F-star Therapeutics Announces Positive Preclinical Antitumor Activity and Safety of FS222 Published in Clinical Cancer Research

On April 28, 2020 F-star Therapeutics Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the lives of patients with cancer through the development of innovative tetravalent bispecific (mAb2) antibodies, reported the publication of preclinical data on the focused, potent and safe immune response shown with FS222 in leading peer-reviewed journal Clinical Cancer Research (Press release, F-star, APR 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234556706]). FS222 is a PD-L1 and CD137 targeting, potentially best-in-class, conditional agonist tetravalent antibody.

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The preclinical data show the synergistic benefit of F-star’s tetravalent mAb², with evidence of robust CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation, which outperformed combinations of monoclonal antibodies in multiple in vitro assays. FS222 showed no signs of liver toxicity with doses up to 30 mg/kg in a non-human primate dose-range finding study. In a mouse tumor model resistant to PD-L1 and CD137, in both mono and combination therapy, FS222 caused complete tumor eradication, concomitant with CD8+ T cell activation.

FS222 targets PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1), the immune checkpoint protein which regulates the balance of activated T cells in the immune system and is expressed on many solid tumors, and CD137, a co-stimulatory molecule from the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF), which is widely known to be upregulated on CD8+ T cells following activation. Currently, only a fraction of patients respond to monotherapies that block the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, and CD137-targeting molecules have yet to demonstrate significant responses in patients without toxicity. FS222 is designed to simultaneously target the two modalities, combining PD-L1 blockade and provoking strong CD137 agonism in a safe and efficacious manner that does not rely on a combination of antibodies approach. A regulatory application to commence clinical development of FS222 is expected to be submitted later this year.

A link to the full study can be found here.

Neil Brewis, CSO of F-star, said: "Considering the broad expression of PD-L1 on many solid tumors, we believe FS222 has the potential to provide best-in-class benefit for patients with cancer who remain challenging to treat. By targeting CD137 agonism to areas of PD-L1 expression, predominantly found in the tumor microenvironment, FS222 has the potential to leverage a focused, potent and safe immune response, enhancing the PD-L1 blockade. These data support our view that FS222 could outperform CD137 and PD-L1 monospecific antibodies in a very safe way, providing greater benefit to patients than a combination approach against both targets in solid tumors. We look forward to progressing this tetravalent bispecific antibody into the clinic, targeting tumors that are tough to treat."

Quanterix to Release First Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Host Conference Call on May 5, 2020

On April 28, 2020 Quanterix Corporation (NASDAQ:QTRX), a company digitizing biomarker analysis with the goal of advancing the science of precision health, reported that it will release its financial results for first quarter 2020 after the close of trading on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 (Press release, Quanterix, APR 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234556704]). Company management will host a conference call at 4:30 p.m., EDT to discuss Quanterix’ financial results and provide a business update. The call will be hosted by Kevin Hrusovsky, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman, Quanterix.

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Individuals interested in listening to the conference call may do so by dialing (833) 686-9351 for domestic callers, or (612) 979-9890 for international callers. Please reference the following conference ID: 4994882. A live webcast will also be available at: View Source The webcast will be available on the Company’s website, View Source, for one year following completion of the call.

Odonate Therapeutics Announces Financial Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

On April 28, 2020 Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODT), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer, reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 (Press release, Odonate Therapeutics, APR 28, 2020, View Source;2020-aee1c48c-90a1-4e1f-bc46-c7bb2ab697ed [SID1234556702]).

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As of March 31, 2020, Odonate had $153.1 million in cash, compared to $180.5 million as of December 31, 2019. Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $27.8 million, compared to $27.1 million for the same period in 2019. Odonate’s net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $30.2 million, or $0.99 per share, compared to $28.6 million, or $1.16 per share, for the same period in 2019.

"We continue to expect to report top-line results from CONTESSA, Odonate’s Phase 3 study investigating tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy, as a potential treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer, in the third quarter of 2020," said Kevin Tang, Chief Executive Officer of Odonate.

About Tesetaxel

Tesetaxel is an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy agent that belongs to a class of drugs known as taxanes, which are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Tesetaxel has several pharmacologic properties that make it unique among taxanes, including: oral administration with a low pill burden; a long (~8-day) terminal plasma half-life in humans, enabling the maintenance of adequate drug levels with relatively infrequent dosing; no history of hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions; and significant activity against chemotherapy-resistant tumors. In patients with metastatic breast cancer, tesetaxel was shown to have significant, single-agent antitumor activity in two multicenter, Phase 2 studies. Tesetaxel currently is the subject of three studies in breast cancer, including a multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase 3 study in patients with metastatic breast cancer, known as CONTESSA.

