On February 25, 2025 Enliven Therapeutics, Inc. (Enliven or the Company) (Nasdaq: ELVN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics, reported that management will participate in a fireside chat at the TD Cowen 45th Annual Health Care Conference on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ET (Press release, Enliven Therapeutics, FEB 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234650556]).

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The fireside chat will be webcast live and can be accessed by visiting the investor relations section of the Company’s website at View Source The webcast will be archived for a period of 90 days following the conclusion of the live event.

On February 25, 2025 Novita Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Novita"), a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel cancer drugs through its proprietary fascin inhibitor technology, reported additional results from its Phase 2 study (NCT05023486) evaluating NP-G2-044 in combination with SOC anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors resistant to prior anti-PD-1 therapy at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Immuno-oncology (AACR IO) Annual Meeting (Press release, Novita Pharmaceuticals, FEB 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234650555]). The data was presented in a poster presentation titled "Phase 2 Study of NP-G2-044, a Novel Fascin Inhibitor, in Combination with Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Patients with Solid Tumors Resistant to Prior Anti-PD-1 Therapy." Findings indicate that NP-G2-044 provides a novel therapeutic opportunity when combined with ICIs.

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"We are very pleased with the findings generated to date in our Phase 2 trial of NP-G2-044 both as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in ICI-resistant patients with advanced and metastatic solid tumors," said Jillian Zhang, Ph.D., President & Chief Scientific Officer of Novita. "The strong safety and durable efficacy we have observed with our first-in-class fascin inhibitor further support the simultaneous inhibition of metastasis and enhancement of cancer immunotherapy as a promising and innovative approach in cancer treatment with broad applications for many solid tumors. We look forward to sharing additional data from the Phase 2 expansion cohort of NP-G2-044 in combination with ICI in the second half of 2025."

Among the 45 patients treated with NP-G2-044 as of the last data cutoff (Oct. 2024), 80% had progressed on prior anti-PD-(L)1 therapies. The anti-PD-1 Combination RP2D for NP-G2-044 was 1600 mg QD with 4-week cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), metastasis-free interval (MFI), overall survival (OS), safety, and tolerability.

Key highlights include:

A Disease Control Rate of 76% (includes patients with Stable Disease and Objective Responses)
An ORR of 21% (95% CL 9-38.9%) including 4 patients with Partial Response (PR) and 3 patients with Complete Responses (CR) including Pathologic Complete Response
Results indicate durable responses and tumor control in a significant proportion of patients across at least seven cancer types, including cases converted from ICI-non-responsive to ICI-responsive.
Long lasting objective responses have been observed.
Notable outcomes include a CR in a cervical cancer patient, target lesion CR in an endometrial cancer patient, pathological CRs in a pancreatic cancer patient and a patient with gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and PRs in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma.
Seven patients are still on treatments, with the longest duration of 18+ months in an endometrial cancer patient and a patient with pancreatic cancer.
An amendment to the study is underway to open additional cohorts. These new cohorts aim to further evaluate the combination of NP-G2-044 with anti-PD-1 therapy across patient populations and solid tumor subtypes, providing a broader understanding of its therapeutic potential. Future analysis will also explore biomarkers for response prediction and mechanisms of resistance, guiding personalized approaches in treatment-resistant cancer. Novita is on track to begin enrollment in its pivotal Phase 3 study of NP-G2-044 + PLD in platinum resistant ovarian cancer in the third quarter of 2025.

On February 25, 2025 HBM Alpha Therapeutics (HBMAT), Inc., an innovative biotechnology company incubated by Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142), reported a strategic collaboration and license agreement with a business partner to advance novel therapies targeting corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) for various disorders (Press release, Harbour BioMed, FEB 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234650554]).

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Under the agreement, the partner gains exclusive global rights, excluding Greater China (mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau), to develop and commercialize HAT001 (designated as HBM9013 by Harbour BioMed), a potent and selective anti-CRH-neutralizing antibody. In return, HBMAT is eligible to receive up to $395 million, including upfront, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on future net product sales. Additionally, HBMAT is also entitled to a warrant to receive minority interest in the partner.

HAT001/HBM9013 is designed to neutralize CRH for various disorders, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). CAH is a group of autosomal recessive diseases due to mutations in genes that encode for enzymes necessary for synthesis of key adrenal hormones, which lead to serious health consequences. Current standard of care therapy of CAH was introduced more than 70 years ago. It has not changed significantly since and still has huge unmet medical needs. HAT001/HBM9013 aims to dramatically improve standard of care and improve patient outcomes. It has demonstrated strong preclinical efficacy in downregulating CRH-mediated induction of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and is being advanced toward clinical development.

