well-positioned to address the unmet needs of our patients and create long-term shareholder value."

SECOND QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS

Bristol-Myers Squibb posted second quarter 2019 revenues of $6.3 billion, an increase of 10% compared to the same period a year ago. Revenues increased 13% when adjusted for foreign exchange impact.
U.S. revenues increased 14% to $3.7 billion in the quarter compared to the same period a year ago. International revenues increased 5%. When adjusted for foreign exchange impact, international revenues increased 12%.
Gross margin as a percentage of revenue decreased from 71.5% to 68.2% in the quarter primarily due to product mix and a $109 million impairment charge in connection with the expected sale of manufacturing and packaging operations in Anagni, Italy.
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses decreased 5% to $1.1 billion in the quarter.
Research and development expenses decreased 45% to $1.3 billion in the quarter primarily due to a $1.1 billion charge resulting from the Nektar collaboration in the second quarter last year.
The effective tax rate was 19.0% in the quarter, compared to 26.1% in the second quarter last year. The lower tax rate was due to a non-deductible equity investment loss in the second quarter last year.
The company reported net earnings attributable to Bristol-Myers Squibb of $1.4 billion, or $0.87 per share, in the second quarter, compared to net earnings of $373 million, or $0.23 per share, for the same period in 2018. The results for the second quarter of 2019 include $409 million of Celgene-related acquisition and integration expenses.
The company reported non-GAAP net earnings attributable to Bristol-Myers Squibb of $1.9 billion, or $1.18 per share, in the second quarter, compared to net earnings of $1.6 billion, or $1.01 per share, for the same period in 2018. An overview of specified items is discussed under the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information" section.
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $30.4 billion as of June 30, 2019, which includes $18.8 billion of net proceeds from the issuance of new notes in May 2019. The net cash position was $5.4 billion as of June 30, 2019.
ACQUISITION OF CELGENE CORPORATION

In June, the company announced plans to divest OTEZLA in light of concerns expressed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The company expects to close the Celgene transaction by the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020. (link)
In June, the company announced the future leadership team of the combined company effective upon completion of the company’s pending acquisition of Celgene. (link)
OTEZLA is a trademark of Celgene Corporation.

SECOND QUARTER PRODUCT AND PIPELINE UPDATE

Product Sales/Business Highlights

Global revenues for the second quarter of 2019, compared to the second quarter of 2018, were driven by:

Eliquis, which grew by $392 million or 24% increase
Opdivo, which grew by $196 million or 12% increase
Orencia, which grew by 9%
Sprycel, which grew by 2%
Yervoy, which grew by 17%
Opdivo

Clinical

In July, the company announced Part 1a of the Phase 3 Checkmate -227 study evaluating Opdivo plus low dose Yervoy vs. chemotherapy met the co-primary endpoint of overall survival in first-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients whose tumors express PD-L1 ≥1%. (link)
In July, the company announced Part 2 of the Phase 3 Checkmate -227 study evaluating Opdivo plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival in first-line non-squamous NSCLC patients regardless of PD-L1 status. (link)
In June, the company announced results of the Phase 3 Checkmate -459 study evaluating Opdivo versus sorafenib as a first-line treatment in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). (link)
In June, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2019, the company announced important new data and analysis from three studies evaluating Opdivo as monotherapy and in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab):
Checkmate -040: Results from the Phase 1/2 study evaluating Opdivo plus Yervoy in patients with advanced HCC previously treated with sorafenib. (link)
CA209-004: Results from the Phase 1 study evaluating Opdivo plus Yervoy in patients with previously treated or untreated advanced melanoma. (link)
Checkmate -067: Results from the Phase 3 study evaluating patient reported quality of life during extended therapy and following the discontinuation of therapy with Opdivo or Opdivo plus Yervoy in patients with previously untreated unresectable or metastatic melanoma. (link)
In May, the company announced results of the Phase 3 CheckMate -498 trial evaluating Opdivo plus radiation versus temozolomide plus radiation in patients with newly diagnosed O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase-unmethylated glioblastoma multiforme. (link)
Orencia

Clinical

In June, at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, the company announced results from the Phase 4 mechanistic study exploring differences in the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which Orencia (abatacept) and adalimumab interfere with disease progression in moderate-to-severe early rheumatoid arthritis patients seropositive for certain autoantibodies. (link)
Empliciti

Clinical

In June, at the Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper), the company announced results from the Phase 2 study evaluating Empliciti (elotuzumab) plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone versus pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. (link)
SECOND QUARTER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

In July, the company, Bayer and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced a clinical trial collaboration to evaluate Opdivo in combination with Bayer’s Stivarga in patients with micro-satellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer.
In July, the company announced the completion of its previously announced sale of its consumer health business, UPSA, to Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
In June, the company announced Catalent, Inc. has agreed to purchase its oral solid, biologics, and sterile product manufacturing and packaging facility in Anagni, Italy.
Stivarga is a trademark of Bayer.

2019 FINANCIAL GUIDANCE

Bristol-Myers Squibb is decreasing its 2019 GAAP EPS guidance range from $3.84 – $3.94 to $3.73- $3.83 and increasing its non-GAAP EPS guidance range from $4.10 – $4.20 to $4.20 – $4.30. Both GAAP and non-GAAP guidance assume current exchange rates. Key revised 2019 GAAP and non-GAAP line-item guidance assumptions are:

Research and development expenses decreasing in the low-double digits for GAAP and increasing in the mid-single digits for non-GAAP.
The financial guidance for 2019 excludes the impact of any potential future strategic acquisitions and divestitures, including any impact of the pending Celgene acquisition other than expenses incurred in 2019, and any specified items that have not yet been identified and quantified. The non-GAAP 2019 guidance also excludes other specified items as discussed under "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information." Details reconciling adjusted non-GAAP amounts with the amounts reflecting specified items are provided in supplemental materials available on the company’s website.

