On March 9, 2023 CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE American: CVM) reported new data from its pivotal Phase 3 study, the largest study ever conducted in newly diagnosed locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) (Press release, Cel-Sci, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628460]). A poster presentation titled "Leukocyte Interleukin Injection (LI) immunotherapy followed by radiotherapy extends overall survival (OS) in treatment naïve locally advanced primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck: the IT-MATTERS Study" was delivered by Eyal Talor, Ph.D., CEL-SCI’s Chief Scientific Officer on March 8, 2023 at the 10th European Congress on Head & Neck Oncology (ECHNO) in Lisbon, Portugal.

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CEL-SCI plans to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies for approval of Multikine* (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) in the treatment of newly diagnosed SCCHN in patients deemed at lower risk for recurrence (LR), as defined by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, representing a patient population of about 210,000 annual cases globally. The new data presented is very important because it focuses exclusively on the patient population (n=352) from the IT-MATTERS study for which CEL-SCI is seeking regulatory marketing approval, for locally advanced primary head and neck cancer patients scheduled to receive radiotherapy, but not chemotherapy, after surgery.

Per the NCCN guidelines, these LR patients typically are recommended to receive only radiotherapy following surgery. The recommended treatment for higher risk for recurrence (HR) patients is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time) after surgery. In the IT-MATTERS study, 44 patients who were determined to be higher risk for recurrence following surgery should have been administered chemoradiotherapy, but received only radiotherapy, and were included in the survival analysis of the IT-MATTERS study initially performed. A more accurate representation of the survival of the intended LR patient population treated with Multikine would have been obtained had the analysis been performed by excluding these 44 patients. At the ECHNO 2023 Congress, we present study data demonstrating the survival and death rate advantages of the patients treated with Multikine over control in the LR population who received only radiotherapy (n=352) following surgery.

Key study findings for the intended Multikine patient population who received radiotherapy, as recommended by NCCN guidelines, following surgery include:

The overall survival advantage accelerated and increased over time, with the benefit of adding Multikine+CIZ to the treatment regimen as compared to Standard of Care (SOC) alone increasing from 2.8% at 3 years (36 months), to 8.3% at 4 years (48 months), to 15.6% at 5 years (60 months), with a 49.7% survival for control vs. 65.3% for the Multikine treated group at 5 years.

The hazard ratio was 0.70 (95% CI: [0.49 – 1.00]) which represents a 43% survival extension.

Progression free survival was 8.4% higher at 5 years for patients treated with Multikine+ CIZ+SOC as compared to patients treated with SOC control alone.

16.5% of these patients were early tumor responders, including complete tumor responders (confirmed by pathology at surgery), following the 3-week treatment with Multikine as compared to 0% responders of patients who were treated with SOC alone.

Multikine patients who had an early tumor response had significantly improved survival. Their death rate was only 15.6% vs. 48.7% death rate for the control patients.

Even the patients who did not have an early tumor response had a better survival than did the control group patients, with a 43.8% death rate vs. 48.7% death rate for control.

"Our pivotal study, the largest ever of its kind in head and neck cancer, continues to produce impressive data that demonstrate Multikine’s ability to improve outcomes and extend survival for newly diagnosed patients who have not had the benefit of a new treatment in decades," stated CEL-SCI CEO, Geert Kersten. "These data are presented at the world’s leading scientific peer-reviewed conferences, underscoring Multikine’s potential as we work toward an FDA marketing approval submission."

On March 9, 2023 AstraZeneca reported Positive high-level results from a planned interim analysis of the AEGEAN Phase III, placebo- controlled trial showed that treatment with Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery and as adjuvant monotherapy after surgery demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in event-free survival (EFS) versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone followed by surgery for patients with resectable early-stage (IIA-IIIB) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, AstraZeneca, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628457]).

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Results from the final pathologic complete response (pCR) and major pathologic response (mPR) analyses were consistent with previously announced positive results. The trial will continue as planned to assess key secondary endpoints including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Each year there are an estimated 2.2 million people diagnosed with lung cancer globally with 80-85% of patients diagnosed with NSCLC, the most common form of lung cancer.1-3 Approximately 25-30% of all patients with NSCLC are diagnosed early enough to have surgery with curative intent.4-5 However, only around 56-65% of patients with Stage II disease will survive for five years.6 This decreases to 41% for patients with Stage IIIA and 24% for patients with Stage IIIB disease, reflecting a high unmet medical need.6

John V. Heymach, MD, PhD. Professor and Chair Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said: "Treating patients early with durvalumab both before and after surgery delivers a significant and clinically meaningful benefit in resectable non-small cell lung cancer, where new options are urgently needed to offer patients the best chance of long-term survival. The AEGEAN results provide compelling evidence that this novel durvalumab regimen can drive improved outcomes in this curative-intent setting."

