Dynavax to Present at the 3rd Annual Evercore Virtual ISI HealthCONx Conference

On November 17, 2020 Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel vaccines, reported that Ryan Spencer, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a virtual fireside chat at the 3rd Annual Evercore virtual ISI HealthCONx Conference on Thursday, December 3, at 10:05 a. m. E.T (Press release, Dynavax Technologies, NOV 17, 2020, https://investors.dynavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/dynavax-present-3rd-annual-evercore-virtual-isi-healthconx [SID1234571251]).

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The live audio webcast may be accessed through the "Events & Presentations" page on the "Investors" section of the Company’s website at www.dynavax.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the live event.

Merck Announces First-Quarter 2021 Dividend

On November 17, 2020 Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, reported that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share of the company’s common stock for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, Merck & Co, NOV 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234571249]). Payment will be made on Jan. 8, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 15, 2020.

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AIVITA Biomedical’s Phase 2 Glioblastoma Trial Shows Improved Progression Free Survival

On November 17, 2020 AIVITA Biomedical, Inc., a private biotechnology company specializing in innovative stem cell applications, reported data from its multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial of its personalized cancer vaccine, AV-GBM-1, in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) (Press release, AIVITA Biomedical, NOV 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234571246]).

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The analysis focused on 57 patients who were scheduled to receive up to eight doses of AV-GBM-1 over approximately six months. At the time of the analysis, surviving patients had completed therapy and had been followed between 7.2 and 24.2 months. The median length of progression free survival was 10.0 months (95% CI 8.5 to 11.5 months), an improvement of approximately 45% compared to a median of 6.9 months (95% CI 5.8 to 8.2 months) progression free survival in the landmark study that established the standard of care for patients with newly diagnosed GBM. This represented a 38% reduction in risk of progression or death at 6.9 months of treatment. The latest data from the trial was presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper).

"The improvement in glioblastoma patients who were treated with AV-GBM-1, compared to studies with the standard of care, is a very promising indication that our therapy confers benefit to patients in need," said Robert O. Dillman, M.D., chief medical officer of AIVITA.

AV-GBM-1 is a novel immunotherapy consisting of autologous dendritic cells loaded with autologous tumor antigens derived from self-renewing tumor-initiating cells. The treatment is administered in a series of subcutaneous injections. The treatment is uniquely pan-antigenic, targeting multiple antigens from autologous tumor-initiating cells that are responsible for the rapid growth of the disease.

"This is a major victory against glioblastoma, a devastating disease that has evaded treatment for far too long," said Hans S. Keirstead, Ph.D., chief executive officer of AIVITA. "We now have excellent results from Phase 2 clinical studies in both melanoma and glioblastoma, underscoring the tremendous potential of this personalized cancer immunotherapy."

AIVITA is currently conducting three clinical studies in the United States investigating its platform immunotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer, glioblastoma and melanoma. AIVITA is also seeking conditional commercial approval of its melanoma treatment in Japan.

CLINICAL TRIAL DETAIL

OVARIAN CANCER

AIVITA’s ovarian Phase 2 double-blind study is active and enrolling approximately 99 patients who are being randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive either the autologous tumor-initiating cell-targeting immunotherapy or autologous monocytes as a comparator.

Patients eligible for randomization and treatment will be those (1) who have undergone debulking surgery, (2) for whom a cell line has been established, (3) who have undergone leukapheresis from which sufficient monocytes were obtained, (4) have an ECOG performance grade of 0 or 1 (Karnofsky score of 70-100%), and (5) who have completed primary therapy. The trial is not open to patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

For additional information about AIVITA’s AVOVA-1 trial patients can visit: www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02033616

GLIOBLASTOMA

AIVITA’s glioblastoma Phase 2 single-arm study is active and completed treating 57 with the tumor-initiating cell-targeting immunotherapy, AV-GBM-1.

The primary endpoint of the trial is overall survival (OS) from enrollment date, and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS) from enrollment date and OS measured from date of surgery during which tumor was collected to grow the tumor initiating cells. Additional analyses will include OS/PFS based on Karnofsky Performance Status, age, and extent of surgical resection. Tertiary endpoints will include OS/PFS from date of first injection and OS/PFS from date of first injection in patients who completed concurrent CT/RT and had not progressed.

