On December 27, 2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN), a global biotechnology company, reported that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a clinical hold or partial clinical hold has been placed on several early stage trials of vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Seattle Genetics, DEC 27, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2232880 [SID1234517205]). The clinical holds were initiated to evaluate the potential risk of hepatotoxicity in patients who were treated with SGN-CD33A and received allogeneic stem cell transplant either before or after treatment. Six patients have been identified with hepatotoxicity, including several cases of veno-occlusive disease, with four fatal events. Overall, more than 300 patients have been treated with SGN-CD33A in clinical trials across multiple treatment settings. Seattle Genetics is working diligently with the FDA to determine whether there is any association between hepatotoxicity and treatment with SGN-CD33A, to promptly identify appropriate protocol amendments for patient safety and to enable continuation of these trials.

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The phase 1/2 trial of SGN-CD33A monotherapy in pre- and post-allogeneic transplant AML patients has been placed on full clinical hold. Two phase 1 trials have been placed on partial clinical hold (no new enrollment, existing patients may continue treatment with re-consent). These studies are SGN-CD33A monotherapy, including a subset of older AML patients in combination with hypomethylating agents, and SGN-CD33A combination treatment with 7+3 chemotherapy in newly diagnosed younger AML patients. No new studies will be initiated until the clinical holds are lifted.

Seattle Genetics’ other ongoing trials of SGN-CD33A, including the phase 3 CASCADE trial in older AML patients and phase 1/2 trial in myelodysplastic syndrome, are proceeding with enrollment.

About Vadastuximab Talirine (SGN-CD33A)

Vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A; 33A) is a novel investigational ADC targeted to CD33 utilizing Seattle Genetics’ proprietary ADC technology. CD33 is expressed on most AML and MDS blast cells. The CD33 engineered cysteine antibody is stably linked to a highly potent DNA binding agent called a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer via site-specific conjugation technology (EC-mAb). PBD dimers are significantly more potent than systemic chemotherapeutic drugs and the EC-mAb technology allows uniform drug-loading onto an ADC. The ADC is designed to be stable in the bloodstream and to release its potent cell-killing PBD agent upon internalization into CD33-expressing cells.

33A was granted Orphan Drug Designation by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission for the treatment of AML. FDA orphan drug designation is intended to encourage companies to develop therapies for the treatment of diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States.

On December 22, 2016 Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. (Nasdaq:OHRP), an ophthalmology research and development company, reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 (Press release, Ohr Pharmaceutical, DEC 22, 2016, View Source [SID1234517187]).

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"Fiscal year 2016 was another highly productive year for Ohr, as we made significant progress in advancing both our lead candidate Squalamine for the treatment of wet AMD as well as our pipeline of sustained release drug candidates," said Jason Slakter, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Ohr. "Building off the Squalamine phase 2 results, we negotiated an SPA with the FDA in advance of commencing the pivotal phase 3 program. This comprehensive phase 3 program is now underway which, if successful, will position us to bring an innovative, meaningful treatment to market that has the potential to improve vision outcomes beyond current therapies and set a new standard of care in wet AMD."

Fiscal 2016 and Recent Corporate Highlights

Reached an agreement on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the US FDA on the design of Phase 3 trials for Squalamine lactate ophthalmic solution, 0.2% ("Squalamine", also known as OHR-102) for patients with wet AMD.
Appointed David M. Brown, MD to serve as the chair of the Steering Committee for the Phase 3 clinical program of Squalamine in wet-AMD.
Closed a public offering of shares of common stock and warrants resulting in net proceeds of approximately $6.9 million.
Fiscal 2016 Clinical and Development Program Highlights

