Roivant Sciences Announces Close of Business Combination with Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp. and Concurrent PIPE Financing

On October 1, 2021 Roivant Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the delivery of healthcare to patients, reported that it has closed its business combination with Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: MAAC), a special purpose acquisition company, as well as a concurrent PIPE financing (Press release, Silicon Therapeutics, OCT 1, 2021, https://discovery.roivant.com/news/press-releases/roivant-sciences-announces-close-of-business-combination-with-montes-archimedes-acquisition-corp-and-concurrent-pipe-financing/ [SID1234590684]).

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Outstanding shares and warrants of MAAC have been exchanged for newly issued Roivant shares and warrants, which will begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols "ROIV" and "ROIVW" later today. At the close of this transaction on Sept. 30, 2021, Roivant’s consolidated cash position is approximately $2.5 billion.

"Roivant was founded to address inefficiencies in the traditional pharma model. As we begin our life as a public company, we now have the opportunity to accelerate that vision and create significant value for patients, shareholders, and society," said Matt Gline, Chief Executive Officer of Roivant Sciences. "I would like to thank our new investors for their support as we continue to advance transformational medicines and novel modalities."

In addition, the company announced that Richard Pulik has joined Roivant as chief financial officer. Mr. Pulik brings over twenty years of industry experience.

Prior to joining Roivant, Mr. Pulik was the global head of business development & licensing and portfolio management, oncology at Novartis and a member of Novartis’s Innovation Management Board and the Novartis oncology leadership team. Mr. Pulik joined Novartis in 2012 as a senior director, mergers & acquisitions based in Basel, Switzerland. Earlier in his career Mr. Pulik worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Monitor Group and UBS Investment Bank, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and strategy in the healthcare sector. Mr. Pulik received a bachelor of science degree in finance from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and international relations at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001.

"I am humbled to join a company that has accomplished so much over the last seven years," said Mr. Pulik. "I look forward to working with its leadership to create a next-generation biopharma company that develops meaningful medicines for patients around the world."

Roivant R&D Day
Roivant held a virtual R&D Day on the afternoon of September 28th highlighting the company’s drug discovery platform and recent clinical milestones. Recordings of R&D Day presentations and corresponding slides are available at https://investor.roivant.com/news-events/events.

Advisors
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as a financial advisor and capital markets advisor to Roivant and as a lead placement agent for the PIPE. SVB Leerink LLC served as a capital markets advisor to Roivant and as a lead placement agent for the PIPE. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as a financial advisor to Roivant. Cowen and Company, LLC served as a financial advisor and capital markets advisor to Roivant. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. served as a placement agent for the PIPE. Truist Securities, Inc. served as a capital markets advisor to Roivant and as a placement agent for the PIPE. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as legal counsel to Roivant. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to MAAC. Okapi Partners served as the proxy solicitor for MAAC.

CRI Immunotherapy Summit Grows Along with Cancer Treatment Prospects

On October 1, 2021 Cancer Research Institute (CRI) reported that Next week on October 7-8, 2021, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI)—a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the immune system’s power to control and potentially cure all types of cancer—will offer its 2021 CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit as a free, virtual event (Press release, Cancer Research Institute, OCT 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234590683]). Tamron Hall—Emmy Award-winning host of the Tamron Hall television show, executive producer, author, and philanthropist—will moderate the Summit for the second year.

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"This event that brings medical experts together with thousands of patients to discuss the growing promise of cancer immunotherapy happens nowhere else," Hall said. "For those of us who have lost someone to cancer or are going through treatment right now, the CRI Summit offers a vital lifeline of helpful information, connecting patients and their caregivers to clinical trials and emerging treatments, and I am proud to be a part of it."

Over the course of two days, the Summit will highlight the growing implications of immunotherapy for more than 10 cancer types, provide education on the basics of immunotherapy and how clinical trials work, and address cancer care disparities for the first time as part of this program.

"This is our fifth CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit and our second in an online format open and available to anyone, again free of charge as with all our Summits," said Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D., chief executive officer and director of scientific affairs at Cancer Research Institute. "Immunotherapy is no longer just a research frontier. Clinical breakthroughs are multiplying, and this Summit is where patients, caregivers, health care professionals, and advocates alike can gain insight on the full range of advances, learn about clinical trial options, and ask their questions."

The expanded Summit program begins on Thursday, October 7, at 1:00 PM ET and runs from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM ET on Thursday and on Friday, October 8. Highlights include:

Breakout sessions led by top academic experts on the progress of immunotherapy against a wide range of cancer types—encouraging questions from the patients present
A panel of diverse patient advocates to discuss racial disparities in cancer care—addressing financial and social barriers—and ways to respond through self-advocacy and support networks
Nuts-and-bolts sessions on the science behind immunotherapy and how clinical trials work.
Patients and caregivers registered for the Summit also can request a free, confidential one-on-one consultation in English or Spanish with one of CRI’s Clinical Trial Navigators, who can help locate immunotherapy clinical trials appropriate to an individual’s diagnosis, treatment history, and circumstances.

