On April 21, 2025 Tempest Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPST), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class1 targeted and immune-mediated therapeutics to fight cancer, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to TPST-1495, the company’s novel dual receptor inhibitor of prostaglandin (PGE2) signaling, for the treatment of patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) (Press release, Tempest Therapeutics, APR 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234651994]).

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"Receiving orphan drug designation for TPST-1495, our second clinical program, is a significant milestone in our mission to bring innovative therapies to patients with unmet medical need," said Stephen Brady, President and CEO of Tempest. "This designation for the treatment of FAP underscores Tempest’s mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and builds on the momentum from prior designations received for amezalpat in hepatocellular carcinoma."

A Phase 2 study evaluating TPST-1495 in patients with FAP is set to begin this year, conducted by the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network and funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Prevention. Data from this study are expected in 2026.

About Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

FAP is a high-risk inherited syndrome associated with the development of cancer in affected patients and has no approved medical therapies. In the US, the disease affects approximately one in 5,000 to 10,000 individuals2. FAP is caused by autosomal dominant inactivating mutations in the tumor suppressor gene APC. Patients with FAP develop large numbers of adenomatous polyps throughout the gastrointestinal tract, often starting in their teenage years. These growths have a high risk of malignant transformation and can give rise to invasive cancers of the colon, stomach, duodenum, rectum, and other tissues. Standard of care treatment for patients with FAP is surgical removal of the colon (colectomy) early in life to reduce the likelihood of cancer development. Even after colectomy, patients must receive careful surveillance for development of cancer elsewhere in the GI tract throughout their lifetime. While surgical management and surveillance have improved the prognosis for patients with FAP, cancer remains a major cause of death for patients with FAP.

On April 21, 2025 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) reported that it will webcast management participation as follows (Press release, Regeneron, APR 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234651993]):

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BofA Securities 2025 Health Care Conference at 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, May 13, 2025
2025 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference at 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Goldman Sachs 46th Annual Global Healthcare Conference at 10:40 a.m. ET on Monday, June 9, 2025

The sessions may be accessed from the "Investors & Media" page of Regeneron’s website at View Source Replays and transcripts of the webcasts will be archived on the Company’s website for at least 30 days.

On April 21, 2025 Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) ("Jazz" or the "Company") reported the successful completion of its acquisition of Chimerix, Inc. ("Chimerix") for approximately $935 million in cash (Press release, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, APR 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234651992]). Chimerix is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz.

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"Bringing Chimerix into Jazz adds a novel medicine to our oncology portfolio and advances our efforts to address unmet patient needs," said Bruce Cozadd, chairman and chief executive officer of Jazz. "Dordaviprone has the potential to become the first and only FDA-approved therapy for patients with H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma and offers a promising near-term commercial opportunity, if approved. We are excited to welcome Chimerix’s talented team as we collectively continue to advance dordaviprone, leveraging our development and commercial capabilities to deliver this therapy to patients as soon as the second half of this year."

The addition of dordaviprone, a novel first-in-class small molecule treatment in development for H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma, further diversifies and adds near-term commercial opportunity to Jazz’s oncology pipeline. Dordaviprone is currently under Priority Review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date set for August 18, 2025. If approved in the U.S., the therapy may be eligible for a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV). Dordaviprone is also being studied in the ongoing Phase 3 ACTION trial to evaluate its use in newly diagnosed, non-recurrent H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma patients following radiation treatment, potentially extending its use into the first-line setting.

Transaction Details

Jazz’s tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Chimerix expired at one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 17, 2025. Jazz has accepted for payment of $8.55 per share, in cash, without interest and subject to reduction for any applicable withholding taxes, all shares that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn. Following its acceptance of the tendered shares, Jazz completed the acquisition of Chimerix through the merger of Pinetree Acquisition Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz ("Purchaser") with and into Chimerix (the "Merger"). As a result of the Merger, the separate existence of Purchaser ceased, and Chimerix continued as the surviving corporation and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz. Additional details regarding the tender can be found in a form 8-K filed by Jazz today with the SEC.