"This collaboration represents a pivotal step for HBMAT in our mission to deliver innovative solutions for patients facing challenging endocrine disorders. The completion of this transaction also marks Harbour BioMed’s partial exit from the first global NewCo we incubated," said Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Harbour BioMed, and Chairman of BOD of HBMAT. "HAT001/HBM9013 has the potential to be a transformative therapy. With their expertise in drug development, our partner is well-positioned to help bring this therapy to patients worldwide."

On February 25, 2025 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Nasdaq: TLX, Telix, the Company) reported that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for its breakthrough investigational kidney cancer PET[1] imaging agent TLX250-CDx (Zircaix[2], 89Zr-DFO-girentuximab), granted a Priority Review and provided a PDUFA[3] date of 27 August 2025, paving the way for a U.S. commercial launch in 2025 (Press release, Telix Pharmaceuticals, FEB 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234650553]).

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If approved, TLX250-CDx will become the first commercially available imaging agent to accurately and non-invasively diagnose and characterize clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common and one of the most aggressive sub-types of kidney cancer. It works by specifically binding to carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a validated target protein expressed on 95% of ccRCC cells to produce images with high tumor-to-background ratio and high intra- and inter-reader consistency.

The BLA is based on Telix’s successful global Phase 3 ZIRCON[4] study, which demonstrated a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 87% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 93% for ccRCC, including in very small, difficult-to-detect lesions[5]. The results of this study were published in The Lancet Oncology in September 2024, in a peer-reviewed manuscript by Professor Brian Shuch (University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA) and colleagues[6]. The paper outlines the critical unmet need for a new, non-invasive technique that can accurately detect and differentiate ccRCC from other renal masses in patients and concluded that TLX250-CDx meets this need and ‘has the potential to be practice changing.’

Kevin Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, Precision Medicine, said, "We are delighted that the FDA has accepted this BLA as it moves us one step closer to bringing our breakthrough product to patients. We are aiming to revolutionize the management of kidney cancer, just as PSMA-PET/CT[7] scanning has changed the management of prostate cancer. By providing a more definitive clinical diagnosis for renal masses, we believe that Zircaix[2] will help physicians make more timely and confident patient management decisions and more quickly provide patients with a clear understanding of their disease and treatment options. Building further on Telix’s successful urology franchise, we are preparing to bring this powerful precision medicine product to market in 2025[8]."

About TLX250-CDx

TLX250-CDx (Zircaix[2]) is an investigational PET agent that is under development for the diagnosis and characterization of ccRCC. Telix’s pivotal Phase 3 ZIRCON trial evaluating TLX250-CDx in 300 patients, of whom 284 were evaluable, met all primary and secondary endpoints, including showing 86% sensitivity and 87% specificity and a 93% PPV for ccRCC across three independent radiology readers[5]. Telix believes this demonstrated the ability of TLX250-CDx to reliably detect the clear cell phenotype and provide an accurate, non-invasive method for diagnosing and characterizing ccRCC. Confidence intervals exceeded expectations amongst all three readers, showing evidence of high accuracy and consistency of interpretation.

As part of Telix’s commitment to access to medicine, the Company operates an expanded access program (EAP) in the U.S.[9], named patient programs (NPPs) in Europe, and a special access scheme (SAS) in Australia to allow continued access to TLX250-CDx outside of a clinical trial, to patients for whom there are no comparable or satisfactory alternate options. TLX250-CDx has not received a marketing authorization in any jurisdiction and is for investigational use only.

On February 25, 2025 Astrazeneca reported positive high-level results from a planned interim analysis of the SERENA-6 Phase III trial showed that AstraZeneca’s camizestrant in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib, ribociclib or abemaciclib) demonstrated a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) (Press release, AstraZeneca, FEB 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234650552]). The trial evaluated switching to the camizestrant combination versus continuing standard-of-care treatment with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) (anastrozole or letrozole) in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor in the 1st-line treatment of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer whose tumours have an emergent ESR1 mutation.

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The key secondary endpoints of time to second disease progression (PFS2) and overall survival (OS) were immature at the time of this interim analysis. However, the camizestrant combination demonstrated a trend toward improvement in PFS2. The trial will continue as planned to further assess key secondary endpoints.

SERENA-6 is the first global, double-blind, registrational Phase III trial to use a circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA)-guided approach to detect the emergence of endocrine resistance and inform a switch in therapy before disease progression. The novel trial design used ctDNA monitoring at the time of routine tumour scan visits to identify patients for early signs of endocrine resistance and the emergence of ESR1 mutations. Following detection of an ESR1 mutation without disease progression, the endocrine therapy of patients was switched to camizestrant from ongoing treatment with an AI, while continuing combination with the same CDK4/6 inhibitor.

