Phase II Study results of trabectedin combined with low-dose radiation therapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma are presented at ESMO

On September 30, 2019 Sarcoma Research Groups in Spain, France and Italy, in collaboration with PharmaMar (MSE:PHM), reported that have presented the results of the metastatic patient group cohort from the single-arm, phase II multicenter study of trabectedin in combination with low-dose radiation therapy for the treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) (Press release, PharmaMar, SEP 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234539935]). The results were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress, which is being held from September 27th to October 1st in Barcelona.

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The study, led by Dr. Martín Broto, oncologist at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville (Spain), has reached its primary endpoint of Overall Response Rate (ORR), with 55.6% of responses to the treatment.

Trabectedin in combination with a low-dose of radiotherapy has shown relevant activity in a wide range of soft tissue sarcoma types in patients with advanced metastatic disease, giving other therapeutic options for tumor reduction beyond the first line of treatment.

In addition, this combination has shown a significant impact on Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) in patients with advanced disease who have received a median of two previous lines of treatment. The six-month median for PFS was 75%, while the six-month median for OS was reached by 86% of patients.

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Transgene Reports First Promising Efficacy Results with TG4001 in Combination with Avelumab in HPV-Positive Cancer at ESMO 2019

On September 30, 2019 Transgene (Paris:TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapeutics against cancer, reported promising safety and efficacy data of TG4001 in combination with avelumab (BAVENCIO), a human anti-programmed death ligand (PD-L1) antibody, in HPV-16+ recurrent or metastatic malignancies (including oropharyngeal cancers) (Press release, Transgene, SEP 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234539954]). These Phase 1b data have been presented in a poster (#1210P) at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2019 Congress in Barcelona, Spain. TG4001 is a therapeutic vaccine based on a Vaccinia vector (MVA), which is engineered to express HPV-16 antigens (E6 & E7). It has been administered to more than 300 individuals in previous trials, demonstrating good safety, significant HPV clearance rate and promising efficacy results.

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In the Phase 1b part of the trial, 9 heavily pretreated patients received either one of the two tested doses of TG4001 combined with a fixed dose of avelumab. The Phase 2 part of the trial started in October 2018 and will enroll 40 patients.

Key results of the Phase 1b trial are:

3 of the 6 patients treated with the higher dose of TG4001 showed durable partial responses1.
No dose-limiting toxicity was observed, confirming a good safety profile of the combined regimen.
T cell responses against the HPV-16 E6 and E7 antigens were detected in patients’ blood at day 43.
The combination regimen was able to prime the immune system and modified positively the tumors microenvironment. Patients displayed increased immune cells infiltrates (including CD8 T cells) and an increased expression of genes associated with innate and adaptive immune response.
An increase in PD-L1 expression in the tumor cells was seen.
Dr. Maud Brandely, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Transgene, commented, "These Phase 1b results with a combination treatment regimen containing TG4001 are promising. In this heavily pretreated population, the quality of the responses, in particular the duration of the responses, and the immune changes in the tumor, give us great confidence that we will see a positive outcome from the ongoing Phase 2 part of the trial. The results also confirm our conviction that a HPV-16 targeted therapeutic vaccine would be able to stimulate the immune response, and can advantageously be combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Based on these results, I believe that the combination of TG4001 and an ICI could potentially offer a much-improved treatment option than single agent immune checkpoint inhibitor for patients with HPV-16+ recurrent or metastatic malignancies. Patient accrual in the Phase 2 part of the trial is in line with our expectations and the next clinical readout is expected in 1H 2020."

Poster presentation – September 30, 2019, 12:00-13:00 – Poster Area Hall 4
Title: Phase Ib/II trial of TG4001 (Tipapkinogene sovacivec), a therapeutic HPV-vaccine, and Avelumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic HPV16 positive cancers (ID 2536)
Poster #1210P | Presenter: Christophe Le Tourneau (Institut Curie, Paris, France)

The abstract is available on the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) website.
The poster is available on Transgene’s website (Publication section) www.transgene.fr.

