Synaffix Wins World ADC Award for Poster on Efficacy and Tolerability Data on SYNtecan E™-Based ADCs

On October 28, 2021 Synaffix B.V., a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with best-in-class therapeutic index reported that the Company was awarded Best Poster at Hanson Wade’s 2021 World ADC Conference (Press release, Synaffix, OCT 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234592120]). Separately, Synaffix was also awarded ‘Runner-Up’ for the Best ADC Platform Technology.

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New data presented in the winning poster, titled: "GlycoConnect ADCs Based on Topoisomerase 1 Inhibitor Exatecan (SYNtecan E) Show Excellent In Vivo Efficacy and Tolerability Data" demonstrated complete tumor regression and high tolerability of SYNtecan E based ADCs, and underscores the ability of Synaffix’s technologies to enable best-in-class, next generation ADCs.

This marks the fifth year that Synaffix’ groundbreaking ADC platform technology has been acknowledged at the World ADC Awards ceremony as industry-leading, by a judging panel of world-renowned ADC experts. The 2021 finalists were shortlisted through a voting pool of over 2,500 individuals, with a panel of distinguished, independent industry experts from across the ADC field assessing each finalist to decide the winners.

Prof. Floris van Delft, CSO of Synaffix, said: "The SYNtecan E linker-payload represents a transformational innovation that emerged from our own laboratories here in the Netherlands. This appreciation by our industry peers serves as yet another testament to the high-quality science that underlies our broader ADC platform technology offering and we look forward to continuing the close collaboration with our various partners as this linker-drug enters the clinical development phase."

Seagen Reports Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

On October 28, 2021 Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN) reported financial results today for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2021 (Press release, Seagen, OCT 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234592119]). The Company also highlighted ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin), PADCEV (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv), TUKYSA (tucatinib) and TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) commercial and development accomplishments, as well as progress across its robust oncology pipeline.

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"We reported net product sales of approximately $1 billion for the year to date and $366 million for the third quarter of 2021, reflecting growth across our portfolio of approved medicines. We also added a fourth marketed product in September with the U.S. launch of TIVDAK, an important new medicine for women with previously treated metastatic cervical cancer," said Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seagen. "In addition to strong commercial performance, we continue to work to maximize the potential of our approved drugs through broad clinical development progress. We also expanded our late-stage pipeline by entering a collaboration with RemeGen for disitamab vedotin, a novel HER-2 targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). Across our early and late-stage pipeline, we are advancing 13 programs for a range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including four programs that are expected to enter the clinic within the next year."

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

TIVDAK

Received FDA Approval: In September 2021, TIVDAK was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy. TIVDAK is the first and only ADC approved in this setting and is Seagen’s fourth drug to be approved by the FDA. Seagen is developing TIVDAK in collaboration with Genmab. Continued approval may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
Presented Interim Results of Combination Therapy at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2021: In September 2021, interim results were presented from two cohorts of the phase 1b/2 innovaTV 205 trial evaluating TIVDAK in a combination regimen for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer. The combination with carboplatin in the first-line setting and separately the combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in previously treated patients showed encouraging, durable antitumor activity. Both combinations demonstrated a manageable and acceptable safety profile.
PADCEV

Completed Enrollment in EV-103 Cohort K for First-Line Metastatic Urothelial Cancer (mUC): In October 2021, Seagen and Astellas completed enrollment in Cohort K of the EV-103 trial. The cohort is evaluating PADCEV in combination with KEYTRUDA and as a single agent for first-line treatment of patients with mUC who are unable to receive cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The results, along with other data from the EV-103 trial, could potentially support registration under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway.
Opened Enrollment in EV-104 trial in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC): Seagen and Astellas opened a phase 1 study evaluating intravesical administration of PADCEV in patients with NMIBC who did not respond to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment.
Received Approval in Japan: In September 2021, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved PADCEV for radically unresectable urothelial cancer that has progressed after anti-cancer chemotherapy. The New Drug Application received priority review.
TUKYSA

Completed Enrollment in MOUNTAINEER trial for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: In September 2021, the Company completed enrollment in the phase 2 MOUNTAINEER trial of TUKYSA in combination with trastuzumab and as a single agent in patients with HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer following previous treatment with first- and second-line standard-of-care therapies. The results could potentially support registration under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway.
ADCETRIS

Presenting Data in Multiple Abstracts at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper): ADCETRIS will be featured in multiple abstracts at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper), which will take place December 11-14, 2021.
PIPELINE HIGHLIGHTS:

Entered into Exclusive Worldwide License Agreement with RemeGen for Disitamab Vedotin: In August 2021, Seagen entered into a licensing agreement for disitamab vedotin, a novel HER2-targeted ADC that has shown antitumor activity in several solid tumor types across a spectrum of HER2 levels, including urothelial, gastric and breast cancer. Seagen obtained rights for global development and commercialization, outside of RemeGen’s territory of Asia, excluding Japan and Singapore.
Presenting Data Highlighting Novel Targeted Therapies at Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting: Preclinical data will be presented on two new ADC drug candidates, SGN-PDL1V and SGN-B7H4V, at the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting taking place November 10-14, 2021.
For additional information on Seagen’s pipeline, visit www.seagen.com/science/pipeline.