François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Oncology at Institut Curie & UVSQ/Université Paris-Saclay, France, and co-principal investigator for the trial, said: "Patients have an urgent need for new treatments that delay disease progression on 1st-line endocrine-based therapies. The results from SERENA-6 show that switching from an aromatase inhibitor to camizestrant in combination with any of the three CDK4/6 inhibitors after emergence of an ESR1 mutation delays progression of disease and extends the benefit of 1st-line treatment, representing an important step forward for patients, and a potential shift in clinical practice."

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "These impressive results demonstrate the versatility of camizestrant in combination with all the widely approved CDK4/6 inhibitors to provide a well-tolerated new potential treatment option in the first-line setting for the one in three patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer whose tumours develop ESR1 mutations during treatment with an aromatase inhibitor in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. This critical read-out moves us one step closer to realising the potential of camizestrant to become a new standard-of-care as we look to shift the treatment paradigm and establish this new endocrine therapy backbone in HR-positive breast cancer."

The safety profile of camizestrant in combination with palbociclib, ribociclib or abemaciclib in SERENA-6 was consistent with the known safety profile of each medicine. No new safety concerns were identified and discontinuations were very low and similar in both arms.

Globally, approximately 200,000 patients with HR-positive breast cancer are treated with a medicine in the 1st-line setting; most frequently with endocrine therapies that target estrogen receptor (ER)-driven disease, which are often paired with CDK4/6 inhibitors.1-3 However, resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and current endocrine therapies develops in many patients with advanced disease.3

Mutations in the ESR1 gene are a key driver of endocrine resistance and are widely tested for in clinical practice.4,5 These mutations develop during treatment of the disease, becoming more prevalent as the disease progresses and are associated with poor outcomes.4,5 Approximately 30% of patients with endocrine sensitive HR-positive disease develop ESR1 mutations during 1st-line treatment without disease progression.1

Data will be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting and shared with global regulatory authorities.

Notes

HR-positive breast cancer
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide.6 More than two million patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, with more than 665,000 deaths globally.6 While survival rates are high for those diagnosed with early breast cancer, only about 30% of patients diagnosed with or who progress to metastatic disease are expected to live five years following diagnosis.7

HR-positive breast cancer, characterised by the expression of estrogen or progesterone receptors, or both, is the most common subtype of breast cancer with 70% of tumours considered HR-positive and HER2-negative.7 ERs often drive the growth of HR-positive breast cancer cells.8

Once resistance to the treatment of HR-positive breast cancer with CDK4/6 inhibitors and current endocrine therapies occurs, treatment options are limited and survival rates are low with 35% of patients anticipated to live beyond five years after diagnosis.3,7,9 The optimisation of endocrine therapy and overcoming resistance to enable patients to continue benefiting from these treatments, as well as identifying new therapies for those who are less likely to benefit, are active areas of focus for breast cancer research.

SERENA-6
SERENA-6 is a Phase III, double-blind, randomised trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of camizestrant in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib, ribociclib or abemaciclib ) versus treatment with an AI (anastrozole or letrozole) in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib, ribociclib or abemaciclib) in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (patients with either locally advanced disease, or metastatic disease) whose tumours have an emergent ESR1 mutation.

The global trial enrolled 315 adult patients with histologically confirmed HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, undergoing treatment with an AI in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor as 1st-line treatment. The primary endpoint of the SERENA-6 trial is PFS as assessed by investigator, with secondary endpoints including OS, and PFS2 by investigator assessment.

Camizestrant
Camizestrant is an investigational, potent, next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and complete ER antagonist that is currently in Phase III trials for the treatment of HR-positive breast cancer.

AstraZeneca’s broad, robust and innovative clinical development programme, including the SERENA-6, SERENA-4, CAMBRIA-1 and CAMBRIA-2 trials, is evaluating the safety and efficacy of camizestrant when used as a monotherapy or in combination with other agents to address a number of areas of unmet need in this specific type of breast cancer.

Camizestrant has demonstrated anti-cancer activity across a range of preclinical models, including those with ER-activating mutations. In the SERENA-2 Phase II trial, camizestrant demonstrated PFS benefit versus Faslodex (fulvestrant) irrespective of ESR1 mutation status or prior treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors in patients with ER-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, previously treated with endocrine therapy. The SERENA-1 Phase I trial demonstrated that camizestrant is well tolerated and has a promising anti-tumour profile when administered alone or in combination with palbociclib, ribociclib and abemaciclib; three widely used CDK4/6 inhibitors. Combinations with other agents are ongoing in SERENA-1.