About the trial
This multi-center, open-label trial is assessing the safety and tolerability, as well as the anti-tumor activity of this immunotherapy combination regimen (TG4001 + avelumab) in approximately 50 patients with HPV-16 positive cancers who had failed at least one line of systemic treatment for R/M disease (NCT03260023). Prof. Christophe Le Tourneau, M.D., PhD, Head of the Department of Drug Development and Innovation (D3i) at the Curie Institute, and a world expert in head and neck cancers, is the Principal Investigator of the study. The trial is conducted in collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company which in the US and Canada operates its biopharmaceutical business as EMD Serono, and Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE).
In the Phase 1 part, 9 patients were enrolled to either one of the two doses of the vaccine (5×106 and 5×107 pfu). TG4001 was administered SC weekly for 6 weeks, every 2 weeks up to M6, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Avelumab was given IV at 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Tumor response was assessed by RECIST 1.1. For translational and immunological assessments, PBMC samples were collected longitudinally and tissue samples were collected at baseline and D43.
The Phase 2 part of the trial started in October 2018. 40 patients will be enrolled. They will receive the highest TG4001 dose tested in the Phase 1b part of the trial (5×107 pfu), in combination with avelumab at 10 mg/kg. The primary endpoint of the Phase 2 part is overall response rate. Secondary endpoints include progression free survival, overall survival, disease control rate and other immunological parameters. The interim readout is expected in 1H 2020.

More information on the trial is available on clinicaltrials.gov.

A conference call in English is scheduled on October 3, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. CET.

Webcast link to conference call:
https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/transgene/20191003_1/

Participant telephone numbers:

France: +33 (0) 1 7037 7166

United Kingdom: +44 (0) 20 3003 2666

United States: +1 212 999 6659


Confirmation code: Transgene

A replay of the call will be available on the Transgene website (www.transgene.fr) following the live event.

***

About HPV-Positive Cancers
HPV-positive cancers comprise a variety of malignancies, including head and neck cancers and anogenital cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a heterogeneous group of cancers that can affect the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. The incidence of HPV16-related SCCHN has significantly increased in recent years. HPV16 infection is associated with more than 85% of oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas (Kreimer et al., 2005), i.e. approximately 10,000 patients at metastatic stage and receiving a second line of treatment. Other HPV16-positive cancers include cervical, vaginal, vulvar and penile cancers, i.e. approximately 15,000 cancers at metastatic stage and eligible for a second line of treatment. (Source: meta-analysis, IARC, Globocan, SEER – EU28, USA, 2022).

Current treatments include surgical resection with radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, better options are needed for advanced and metastatic HPV+ cancers. It is thought that immunotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors could provide a promising potential treatment option that would address this strong medical need. With immune checkpoint inhibitors, median overall survival remains inferior to 11 months and median progression-free survival is between 2 and 4 months. In this heterogenous group of malignancies, overall response rates are around 10-15%.

About TG4001
TG4001 is an investigational therapeutic vaccine based on a non-propagative, highly attenuated Vaccinia vector (MVA), which is engineered to express HPV-16 antigens (E6 & E7) and an adjuvant (IL-2). TG4001 is designed to have a two-pronged antiviral approach: to alert the immune system specifically to HPV-16-infected cells that have started to undergo precancerous transformation (cells presenting the HPV-16 E6 and E7 antigens) and to further stimulate the infection-clearing activity of the immune system through interleukin 2 (IL-2). TG4001 has been administered to more than 300 individuals, demonstrating good safety, significant HPV clearance rate and promising efficacy results (Harper et al., Gynecologic Oncology, 2019). Its mechanism of action and good safety profile make TG4001 an excellent candidate for combinations with other therapies in HPV-mediated solid tumors.

Avelumab Approved Indications
Avelumab (BAVENCIO) in combination with axitinib is indicated in the US for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also granted accelerated approval for avelumab (BAVENCIO) for the treatment of (i) adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) and (ii) patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. These indications are approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for these indications may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
Avelumab is currently approved for patients with MCC in 50 countries globally, with the majority of these approvals in a broad indication that is not limited to a specific line of treatment.