In September, presented new data from the Phase 2 IMPACT study at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). Subjects with occult CNV <10mm2 achieved final mean visual acuity outcomes of 71.7 letters with Squalamine combination therapy compared to 67.4 letters with Lucentis monotherapy. The final mean visual acuity outcomes in the combination therapy group translates to approximately 20/40 vision (Snellen equivalent). This underscores the potential of Squalamine combination therapy to allow patients to reach higher levels of visual function and improve their overall quality of life.
In May, presented two posters on the Squalamine Phase 2 IMPACT study and OHR3031 sustained release in vivo studies at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Conference.
In April, commenced enrollment in the Phase 3 clinical development program investigating Squalamine as a treatment to improve visual acuity for patients with wet AMD.
The Phase 3 program includes two double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicenter, international studies of Squalamine administered topically twice a day in patients with newly diagnosed wet AMD, in combination with Lucentis injections.
The primary endpoint in both studies is a measurement of visual acuity gain at nine months, which is the most clinically meaningful endpoint for wet AMD patients. Subjects will be followed to two years for safety.
In November 2015, presented new data from the Phase 2 IMPACT Study in Wet-AMD at American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting.
Data showed that the size of occult CNV at baseline, irrespective of a classic CNV component, was the most important factor in predicting treatment success with the combination of Squalamine plus Lucentis. This correlation was not seen in the Lucentis monotherapy group.
Also in November 2015, announced positive preclinical data in proprietary SKS sustained release technology.
In an animal model used to evaluate ophthalmic compounds, sustained supratherapeutic levels of active drug were achieved in target ocular tissues at all time points in the study.
The results serve as an important validation for the company’s SKS sustained release technology which holds the promise of improving the standard of care in a number of ocular conditions.
Financial Results for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2016

For the year ended September 30, 2016, the Company reported a net loss of approximately $25.8 million, or ($0.82) per share, compared to a net loss of approximately $15.2 million, or ($0.54) per share in the same period of 2015.
For the year ended September 30, 2016, total operating expenses were approximately $24.6 million, consisting of $7.7 million in general and administrative expenses, $16.5 million of research and development expenses, and $1.2 million in depreciation and amortization. This compares to total operating expenses of $17.8 million in the same period of 2015, comprised of approximately $7.5 million in general and administrative expenses, $8.8 million in research and development expenses, and $1.2 million in depreciation and amortization.
At September 30, 2016, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $12.5 million. This compares to cash and equivalents of approximately $28.7 million at September 30, 2015.
On December 7, 2016, the Company sold in a public offering, an aggregate of approximately 3,885,000 shares of its common stock, together with Series A common stock purchase warrants exercisable for up to an aggregate of approximately 1,942,500 shares of common stock and Series B common stock purchase warrants exercisable for up to an aggregate of approximately 3,885,000 shares of common stock. Net proceeds from the offering were approximately $6.9 million, after deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable but excluding the proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the Series A and Series B Warrants issued in the offering.

On December 22, 2016 Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:PGNX), an oncology company developing innovative medicines and other technologies for targeting and treating cancer, reported that its independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) has completed review of an interim analysis of the Company’s ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of its PSMA-targeted SPECT/CT imaging agent candidate, 99mTc-MIP-1404 (1404), and recommended that the trial continue (Press release, Progenics Pharmaceuticals, DEC 22, 2016, View Source [SID1234517186]).

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"The growing acceptance of active surveillance among men with lower-grade prostate cancer presents a significant opportunity for 1404 to enable clinicians and patients to accurately and non-invasively visualize and manage their disease," said Mark Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Progenics. "We are pleased that the DMC has determined that the trial should continue. The decision to undergo more invasive treatments, such as radical prostatectomy, is a difficult one for both patients and their families given the severity of potential side effects, and we look forward to the completion of this study as we work to introduce new and effective surveillance options."

This Phase 3 study enrolls patients in the U.S. and Canada with newly-diagnosed or low-grade prostate cancer, whose biopsy indicates a histopathologic Gleason grade of ≤ 3+4 severity and/or are candidates for active surveillance. The study is designed to evaluate the specificity of 1404 imaging to identify patients without clinically significant prostate cancer and sensitivity to identify patients with clinically significant disease.

Approximately 190 of a planned 450 patients have been enrolled in the trial to date.