THIRD QUARTER AND NINE-MONTHS 2021 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenues: Total revenues for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2021 were $424.1 million and $1.145 billion, respectively, compared to $1.062 billion and $1.574 billion for the same periods in 2020. The 2020 periods included $725 million in upfront license revenue related to the Merck collaborations for ladiratuzumab vedotin and TUKYSA. Revenues in the 2021 periods reflect higher net product sales across the Company’s commercial portfolio. Revenues are composed of the following three components:

Note: Sum of product sales may not equal total net product sales due to rounding.

Royalty Revenues: Royalty revenues for the third quarter and year-to-date in 2021 were $41.0 million and $104.5 million, respectively, compared to $35.9 million and $87.5 million for the same periods in 2020. Royalty revenues are primarily driven by sales of ADCETRIS outside the U.S. and Canada by Takeda and, to a lesser extent, royalties from sales of Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin) by Roche and Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) by GlaxoSmithKline, which are ADCs that use Seagen technology.
Collaboration and License Agreement Revenues: Amounts earned under the Company’s product, development and technology collaborations were $16.6 million and $23.6 million in the third quarter and year-to-date in 2021, respectively, compared to $758.3 million and $780.3 million for the same periods in 2020. The 2020 periods included $725 million related to the Merck collaborations for ladiratuzumab vedotin and TUKYSA that were entered into in September 2020. The 2021 periods included an $11 million milestone payment received during the third quarter of 2021 triggered by regulatory approvals of GlaxoSmithKline’s Blenrep.
Cost of Sales: Cost of sales for the third quarter and year-to-date in 2021 were $82.7 million and $224.9 million, respectively, compared to $78.3 million and $156.0 million for the same periods in 2020. The increase was primarily due to the PADCEV gross profit share with Astellas, which was $44.7 million and $115.8 million in the third quarter and year-to-date of 2021, respectively, compared to $29.1 million and $72.6 million for the same periods in 2020. Cost of sales also reflects amortization of TUKYSA acquired in-process technology costs, and third-party royalties owed for ADCETRIS, PADCEV and TUKYSA net product sales, in addition to cost of products sold.

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses for the third quarter and year-to-date in 2021 were $459.1 million and $924.4 million, respectively, compared to $217.7 million and $610.9 million for the same periods in 2020. The increase in periods ended September 30, 2021 primarily reflected a $200 million upfront payment due under the RemeGen collaboration agreement for disitamab vedotin. Additionally, the increase is attributable to continued investment in clinical development of the Company’s approved drugs and to advance novel programs and technologies.

Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expenses: SG&A expenses for the third quarter and year-to-date in 2021 were $180.3 million and $505.3 million, respectively, compared to $127.6 million and $375.5 million for the same periods in 2020. The increases in 2021 primarily reflected investments to support ongoing European TUKYSA launches and the U.S. commercial launch of TIVDAK.

Non-cash, share-based compensation expense for the first nine months of 2021 was $121.0 million, compared to $107.5 million for the same period in 2020.

Net Income (Loss): Net loss for the third quarter of 2021 was $293.8 million, or $1.61 per diluted share, and net loss for the year-to-date in 2021 was $499.8 million, or $2.75 per diluted share. Net loss in the 2021 periods were impacted by the $200 million upfront payment owed to RemeGen.

Net income in the third quarter of 2020 was $636.2 million, or $3.50 per diluted share, and net income for the year-to-date in 2020 was $446.6 million, or $2.47 per diluted share. Net income in the 2020 periods were impacted by the upfront license revenue from Merck of $725 million.

Cash and Investments: As of September 30, 2021, Seagen had $2.4 billion in cash and investments, which does not reflect the $200 million upfront payment made to RemeGen in the fourth quarter of 2021.

2021 FINANCIAL OUTLOOK

Seagen anticipates 2021 revenues, operating expenses and other costs to be in the ranges shown in the table below, which includes increased net sales expectations for ADCETRIS, PADCEV and TUKYSA, as well as higher royalty, and collaboration and license agreement revenues. Increased R&D expenses are primarily due to the license agreement with RemeGen.

