PhoreMost and Boehringer Ingelheim enter multi-project drug discovery collaboration

On January 7, 2020 PhoreMost Limited, the UK-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to drugging ‘undruggable’ disease targets, reported it has entered into a multi-project drug discovery collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world-leading pharmaceutical companies developing innovative therapies for diseases with unsatisfactory treatments (Press release, PhoreMost, JAN 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234552798]). Under the terms of the agreement, PhoreMost will receive an upfront payment and research funding together with downstream success-based milestones. Further financial terms are not disclosed.

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PhoreMost will deploy its in-house expertise and next-generation phenotypic screening platform, SITESEEKER, towards disease relevant pathways nominated by Boehringer Ingelheim. Novel targets identified will be further validated and characterised by Boehringer Ingelheim as part of its internal Discovery Research pipeline. Boehringer Ingelheim’s Research programme is active in the fields of immunology and respiratory diseases, cardiometabolic diseases, oncology research and immuno-oncology, as well as diseases of the central nervous system.

The SITESEEKER platform is based on PhoreMost’s core proprietary protein interference, or ‘PROTEINi’, technology. Using SITESEEKER, PhoreMost probes the entire proteome in a live cell environment for novel druggable targets linked to any chosen disease, using the vast 3-D shape diversity of natural protein fragment (sub-domain) libraries. This enables the systematic unmasking of cryptic druggable sites, directly linking them to useful therapeutic functions.

Dr Chris Torrance, CEO of PhoreMost, said: "We are delighted that Boehringer Ingelheim has chosen to work with PhoreMost to enhance its drug discovery pipeline with attractive biological starting points. The collaboration is further recognition of the ability of PROTEINi and SITESEEKER to identify novel targets, and we look forward to working with the Boehringer Ingelheim team on these projects."

Synaffix announces expansion of license agreement with Shanghai Miracogen Inc. to a second ADC candidate

On January 7, 2020 Synaffix B.V., a biotechnology company focused on enabling antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with superior therapeutic index based on its proprietary ADC technologies, reported that Shanghai Miracogen Inc., a Chinese biotechnology company with a clinical-stage pipeline of ADCs, has expanded its existing collaboration by taking a license to develop and commercialize a second product candidate (Press release, Synaffix, JAN 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234552797]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Miracogen has been granted non-exclusive rights to Synaffix’s proprietary GlycoConnect and HydraSpace ADC technologies for use in this second clinical candidate. Synaffix is eligible to receive upfront, milestone and royalty payments tied to this new program. Further financial details were not disclosed.

The original agreement was announced in April 2019, with Miracogen responsible for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of its ADC product, and Synaffix responsible for the manufacturing of components specifically related to its proprietary ADC technologies.

Peter van de Sande, CEO of Synaffix said:

"This expansion of our licensing agreement has resulted from the rapid and successful progression of Miracogen’s first ADC program with us and our strong working relationship. With six announced ADCs now under clinical or preclinical development based on Synaffix platform technologies, this expansion serves as further testament to the maturity of our proprietary ADC technologies.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with Miracogen to develop innovative ADCs with enhanced therapeutic indexes for the treatment of cancer."

Mary Hu, CEO of Shanghai Miracogen added:

"Having worked with Synaffix over the past year and having seen highly positive results arising from the use of the GlycoConnect and HydraSpace technologies, we decided to expand the license agreement into a second ADC candidate. Using Synaffix’s platform, we hope to develop an additional ADC product candidate with an enhanced therapeutic index, and ultimately benefit cancer patients."

Notes to Editors

About GlycoConnect and HydraSpace

The clinical-stage GlycoConnect and HydraSpace technologies enable best-in-class ADCs with significantly enhanced efficacy and tolerability. GlycoConnect is the conjugation technology that exploits the native glycan for site-specific and stable payload attachment. HydraSpace is the compact and highly polar spacer technology. These technologies can be applied directly to any existing antibody without any protein sequence engineering and are compatible with all ADC payload classes.

The growing experience of Synaffix and its collaboration partners continues to confirm the ability of GlycoConnect and HydraSpace to consistently generate ADCs that are more effective and better tolerated when compared to the three major clinical-stage ADC conjugation technologies.

Y-mAbs Therapeutics To Present At 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

On January 7, 2020 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Y-mAbs") (Nasdaq:YMAB), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, reported that Dr. Claus Møller, MD, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Y-mAbs Therapeutics will provide an overview and update on the company’s business at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, JAN 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234552796]). The presentation will take place on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at 4:30 PM Pacific Standard Time. The presentation can be accessed via a live webcast.