A modification to the trial protocol has been proposed by the Company and agreed to by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The change permits patients with low to very low grade prostate cancer to participate in the trial without having to undergo a radical prostatectomy. In these patients, histopathology of tissues obtained from biopsies of those patients (rather than from radical prostatectomies) will be used as the truth standard in determining the specificity and sensitivity of 1404 imaging. The modification of the protocol was proposed in response to a lower percentage of patients enrolled in the trial having clinically insignificant disease, which is likely due to the emerging trend for more men with low-grade disease to use active surveillance for the management of their prostate cancer rather than undergo radical prostatectomy. The Company plans to monitor enrollment of patients based on the prevalence of clinical significant disease before determining whether any adjustment is needed to the sample size of the study.

Mr. Baker continued, "Our modification to the protocol reflects emerging trends among men with low grade disease to increasingly favor the use of active surveillance versus more aggressive measures, consistent with treatment guidelines. We believe that this shift underscores the potential for agents such as 1404 to address the growing active surveillance market. In addition, we expect that the protocol modification will allow for a better balance in the enrollment of subjects with clinically significant disease versus those with indolent disease, with the goal of evaluating the specificity of 1404 imaging to identify patients without clinically significant prostate cancer and the sensitivity of 1404 imaging to identify patients with clinically significant disease."

On December 22, 2016 Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. (Nasdaq:OHRP), an ophthalmology research and development company, reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 (Press release, Ohr Pharmaceutical, DEC 22, 2016, View Source [SID1234517168]).

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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"Fiscal year 2016 was another highly productive year for Ohr, as we made significant progress in advancing both our lead candidate Squalamine for the treatment of wet AMD as well as our pipeline of sustained release drug candidates," said Jason Slakter, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Ohr. "Building off the Squalamine phase 2 results, we negotiated an SPA with the FDA in advance of commencing the pivotal phase 3 program. This comprehensive phase 3 program is now underway which, if successful, will position us to bring an innovative, meaningful treatment to market that has the potential to improve vision outcomes beyond current therapies and set a new standard of care in wet AMD."

Fiscal 2016 and Recent Corporate Highlights

Reached an agreement on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the US FDA on the design of Phase 3 trials for Squalamine lactate ophthalmic solution, 0.2% ("Squalamine", also known as OHR-102) for patients with wet AMD.
Appointed David M. Brown, MD to serve as the chair of the Steering Committee for the Phase 3 clinical program of Squalamine in wet-AMD.
Closed a public offering of shares of common stock and warrants resulting in net proceeds of approximately $6.9 million.
Fiscal 2016 Clinical and Development Program Highlights

In September, presented new data from the Phase 2 IMPACT study at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). Subjects with occult CNV <10mm2 achieved final mean visual acuity outcomes of 71.7 letters with Squalamine combination therapy compared to 67.4 letters with Lucentis monotherapy. The final mean visual acuity outcomes in the combination therapy group translates to approximately 20/40 vision (Snellen equivalent). This underscores the potential of Squalamine combination therapy to allow patients to reach higher levels of visual function and improve their overall quality of life.
In May, presented two posters on the Squalamine Phase 2 IMPACT study and OHR3031 sustained release in vivo studies at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Conference.
In April, commenced enrollment in the Phase 3 clinical development program investigating Squalamine as a treatment to improve visual acuity for patients with wet AMD.
The Phase 3 program includes two double-masked, placebo-controlled, multicenter, international studies of Squalamine administered topically twice a day in patients with newly diagnosed wet AMD, in combination with Lucentis injections.
The primary endpoint in both studies is a measurement of visual acuity gain at nine months, which is the most clinically meaningful endpoint for wet AMD patients. Subjects will be followed to two years for safety.
In November 2015, presented new data from the Phase 2 IMPACT Study in Wet-AMD at American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting.
Data showed that the size of occult CNV at baseline, irrespective of a classic CNV component, was the most important factor in predicting treatment success with the combination of Squalamine plus Lucentis. This correlation was not seen in the Lucentis monotherapy group.
Also in November 2015, announced positive preclinical data in proprietary SKS sustained release technology.
In an animal model used to evaluate ophthalmic compounds, sustained supratherapeutic levels of active drug were achieved in target ocular tissues at all time points in the study.
The results serve as an important validation for the company’s SKS sustained release technology which holds the promise of improving the standard of care in a number of ocular conditions.
Financial Results for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2016