Avelumab Important Safety Information from the US FDA-Approved Label
The warnings and precautions for avelumab (BAVENCIO) include immune-mediated adverse reactions (such as pneumonitis and hepatitis [including fatal cases], colitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction and other adverse reactions [which can be severe and have included fatal cases]), infusion-related reactions, hepatotoxicity, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [which can be severe and have included fatal cases], and embryo-fetal toxicity.
Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients treated with BAVENCIO monotherapy include fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, diarrhea, nausea, infusion-related reaction, peripheral edema, decreased appetite/hypophagia, urinary tract infection and rash. Common adverse reactions (reported in at least 20% of patients) in patients receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib include diarrhea, fatigue, hypertension, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, mucositis, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, dysphonia, decreased appetite, hypothyroidism, rash, hepatotoxicity, cough, dyspnea, abdominal pain and headache. Clinical chemistry and hematology laboratory value abnormalities reported in at least 10% of patients include hyponatremia, lymphopenia, GGT increased, blood triglyceride increased and lipase increased, and grade 3-4 lymphopenia, anemia, elevated cholesterol and liver enzymes.
For full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for BAVENCIO, please see www.BAVENCIO.com.

Evotec and Indivumed achieve milestone in joint strategic drug discovery collaboration

On September 30, 2019 Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) and Indivumed GmbH reported that the first milestone has been successfully achieved in their joint collaboration to identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of colorectal cancer (Press release, Evotec, SEP 30, 2019, View Source;announcements/press-releases/p/evotec-and-indivumed-achieve-milestone-in-joint-strategic-drug-discovery-collaboration-5849 [SID1234539900]).

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Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Evotec received full access to the colorectal cancer ("CRC") multi-omics data of IndivuType. The milestone of selecting three novel drug targets was achieved in less than three months.

The first set of identified targets will now be progressed towards first-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of CRC using Evotec’s multimodality drug discovery and development platforms. Four additional candidate targets identified by Indivumed’s bioinformatic and analytics will also enter the joint development programme.

Indivumed’s commitment to generating high quality and extensive cancer patient information is complementary and synergistic to Evotec’s expertise in analysing highly complex multi-omics data. Evotec will be responsible for subsequent partnering of the programmes and/or the platform.

Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, said: "The rapid identification of truly novel drug targets reflects the power of our approach to precision medicine that we are pursuing together with Indivumed. The rigorous quality standards employed by Indivumed in the generation of the IndivuType multi-omics patient database enables novel insights into target-disease associations in colorectal cancer which are expected to deliver more effective treatment options."

Prof. Dr Hartmut Juhl, Chief Executive Officer of Indivumed, said: "We are pleased with the rapid progress being made in our collaboration with Evotec to discover novel drugs that will advance the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and potentially other cancer entities. IndivuType has enabled CRC subpopulations to be characterised based on molecular phenotypes with greater precision than has been possible before. As a result, the targets that have been identified are expected to deliver more effective and durable drugs to transform CRC patient care."

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About Colorectal Cancer ("CRC")
Colorectal cancer, a cancer that starts in the colon or rectum is the third most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Rapid increases in both CRC incidence and mortality are now observed in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America. In contrast, CRC incidence and mortality rates have been stabilising or declining in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and several Western European countries. The reasons for decreasing trends in CRC mortality are knowledge of risk factors, early detection and prevention, and improvements in perioperative care. Since the five-year overall survival for patients with metastatic CRC is poor (14%), there yet remains a strong need to develop new therapeutics for this disease.

Data from Agios’ Phase 3 ClarIDHy Trial of TIBSOVO® Demonstrates Significant Improvement in Progression Free Survival (PFS) Compared to Placebo in Previously Treated IDH1 Mutant Cholangiocarcinoma Patients

On September 30, 2019 Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AGIO), a leader in the field of cellular metabolism to treat cancer and rare genetic diseases, reported data from the global Phase 3 ClarIDHy trial of TIBSOVO (ivosidenib) in previously treated cholangiocarcinoma patients with an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation in a Presidential Symposium at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) (Press release, Agios Pharmaceuticals, SEP 30, 2019, View Source [SID1234539920]). Results from the ClarIDHy trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) by independent radiology review of 2.7 months among patients randomized to TIBSOVO compared with 1.4 months among placebo patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.37; 95% CI [0.25, 0.54], p<0.001). The safety profile observed in the study was consistent with previously published data.

