On February 11, 2020 Novartis reported that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted and granted Priority Review to capmatinib’s (INC280) New Drug Application (NDA) (Press release, Novartis, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554129]). Capmatinib is a MET inhibitor being evaluated as a treatment for first-line and previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic MET exon 14 skipping (METex14) mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). If approved, capmatinib will be the first therapy to specifically target METex14 mutated advanced lung cancer, a type of lung cancer with a particularly poor prognosis2,3.

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Priority Review is granted to therapies that the FDA determines have the potential to provide significant improvements in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of serious conditions. This designation shortens the FDA review period following the acceptance of the NDA to six months compared to ten months under Standard Review. Novartis was previously granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for capmatinib.

There are currently no approved therapies that specifically target METex14 mutated advanced NSCLC. NSCLC accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer diagnoses4. METex14 mutations occur in 3-4% of newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC cases5 and is a recognized oncogenic driver6,7. As part of the continued collaboration between Novartis and Foundation Medicine, Inc., companion diagnostics for capmatinib are in development for both tumor tissue and liquid biopsies to be included on FoundationOneCDx* and the forthcoming version of Foundation Medicine’s liquid biopsy platform, which is currently under review with the FDA. Foundation Medicine is a leading provider of comprehensive genomic profiling solutions for patients with advanced cancer, including NSCLC.

"We are extremely encouraged by the FDA’s Priority Review designation for capmatinib, a MET inhibitor that may be a major treatment advance for patients with this particularly aggressive form of lung cancer," said John Tsai, M.D., Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. "Results of the GEOMETRY mono-1 trial clearly identify METex14 as an oncogenic driver and we are inspired to bring capmatinib, potentially the first METex14 targeted therapy, to patients and to reimagine medicine and outcomes for people with lung cancer."

The NDA submission for capmatinib is supported by results from the GEOMETRY mono-1 Phase II study, which demonstrated an overall response rate of 67.9% (95% CI, 47.6 – 84.1)1 and 40.6% (95% CI, 28.9 – 53.1)1 among treatment-naïve and previously treated patients, respectively, based on the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) assessment per RECIST v1.1. The study also demonstrated that capmatinib provided durable responses among all patients: median duration of response was 11.14 months (95% CI, 5.55 – NE) in treatment-naïve patients and 9.72 months (95% CI, 5.55 – 12.98) in previously treated patients1.

All results were based on independent assessment by the BIRC, and all tumor CT scans were evaluated in parallel by two radiologists to confirm the response1. The most common treatment-related adverse events (AE) (≥ 10% all grades) across all cohorts (N=334), were peripheral edema (42%), nausea (33%), creatinine increase (20%), vomiting (19%), fatigue (14%), decreased appetite (13%) and diarrhea (11%). The majority of the AEs were grades 1/21.

About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 2.1 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths in 20188. There are two main types of lung cancer – small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)9. NSCLC accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer diagnoses, inclusive of known oncogenic mutations4. The MET exon 14 skipping mutation occurs in 3-4% of newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC cases5. There are currently no approved therapies specifically targeted to treat METex14 mutated advanced lung cancer.

About Capmatinib
Capmatinib (INC280) is an investigational, oral, potent and selective MET inhibitor licensed to Novartis by Incyte Corporation in 2009. Under the Agreement, Incyte granted Novartis worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to capmatinib and certain back-up compounds in all indications.

On February 11, 2020 Marker Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRKR), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold on Marker’s planned trial investigating safety and efficacy of its novel MultiTAA T cell therapy in patients with post-transplant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Marker Therapeutics, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554150]).

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Marker previously announced on November 12, 2019, that the FDA placed the trial on clinical hold. The FDA requested additional information and technical specifications for two legacy reagents supplied by third parties used in the MultiTAA-specific T cell manufacturing process. The technical specifications and data requested by the FDA could not be produced by the original suppliers. The Company identified alternative suppliers, satisfying the Agency’s request.

Based on data Marker provided, the FDA permitted the Company to initiate its AML trial, beginning with a safety lead-in portion. The FDA placed a partial clinical hold on the trial for the use of the MultiTAA-specific T cell product manufactured using one of the reagents supplied by the alternative supplier, until the final data and certificate of analysis for the reagent are reviewed and accepted by the Agency. The safety lead-in portion of the trial is expected to enroll approximately six patients as part of the amended trial design. Three patients will be dosed with MultiTAA-specific T cells manufactured using the legacy reagent, and three patients will be dosed with T cells manufactured using the reagent from the alternative supplier.

Marker currently estimates that the alternative supplier will deliver the final reagent, along with the final data and certificate of analysis required by the FDA, by the end of the second quarter of 2020. Marker anticipates to complete enrollment of the first three patients and submission of the final technical specifications and comparability data of the new reagents to the FDA during the second half of 2020, thereby satisfying the requirements for lifting the partial hold on the clinical trial. Given this expected timing, Marker does not currently expect the partial clinical hold to significantly impact site and patient enrollment of the AML trial.

The safety lead-in will be followed by the 160-patient randomized portion of the study at approximately 20 transplant centers. Group 1 will comprise 120 adjuvant (disease-free) patients, with the primary endpoint of relapse-free survival of patients receiving MultiTAA-specific T cell therapy versus a control group. Group 2 will comprise 40 active disease patients in a single arm, with primary endpoints of complete remission and duration of complete remission.

