On October 23, 2019 The Board of Directors of McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) reported a regular dividend of 41 cents per share of common stock (Press release, McKesson, OCT 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234542452]). The dividend will be payable on January 2, 2020, to stockholders of record on December 2, 2019.

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On October 23, 2019 Cleveland Diagnostics, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on developing next-generation diagnostic tests for the detection of cancers, reported that its chief medical officer, Mark Stovsky, MD, participated in an Impact Session at the 2019 Medical Innovation Summit organized by Cleveland Clinic (Press release, Cleveland Diagnostics, OCT 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234542451]).

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The Medical Innovation Summit, which is celebrating its 17th year, is covering a wide range of topics including artificial intelligence, new drug discovery, advanced diagnostics development, and the personalization of healthcare. Clinicians, strategists, venture capital groups and other ground-breakers joined renowned clinical experts to discuss, disrupt and deal head-on with issues confronting today’s healthcare ecosystem.

During the Impact Session entitled "Early Detection: A Snag in the System," Dr. Stovsky, CMO of Cleveland Diagnostics and urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, joined other leading industry and government experts to discuss current challenges and opportunities in early detection in cancer. Other topics included early diagnosis of untreatable diseases and the subsequent lack of protocol to move forward.

"We are indeed honored to have Dr. Stovsky join a distinguished panel of speakers on cancer early detection at this meeting," said Arnon Chait, PhD, CEO of Cleveland Diagnostics. "The discussion was both timely and enlightening, and it is clear that some of the leading players in the space are finally beginning to refocus resources on early cancer detection as perhaps the only viable long-term and cost-effective solution to curable approaches in cancer."

Cleveland Diagnostics was recently awarded Breakthrough Device Designation by FDA, which allows Cleveland Diagnostics to work more closely and frequently with FDA to expedite the review of its prostate cancer assay, IsoPSA. Two recent multicenter clinical trials, in which the diagnostic accuracy of IsoPSA was compared to that of traditional prostate-specific antigen (PSA), suggested that IsoPSA has superior diagnostic accuracy in detecting high-grade prostate cancer. Cleveland Diagnostics has a pipeline of simple, cancer-specific and highly cost effective cancer blood tests using the same proprietary core technology.

"The traditional approach to early detection strategies for prostate cancer based on standard serum PSA testing is limited by relatively poor diagnostic accuracy and predictive value. We believe the IsoPSA assay will fill a major gap in this space by providing clinicians with a tool that has improved diagnostic accuracy – particularly for the detection of high grade, clinically actionable prostate cancer," said Dr. Stovsky. "I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to join industry and government leaders, such as Grail, Intel, and NCI, to discuss innovative ways to develop more effective approaches to cancer early detection that will improve the lives of patients worldwide. While we believe that the IsoPSA assay will improve early detection strategies for prostate cancer, we also look forward to exploring ways to work together to design a clinically superior, cost effective early detection paradigm, which might combine virtual screening, protein biomarker testing — such as IsoPSA — and DNA liquid biopsy as a comprehensive approach to this challenging clinical problem."

On October 23, 2019 PharmaMar Group (MSE:PHM) reported total revenues of €62.5 million for 2019 up to September 30th, compared to €88.7 million in the same period last year (Press release, PharmaMar, OCT 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234542450]). The variation in revenues between the first nine months of 2019 and 2018 is due to the difference in revenues from license agreements. In 2018, more than €24 million in revenues from different license agreements were recorded. Some of these agreements may lead to new future revenues, but they have not yet reached the milestones that will lead to them.

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Yondelis’ cumulative sales up to September 30th were €54 million, compared to €57 million in the same period last year.

In relation to the Group’s operating expenses, during the first nine months of the year these decreased in practically all items. In R&D, total expenditure up to September 30th was €41 million, which represents a 27% reduction in expenditure compared to the same period last year. This cost reduction is mainly due to the oncology area. Last year, in addition to the ATLANTIS Phase III trial with lurbinectedin for the treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), there were other open and active clinical trials that have not been active during the first nine months of 2019, although they remain open until they can be definitively concluded.

In relation to the clinical trials with lurbinectedin, it is important to point out that on August 19th it was announced that the Company will file lurbinectedin’s NDA for the treatment of relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) in the United States under the "accelerated approval" program during the last quarter of this year. This would open up the possibility that the FDA could approve lurbinectedin in the U.S. for the treatment of SCLC within the next year.

Up to September 30th 2019, the Group has recorded a net attributable result of €- 26.9 million.

Finally, at the end of the first nine months of this year, PharmaMar Group recorded total cash and cash equivalents of €27 million and reduced its net debt to €57.8 million, compared to €65.6 million at the beginning of the year.

On October 23, 2019 Oncotelic Inc. ("Oncotelic"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mateon Therapeutics Inc. (OTCQB:MATN) dedicated to the development of innovative treatments for cancer, reported the publication of a peer-reviewed research article authored by Fatih Uckun MD PhD and his colleagues at Oncotelic in the Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatrics (View Source) (Press release, Oncotelic, OCT 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234542449]). The article titled "In silico Molecular Target Validation Demonstrates Transforming Growth Factor Beta 2 is Strongly Expressed in Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme" demonstrates the therapeutic potential of Mateon’s first-in-class RNA therapeutic OT101 for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and pediatric glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

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Citation Reference: Uckun FM, Trieu V, Hwang L, Qazi S. In silico Molecular Target Validation Demonstrates Transforming Growth Factor Beta 2 is Strongly Expressed in Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme. Clin Res Pediatr 2019;2(1):1-10.

