A2A Pharmaceuticals Inc. Today Announced a Multi-target Co-development Agreement With Daewoong Pharmaceutical for AI-enhanced Oncology Drug Discovery

On January 14, 2020 A2A Pharmaceuticals Inc. (A2A) reported an agreement to design and co-develop oncology drug candidates with Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Daewoong), a major pharmaceutical company in South Korea, using its proprietary AI-enabled drug discovery platform SCULPT (Press release, A2A Pharmaceuticals, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553181]). The companies will collaborate on up to three oncology drug targets to accelerate Daewoong’s efforts to develop innovative oncology treatments through open collaboration.

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Under this collaboration, A2A will use its computational drug discovery platform to design new compound structures, which will be synthesized and evaluated by Daewoong. Both parties will actively cooperate in preclinical optimization and selection of lead candidates to enter the clinic.

A2A will receive upfront and preclinical milestones for each discovery target under the agreement, and could receive clinical and commercialization milestones, and royalties. A2A will have the option to develop compounds from the collaboration that Daewoong decides not to pursue.

"A2A’s technology has demonstrated success going after difficult-to-drug targets in diseases with high unmet needs for patients", said A2A CEO, Dr. Sotirios Stergiopoulos. He added "We’re excited to embark on this collaborative journey with Daewoong, combining our strengths to bring high quality drugs to the patients who need them faster."

With this partnership, Daewoong expects to expand its portfolio in oncology, while also to secure a successful case of AI-based drug development, which has been emerging as a recent pharmaceutical industry trend. There is justified precedent, because compared to traditional new drug development processes, A2A’s proprietary SCULPT platform will generate higher quality new drug candidates while greatly reducing the time and cost of development.

"Even though it is still in its very early stages, the development of new AI-based drugs is rising globally" said Sengho Jeon, CEO of Daewoong, "This open-collaboration between Daewoong’s strong expertise in new drug development and A2A’s SCULPT platform technology will significantly enhance the competitiveness of Daewoong in the oncology market."

Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative and G1 Therapeutics Announce the Selection of Trilaciclib in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL for Breast Cancer

On January 14, 2020 Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative and G1 Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTHX) reported a collaboration to evaluate trilaciclib, an investigational therapy designed to improve outcomes for people with cancer treated with chemotherapy, in a new randomized, investigational treatment arm for the ongoing I-SPY 2 TRIAL for neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced breast cancer (Press release, QuantumLeap, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553199]).

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The I-SPY 2 TRIAL (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular Analysis 2) is squarely focused on early stage breast cancers that have a high risk of recurrence. (PRNewsfoto/Quantum Leap Healthcare Collabo)
The I-SPY 2 TRIAL (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular Analysis 2) is squarely focused on early stage breast cancers that have a high risk of recurrence. (PRNewsfoto/Quantum Leap Healthcare Collabo)
"The I-SPY 2 TRIAL is designed to evaluate agents with the goal of accelerating the pace of promising effective and potentially less toxic treatments to patients who are most likely to benefit quickly. We are excited to include trilaciclib in I-SPY 2, with the goal of determining whether adding trilaciclib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy-based treatment, either with or without an immune checkpoint inhibitor, increases the probability that the tumor will disappear prior to surgery, signaling a much better outcome and survival. The study will also measure how much chemotherapy lowers red and white blood cell levels (myelosuppression) to assess whether trilaciclib reduces any of these negative side effects, which have a significant impact on patient care and quality of life," stated Dr. Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA, Principal Investigator of I-SPY 2 and Director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. "As with other arms, the I-SPY 2 TRIAL, has the ability to evaluate the drug across an array of biomarker signatures to learn the chance of how it will benefit patients and predict success in a confirmatory phase 3 trial."

"The I-SPY 2 program is recognized as a leading breast cancer research initiative, and we are excited about the opportunity to evaluate the potential of trilaciclib to improve outcomes for a range of breast cancer subtypes. In our Phase 2 trial of women with triple negative breast cancer, patients who received trilaciclib plus chemotherapy showed significant improvement in overall survival, and reductions in the rate of red blood cell transfusions versus patients treated with chemotherapy alone," said Raj Malik, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, R&D at G1. "The I-SPY 2 study will allow us to evaluate trilaciclib for the first time in combination with several broadly-used chemotherapy classes. It will provide important data regarding which patients may benefit from treatment with trilaciclib and inform our future development plans."

The I-SPY 2 TRIAL, sponsored by Quantum Leap, is a standing Phase 2 randomized, controlled, multicenter platform with an innovative Bayesian adaptive randomization design aimed to rapidly screen and identify promising new treatments in specific subgroups of adults with newly-diagnosed, high-risk (high likelihood of recurrence), locally-advanced breast cancer (Stage II/III). G1 Therapeutics will provide funding and trilaciclib and Quantum Leap will be responsible for running the trial.

Trilaciclib will be evaluated across all high-risk, early stage breast cancer subtypes (including HR+, HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer). All patients will receive standard neoadjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy (and anti-HER2 Mab for HER2+ disease) prior to surgical resection of breast tissue. Patients in two arms of the study will also receive an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in combination with paclitaxel prior to surgery. Biomarker data to evaluate the impact of trilaciclib on the tumor immune microenvironment, as well as pre-specified endpoints to evaluate anti-tumor efficacy and myelopreservation will be collected.

