On May 5, 2022 Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACK) [("Merrimack" or the "Company")] reported its first quarter 2022 financial results for the period ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Merrimack, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613712]).

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"During the first quarter of 2022 we continued to see reductions in our operating expenses and were able to close the sale of an additional preclinical asset" said Gary Crocker, Chairman of Merrimack’s Board of Directors. "We continue to be focused on maintaining cash balances that will allow us to be in a position to receive milestone payments from Ipsen and Elevation if the programs that we have licensed to them continue to progress."

First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Merrimack reported a net loss of $132 thousand for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, or $0.01 per basic and diluted share on a fully diluted basis, compared to a net loss of $696 thousand, or $0.05 per basic and diluted share on a fully diluted basis, for the same period in 2021.

Merrimack reported a gain on the sale of assets for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, of $445 thousand, attributable to the sale of certain of our preclinical programs, compared to $50 thousand for the same period in 2021.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, were $577 thousand, compared to $746 thousand for the same period in 2021.

As of March 31, 2022, Merrimack had cash and cash equivalents and investments of $14.3 million, compared to $14.2 million as of December 31, 2021.

As of March 31, 2022, Merrimack had 13.4 million shares of common stock outstanding.

Updates on Programs Underlying Potential Milestone Payments

Ipsen

– On April 27, 2022, Ipsen released to the public an update on its sales performance for the first quarter of 2022. At the same time, Ipsen publicly indicated that a data readout from its ongoing Phase 3 trial of ONIVYDE as a treatment of second line small cell lung cancer would be provided in the second half of 2022. In addition, Ipsen reported that it is continuing to study ONIVYDE in Phase III clinical trials in first line pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with a data readout expected in 2023.

Elevation Oncology

– On April 27, 2022 Elevation Oncology announced that initial data from its Phase 2 CRESTONE Study of Seribantumab has been selected for oral presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) on June 7, 2022.

On May 5, 2022 Cyteir Therapeutics, Inc. ("Cyteir") (Nasdaq: CYT), a company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation synthetically lethal therapies for cancer, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 and provided an update on recent operational highlights (Press release, Cyteir Therapeutics, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613711]).

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"In the first quarter, we began enrollment in the Phase 2 expansion cohorts with CYT-0851 monotherapy and continued enrolling in the Phase 1 combination study. Our R&D Day in April highlighted the exceptional work of our discovery research team that has provided us with a greater understanding of the mechanism of action for CYT-0851, potentially expanding the opportunity of the drug into new tumor types," said Markus Renschler, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyteir. "I am proud of the entire Cyteir team and look forward to delivering on key data reporting milestones in the second half of the year."

First Quarter 2022 Accomplishments

Advanced CYT-0851 Clinical Program

Progress continues to advance CYT-0851 in monotherapy and combination clinical studies. Enrollment is ongoing in six disease-specific Phase 2 expansion cohorts with monotherapy in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Completion of stage 1 of this study is expected before the end of 2022. Enrollment is also ongoing in a Phase 1 combination study of CYT-0851 with three standard-of-care regimens: (1) rituximab plus bendamustine; (2) gemcitabine; and (3) capecitabine, in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Initial safety data from this combination study is expected before the end of 2022.
A poster with updated data from the Phase 1 dose-escalation portion of the first-in-human Phase 1/2 trial of CYT-0851 will be presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting on June 5, 2022.
Continued to Advance Our Synthetically Lethal Preclinical Pipeline

Cyteir continues to advance two previously reported discovery projects focused on identifying inhibitors of DNA damage repair. The first of these undisclosed targets (Target 2) plays a key role in Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) and the second (Target 3) in Microhomology-Mediated End Joining (MMEJ) DNA repair pathways. Both undisclosed target projects are currently in lead generation, and we anticipate reaching the drug candidate nomination stage in 2023.
Cyteir expects to complete IND-enabling studies for CYT-1853 in the first half of 2022, and if the data supports an overall risk-benefit improvement and differentiation from CYT-0851, Cyteir plans to file an IND application with the FDA before the end of 2022.
CYT-0851 Mechanism of Action Due to Inhibition of Monocarboxylate Transporters, Essential Proteins in Cancer Metabolism

Based on molecular, bioinformatic, and biochemical characterization research that has been done at Cyteir to elucidate the mechanism of action of CYT-0851, management believes that the observed effects of CYT-0851 on the viability of cancer cells are due to inhibition of monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) activity and the subsequent disruption of lactate transport. Monocarboxylate transporters are essential proteins in cancer metabolism making MCTs an attractive target for cancer therapy. Based on the newly identified mechanism of action, the patient selection biomarker discovery strategy has been modified while all aspects of the trial design remain appropriate and unchanged. This new understanding of the mechanism of action of CYT-0851 could potentially accelerate development of a biomarker and allow for expansion into additional opportunities in other tumor types. The initial results from the work on our biomarker were presented in a virtual R&D Day in April.
First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2022 were $177.4 million, which are expected to fund planned operations into 2024.

Research and development (R&D) expenses: R&D expenses were $10.1 million for the first quarter of 2022 versus $5.6 million for the same period in 2021. The year-over-year increase in R&D spending in the comparative periods was due primarily to increased research activity, clinical trial expenses, and headcount, including the ongoing of Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies for CYT-0851.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses: G&A expenses were $4.0 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to $1.7 million for the same period in 2021. The year-over-year increase in G&A expenses in the comparative periods was primarily due to employee-related costs, as well as other administrative expenses associated with company growth and operating as a public company.

Net loss: Net loss was $14.1 million, or $0.40 per share, in the first quarter of 2022 compared to $7.3 million, or $3.40 per share, for the same period in 2021.