For additional information about AIVITA’s AV-GBM-1 trial please visit: www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03400917

MELANOMA

AIVITA’s melanoma Phase 1B open-label, single-arm study will establish the safety of administering anti-PD1 monoclonal antibodies in combination with AIVITA’s tumor-initiating cell-targeting immunotherapy in patients with measurable metastatic melanoma. The study will also track efficacy of the treatment for the estimated 14 to 20 patients. This trial is not yet open for enrollment.

Patients eligible for treatment will be those (1) for whom a cell line has been established, (2) who have undergone leukapheresis from which sufficient monocytes were obtained, (3) have an ECOG performance grade of 0 or 1 (Karnofsky score of 70-100%), (4) who have either never received treatment for metastatic melanoma or were previously treated with enzymatic inhibitors of the BRAF/MEK pathway because of BRAF600E/K mutations and (5) are about to initiate anti-PD1 monotherapy.

(Press release, AIVITA Biomedical, NOV 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234571246])

PierianDx and Bench International Announce the Appointment of Mark McDonough as New CEO

On November 17, 2020 PierianDx, the leading clinical genomics informatics company and Bench International, a leading global executive search firm, jointly announce the appointment of Mark McDonough as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and member of the Board of Directors of PierianDx, effective immediately (Press release, PierianDx, NOV 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234571242]). In his new role, McDonough will help fulfill the company’s unique value proposition of enabling precision medicine through its best-in-class variant interpretation knowledgebase, integrated infrastructure, and clinical genomics reporting for both cancer and inherited disease. McDonough succeeds Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO, Joe Boorady, who remains as Chairman of the PierianDx Board of Directors.

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"Mark commands a deep understanding of the diagnostics market, and we are delighted to welcome him to the PierianDx family during this exciting time in the company’s development," says Joe Boorady. "Mark will drive company execution on its IVD strategy and solidify its leadership position in the global cancer and hereditary disease diagnostics market."

Mark McDonough is a global technology business executive with nearly 30 years of experience. His personal mission is to impact change in the field of healthcare in a compassionate yet resolute manner, leading by example. He most recently served as CEO and board member for Immunis.AI, where he secured funding and developed a top flight team within six months to launch a novel noninvasive liquid biopsy immunogenomics assay for prostate cancer patients on ‘active surveillance’. Prior to this, McDonough served as President, CEO and board member of CombiMatrix from 2012 through 2018, orchestrating its sale to Invitae in November 2017. Under his leadership, CombiMatrix experienced 14 consecutive quarters of record growth. Earlier in his career, he served in various sales leadership roles within the clinical laboratory industry and developed his leadership skills as a Navigator and Communications Officer in the US Navy.

"An established, respected and trusted leader in the genomics industry, Mark is the perfect CEO for PierianDx," said DeeDee DeMan, Chairman and CEO of Bench International. "He has a remarkable track record of developing teams, fundraising and directing corporate strategy and growth."

"I am excited to join PierianDx and lead this talented team committed to delivering tools to our partners and customers that enable precision medicine adoption at scale," said Mark McDonough. "We believe advanced genomic testing should be democratized and available to all at the highest quality and lowest cost. I look forward to helping propel the company as we expand our market leadership and serve more patients through our partners and customers."

Infinity Pharmaceuticals Announces Presentations at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

On November 17, 2020 Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) reported two poster presentations featuring clinical data from ongoing studies evaluating eganelisib in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) at the upcoming San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) being held virtually, December 8-11, 2020 (Press release, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, NOV 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234571237]).

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Presentation Details:

Title: MARIO-3 phase II study initial data evaluating a novel triplet combination of eganelisib (IPI-549), atezolizumab (atezo), and nab-paclitaxel (nab-pac) as first-line (1L) therapy for locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)
Presenter: Erika Hamilton, M.D., Tennessee Oncology
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 8:00 a.m. CT
Abstract: PS11-32
Poster Session: 11

Title: ARC-2: Efficacy and safety of etrumadenant (AB928) + pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) ± eganelisib (IPI-549) in participants with metastatic ovarian and triple negative breast cancer
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 8:00 a.m. CT
Abstract: PS12-12
Poster Session: 12