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "Patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer face unacceptably high rates of recurrence, despite treatment with chemotherapy and surgery. We have shown that adding Imfinzi both before and after surgery significantly increased the time patients live without recurrence or progression events. We will continue to follow patients for overall survival."

Imfinzi was well tolerated and no new safety concerns were observed in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Further, adding Imfinzi to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was consistent with the known profile for this combination and did not increase complications or adverse events, or compromise patients’ ability to undergo surgery versus chemotherapy alone.

These data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting and shared with global health authorities.

AstraZeneca has a comprehensive portfolio of approved and potential new medicines in development for patients with lung cancer. In addition to these results, the Company is also announcing today that Tagrisso (osimertinib) met a secondary endpoint of OS in the ADAURA Phase III trial in early-stage (IB, II and IIIA) epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) NSCLC after complete tumour resection with curative intent.

Notes

Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, accounting for about one-fifth of all cancer deaths.1 Lung cancer is broadly split into NSCLC and small cell lung cancer (SCLC).2 The majority of NSCLC patients are diagnosed with advanced disease while approximately 25-30% present with resectable disease at diagnosis.4-5 Early-stage lung cancer diagnoses are often only made when the cancer is found on imaging for an unrelated condition.7-8

For patients with resectable tumours, the majority eventually develop recurrence despite complete tumour resection and adjuvant chemotherapy.9

AEGEAN
AEGEAN is a randomised, double-blind, multi-centre, placebo-controlled global Phase III trial evaluating Imfinzi as perioperative treatment for patients with resectable Stage IIA-IIIB (Eighth Edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual) NSCLC, irrespective of PD-L1 expression. Perioperative therapy includes treatment before and after surgery, also known as neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy. In the trial, 802 patients were randomised to receive a 1500mg fixed dose of Imfinzi plus chemotherapy or placebo plus chemotherapy every three weeks for four cycles prior to surgery, followed by Imfinzi or placebo every four weeks (for up to 12 cycles) after surgery. Patients with known EGFR or ALK genomic tumour aberrations were excluded from the primary efficacy analyses.

In the AEGEAN trial, the primary endpoints were pCR, defined as no viable tumour in the resection specimen (including lymph nodes) following neoadjuvant therapy, and EFS, defined as the time from randomisation to an event like tumour recurrence, progression precluding definitive surgery, or death. Key secondary endpoints were mPR, defined as residual viable tumour of less than or equal to 10% in the resected primary tumour following neoadjuvant therapy, DFS, OS, safety and quality of life. The final pathologic response analyses were performed after all patients had the opportunity for surgery and pathology assessment per the trial protocol. The trial enrolled participants in 264 centres in more than 25 countries including in the US, Canada, Europe, South America and Asia.

Imfinzi
Imfinzi (durvalumab) is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-L1 protein and blocks the interaction of PD-L1 with the PD-1 and CD80 proteins, countering the tumour’s immune-evading tactics and releasing the inhibition of immune responses.

Imfinzi is the only approved immunotherapy and the global standard of care in the curative-intent setting of unresectable, Stage III NSCLC in patients whose disease has not progressed after chemoradiation therapy based on the PACIFIC Phase III trial.

Imfinzi is also approved in the US, EU, Japan, China and many other countries around the world for the treatment of extensive-stage SCLC based on the CASPIAN Phase III trial. In an exploratory analysis in 2021, updated results from the CASPIAN trial showed Imfinzi plus chemotherapy tripled patient survival at three years versus chemotherapy alone. Additionally, Imfinzi is approved in combination with a short course of Imjudo (tremelimumab) and chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC in the US, EU and Japan based on the POSEIDON Phase III trial.

In addition to its indications in lung cancer, Imfinzi is also approved in combination with chemotherapy in locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer in the US, EU, Japan and several other countries; in combination with Imjudo in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in the US, EU and Japan; and in previously treated patients with advanced bladder cancer in several countries.

Since the first approval in May 2017, more than 150,000 patients have been treated with Imfinzi.