About CONTESSA

CONTESSA is a multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase 3 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). CONTESSA is comparing tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus a reduced dose of capecitabine (1,650 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) to the approved dose of capecitabine alone (2,500 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) in approximately 600 patients randomized 1:1 with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative, hormone receptor (HR) positive MBC previously treated with a taxane in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapy agent that is considered a standard-of-care treatment in MBC. Where indicated, patients must have received endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases are eligible. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by an Independent Radiologic Review Committee (IRC). The secondary efficacy endpoints are overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by the IRC and disease control rate (DCR) as assessed by the IRC.

About CONTESSA 2

CONTESSA 2 is a multinational, multicenter, Phase 2 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). CONTESSA 2 is investigating tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus a reduced dose of capecitabine (1,650 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) in approximately 125 patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative, hormone receptor (HR) positive MBC not previously treated with a taxane. Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapy agent that is considered a standard-of-care treatment in MBC. Where indicated, patients must have received endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases are eligible. The primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by an Independent Radiologic Review Committee (IRC). The secondary efficacy endpoints are duration of response (DoR) as assessed by the IRC, progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by the IRC, disease control rate (DCR) as assessed by the IRC and overall survival (OS).

About CONTESSA TRIO

CONTESSA TRIO is a multi-cohort, multicenter, Phase 2 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In Cohort 1, approximately 90 patients (with potential expansion to up to 150 patients) with locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have not received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus either: (1) nivolumab at 360 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle; (2) pembrolizumab at 200 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle; or (3) atezolizumab at 1,200 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitors) and atezolizumab (a PD-L1 inhibitor) are immuno-oncology (IO) agents approved for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. One of these agents, atezolizumab, in combination with the intravenously delivered taxane, nab-paclitaxel, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic TNBC. The dual primary endpoints for Cohort 1 are objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints include duration of response (DoR) and overall survival (OS). Efficacy results for each of the three PD-(L)1 inhibitor combinations will be assessed for correlation with the results of each of the three approved PD-L1 diagnostic assays. In Cohort 2, approximately 40 elderly patients (with potential expansion to up to 60 patients) with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative MBC will receive tesetaxel monotherapy dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle. The primary endpoint for Cohort 2 is ORR. Secondary endpoints include PFS, DoR and OS. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) metastases are eligible for both cohorts.

Akebia Therapeutics to Report First Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Discuss Recent Business Highlights

On April 28, 2020 Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKBA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for people living with kidney disease, reported plans to release its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020, on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 before the opening of the financial markets (Press release, Akebia, APR 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234556701]).

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Akebia will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 5th, to discuss its first quarter financial results and recent business highlights. To listen to the conference call, please dial (877) 458-0977 (domestic) or (484) 653-6724 (international) using conference ID number 8464788. The call will also be webcast LIVE and can be accessed via the Investors section of the Company’s website at View Source

A replay of the conference call will be available two hours after the completion of the call through May 11, 2020. To access the replay, dial (855) 859-2056 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international) and reference conference ID number 8464788. An online archive of the conference call can be accessed via the Investors section of the Company’s website at View Source

Positive Opinion for Orphan Drug Designation for ADP-A2M4 for the Treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma from European Medicine Agency’s Committee of Orphan Medicinal Products

On April 28, 2020 Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq:ADAP), a leader in cell therapy to treat cancer, reported that the European Medicine Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has adopted a positive opinion for Orphan Drug Designation for ADP-A2M4 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas (Press release, Adaptimmune, APR 28, 2020, View Source [SID1234556698]).

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Adaptimmune’s SPEARHEAD-1 trial with ADP-A2M4 for people with synovial sarcoma and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCLS) is actively enrolling at approximately 25 clinical sites in Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US. The SPEARHEAD-1 trial is intended to support the registration of ADP-A2M4 for the treatment of advanced synovial sarcoma and MRCLS.

"Outcomes with currently available treatments remain unsatisfactory for patients with inoperable or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma, and there is a high unmet medical need for new treatment options for patients with this disease," said Dennis Williams, PharmD, Adaptimmune’s SVP, Late Stage Development. "ADP-A2M4 has the potential to offer substantial improvement in the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma and the COMP’s adoption of a positive opinion for Orphan Drug Designation for ADP-A2M4 is another important milestone for this program."

The COMP adopts an opinion on the granting of orphan drug designation, after which the opinion is submitted to the European Commission for endorsement. This designation by the European Commission provides certain regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union, and where the treatment provides a significant benefit to those affected by the condition or no satisfactory treatment is available.

Earlier this year, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to SPEAR T-cells targeting MAGE-A4 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation for the treatment of synovial sarcoma.