"Our research has revealed that the TGF beta2 gene product, which is the molecular target for OT101/Trabedersen, may serve as a target for immunotherapy in pediatric high-grade gliomas, especially DIPG. These in silico target validation data extend the promising clinical data on the therapeutic activity of OT101 in adults and young adults and further demonstrate the potential of OT101 as a promising drug candidate in the treatment of pediatric DIPG, an orphan disease with a low survival rate and no established or effective standard of care," explained Fatih Uckun, MD, PhD, the Chief Medical Officer of Mateon. "The durable objective responses achieved in adult patients with recurrent/refractory high-grade gliomas after treatment with our lead anti-TGF beta2 compound OT-101 contribute to our optimism that new treatment strategies leveraging OT101 may favorably change the therapeutic landscape for difficult-to-treat brain tumors with a very poor prognosis, including pediatric GBM and DIPG," Dr. Uckun explained. Last month, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for OT101/Trabedersen for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) as a drug for a "rare pediatric disease," as defined in section 529(a)(3) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

OT101, a first-in-class RNA therapeutic designed to abrogate the immunosuppressive actions of TGF-beta 2, is Oncotelic’s lead anti-brain tumor drug candidate. In a completed Phase 2 clinical study, OT-101 exhibited clinically meaningful single-agent activity and induced durable complete and partial responses in recurrent and refractory adult high-grade glioma patients, including adults with GBM. DIPG, an orphan disease with a low survival rate and no established or effective standard of care. Despite numerous clinical trials of chemotherapeutic agents, immuno-oncology drugs and specific targeted therapies, no significant progress has been made in the treatment of DIPG and the prognosis remains dismal, with a mean OS of 9–12 months from the time of diagnosis, a median survival time of approximately 10 months, and a two-year OS rate of less than 10 percent. Five-year survival is less than 3 percent, and many long-term survivors have evidence of moderate or severe cognitive impairment, likely as a consequence of radiation therapy. Chemotherapy does not have an established role in the management of patients with DIPG. Furthermore, there is no standard treatment for progressive DIPG after the failure of radiation therapy and no salvage regimen has been shown to extend survival. Therefore, there is an urgent need for therapeutic innovations for treatment of DIPG, as reflected by multiple treatment modalities being evaluated in early neuro-oncology clinical trials. Further development of OT-101 may offer renewed hope for salvage therapy of pediatric DIPG patients who have this rare and fatal disease.

"As we move Trabedersen through its clinical development for Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme, we are moving CA4P forward along the same path as potential treatment for Pediatric Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma- a rare and difficult to treat pediatric skin cancer, " said Dr. Vuong Trieu, Chief Executive Officer of Mateon "From the corporate side we are moving forward with activities to uplist Mateon. Looking forward to updating our shareholders on the coming quarter."

On October 23, 2019 FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN), reported the dosing of the first patient in the LAPIS Phase 3 clinical study of pamrevlumab in patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) (Press release, FibroGen, OCT 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234542448]).

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"Patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer face a dire prognosis. The use of pamrevlumab, a novel anti-fibrotic used as neoadjuvant therapy, may change tumor status from unresectable to resectable thus potentially improving the prognosis of the patient", said Pascal Hammel, MD, PhD a gastroenterologist, oncologist, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy France. "If this pivotal phase 3 trial is successful, I believe this type of treatment will be highly valued by the physician community treating LAPC."

"With this announcement of dosing of the first patient in our LAPIS study, we are excited to further advance late-stage development of pamrevlumab as a treatment for locally-advanced pancreatic cancer," said Elias Kouchakji, M.D., Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, with FibroGen. "We are grateful for the opportunity to build on supportive data from our previous Phase 2 studies, as we continue to explore the potential of pamrevlumab as an important treatment option for patients with LAPC."

In LAPC patients who undergo resection, median survival and five-year survival rates are higher than for unresectable LAPC patients who did not undergo resection. Therefore, achieving surgical resection in this patient population is a meaningful treatment goal.

LAPIS is a multinational randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study that will evaluate neoadjuvant pamrevlumab therapy in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. The design of this study is similar to FibroGen’s prior Phase 2 trials. In these studies, a higher percentage of patients treated with the pamrevlumab combination achieved surgical resection and had a statistically significant median survival rate. LAPIS is expected to enroll approximately 260 patients. The primary endpoint of the study is overall survival. The resection rate is a surrogate endpoint, and, should the resection rates favor the pamrevlumab combination, FibroGen plans to request a meeting with the FDA to discuss a marketing application under the provisions of accelerated approval.

For more information regarding this study please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03941093).

About Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
In locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), the patient’s tumor typically involves structures, particularly blood vessels that are closely associated with the pancreas such as the superior mesenteric artery and superior mesenteric vein. Involvement of the cancer around these blood vessels precludes surgical removal of the tumor. Patients with unresectable LAPC have a median survival of 6 to 10 months, only slightly better than patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, and only 20 percent of newly diagnosed patients are classified as having resectable disease. Patients who have their tumor surgically removed have a much better prognosis with median survival of approximately 23 months with some patients being cured.

About Pamrevlumab
Pamrevlumab is a first-in-class antibody developed by FibroGen to inhibit the activity of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a common factor in fibrotic and proliferative disorders characterized by persistent and excessive scarring that can lead to organ dysfunction and failure. Pamrevlumab is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and for the treatment of locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer (LAPC), and in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to pamrevlumab for the treatment of patients with IPF, LAPC, and DMD. Pamrevlumab has also received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with IPF and LAPC. Across all clinical studies, pamrevlumab has consistently demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile to date. For information about pamrevlumab studies currently recruiting patients, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.