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"Advanced cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive disease oftentimes characterized by rapid progression following multiple lines of therapy, and there are no currently approved treatments," said Ghassan Abou-Alfa, M.D., medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who presented the data at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper). "The ClarIDHy study is the first randomized trial in previously treated IDH1 mutant cholangiocarcinoma patients and demonstrates that TIBSOVO provides significant improvement in PFS compared to placebo, while also showing a favorable trend in overall survival. These critical data also provide strong justification for genomic testing in cholangiocarcinoma patients where a targeted therapeutic approach may provide benefit."

"Since we began clinical trials of TIBSOVO in solid tumors five years ago, we have hoped to provide benefit to cholangiocarcinoma patients who desperately need new treatment options. The results of the ClarIDHy trial help to establish the role that this targeted therapy may play in the treatment paradigm for patients with an IDH1 mutation," said Chris Bowden, M.D., chief medical officer at Agios. "Moving forward, we’re focused on submitting our supplemental new drug application for previously treated IDH1 mutant cholangiocarcinoma patients by the end of the year."

ClarIDHy Phase 3 Trial
The ClarIDHy trial is a global, randomized Phase 3 trial in previously treated IDH1 mutant cholangiocarcinoma patients who have documented disease progression following one or two systemic therapies in the advanced setting. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either single-agent TIBSOVO 500 mg once daily or placebo with crossover to TIBSOVO permitted at the time of documented radiographic progression per RECIST 1.1. As of the January 31, 2019 data cutoff, 185 patients were randomized, with 124 patients in the TIBSOVO arm and 61 patients in the placebo arm. Thirty-five patients randomized to placebo (57.4%) crossed over to open-label TIBSOVO upon radiographic disease progression and unblinding.

Efficacy Results
Efficacy data as of the data cut-off showed:

Median progression-free survival (PFS) for patients randomized to TIBSOVO was 2.7 months compared to 1.4 months with placebo (hazard ratio [HR]=0.37; 95% CI [0.25, 0.54], p<0.001) as assessed by independent radiology review. PFS benefits were observed across all subgroups analyzed.

The estimated PFS rate was 32% at six months and 22% at 12 months for patients randomized to TIBSOVO, while no patients randomized to placebo were free from progression beyond these timepoints as of the data cut-off.

In the TIBSOVO arm, 2% of patients achieved a partial response and 51% had stable disease, compared to 28% with stable disease in the placebo arm.

Median overall survival (OS) based on 78 events was 10.8 months for patients randomized to TIBSOVO compared to 9.7 months for placebo patients (HR=0.69; 95% CI [0.44, 1.10], p=0.06). Using the rank-preserving structural failure time (RPSFT) method to reconstruct the survival curve for the placebo subjects as if they never crossed over to TIBSOVO, the median OS with placebo adjusts to 6 months (HR=0.46; 95% CI [0.28, 0.75], p<0.001).

Safety Results
A safety analysis conducted for all patients as of the data cut-off demonstrated:

Less than half of patients experienced a Grade 3 or above treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) in either arm (46.2% with total TIBSOVO [includes patients who crossed over from placebo to TIBSOVO] vs. 35.6% on placebo), with the most common being ascites (7.7% total TIBSOVO vs. 6.8% placebo).

TEAEs leading to discontinuation were more common with placebo compared with total TIBSOVO (8.5% vs. 5.8%).

TEAEs leading to dose reductions (2.6% vs. 0%) and interruptions (26.3% vs. 16.9%) were more common with total TIBSOVO relative to placebo.

The most common TEAEs of any grade for total TIBSOVO were nausea (32%), diarrhea (29%) and fatigue (24%).

