On February 11, 2021 Artios Pharma Limited ("Artios"), a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company developing a broad pipeline of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, reported the start of a clinical trial of its small-molecule ATR inhibitor, ART0380, in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors (Press release, Artios Pharma, FEB 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234575054]). ART0380 was originally in-licensed from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and ShangPharma Innovation in 2019. The molecule was jointly developed as part of a collaboration between ShangPharma and MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery Division.

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The clinical trial of the ATR (Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related kinase) inhibitor is an open-label, multi-center, Phase I/IIa study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of ART0380 as a monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine in patients with advanced or metastatic solid cancers. The study will enroll up to 180 patients and will be conducted at multiple oncology centers across the USA, UK, and Europe. Full details can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT04657068.

Niall Martin, Chief Executive Officer at Artios Pharma, said: "Our vision is to build on the success of PARP inhibition to enable more patients to benefit from DDR targeting medicines. By using insights gained from our longstanding experience in this field, we believe that our approach will address the challenges of resistance to targeted therapy, identify patients with sensitive cancers, and optimize the therapeutic index. We have done extensive preclinical work to characterise and differentiate our lead candidates and will have two programs, ART0380 and ART4215, a first in class Pol theta inhibitor, in the clinic by end of 2021. Following the recent strategic collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, taking ART0380 into the clinic is another major milestone for Artios in the development of next generation DNA Damage Response treatments for hard-to-treat cancers."

Melissa Johnson, MD, Program Director, Lung Cancer Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Tennessee Oncology, Principal Investigator for the trial, said: "We have a strong heritage in developing novel cancer therapies. We see DDR as an exciting and promising area of research and are excited to collaborate with Artios on this important clinical trial."

ART0380 is a new investigational medicinal product that is a potent and selective inhibitor of ATR. ATR is an important signalling protein in the cellular DNA damage response to replication stress and DNA double-strand breaks that occur as cells multiply.

ART0380 is being developed as an oral anti-cancer agent for the treatment of patients with cancers harbouring defects in DNA repair and in combination with agents including established and novel agents that cause DNA damage and/or suppress a cancer’s ability to repair DNA damage.

On February 11, 2021 Theratechnologies Inc. (TSX: TH) (NASDAQ: THTX) (Theratechnologies), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies reported that it will issue its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended November 30, 2020 on Thursday, February 25, 2021 (Press release, Theratechnologies, FEB 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234574992]).

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A conference call will be held on February 25, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. (ET) to discuss the results. The call will be hosted by Paul Lévesque, President and Chief Executive Officer. The conference call will be open to questions from financial analysts. Media and other interested individuals are invited to participate in the call on a "listen-only" basis.

The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-844-400-1697 (toll free) or 1-703-736-7400 (International). The conference call will also be accessible via webcast at View Source Audio replay of the conference call will be available on the same day starting at 12:00 p.m. (ET) until March 04, 2021, by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (North America) or 1-404-537-3406 (International) and by entering the access code: 8274898. The audio replay is also available until February 25, 2022 on View Source

On February 11, 2021 AstraZeneca reported strong results in the year, in line with guidance that was reconfirmed during the year (Press release, AstraZeneca, FEB 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234574970]). With over half of Total Revenue coming from the fast-growing new medicines1, the Company leveraged its revenue growth to make further progress in profitability, while the strategy of sustainable growth through innovation brought numerous further benefits for patients. AstraZeneca’s patient-centric strategy, focus on innovation and capital-allocation priorities remain unchanged, with sustainable long-term growth in revenue, profit and cash generation set to continue.

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Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The performance last year marked a significant step forward for AstraZeneca. Despite the significant impact from the pandemic, we delivered double-digit revenue growth to leverage improved profitability and cash generation. The consistent achievements in the pipeline, the accelerating performance of our business and the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated what we can achieve, while the proposed acquisition of Alexion is intended to accelerate our scientific and commercial evolution even further.

Additional investment in new medicines continued to fuel our rapidly growing oncology and biopharmaceuticals therapy areas. Tagrisso’s future was enhanced with its first regulatory approval in early, potentially-curable lung cancer and further national reimbursement in China in advanced disease. Farxiga again expanded its potential beyond diabetes, while tezepelumab promised real hope for patients suffering from severe asthma. Thanks to the focus on an industry-leading pipeline and consistent execution, I am confident that we will continue to deliver more progress for patients and sustained, compelling results."

On February 11, 2021 AstraZeneca Presented the Corporate Presentaion (Presentation, AstraZeneca, FEB 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234574969])

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On February 11, 2021 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, reported it has committed to investing up to $25 million in minority-serving financial institutions (Press release, Thermo Fisher Scientific, FEB 11, 2021, View Source [SID1234574968]).

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"Unequal access to capital is hurting Black-owned businesses, Black entrepreneurs and Black communities in the United States," said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Minority-serving financial institutions provide a bridge to empowering historically disenfranchised communities. For Thermo Fisher, supporting these institutions is part of our commitment to addressing inequalities through our business and hiring practices."

The company has committed $20 million to the Black Economic Development Fund (BEDF), which was launched by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to increase financing to Black-led financial institutions, anchor institutions, and businesses. LISC is one of the nation’s oldest and largest Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and has invested more than $22 billion to expand economic opportunity in nearly every state.

"We know from experience that when investments address racial disparities in health, wealth and opportunity, they also help fuel lasting economic growth," said George Ashton, president of LISC Fund Management, LLC, which oversees the BEDF. "Forward-looking companies like Thermo Fisher are making impact investments that break down barriers and bridge capital gaps for Black businesses, which ultimately helps our economy work better for everyone."

In addition, Thermo Fisher will deposit $5 million in Hope Credit Union’s Transformational Deposits program. Hope Credit Union seeks to provide financing to low-wealth families, people of color and financially underserved communities to finance small businesses, housing, healthcare and other vital needs. HOPE uses Transformational Deposits to import the capital needed to increase economic opportunities for individuals and families across five Deep South states (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana).

"Investments in Black owned financial institutions are a proven way to advance economic mobility," said Bill Bynum, chief executive officer, Hope Credit Union. "Black owned financial institutions are more likely to lend to businesses, support employment and locate in Black communities. Thermo Fisher’s Transformational Deposit is an important step towards closing the racial wealth gap."

In addition to these investments, in August 2020 Thermo Fisher launched "The Just Project" with a donation of $25 million in diagnostic instruments, test kits and related supplies to support the safe reopening of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. The company also announced that it is committed to hiring at least 500 students from HBCUs over the next three years.