About Trilaciclib

Trilaciclib is a first-in-class investigational therapy designed to improve outcomes for people with cancer treated with chemotherapy. Based on results from three randomized trials in patients with small cell lung cancer, trilaciclib has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation, and G1 Therapeutics expects to submit marketing applications in the U.S. and Europe for myelopreservation in small cell lung cancer in 2020. In a randomized trial of women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, trilaciclib improved overall survival when administered in combination with chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone. In 2020, the company plans to initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial in colorectal cancer and begin a neoadjuvant trial in breast cancer as part of the I-SPY 2 TRIAL.

About the I-SPY TRIALs

The I-SPY 2 TRIAL (Investigation of Serial studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular analysis) was designed to rapidly screen promising experimental treatments and identify those most effective in specific patient subgroups based on molecular characteristics (biomarker signatures). The trial is a unique collaborative effort by a consortium that includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, patient advocates, philanthropic sponsors, and clinicians from more than 20 major U.S. cancer research centers. Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative is the trial sponsor and manages all study operations. For more information, visit www.ispytrials.org.

Integra LifeSciences Announces Preliminary Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2019 Revenue Results and 2020 Financial Guidance

On January 14, 2020 Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: IART), a leading global medical technology company, reported certain unaudited preliminary fourth quarter and full-year 2019 financial results (Press release, Integra LifeSciences, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553166]).

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Preliminary Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2019 Revenue Results

Fourth quarter 2019 reported revenue is expected to be at or near the low end of the previously communicated guidance range of $395 million to $400 million, representing organic revenue growth of slightly less than 5% and reported growth of approximately 3%.

As a result of its fourth quarter preliminary results, the company expects full-year 2019 reported revenue to be at or near the low end of the previously communicated guidance range of $1,517 million to $1,522 million, representing organic growth of slightly less than 5% and reported growth of approximately 3%.

The preliminary results set forth above are unaudited and remain subject to completion of the Company’s financial closing procedures.

Preliminary 2020 Financial Guidance
The company expects full-year 2020 reported revenue to be in the range of $1,550 million to $1,570 million, representing organic revenue growth of approximately 5% and reported growth of approximately 3%. The company expects full-year 2020 earnings per share to increase double digits compared to the full-year 2019.

Share Repurchase Program

The company plans to implement a share repurchase program, previously approved by the Board of Directors, with an authorization of up to $225 million. The company may repurchase shares from time to time in the open market or otherwise at the company’s discretion, subject to applicable regulatory and other legal requirements. The number of shares to be repurchased and the timing of such transactions will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions, regulatory requirements, other corporate considerations, and could be suspended or discontinued at any time as determined by Integra management.

"In 2019, we completed the integration of Codman and began making significant investments to increase manufacturing capacity for our regenerative tissue products. We also launched 10 new products in the first part of 2019. We are confident that these actions, and a full-year contribution from our new products, will result in accelerated revenue growth in 2020 and beyond," said Peter Arduini, president and chief executive officer, Integra LifeSciences. "In addition, our capital allocation strategy is supported by a strong balance sheet and strong cash flows, which will enable the company to reinvest in the business, pursue strategic acquisitions, and implement a share repurchase program to return value to shareholders."

The company is scheduled to present at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 3:30pm PT (6:30pm ET). A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investor section of the company’s website at www.integralife.com
The company will report its fourth quarter and full-year 2019 financial results during a conference call in February 2020. A press release with the date, time and webcast information will be provided closer to the reporting date.

NOXXON Announces a Capital Increase of €0.5 Million Through a Private Placement of Shares

On January 14, 2020 NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), reported that following discussions with investors it has received commitments for an investment of €0.5 million through a private placement (Press release, NOXXON, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553182]).

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"We are pleased with the ongoing support of the investment community, in particular the long-term investors from Europe and the US who continue to support NOXXON’s strategy and also invested in the capital increases last year. This investment provides additional capital for the company and allows us to advance the Phase 1/2 trial of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy as a 1st line treatment in brain cancer patients, which is one of the key clinical goals for NOXXON. As with the previous private placement, for which we have attracted long-term equity investors, there are no warrants or other option-like instruments attached to this financing," said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of NOXXON.

The price agreed with investors of €0.51 per share represents a 26% discount on the average closing price of the shares over the seven trading days from December 31, 2019, to January 9, 2020. As such, it is anticipated that 980,389 new shares will be issued in the context of this financing. Closing and settlement of this transaction is expected within the next seven days.

AMN Healthcare to Host Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Earnings Conference Call on Thursday, February 13, 2020

On January 14, 2020 AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE: AMN), healthcare’s leader and innovator in workforce solutions and staffing services, has reported a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results on Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Press release, AMN Healthcare Services, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553200]). The same day, the Company also expects to issue an earnings news release after market close at approximately 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

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A live webcast of the call can be accessed through AMN Healthcare’s website at View Source Please log in at least 10 minutes prior to the conference call in order to download the applicable audio software. Interested parties may participate live via telephone by dialing (844) 721-7241 in the U.S. or (409) 207-6955 for international callers. Following the conclusion of the call, a replay of the webcast will be available at the Company’s website. Alternatively, a telephonic replay of the call will be available beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on February 13, 2020, and can be accessed until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 27, 2020 by calling (866) 207-1041 in the U.S. or (402) 970-0847 internationally, with access code 2857669.