About Dordaviprone

Dordaviprone (ONC201) is a novel first-in-class small molecule imipridone that selectively targets the mitochondrial protease ClpP and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2). Dordaviprone’s unique mechanism of action includes alterations of key epigenetic modifications such as reversal of H3 K27me3-loss, which is the hallmark of H3 K27M-mutant gliomas.

On April 21, 2025 IMUNON, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMNN), a clinical-stage company in Phase 3 development of its DNA-mediated immunotherapy, reported that an abstract highlighting new, highly encouraging, Overall Survival data from the Phase 2 OVATION 2 Study of IMNN-001 to treat women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer was accepted for oral presentation at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, IMUNON, APR 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234651991]). The meeting is being held May 30 – June 3, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois and virtually. IMUNON recently announced alignment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the study protocol for the Phase 3 OVATION 3 clinical trial of IMNN-001 and has initiated trial site activation.

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IMNN-001, based on the company’s proprietary TheraPlas technology platform, is an interleukin-12 (IL-12) DNA plasmid vector encased in a nanoparticle delivery system, enabling cell transfection followed by persistent, local production and secretion of the IL-12 protein in the tumor microenvironment. IL-12 is a powerful pluripotent cytokine known for inducing strong anti-cancer immunity by promoting T-lymphocyte and natural killer cell proliferation while inhibiting tumor-mediated immune suppression. IMNN-001 is the first and only IL-12 immunotherapy to achieve a clinically effective response including overall survival benefit in frontline treatment in patients with advanced (Stage III/IV) ovarian cancer.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to present new data from the Phase 2 OVATION 2 Study of IMNN-001 in an oral presentation at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s Annual Meeting," said Stacy Lindborg, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of IMUNON. "This recognition underscores the significant potential of IMNN-001 to transform the treatment of women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer, an underserved population that has not seen treatment innovation in over 25 years, as we advance our Phase 3 program. We look forward to sharing more about our progress during this pivotal stage of development."

About the OVATION 2 Study

OVATION 2 evaluated the dosing, safety, efficacy and biological activity of intraperitoneal administration of IMNN-001 in combination with neoadjuvant (NACT) and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) of paclitaxel and carboplatin (N/ACT) in patients newly diagnosed with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. Treatment in the neoadjuvant period is designed to shrink the tumors as much as possible for optimal surgical removal after three cycles of chemotherapy. Following NACT, patients undergo interval debulking surgery, followed by three additional cycles of ACT to treat any residual tumor. This open-label study enrolled 112 patients who were randomized 1:1 and evaluated for safety and efficacy to compare NACT plus IMNN-001 versus standard-of-care NACT. In accordance with the study protocol, patients randomized to the IMNN-001 treatment arm could receive up to 17 weekly doses of 100 mg/m2 in addition to NACT. As a Phase 2 study, OVATION 2 was not powered for statistical significance. Additional endpoints included objective response rate, chemotherapy response score and surgical response.

About IMNN-001 Immunotherapy

Designed using IMUNON’s proprietary TheraPlas platform technology, IMNN-001 is an IL-12 DNA plasmid vector encased in a nanoparticle delivery system that enables cell transfection followed by persistent, local secretion of the IL-12 protein. IL-12 is one of the most active cytokines for the induction of potent anticancer immunity acting through the induction of T-lymphocyte and natural killer cell proliferation. IMUNON previously reported positive safety and encouraging Phase 1 results with IMNN-001 administered as monotherapy or as combination therapy in patients with advanced peritoneally metastasized primary or recurrent ovarian cancer and completed a Phase 1b dose-escalation trial (the OVATION 1 Study) of IMNN-001 in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. IMUNON previously reported positive results from the recently completed Phase 2 OVATION 2 Study, which assessed IMNN-001 (100 mg/m2 administered intraperitoneally weekly) plus neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy (N/ACT) of paclitaxel and carboplatin compared to standard-of-care N/ACT alone in 112 patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer.

About Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the sixth deadliest malignancy among women in the U.S. There are approximately 20,000 new cases of ovarian cancer every year and approximately 70% are diagnosed in advanced Stage III/IV. Epithelial ovarian cancer is characterized by dissemination of tumors in the peritoneal cavity with a high risk of recurrence (75%, Stage III/IV) after surgery and chemotherapy. Since the five-year survival rates of patients with Stage III/IV disease at diagnosis are poor (41% and 20%, respectively), there remains a need for a therapy that not only reduces the recurrence rate but also improves overall survival. The peritoneal cavity of advanced ovarian cancer patients contains the primary tumor environment and is an attractive target for a regional approach to immune modulation.

On April 21, 2025 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), a leading immunotherapy company, reported new clinical findings for ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer carcinoma in situ (NMIBC CIS) and updated data on papillary disease without CIS at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting (AUA 2025) in Las Vegas, April 26-29 (Press release, ImmunityBio, APR 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234651990]). The company will also host an educational and peer-networking event to discuss ImmunityBio’s approach to treatment of NMIBC CIS and papillary disease and how they have impacted patients.

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"ImmunityBio has made remarkable strides in 2025, marked by groundbreaking long-term efficacy data for ANKTIVA and the launch of our Expanded Access Program to help end the BCG shortage," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman, Global Chief Scientific & Medical Officer of ImmunityBio. "With these critical advancements, we are eager to connect, collaborate, and drive meaningful discussions with the urology community at AUA 2025, shaping the future of bladder and prostate cancer care together. In addition, ImmunityBio has applied for Expanded Access for the use of ANKTIVA as a ‘BioShield’ in patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy to enable access to ANKTIVA across the country for patients in need."

Oral Presentations by Key Opinion Leaders:

Presented research will continue to demonstrate long-term duration of response with ANKTIVA + BCG in an updated analysis of the pivotal QUILT 3.032 trial in CIS and papillary BCG-Unresponsive NMIBC.

An Update on QUILT 3.032: Complete Responses to N-803 plus BCG Therapy in BCG-Unresponsive Bladder Carcinoma in Situ (CIS) With or Without Ta/T1 Papillary Disease (PD12-12)
Chang S. Oral Podium Presentation. Session: Bladder Cancer: Non-Invasive II, Saturday, April 26, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm PDT, Galileo 1001, The Venetian Convention & Expo Center
Keynote Events by Dr. Soon-Shiong at AUA

Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., will participate in a series of presentations showcasing the power and potential of immunotherapy in shaping the future of urological cancers.

Embracing the Future: The Power of Innovation in a Changing World
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Keynote. AUA Innovation Nexus Conference, Friday, April 25, 1:00-1:45 pm PDT, The Venetian Convention & Expo Center
The Science of the Triangle Offense: NMIBC Patient and Prostate Cancer Experience
Educational and peer-networking event with Drs. Patrick Soon-Shiong, ImmunityBio Chief Medical Officer Sandeep "Bobby" Reddy, and Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs Bruce Brown, Saturday, April 26, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm PDT, The Venetian Convention & Expo Center
The Missing Link: Overcoming Lymphopenia through NK & Memory T Cells to Achieve Durable Responses in Urological Diseases – ALC Matters, Duration Matters, the Immune System Matters
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, ImmunityBio Product Theater, Sunday, April 27, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm PDT, Science & Technology Hall, The Venetian Convention & Expo Center
About ANKTIVA

The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response.

ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and drives the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones. The proliferation of the trifecta of these immune killing cells and the activation of trained immune memory results in immunogenic cell death, inducing a state of equilibrium with durable complete responses. ANKTIVA has improved pharmacokinetic properties, longer persistence in lymphoid tissues, and enhanced anti-tumor activity compared to native, non-complexed IL-15 in-vivo.

ANKTIVA was approved by the FDA in 2024 for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer CIS with or without papillary tumors. For more information, visit ImmunityBio.com (Founder’s Vision) and Anktiva.com.