Conference Call Details

Seagen management will host a conference call and webcast with supporting slides to discuss its third quarter and year-to-date 2021 financial results and provide an update on business activities. The event will be held today at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT); 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The live event will be simultaneously webcast and available for replay from the Seagen website at investor.seagen.com. Investors may also participate in the conference call by calling 844-763-8274 (domestic) or 412-717-9224 (international). The conference ID is 10160629. Supporting slides are available on the Seagen website at investor.seagen.com under the Investors section. A webcast replay will be archived on the Company’s website investor.seagen.com, under the Investors section.

Rubius Therapeutics to Announce Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

On October 28, 2021 Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RUBY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is genetically engineering red blood cells to create an entirely new class of cellular medicines called Red Cell Therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported plans to report third quarter financial results on Monday, November 8, 2021, after market close (Press release, Rubius Therapeutics, OCT 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234592118]).

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The company will not be hosting a teleconference in conjunction with its financial results press release.

PTC Therapeutics Provides a Corporate Update and Reports Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

On October 28, 2021 PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT) reported a corporate update and financial results for the third quarter ending September 30, 2021 (Press release, PTC Therapeutics, OCT 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234592117]).

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"The stellar growth of our DMD franchise is remarkable." said Stuart W. Peltz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, PTC Therapeutics, Inc. "I continue to be impressed by the team’s performance. The commercial performance, along with the milestones achieved in Brazil, and the continued advancements in our pipeline, with initiating a fifth registration-directed trial, allows us continued value creation for all of our stakeholders."

Key Third Quarter and Other Corporate Updates:

The Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) franchise grew 39% over the third quarter of 2020, demonstrating PTC’s continued strong commercial performance. Quarterly net product revenue for the franchise was $114 million in the third quarter of 2021.
Translarna (ataluren) revenue growth was driven by geographic expansion and new patient identification.
Emflaza (deflazacort) revenue growth was driven primarily by new patient starts and maintained high compliance.
Evrysdi(risdiplam) continues to show strong global uptake. The first commercial sale of Evrysdi in Japan occurred in August 2021, resulting in a $10 million milestone payment from Roche to PTC with $325 million in sales-based milestones remaining. Evrysdi is a product of a collaboration between PTC, Roche and the SMA Foundation.
Waylivra (volanesorsen) was approved by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária), as the first treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) in Brazil.
Tegsedi (inotersen) has successfully received Category 1 classification from CMED (Drug Market Regulation Chamber) in Brazil. Category 1 classification is given to innovative treatments that provide greater efficacy than current standards of care and allows for pricing in line with international markets.
Third Quarter Clinical Updates:

The APHENITY registration-directed Phase 3 trial for PTC923 for phenylketonuria (PKU) has been initiated with results expected by the end of 2022.
PTC continues to make progress in three additional ongoing registration-directed clinical studies:
The MIT-E Phase 2/3 vatiquinone trial for mitochondrial disease associated seizures with results anticipated in the third quarter of 2022.
The MOVE-FA Phase 3 vatiquinone trial for Friedreich ataxia with results anticipated in 2023.
Enrollment in the FITE19 Phase 2/3 emvododstat trial in patients with COVID-19 is expected to be completed by year end 2021.
The Phase 1 healthy volunteer study of PTC518 for Huntington’s disease met the objectives in the third quarter of this year. The Phase 2 study in patients with Huntington’s disease is expected to be initiated by the end of 2021.
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) opinion on the PTC-AADC gene therapy for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency is expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.
For the Biologics License Application (BLA) for AADC deficiency, PTC expects to submit the BLA in the first quarter of 2022.
Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights:

Total revenues were $138.7 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to total revenues of $118.4 million for the third quarter of 2020.
Total revenue includes net product revenue across the commercial portfolio of $115.6 million and royalty and collaboration revenue of $23.1 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to net product revenues of $82.7 million and royalty and collaboration revenues of $35.7 million for the third quarter of 2020.
Translarna net product revenues were $67.2 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $43.4 million for the third quarter of 2020. These results reflect an increase in net product sales in existing markets as well as continued geographic expansion.
Emflaza net product revenues were $47.1 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $38.5 million for the third quarter of 2020. These results reflect new patient prescriptions, high compliance, and fewer discontinuations.
Roche reported Evrysdi 2021 year to date sales of approximately CHF 396 million, resulting in year-to-date royalty revenue of $33.3 million to PTC. During the third quarter of 2021, the first commercial sale of Evrysdi in Japan triggered a $10 million milestone payment from Roche to PTC, which was reported as collaboration revenue.
U.S. GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) research and development (R&D) expenses were $130.8 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $93.0 million for the third quarter of 2020. The increase reflects additional investment in research programs and advancement of the clinical pipeline.
Non-GAAP R&D expenses were $117.8 million for the third quarter of 2021, excluding $13.0 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared to $83.8 million for the third quarter of 2020, excluding $9.2 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense.
GAAP selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $69.3 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $57.8 million for the third quarter of 2020. The increase reflects our continued investment to support commercial activities including expanding our commercial portfolio.
Non-GAAP SG&A expenses were $56.4 million for the third quarter of 2021, excluding $12.8 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared to $50.3 million for the third quarter of 2020, excluding $7.6 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense.
Change in the fair value of deferred and contingent consideration was $10.8 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $8.4 million for the third quarter of 2020. The change in fair value of deferred and contingent consideration is related to the fair valuation of potential future consideration to be paid to former equity holders of Agilis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Agilis) in connection with PTC’s acquisition of Agilis, which closed in August 2018.
Net loss was $133.6 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to net loss of $69.7 million for the third quarter of 2020.
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities was $867.9 million at September 30, 2021, compared to $1.1 billion at December 31, 2020.
Shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021 were 70,665,010.
PTC Updates Full Year 2021 Guidance as Follows:

PTC now anticipates net product revenues for the DMD franchise for the full year 2021 to be between $400 and $420 million from previous guidance of $370 and $390 million.
PTC now anticipates GAAP R&D and SG&A expense for the full year 2021 to be between $815 and $835 million from previous guidance of $825 and $855 million.
PTC now anticipates Non-GAAP R&D and SG&A expense for the full year 2021 to be between $715 and $735 million, excluding estimated non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $100 million, from previous guidance of $725 and $755 million.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

In this press release, the financial results and financial guidance of PTC are provided in accordance with GAAP and using certain non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, the non-GAAP financial measures exclude non-cash, stock-based compensation expense. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as a complement to financial measures reported in GAAP because management uses these non-GAAP financial measures when assessing and identifying operational trends. In management’s opinion, these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors and other users of PTC’s financial statements by providing greater transparency into the historical and projected operating performance of PTC and the Company’s future outlook. Non-GAAP financial measures are not an alternative for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Quantitative reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to their respective closest equivalent GAAP financial measures are included in the tables below.

Today’s Conference Call and Webcast Reminder:

PTC will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter of 2021 corporate updates and financial results today at 4:30 pm ET and can be access by dialing (877) 303-9216 (domestic) or (973) 935-8152 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the passcode 7064479. A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call can be accessed on the investor relations section of the PTC website at www.ptcbio.com. A webcast replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after completion of the call and will be archived on the company’s website for 30 days following the call.

Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) logs timely progress across anti-cancer programs in Q3

On October 28, 2021 Prescient Therapeutics (PTX) reported it is poised to reach value-adding milestones across its anti-cancer programs after wrapping up the September quarter with $14.8 million in cash (Press release, Prescient Therapeutics, OCT 28, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prescient-therapeutics-asxptx-logs-timely-progress-across-anti-cancer-programs-in-q3 [SID1234592116]).

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Based in Melbourne, Prescient is a clinical-stage oncology company developing personalised medical approaches to cancer, including targeted and cellular therapies.

Finances
The health stock reported quarterly costs, including investments in clinical studies of its PTX-100 and PTX-200 targeted therapies; pre-clinical development of its OmniCAR platform; and the Cell Therapy Enhancement Program.

Net cash outflows for the quarter clocked in at $1.47 million, with around $782,000 invested in research and development across Australia and the United States.

Notably, PTX said it had retained a strong cash position and was headed towards value-creating milestones on the back of timely progress made across its anti-cancer programs.

OmniCAR update
Prescient continued to work on its OmniCAR technology during the September period.

OmniCAR is a universal immune receptor platform that enables controllable T-cell activity and multi-antigen targeting with a single cell product.

PTX said it had received positive in-silico results from immunogenicity testing of the platform’s key binding components, SpyTag and SpyCatcher, which was designed to test the immune response against the therapy and its overall safety profile.

The results reportedly showed low immunogenicity — equal to circulating human antibodies.

The company said the results de-risked the platform ahead of future in-house and external collaborations.

Cell Therapy Enhancement program
Meanwhile, Prescient’s Cell Therapy Enhancement program progressed towards a number of important pre-clinical milestones under the guidance of the research team at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

While the particulars of this work remain undisclosed for competitive reasons, PTX said the nature and outcomes of the research held significant possibilities for cancer treatments.

Further updates
Notably, Prescient also reported "successful" results from Phase 1b of its PTX-100 basket trial, in which it said the therapy showed an excellent safety profile.

PTX-100 will now progress to an expansion cohort study focused on T cell lymphomas, with potential for a subsequent registration study.

Lastly, the company welcomed brain cancer expert Professor Donald M. O’Rourke to its Scientific Advisory Board.

Despite the update, shares in Prescient Therapeutics were down 1.85 per cent to 26.5 cents each at 2:30 pm AEDT.