AstraZeneca has several ongoing registrational trials focused on testing Imfinzi in earlier stages of lung cancer, including in resectable NSCLC (ADJUVANT BR.31) and unresectable NSCLC (PACIFIC-2, 4, 5, 8 and 9), and in limited-stage SCLC (ADRIATIC).

As part of a broad development programme, Imfinzi is being tested as a single treatment and in combinations with other anti-cancer treatments for patients with SCLC, NSCLC, bladder cancer, several gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and other solid tumours.

On March 9, 2023 Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE:4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") and Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) reported that the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (la/mUC) who received prior treatment with a PD-1/L1 inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy (Press release, Astellas, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628456]).

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"In China, there were nearly 86,000 new cases of bladder cancer in 2020, and we are working with the NMPA to seek approval for enfortumab vedotin for patients with advanced stage disease," said Ahsan Arozullah, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice President and Head of Development Therapeutic Areas, Astellas. "Enfortumab vedotin has become a second- and third-line treatment option for many patients around the world with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer, and an approval in China may bring this therapy to those patients."

The BLA submission for enfortumab vedotin is based on data from the EV-203 study (NCT04995419), a single-arm, open-label, multicenter Phase 2 study of enfortumab vedotin in Chinese patients with la/mUC who previously received a PD-1/L1 inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy. Results showed that EV-203 met its primary endpoint, showing statistical significance in objective response rate (ORR) by independent review committee (IRC) for patients treated with enfortumab vedotin alone compared to historical controls. Efficacy and pharmacokinetic data from the study are in line with global data, and EV-203 is a bridging study to EV-301, a Phase 3 randomized study that has supported global registrations of enfortumab vedotin, and EV-201 Cohort 1.

Please see Important Safety Information, including BOXED WARNING, at the end of this press release for further safety information regarding enfortumab vedotin including serious skin reactions.

Enfortumab vedotin alone and in combination with other therapies is the subject of a robust clinical development program aimed at addressing unmet medical needs across the continuum of urothelial cancer and in other solid tumors.

On March 8, 2023 PreciseDx, a leading innovator in AI-powered, patient-specific disease analysis, reported that it will present a poster showcasing the development and validation of its AI-enabled hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) image analysis grading and phenotyping Platform to predict risk of early-stage breast cancer recurrence (Press release, PreciseDx, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628455]). Data from a retrospective development and validation study on the benefits of the Company’s novel breast cancer (BC) grading and phenotyping method will be presented at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) 112th Annual Meeting, taking place March 11 through March 16, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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"We are proud to share the positive results with the pathology community, highlighting the need for decision support tools such as ours to improve reproducibility and prognostic accuracy for histologic grade (HG) in clinical practice," said Michael Donovan, MD, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer. "We envision that our unique Platform holds significant potential for enhancing patient-centric BC treatment decision-making. This research underscores the efficacy of applying image analysis tools to current workflows, and further demonstrates that we’re succeeding in our mission to improve outcomes and facilitate access to high-quality medical care for all patients."

With decades of experience in pathology and a unique perspective of the speciality’s current processes, PreciseDx’s founders have identified the unmet need for more quantifiable information to raise the standard of patient diagnosis and prognosis. Through the PreciseDx Platform, clinical care teams and pathologists have the ability to examine every cell – and their relationships to one another – beyond what’s detected with the human eye. This comprehensive view provides an unprecedented amount of information to ultimately improve patient management and outcomes.

The poster, titled, "Development and Validation of an Artificial-Intelligent (AI) H&E Image Analysis Grading and Phenotyping Platform to Predict Risk of Early-Stage Breast Cancer Recurrence," will be presented on Tuesday, March 14 at 9:30am CT.

For the event’s full agenda, visit: View Source

On March 9, 2023 EDAP TMS SA (Nasdaq: EDAP) ("the Company"), the global leader in robotic energy-based therapies, reported that it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2022, before the markets open on Thursday, March 30th, 2023 (Press release, EDAP TMS, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628453]).

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An accompanying conference call and webcast will be hosted by Marc Oczachowski, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Rhodes, CEO of EDAP U.S., and François Dietsch, Chief Financial Officer. The call will be held at 8:30am ET on Thursday, March 30th, 2023. Please refer to the information below for the conference call dial-in information and webcast registration.

Conference Call & Webcast
Thursday, March 30th@ 8:30am Eastern Time
Domestic: 877-451-6152
International: 201-389-0879
CallMe : Link
Webcast: View Source;tp_key=be6fe8ba22