Guidance inclusive of the Celgene acquisition will be provided after the close of the transaction.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

This earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP earnings and related EPS information that are adjusted to exclude certain costs, expenses, gains and losses and other specified items that are evaluated on an individual basis. These items are adjusted after considering their quantitative and qualitative aspects and typically have one or more of the following characteristics, such as being highly variable, difficult to project, unusual in nature, significant to the results of a particular period or not indicative of future operating results. Similar charges or gains were recognized in prior periods and will likely reoccur in future periods, including acquisition and integration expenses, restructuring costs, accelerated depreciation and impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, R&D charges or other income resulting from up-front or contingent milestone payments in connection with the acquisition or licensing of third-party intellectual property rights, divestiture gains or losses, pension, legal and other contractual settlement charges, interest expense on the new notes issued in May 2019 in connection with our pending acquisition of Celgene and interest income earned on the net proceeds of the notes and debt redemption gains or losses, among other items. Deferred and current income taxes attributed to these items are also adjusted for considering their individual impact to the overall tax expense, deductibility and jurisdictional tax rates. Non-GAAP information is intended to portray the results of the company’s baseline performance, supplement or enhance management, analysts and investors overall understanding of the company’s underlying financial performance and facilitate comparisons among current, past and future periods. For example, non-GAAP earnings and EPS information is an indication of the company’s baseline performance before items that are considered by us to not be reflective of the company’s ongoing results. In addition, this information is among the primary indicators that we use as a basis for evaluating performance, allocating resources, setting incentive compensation targets and planning and forecasting for future periods. This information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings or diluted EPS prepared in accordance with GAAP and may not be the same as or comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies due to possible differences in method and in the items being adjusted.

Company and Conference Call Information

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb’s pending acquisition of Celgene, please visit View Source

There will be a conference call on July 25, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. ET during which company executives will review financial information and address inquiries from investors and analysts. Investors and the general public are invited to listen to a live webcast of the call at View Source or by calling the U.S. toll free 888-254-3590 or international 323-994-2093, confirmation code: 9333832. Materials related to the call will be available at the same website prior to the conference call. A replay of the call will be available beginning at 11:45 a.m. ET on July 25, 2019 through 11:45 a.m. ET on August 8, 2019. The replay will also be available through View Source or by calling the U.S. toll free 888-203-1112 or international 719-457-0820, confirmation code: 9333832.

Website Information

We routinely post important information for investors on our website, BMS.com, in the "Investors" section. We may use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. We may also use social media channels to communicate with our investors and the public about our company, our products and other matters, and those communications could be deemed to be material information. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website or social media channels are not incorporated by reference into, and are not a part of, this document.

Epizyme Announces FDA Filing Acceptance of New Drug Application and Priority Review for Tazemetostat for the Treatment of Epithelioid Sarcoma

On July 25, 2019 Epizyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPZM), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel epigenetic therapies, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for accelerated approval of tazemetostat, its lead investigational agent (Press release, Epizyme, JUL 25, 2019, View Source [SID1234537758]). Epizyme has proposed an indication of metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma not eligible for curative surgery. The FDA granted Priority Review for the NDA and has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of January 23, 2020. Priority Review is granted to investigational therapies that, if approved, may offer significant improvements in the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a serious condition.

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"We are thrilled with FDA’s acceptance of this first tazemetostat NDA submission for priority review, and to be an important step closer to achieving our mission of rewriting treatment for patients with cancer and other serious diseases," said Robert Bazemore, president and chief executive officer of Epizyme. "This is a significant achievement in the development of this potentially first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor, and we look forward to working with FDA during the review. If approved, we believe tazemetostat could become an important new option in the treating physicians’ arsenal. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to those patients, families and medical teams who have participated in our clinical studies and helped bring tazemetostat to this stage."

Epizyme’s NDA submission is based primarily on data from the 62 patient epithelioid sarcoma cohort of its ongoing Phase 2 study of tazemetostat. These data, recently reported at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, showed that tazemetostat treatment resulted in clinically meaningful and durable responses, and was generally well-tolerated.

To support full approval of tazemetostat for epithelioid sarcoma, Epizyme will initiate a global confirmatory trial. The company plans to conduct a 1:1 randomized, controlled clinical trial in the front-line treatment setting comparing tazemetostat in combination with doxorubicin versus placebo plus doxorubicin in approximately 150 patients. The primary efficacy endpoint will be progression-free survival, and secondary efficacy endpoints will include overall survival, disease control rate, overall response rate and duration of response. The confirmatory study will include a safety run-in that is expected to begin in the second half of 2019.

Investor Conference Call
Epizyme will host an investor conference call and webcast today, July 25, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. To participate in the call, please dial (877) 844-6886 (domestic) or (970) 315-0315 (international) and refer to conference ID 5749851. A live webcast will be available in the investor section of the company’s website at www.epizyme.com. The webcast will be archived on the website for 60 days.

About the Tazemetostat Clinical Trial Program
Tazemetostat, an oral, potent, first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor, is currently being studied as a monotherapy in ongoing clinical programs in patients with certain molecularly defined solid tumors, including epithelioid sarcoma and other INI1-negative tumors, and in patients with follicular lymphoma, both with and without EZH2 activating mutations. Multiple clinical studies are underway through collaborations assessing tazemetostat as a combination treatment for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Epizyme also plans to conduct multiple additional clinical trials designed to evaluate the potential benefit of tazemetostat in earlier lines of therapy for follicular lymphoma, as well as new combinations and cancer indications.