"With a clear path identified for getting our study of MultiTAA-specific T cell therapy underway in patients with AML, we’re focused on addressing the remaining requirements from the FDA and enrolling up to 20 clinical centers to conduct our Phase 2 trial," stated Peter L. Hoang, President and CEO of Marker Therapeutics. "We appreciate the productive dialogue with the FDA throughout the process and look forward to advancing MultiTAA-specific T cell therapy for patients with post-transplant AML in a randomized and multicenter clinical trial."

On February 11, 2020 TLC (Nasdaq: TLC, TWO: 4152), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing novel nanomedicines to target areas of unmet medical need in pain management, ophthalmology and oncology, reported financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and provided a business update (Press release, Taiwan Liposome Company, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554167]).

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"We saw a monumental year for TLC in 2019, marked not only by tremendous clinical and manufacturing advancements in both our programs in pain management – TLC599 and TLC590, but also by new business development agreements, addition of internationally experienced personnel to the management team, and presentation and publication of impressive data at numerous investor conferences as well as prestigious scientific conventions," said George Yeh, President of TLC. "With this continual momentum, we look forward to achieving more milestones in 2020, including the completion of patient enrollment in the EXCELLENCE trial and data readout from the TLC590 Phase II trial, both of which will bring us closer to the goal of mitigating the proliferation of highly addictive opioids with the availability of our non-opioid alternatives."

Clinical Pipeline Update and Upcoming Milestones

Commencement of patient enrollment in EXCELLENCE trial evaluating single and repeated administrations of TLC599 for knee osteoarthritis pain. The Phase III pivotal study, which enrolled its first patient in November 2019, will dose about 500 patients at a 2:1:1 ratio with TLC599, dexamethasone or placebo across 45 sites in the United States and Australia. At Week 24, patients can receive a second blinded injection of TLC599 or placebo. Primary endpoint is the magnitude of pain relief by WOMAC Pain score versus placebo at Week 16 and Week 40. Patient enrollment is expected to take about one year, and all patients will be followed for 52 weeks.

Commencement of patient dosing in Part 2 of Phase II trial evaluating the analgesic efficacy of TLC590 following bunionectomy. With the first batch of patients dosed in January 2020, a total of about 150 patients will receive TLC590, bupivacaine or normal saline placebo at a ratio of 1:1:1 at the end of their bunion removal surgery. Primary endpoint is area under the curve (AUC) from 0 to 72 hours on the numerical pain rating scale.
Corporate Highlights

Completed US$27.3 million financing. The Company completed a cash capital offering of ordinary (common) shares in Taiwan in October 2019. The offering consisted of 10,200,000 new common shares issued at a price of NT$82 per common share for gross proceeds of NT$836.4 million (~US$27.3 million).

Presented at Berenberg Pain Seminar and JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. At the Berenberg Pain Seminar in November 2019, TLC presented recent data on TLC599 and TLC590 and discussed how they can potentially deter the spread of the opioid crisis with prominent figures in the pain management space. TLC also presented and participated in one-on-one meetings at the 38th annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in January 2020, marking the Company’s sixth consecutive attendance at the world’s largest healthcare investment symposium.

Expanded global intellectual property protection to 197 patents, with 126 patents granted and 71 applications worldwide as of December 31, 2019.
Fiscal Year End Financial Results

Operating revenue for the fiscal year 2019 was NT$209.1 million (US$7.0 million), a 235.6% increase compared to NT$62.3 million (US$2.0 million) in the fiscal year 2018. Operating expenses for the fiscal year 2019 was NT$1,026.8 million (US$34.3 million), a 4.7% increase compared to NT$980.3 million (US$32.0 million) in the fiscal year 2018. Net loss for the fiscal year 2019 was NT$807.5 million (US$27.0 million), compared to net loss of NT$901.6 million (US$29.5 million) in the fiscal year 2018, or a net loss of NT$12.32(US$0.41) per share for the fiscal year 2019, compared to a net loss of NT$14.37(US$0.47) per share for the fiscal year 2018.

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents and time deposits with maturity over three months (which are classified as "current financial assets at amortized cost" in the Company’s consolidated financial statements) were NT$1,023.9 million (US$34.2 million) as of December 31, 2019, compared to NT$1,114.6 million (US$36.4 million) as of December 31, 2018.

On February 11, 2020 Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) reported that it will report its 2019 fourth quarter and full year financial results on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, after the close of the financial markets (Press release, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554184]). Company management will host a live audio webcast immediately following the announcement at 4:30 p.m. EST/9:30 p.m. GMT to discuss fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results and provide a business and financial update and guidance for 2020 financial results.

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Interested parties may access the live audio webcast via the Investors section of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals website at www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com. Please connect to the website prior to the start of the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software downloads that may be necessary to listen to the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the website for at least one week.

On February 11, 2020 Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, reported the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 26,315,790 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $19.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions (Press release, Moderna Therapeutics, FEB 11, 2020, View Source [SID1234554223]). In addition, Moderna has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,947,368 shares of common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. All shares of common stock are being offered by Moderna. Gross proceeds from the offering will be approximately $500 million. The offering is expected to close on or about February 14, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

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Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Piper Sandler & Co. and Barclays Capital Inc. are acting as book-running managers, while Needham & Company, Oddo BHF SCA, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Chardan and Roth Capital Partners are acting as co-managers for the offering.

A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-236348) relating to these securities has been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and has become effective. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement describing the terms of the offering has been filed with the SEC and forms a part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the final prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and may be obtained, when available, from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC by mail at Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526, by fax at (212) 902-9316, or by email at [email protected], or from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, by mail at Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.