TIBSOVO is not approved in any country for the treatment of patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma.

Conference Call Information
Agios will host a conference call and live webcast with presentation slides today at 1 p.m. ET /7 p.m. CET to discuss the data from the ClarIDHy study. To participate in the conference call, please dial 1-877-377-7098 (domestic) or 1-631-291-4547 (international) and refer to conference ID 5209309. The live webcast can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors section of the company’s website at www.agios.com. The archived webcast will be available on the company’s website beginning approximately two hours after the event.

About Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is a rare cancer of the bile ducts within and outside of the liver. Cases that occur within the liver are known as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) and those that occur outside the liver are considered extrahepatic. Mutations in IDH1 occur in up to 20% of IHCC cases. Current treatment options for localized disease include surgery, radiation and/or other ablative treatments. There are no approved systemic therapies for cholangiocarcinoma and limited chemotherapy options are available in the advanced setting. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is often recommended for newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic disease.

About TIBSOVO (ivosidenib)

TIBSOVO is indicated for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test in:

Adult patients with newly-diagnosed AML who are ≥75 years old or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy.

Adult patients with relapsed or refractory AML.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: DIFFERENTIATION SYNDROME

Patients treated with TIBSOVO have experienced symptoms of differentiation syndrome, which can be fatal if not treated. Symptoms may include fever, dyspnea, hypoxia, pulmonary infiltrates, pleural or pericardial effusions, rapid weight gain or peripheral edema, hypotension, and hepatic, renal, or multi-organ dysfunction. If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate corticosteroid therapy and hemodynamic monitoring until symptom resolution.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Differentiation Syndrome: See Boxed WARNING. In the clinical trial, 25% (7/28) of patients with newly diagnosed AML and 19% (34/179) of patients with relapsed or refractory AML treated with TIBSOVO experienced differentiation syndrome. Differentiation syndrome is associated with rapid proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells and may be life-threatening or fatal if not treated. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome in patients treated with TIBSOVO included noninfectious leukocytosis, peripheral edema, pyrexia, dyspnea, pleural effusion, hypotension, hypoxia, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, pericardial effusion, rash, fluid overload, tumor lysis syndrome, and creatinine increased. Of the 7 patients with newly diagnosed AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 6 (86%) patients recovered. Of the 34 patients with relapsed or refractory AML who experienced differentiation syndrome, 27 (79%) patients recovered after treatment or after dose interruption of TIBSOVO. Differentiation syndrome occurred as early as 1 day and up to 3 months after TIBSOVO initiation and has been observed with or without concomitant leukocytosis.

If differentiation syndrome is suspected, initiate dexamethasone 10 mg IV every 12 hours (or an equivalent dose of an alternative oral or IV corticosteroid) and hemodynamic monitoring until improvement. If concomitant noninfectious leukocytosis is observed, initiate treatment with hydroxyurea or leukapheresis, as clinically indicated. Taper corticosteroids and hydroxyurea after resolution of symptoms and administer corticosteroids for a minimum of 3 days. Symptoms of differentiation syndrome may recur with premature discontinuation of corticosteroid and/or hydroxyurea treatment. If severe signs and/or symptoms persist for more than 48 hours after initiation of corticosteroids, interrupt TIBSOVO until signs and symptoms are no longer severe.

QTc Interval Prolongation: Patients treated with TIBSOVO can develop QT (QTc) prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias. One patient developed ventricular fibrillation attributed to TIBSOVO. Concomitant use of TIBSOVO with drugs known to prolong the QTc interval (e.g., anti-arrhythmic medicines, fluoroquinolones, triazole anti-fungals, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists) and CYP3A4 inhibitors may increase the risk of QTc interval prolongation. Conduct monitoring of electrocardiograms (ECGs) and electrolytes. In patients with congenital long QTc syndrome, congestive heart failure, or electrolyte abnormalities, or in those who are taking medications known to prolong the QTc interval, more frequent monitoring may be necessary.

