Phosplatin Therapeutics Presents Positive Data from Two Phase I Studies in Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients at the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium

On February 11, 2020 Phosplatin Therapeutics LLC, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on oncology drug development, reported it will present clinical data in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, demonstrating safety and biological activity of PT-112 in a heavily refractory population of late-stage prostate cancer patients from two separate Phase I studies (Press release, Phosplatin, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554185]).

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"The unmet need in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRPC is extensive, and we believe that PT-112’s immunogenic cell death (ICD) induction and its biodistribution, including osteotropism, are responsible for the encouraging drug activity we have observed among Phase I patients," said Jose Jimeno, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer. "These are the first data presented publicly with PT-112 used in a single-disease sub-population. PT-112’s demonstrable activity and attractive safety profile in both the monotherapy and combination cohorts underscores the potential for future clinical development in this late-stage setting of mCRPC," said Robert Fallon, President & CEO of Phosplatin Therapeutics.

Phosplatin’s novel Immunogenic Cell Death (ICD) inducing agent, PT-112, is shown to be well-tolerated with evidence of drug activity in advanced mCRPC as both monotherapy and in combination with avelumab*, an anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, in heavily pre-treated patients with prostate cancer with a median of 6 prior lines of therapy. Bone pain improvement and nearly universal observation of alkaline phosphatase reduction suggest marked therapeutic activity of PT-112 in bone metastases, likely a consequence of osteotropism conferred by the drug’s pyrophosphate moiety. Serologic and RECIST-defined responses, as well as prolonged disease control in multiple patients substantiate further development of PT-112 in mCRPC, as a monotherapy and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition.

The poster #D7, abstract number 83, entitled, "PT-112 in advanced metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), as monotherapy or in combination with PD-L1 inhibitor avelumab: Findings from two phase I studies," available here, will be presented by Alan H. Bryce, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Chair, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, on Thursday, February 13, 2020 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM PST at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.

Phosplatin Therapeutics entered a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Pfizer and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in 2017 to evaluate PT-112, a novel small molecule inducer of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in combination with avelumab*, a human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody.

Further information on these clinical trials that are currently open can be found at the clinicaltrials.gov registry under NCT 02266745 and NCT 03409458.

*Avelumab is under clinical investigation for treatment of solid tumors in combination with PT-112. There is no guarantee that avelumab will be approved for use in prostate cancer by any health authority.

About PT-112

PT-112 is a novel anti-cancer agent, the first cytotoxic small molecule conjugate of pyrophosphate developed in oncology therapeutics. PT-112 promotes immunogenic cell death (ICD), or the release of damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that lead to downstream immune effector cell recruitment in the tumor microenvironment. PT-112 represents a potential best-in-class small molecule inducer of this immunological form of cancer cell death. The first-in-human study of PT-112 demonstrated an attractive safety profile and evidence of long-lasting responses and tumor control among heavily pre-treated patients, and was presented at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 Annual Congress, winning "Best Poster" among the Developmental Therapeutics category. The novelty of its pyrophosphate moiety also results in osteotropism, or the propensity of the drug to reach the mineralized bone. This property is of interest in cancer types with metastatic bone involvement, such as mCRPC.

Avelumab Approved Indications

Avelumab (BAVENCIO) in combination with axitinib is indicated in the US, EU, Japan and other countries for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also granted accelerated approval for avelumab (BAVENCIO) for the treatment of (i) adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications are approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Avelumab is currently approved for patients with mMCC in 50 countries globally, with the majority of these approvals in a broad indication that is not limited to a specific line of treatment.

Avelumab Important Safety Information from the US FDA-Approved Label

The warnings and precautions for avelumab (BAVENCIO) include immune-mediated adverse reactions (such as pneumonitis and hepatitis [including fatal cases], colitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction and other adverse reactions [which can be severe and have included fatal cases]), infusion-related reactions, hepatotoxicity, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [which can be severe and have included fatal cases], and embryo-fetal toxicity.

Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients treated with BAVENCIO monotherapy include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, nausea, infusion-related reaction, peripheral edema, decreased appetite/hypophagia, urinary tract infection and rash. Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib include diarrhea, fatigue, hypertension, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, mucositis, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, dysphonia, decreased appetite, hypothyroidism, rash, hepatotoxicity, cough, dyspnea, abdominal pain and headache. Grade 3-4 clinical chemistry and hematology laboratory value abnormalities reported in at least 10% of patients treated with BAVENCIO monotherapy include hyponatremia, lymphopenia, GGT increased; in patients receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib, grade 3-4 clinical chemistry and hematology laboratory value abnormalities included blood triglyceride increased and lipase increased.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals to Report 2019 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results on February 25, 2020

On February 11, 2020 Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) reported that it will report its 2019 fourth quarter and full year financial results on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, after the close of the financial markets (Press release, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554184]). Company management will host a live audio webcast immediately following the announcement at 4:30 p.m. EST/9:30 p.m. GMT to discuss fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results and provide a business and financial update and guidance for 2020 financial results.