On May 15, 2022 Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Elpiscience"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation immunotherapies to benefit cancer patients worldwide, reported partner Compass Therapeutics reported positive interim ES104 (also known as CTX-009) Phase 2 data in combination with paclitaxel in patients with biliary tract cancers (BTC) (Press release, Elpiscience, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613705]). ES104 is a bispecific antibody that simultaneously blocks Delta-like ligand 4/Notch (DLL4) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) signaling pathways, which are critical to angiogenesis and tumor vascularization.

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In the study, ES104 demonstrated:

42% overall response rate (ORR) based on 10 patients with Partial Responses (PRs), including 9 PRs confirmed by RECIST 1.1 and 1 PR pending confirmation
Anti-tumor activity in previously treated patients with a clinical benefit rate (CBR) of 92% based on 22 patients with a PR or stable disease (SD) out of 24 enrolled patients
Well-tolerated and preliminary safety profile consistent with prior studies
The Phase 2 study in patients with BTC is currently being conducted at four leading medical centers in Korea and Compass Therapeutics plans to open additional sites in the United States. In China, Elpiscience is currently enrolling patients in a ES104 Phase 1/2 study for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). ES104 is currently the only clinical-stage bispecific antibody targeting VEGF and DLL4 in China.

"We are encouraged by the impressive interim Phase 2 data in BTC patients from our partner," said Steve Chin, Chief Medical Officer of Elpiscience. "ES104 in combination with paclitaxel showed a high ORR including responses in all four BTC subtypes and good overall tolerability consistent with prior studies. We believe in the clinical strategy to simultaneously target VEGF and DLL4 and look forward to our study findings in advanced CRC patients."

For more information on the Phase 1/2 clinical study in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic CRC, refer to Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT05167448.

About ES104

ES104 is a bispecific antibody that simultaneously blocks Delta-like ligand 4/Notch (DLL4) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) signaling pathways, which are critical to angiogenesis and tumor vascularization. Pre-clinical and early clinical data of ES104 show that blocking both pathways provides robust anti-tumor activity across several solid tumors, including colorectal, gastric, cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic, and non-small cell lung cancer. Partial responses to ES104 as monotherapy have been observed in heavily pre-treated cancer patients, who were resistant to currently approved anti-VEGF therapies. ES104 has completed a Phase 1 monotherapy dose-escalation and expansion study (NCT03292783). Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical studies (NCT04492033) in combination with chemotherapy are ongoing. Elpiscience licensed ES104 greater China rights from Compass Therapeutics in January 2021 and is conducting Phase 1/2 study in China for treatment in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.

On May 5, 2022 -SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE: SQZ), focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for multiple therapeutic areas, reported that the company will host a live R&D investor event with optional virtual participation on Thursday, May 19, 2022, from 4:05 – 5:30 p.m. ET (Press release, SQZ Biotech, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613710]).

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The event will feature presentations on the company’s point-of-care (POC) manufacturing system, currently in internal testing, and its potential impact on cell therapy development. The company will also discuss its first anticipated clinical use in the SQZ TAC clinical development program for celiac disease, which has an FDA investigational new drug application submission planned for the first half of 2023.

Company leadership will also discuss the collaboration with STEMCELL Technologies and the development of a research-use-only Cell Squeeze system.

The event will include a special fireside chat on the present and future state of cell engineering. Speakers include:

Robert S. Langer, Sc.D., Scientific Advisory Board Member and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies, and David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Klavs F. Jensen, Ph.D., Board Member and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies, and Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies
Moderated by Mike Huckman, Global Practice Leader, Executive Communications at Real Chemistry, and former CNBC Pharmaceuticals Reporter
Event Details
The company will host a live R&D Investor event with optional virtual participation on Thursday, May 19, 2022, beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET. Onsite and virtual participants can register in advance by completing the registration form on the event website: View Source Following the event, a webcast replay will be made available on the company’s investor website: investors.sqzbiotech.com.

On May 5, 2022 Median Technologies (ALMDT) reported that the company has received feedback from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the 513(g) submission done on Feb. 17, 2022 for its iBiopsy Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) AI/ML technology-based end-to-end CADe/CADx1 Software as Medical Device (SaMD) (Press release, MEDIAN Technologies, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613709]).

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The aim of the 513(g) submission was to determine the relevant product classification and choose between the De Novo or the 510(k) regulatory pathways2 for iBiopsy LCS CADe/CADx SaMD. The FDA has stated that the Median’s iBiopsy LCS CADe/CADx falls within 21 CFR 892.2090 (Radiological Computer Assisted Detection And Diagnosis Software), a Class II type device, which requires the submission of a 510(k) in order to obtain the FDA clearance prior to marketing.

As next regulatory steps, Median Technologies is preparing several Q-submissions for Q2 and Q3, 2022. The first Q-sub has been submitted for FDA review on May 2, and focuses mostly on reviewing pivotal study protocols and possible predicate devices. A meeting will be scheduled with the FDA experts at their earliest convenience.

"After this first regulatory feedback of the FDA on the 513(g), we want to keep having frequent and fruitful interactions with the Agency in order to better tailor our device to the US market", Fredrik Brag, CEO and founder of Median Technologies said. "The design of the pivotal studies will be a key part of showing the unique performance of our iBiopsy CADe/CADx Software as Medical Device and how it could have an impact on saving patients’ lives by identifying lung cancer onsets at their earliest stage", Brag added.

About iBiopsy: iBiopsy is based on the most advanced technologies in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science (DS), benefiting from Median’s expertise in medical image processing. iBiopsy targets the development of innovative AI/ML-based Software as Medical Device, to be used in several indications for which there are unmet needs regarding early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment selection in the context of precision medicine. iBiopsy currently focuses on lung cancer, liver cancer (HCC) and liver fibrosis (NASH).