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Data from the Phase II Liver Cancer Study with Namodenoson will be presented at the ISCORT Conference by Dr. Stemmer

On January 7, 2020 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE:CFBI), a biotechnology company with a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address cancer, liver and inflammatory diseases, reported that the principal investigator of the Company’s Phase II liver cancer study, Dr. Solomon Stemmer, will deliver a presentation titled "The Safety and Efficacy of Namodenoson in the Second-Line Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Patients with Underlying Child-Pugh B (CPB) Liver Cirrhosis: A Phase 2 , Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial" at the Israeli Society of Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy (ISCORT) annual conference on January 8, 2020 11:00 am (Press release, Can-Fite BioPharma, JAN 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234552795]).

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Can-Fite’s completed Phase II liver cancer study found that Namodenoson increased overall survival in HCC patients with Child Pugh B7 (CPB7), the largest subpopulation of the study, as compared to placebo, even though the trial did not meet its primary endpoint. The Company recently completed a successful End-of-Phase II meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in which the FDA agreed with Can-Fite’s proposed pivotal Phase III trial design to support a New Drug Application (NDA) submission and approval of Namodenoson in the treatment of HCC.

"The ISCORT is the most prestigious Israel oncology forum to discuss novel treatments in different malignancies and enable the creation of collaboration between leading investigators in the field. We are confident that Dr. Stemmer’s presentation will open the door for the participation of leading oncologists in the Company’s Phase III study", said Dr. Fishman, Can Fite CEO.

About Namodenoson

Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Namodenoson is being evaluated as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, with a recently completed Phase II trial and planned Phase III trial in this indication. The drug is currently in an ongoing Phase II trial as a treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential effect accounts for the excellent safety profile of the drug.

Exelixis Further Expands Prostate Cancer Cohort in Phase 1b COSMIC-021 Trial of Cabozantinib in Combination with Atezolizumab in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

On January 7, 2020 Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXEL) reported that based on continued encouraging efficacy and safety data, the company plans to further expand the metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cohort of COSMIC-021, the phase 1b trial of cabozantinib (CABOMETYX) in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors (Press release, Exelixis, JAN 7, 2020, View Source [SID1234552794]). The cohort, which was previously expanded from 30 to 80 patients in July 2019, will now include up to 130 patients.

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"We continue to see encouraging efficacy and safety data from the prostate cancer cohort in COSMIC-021," said Gisela Schwab, M.D., President, Product Development and Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, Exelixis. "Expanding this cohort by an additional 50 patients will allow us to further document how the combination of cabozantinib and atezolizumab may benefit this patient population as we assess our potential regulatory plans for the combination and prepare to initiate a phase 3 pivotal trial. We look forward to the presentation of initial data from this cohort of CRPC patients at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GU 2020 in February."

Based on preliminary encouraging activity, as determined by response assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1) (RECISTv1.1), and safety data of patients enrolled in the metastatic CRPC cohort, 50 additional patients with metastatic CRPC (130 total) who have histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate are being enrolled in the trial.

Initial data from the CRPC cohort in COSMIC-021 will be presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GU 2020 in San Francisco on Thursday, February 13th during Poster Session A: Prostate Cancer at 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT and again at 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. PT.

COSMIC-021 includes 24 cohorts and aims to enroll up to 1,732 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors including CRPC, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and urothelial carcinoma (UC), among others. The primary objective in the expansion stage of this trial is to determine the objective response rate in each cohort. More information about the currently enrolling cohorts in this trial is available at ClinicalTrials.gov. To date, early data from various cohorts of this study have informed the initiation or planned initiation of several phase 3 pivotal trials, evaluating the combination in advanced HCC, CRPC, NSCLC and RCC.

TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab) is a registered trademark of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

About the COSMIC-021 Study

COSMIC-021 is a multicenter, phase 1b, open-label study that is divided into two parts: a dose-escalation phase and an expansion cohort phase. The dose-escalation phase was designed to enroll patients either with advanced RCC with or without prior systemic therapy or with inoperable, locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent UC (including renal, pelvis, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra) after prior platinum-based therapy. Ultimately, all 12 patients enrolled in this stage of the trial were patients with advanced RCC. The dose-escalation phase of the study determined the optimal dose of cabozantinib to be 40 mg daily when given in combination with atezolizumab (1200 mg infusion once every 3 weeks). These results were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2018 Congress.

In the expansion phase, the trial is enrolling 24 cohorts in 12 tumor types: RCC, UC, NSCLC, CRPC, HCC, triple-negative breast cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, head and neck cancer, and differentiated thyroid cancer. Up to 1,720 patients may enroll in this phase of the trial: each expansion cohort will initially enroll approximately 30 patients, and up to 10 cohorts may expand enrollment up to 1,000 additional patients in the expansion phase.

Four of the cohorts are exploratory: three are enrolling approximately 30 patients each with advanced UC, CRPC or NSCLC to be treated with cabozantinib as a single-agent, and one is enrolling approximately 10 patients with advanced CRPC to be treated with single-agent atezolizumab. Exploratory cohorts have the option to be expanded up to 80 patients (cabozantinib) and 30 patients (atezolizumab) total.