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Interested parties may access the live audio webcast via the Investors section of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals website at www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com. Please connect to the website prior to the start of the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software downloads that may be necessary to listen to the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the website for at least one week.

Penumbra, Inc. Schedules Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Earnings Release and Conference Call for February 25, 2020

On February 11, 2020 Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN) reported that it will host a conference call to discuss financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2019 after market close on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (Press release, Penumbra, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554183]). A press release with fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results will be issued after market close that day.

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Webcast & Conference Call Information
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing (833) 227-5837 for domestic callers or (647) 689-4064 for international callers (conference id: 3899277), or the webcast can be accessed on the "Events" section under the "Investors" tab of the Company’s website at: www.penumbrainc.com. The webcast will be available on the Company’s website for at least two weeks following the completion of the call.

Theravance Biopharma Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Ordinary Shares

On February 11, 2020 Theravance Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBPH) ("Theravance Biopharma" or the "Company"), a diversified biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of organ-selective medicines, reported the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 5,500,000 ordinary shares at a price to the public of $27.00 per share (Press release, Theravance, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554182]). The gross proceeds to Theravance Biopharma from the offering are expected to be approximately $148.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. In addition, Theravance Biopharma has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 825,000 ordinary shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The offering is expected to close on February 14, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

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Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Cowen are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering. Credit Suisse, Cantor and Needham & Company are acting as co-managers for the offering.

A shelf registration statement (including a base prospectus) relating to the shares was filed with the SEC and is effective. A preliminary prospectus supplement related to the offering has been filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website located at View Source Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 2nd Floor, 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014, United States of America, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by calling 1-866-803-9204, or by email at [email protected]; or Cowen and Company, LLC, Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Attn: Prospectus Department, by calling 1-(833) 297-2926, 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 other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

Volastra Therapeutics Launches with $12 Million in Seed Financing to Develop Novel Metastatic Cancer Therapies

On February 11, 2020 Volastra Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies for the treatment of metastatic cancers, reported with a $12 million financing (Press release, Volastra Therapeutics, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554181]). Polaris Partners led the financing with additional investment from DROIA Oncology Ventures, the Global Health Sciences (GHS) Fund (Quark Venture LP and GF Securities), and ARCH Venture Partners.

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The company will focus on developing therapies for metastatic cancers by targeting key pathways related to chromosomal instability, a hallmark of cancer metastasis. The majority of oncology therapeutics target alterations widely found in primary tumors while metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer deaths. Volastra hopes to change the treatment paradigm for patients by developing novel therapeutics specifically tailored to advanced disease.

Founded by Drs. Lewis Cantley, Samuel Bakhoum, and Olivier Elemento, the company’s technology and scientific approach is based on pioneering science from the Cantley and Elemento Labs at Weill Cornell Medicine in collaboration with the Bakhoum Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

"At Volastra, we address the pathways not only driving chromosomal instability in metastatic cancers, but also those pathways that are impaired by the genomic chaos that is a precursor of tumor progression," said Dr. Cantley, Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine and Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College.

The company also will utilize an extensive library of organoids derived from metastatic cancer samples to elucidate how tumors spread and devise therapeutic strategies that target chromosomal instability during the process of cancer metastasis. This platform enables Volastra to perform rigorous target validation, to advance first-in-class clinical candidates, and to identify biomarkers to stratify patients for clinical trials.

Executive Chair Sandra Peterson, a Partner at Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice, a Board Member of Microsoft, and the former Group Worldwide Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, will lead the Volastra Board of Directors. Polaris Managing Partner Amy Schulman will serve alongside Ms. Peterson on the company’s Board of Directors with DROIA Partner Luc Dochez and GHS Fund CSO and Partner Zafi Avnur. Dr. Bakhoum will represent the scientific founders on the company’s Board.

"With the revolutionary insights into tumor biology, the scientific expertise of the founders and an experienced management team coming together, Volastra Therapeutics is uniquely positioned to shift the treatment paradigm in oncology," said Ms. Schulman of Polaris. "Together we are committed to fundamentally changing the way that patients with metastatic cancer are treated."