For the year ended September 30, 2016, the Company reported a net loss of approximately $25.8 million, or ($0.82) per share, compared to a net loss of approximately $15.2 million, or ($0.54) per share in the same period of 2015.
For the year ended September 30, 2016, total operating expenses were approximately $24.6 million, consisting of $7.7 million in general and administrative expenses, $16.5 million of research and development expenses, and $1.2 million in depreciation and amortization. This compares to total operating expenses of $17.8 million in the same period of 2015, comprised of approximately $7.5 million in general and administrative expenses, $8.8 million in research and development expenses, and $1.2 million in depreciation and amortization.
At September 30, 2016, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $12.5 million. This compares to cash and equivalents of approximately $28.7 million at September 30, 2015.
On December 7, 2016, the Company sold in a public offering, an aggregate of approximately 3,885,000 shares of its common stock, together with Series A common stock purchase warrants exercisable for up to an aggregate of approximately 1,942,500 shares of common stock and Series B common stock purchase warrants exercisable for up to an aggregate of approximately 3,885,000 shares of common stock. Net proceeds from the offering were approximately $6.9 million, after deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable but excluding the proceeds, if any, from the exercise of the Series A and Series B Warrants issued in the offering.

On December 22, 2016 Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB:PVCT, www.provectusbio.com), a clinical-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company ("Provectus" or "The Company"), reported acceptance of two abstracts for poster presentations at international oncology conferences in February 2017 (Press release, Provectus Pharmaceuticals, DEC 22, 2016, https://www.pvct.com/pressrelease.html?article=20161222.1 [SID1234517165]). Both abstracts describe data from the Company’s phase 1 study of PV-10 in tumors of the liver (View Source).

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The first abstract, titled "Percutaneous Rose Bengal as an Ablative Immunotherapy for Hepatic Metastases," to be presented at Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO) on February 4-5, 2017, in Hollywood, Florida, focuses on outcome in patients with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver.

The second abstract, titled "Intralesional Rose Bengal as an Ablative Immunotherapy for Hepatic Tumors," to be presented at the 26th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) on February 15-19, 2017, in Shanghai, China, focuses on outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Eric Wachter, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Provectus, observed, "We are pleased to be able to update the oncology community on our investigation of PV-10 in tumors of the liver. Our phase 1 ‘basket study’ allows us to collect data on a range of tumor types affecting the liver. CIO is an attractive venue to focus on results with tumors metastatic to the liver, which remains an important clinical challenge in the west. Similarly, the high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer) in Asia makes Shanghai a tremendous opportunity to provide an update on HCC."

Provectus believes the posters will be available online following each conference.

About CIO

As North America’s fastest growing meeting in the IO arena, CIO features a concentrated two-day program renowned for its originality, practicality, patient-care focus, and dynamic learning format. CIO focuses on highlighting the most viable and sought-after treatments in clinical interventional oncology, previewing new developments, and providing practical pearls in this rapidly growing practice area. For more information, visit: View Source

About APASL

Since its inception in 1978 in Singapore, APASL (Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver) has become one of the leading associations based on investigation and treatment of liver diseases in the world and the largest scientific body that upholds the standards and profession, research and create improved treatment methods for millions of liver patients particularly in the entire Asia Pacific Region. APASL’s main objectives are to promote the latest scientific advancement and education of hepatology science, exchange of information and the development of consensus, encourage the practice of medicine in liver diseases and also coordinate scientific studies between various scientists and clinicians throughout the region. For more information, visit: View Source