About CABOMETYX (cabozantinib)

In the U.S., CABOMETYX tablets are approved for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC and for the treatment of patients with HCC who have been previously treated with sorafenib. CABOMETYX tablets have also received regulatory approvals in the European Union and additional countries and regions worldwide. In 2016, Exelixis granted Ipsen exclusive rights for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib outside of the United States and Japan. In 2017, Exelixis granted exclusive rights to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib for all future indications in Japan.

Please see Important Safety Information below and full U.S. prescribing information at View Source

U.S. Important Safety Information

Hemorrhage: Severe and fatal hemorrhages occurred with CABOMETYX. The incidence of Grade 3 to 5 hemorrhagic events was 5% in CABOMETYX patients. Discontinue CABOMETYX for Grade 3 or 4 hemorrhage. Do not administer CABOMETYX to patients who have a recent history of hemorrhage, including hemoptysis, hematemesis, or melena.
Perforations and Fistulas: GastrointestinaI (GI) perforations, including fatal cases, occurred in 1% of CABOMETYX patients. Fistulas, including fatal cases, occurred in 1% of CABOMETYX patients. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of perforations and fistulas, including abscess and sepsis. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who experience a fistula that cannot be appropriately managed or a GI perforation.
Thrombotic Events: CABOMETYX increased the risk of thrombotic events. Venous thromboembolism occurred in 7% (including 4% pulmonary embolism) and arterial thromboembolism in 2% of CABOMETYX patients. Fatal thrombotic events occurred in CABOMETYX patients. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop an acute myocardial infarction or serious arterial or venous thromboembolic event requiring medical intervention.
Hypertension and Hypertensive Crisis: CABOMETYX can cause hypertension, including hypertensive crisis. Hypertension occurred in 36% (17% Grade 3 and <1% Grade 4) of CABOMETYX patients. Do not initiate CABOMETYX in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Monitor blood pressure regularly during CABOMETYX treatment. Withhold CABOMETYX for hypertension that is not adequately controlled with medical management; when controlled, resume at a reduced dose. Discontinue CABOMETYX for severe hypertension that cannot be controlled with anti-hypertensive therapy or for hypertensive crisis.
Diarrhea: Diarrhea occurred in 63% of CABOMETYX patients. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 11% of CABOMETYX patients. Withhold CABOMETYX until improvement to Grade 1 and resume at a reduced dose for intolerable Grade 2 diarrhea, Grade 3 diarrhea that cannot be managed with standard antidiarrheal treatments, or Grade 4 diarrhea.
Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (PPE): PPE occurred in 44% of CABOMETYX patients. Grade 3 PPE occurred in 13% of CABOMETYX patients. Withhold CABOMETYX until improvement to Grade 1 and resume at a reduced dose for intolerable Grade 2 PPE or Grade 3 PPE.
Proteinuria: Proteinuria occurred in 7% of CABOMETYX patients. Monitor urine protein regularly during CABOMETYX treatment. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop nephrotic syndrome.
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ): ONJ occurred in <1% of CABOMETYX patients. ONJ can manifest as jaw pain, osteomyelitis, osteitis, bone erosion, tooth or periodontal infection, toothache, gingival ulceration or erosion, persistent jaw pain, or slow healing of the mouth or jaw after dental surgery. Perform an oral examination prior to CABOMETYX initiation and periodically during treatment. Advise patients regarding good oral hygiene practices. Withhold CABOMETYX for at least 28 days prior to scheduled dental surgery or invasive dental procedures. Withhold CABOMETYX for development of ONJ until complete resolution.
Wound Complications: Wound complications were reported with CABOMETYX. Stop CABOMETYX at least 28 days prior to scheduled surgery. Resume CABOMETYX after surgery based on clinical judgment of adequate wound healing. Withhold CABOMETYX in patients with dehiscence or wound healing complications requiring medical intervention.
Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS): RPLS, a syndrome of subcortical vasogenic edema diagnosed by characteristic finding on MRI, can occur with CABOMETYX. Evaluate for RPLS in patients presenting with seizures, headache, visual disturbances, confusion, or altered mental function. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop RPLS.
Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: CABOMETYX can cause fetal harm. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Verify the pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential prior to initiating CABOMETYX and advise them to use effective contraception during treatment and for 4 months after the last dose.
Adverse Reactions: The most commonly reported (≥25%) adverse reactions are: diarrhea, fatigue, decreased appetite, PPE, nausea, hypertension, and vomiting.
Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors: If coadministration with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors cannot be avoided, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage. Avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice.
Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: If coadministration with strong CYP3A4 inducers cannot be avoided, increase the CABOMETYX dosage. Avoid St. John’s wort.
Lactation: Advise women not to breastfeed during CABOMETYX treatment and for 4 months after the final dose.
Hepatic Impairment: In patients with moderate hepatic impairment, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage. CABOMETYX is not recommended for use in patients with severe hepatic impairment.