Summit registration is available at: View Source

Day 1 topics and speakers will include:

Immunotherapy 101: The Basics and Beyond
Ellen Puré, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Live Q&A moderated by Tamron Hall

Immunotherapy Clinical Trials
Kunle Odunsi, M.D., Ph.D., University of Chicago

Immunotherapy Patient Perspectives
Moderated by Stephen Estrada, Colorectal Cancer Veteran

Blood Cancer and Immunotherapy
Hearn Jay Cho, M.D., Ph.D., Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Institute

Colorectal Cancer and Immunotherapy
Van Morris, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Brain Cancer and Immunotherapy
David A. Reardon, M.D., Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Head and Neck Cancer and Immunotherapy
Nabil F. Saba, M.D., FACP, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University

Day 2 topics and speakers will include:

Conversation About Cancer Care Disparities
Moderated by Karen Peterson, Breast Cancer Veteran

Breast Cancer and Immunotherapy
Leisha Emens, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Lung Cancer and Immunotherapy
Patrick Forde, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine

Prostate Cancer and Immunotherapy
Ana Aparicio, M.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Ovarian Cancer and Immunotherapy
Dmitriy Zamarin, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Melanoma and Immunotherapy
Margaret Callahan, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Bladder Cancer and Immunotherapy
Arjun Balar, M.D., Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone Health

Support for the 2021 CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit is generously provided by the following:

Sponsors
Gold: Bristol Myers Squibb
Silver: Merck
Bronze: Genentech, GSK, Lilly Oncology, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme

Friend
Foundation Medicine

Host Institutions
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health

Biofrontera AG approves IPO of Biofrontera Inc. in the USA

On October 1, 2021 Biofrontera AG reported that currently holds a 100 % stake in the US-based subsidiary Biofrontera Inc (Press release, Biofrontera, OCT 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234590682]).

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On July 6, 2021, Biofrontera AG published an insider information pursuant to Article 17 MAR announcing that Biofrontera Inc. intends to raise capital by means of an initial public offering and a stock exchange listing in the United States ("IPO").

Within the scope of the IPO, up to 3,450,000 shares of Biofrontera Inc. are to be placed with US investors in a price range of USD 5.00 to USD 7.00 per share. The shares of Biofrontera Inc. to be offered in the IPO are to be issued from a capital increase. A sale of shares of Biofrontera Inc. by Biofrontera AG as part of the IPO is currently not intended. The shares of Biofrontera Inc. are to be listed on NASDAQ.

The management board of Biofrontera AG has resolved today, with the approval of the supervisory board, that it is in favor of Biofrontera Inc. performing the IPO.

A registration statement relating to the securities to be offered in the IPO by Biofrontera Inc. has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This public disclosure of inside information according to article 17 MAR shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Compugen To Present Clinical Data from anti-TIGIT COM902 Monotherapy and Triple Combination Dose Escalation Studies at SITC 2021

On October 1, 2021 Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company and a leader in predictive target discovery, reported that new clinical and preclinical data will be presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), which will be held on November 10-14, 2021 (Press release, Compugen, OCT 1, 2021, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/compugen-to-present-clinical-data-from-anti-tigit-com902-monotherapy-and-triple-combination-dose-escalation-studies-at-sitc-2021-301389580.html [SID1234590667]).

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Poster Presentation Details:

Title: COM902 (anti-TIGIT antibody) monotherapy – preliminary evaluation of safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and receptor occupancy in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT04354246).
Abstract Number: 477
Lead Author: Dumbrava, E, E
Date: Friday, November 12, 2021

Title: COM701 in combination with BMS-986207 (anti-TIGIT antibody) and nivolumab – preliminary results of safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT04570839).
Abstract Number: 478
Lead Author: Dumbrava, E, E
Date: Saturday, November 13, 2021

Title: Novel DNAM-1 axis member, PVRIG, is potentially a dominant checkpoint involved in stem-like memory T cells – dendritic cell interaction.
Abstract Number: 252
Lead Author: Alteber, Z
Date: Saturday, November 13, 2021

Vigeo Therapeutics to Present New Phase 1/2 VT1021 Data from its Pancreatic Cancer Expansion Study at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s 2021 Annual Meeting

On October 1, 2021 Vigeo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company pioneering novel cancer therapies, reported it will have two poster presentations at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2021 Annual Meeting, taking place from November 10-14, 2021 (Press release, Vigeo Therapeutics, OCT 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234590666]).

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The company will present data from the pancreatic cancer expansion cohort with single-agent VT1021 which demonstrated tumor reduction in multiple subjects with measurable disease. The second poster demonstrates the utility of Tsp-1 as a pharmacodynamic biomarker and its correlation with clinical response.

Presentation Details

Title: Clinical update of VT1021, a first-in-class CD36 and CD47 targeting immunomodulating agent, in subjects with pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors stratified by novel biomarkers
Presenter: Marsha Crochiere, PhD, Director of Translational Sciences, Vigeo Therapeutics
Session: Virtual Poster Hall
Poster #: 369
Date and time: A copy of the poster will be available on-demand starting Friday, November 12th at 7:00 AM ET

Title: Development of Thrombospondin-1 as a clinical pharmacodynamic biomarker for VT1021, a first-in-class therapeutic agent that reprograms the tumor microenvironment.
Presenter: Jian Jenny Chen, PhD, Director Scientific Research and Development, Vigeo Therapeutics
Session: Virtual Poster Hall
Poster #: 375
Date and time: A copy of the poster will be available on-demand starting Friday, November 12th at 7:00 AM ET

About VT1021
Vigeo’s lead asset, VT1021, is a first-in-class dual modulating compound that blocks the CD47 immune checkpoint and activates CD36, which induces apoptosis and increases the M1:M2 macrophage ratio. VT1021 achieves this through stimulation of thrombospondin-1 (Tsp-1). The goal of these dual-modulating effects is conversion of immuno-suppressive, or "cold," tumors that don’t respond to immuno-oncology agents, to immuno-stimulated, or "hot," tumors that are more susceptible to attack from the body’s immune system. Vigeo is developing VT1021 as a therapeutic agent across a range of cancers, with a current focus on solid tumors.