Interrupt TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 480 msec and less than 500 msec. Interrupt and reduce TIBSOVO if QTc increases to greater than 500 msec. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who develop QTc interval prolongation with signs or symptoms of life-threatening arrhythmia.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Guillain-Barré syndrome occurred in <1% (2/258) of patients treated with TIBSOVO in the clinical study. Monitor patients taking TIBSOVO for onset of new signs or symptoms of motor and/or sensory neuropathy such as unilateral or bilateral weakness, sensory alterations, paresthesias, or difficulty breathing. Permanently discontinue TIBSOVO in patients who are diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (≥20%) were hemoglobin decreased (60%), fatigue (43%), arthralgia (39%), calcium decreased (39%), sodium decreased (39%), leukocytosis (38%), diarrhea (37%), magnesium decreased (36%), edema (34%), nausea (33%), dyspnea (32%), uric acid increased (32%), potassium decreased (32%), alkaline phosphatase increased (30%), mucositis (28%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (27%), phosphatase decreased (25%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (24%), rash (24%), creatinine increased (24%), cough (23%), decreased appetite (22%), myalgia (21%), constipation (20%), and pyrexia (20%).

In patients with newly diagnosed AML, the most frequently reported Grade ≥3 adverse reactions (≥5%) were fatigue (14%), differentiation syndrome (11%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (11%), diarrhea (7%), nausea (7%), and leukocytosis (7%). Serious adverse reactions (≥5%) were differentiation syndrome (18%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%), and fatigue (7%). There was one case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).

In patients with relapsed or refractory AML, the most frequently reported Grade ≥3 adverse reactions (≥5%) were differentiation syndrome (13%), electrocardiogram QT prolonged (10%), dyspnea (9%), leukocytosis (8%), and tumor lysis syndrome (6%). Serious adverse reactions (≥5%) were differentiation syndrome (10%), leukocytosis (10%), and electrocardiogram QT prolonged (7%). There was one case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Strong or Moderate CYP3A4 Inhibitors: Reduce TIBSOVO dose with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.
Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.
Sensitive CYP3A4 Substrates: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO.

QTc Prolonging Drugs: Avoid concomitant use with TIBSOVO. If co-administration is unavoidable, monitor patients for increased risk of QTc interval prolongation.

LACTATION

Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with TIBSOVO and for at least 1 month after the last dose.

First domatinostat combination data from Phase Ib/II SENSITIZE study presented at ESMO

On September 30, 2019 4SC AG (4SC, FSE Prime Standard: VSC) reported the publication of data from the first part of the Phase Ib/II SENSITIZE Study at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2019 in Barcelona (Press release, 4SC, SEP 30, 2019, https://www.4sc.com/news/first-domatinostat-combination-data-from-phase-ib-ii-sensitize-study-presented-at-esmo/ [SID1234539936]).

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The SENSITIZE study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03278665) is enrolling up to 40 patients suffering from unresectable advanced-stage cutaneous melanoma who are refractory or non-responding to prior treatment with anti-PD-1 antibodies (checkpoint inhibitor).

In the first part of the study, three patient cohorts were treated at three different dose levels of domatinostat in combination with pembrolizumab. At the time of data cut-off (July 15th, 2019, study still ongoing) a total of 23 patients were enrolled into the study:

Domatinostat in combination with pembrolizumab was safe and well tolerated
No increase in frequency or intensity of immune-related AEs observed
Signs of efficacy were observed, including one patient with a confirmed partial response and 7 patients with stable disease (4 confirmed)
Indication of dose-dependency for domatinostat, with best results at the highest dose
Preliminary biomarker analyses indicate a domatinostat-induced change in immunological tumor patterns
Jason Loveridge, Ph.D., CEO of 4SC: "Taking note of the favorable safety profile and first signs of clinical efficacy from the combination of domatinostat and pembrolizumab in this very hard to treat, anti-PD-1-refractory patient population is exciting and hugely encouraging. Especially since the preliminary tumor analyses indicates a confirmation of the proposed domatinostat-induced immunological effect. As such, we believe that the combination of domatinostat with anti-PD-(L)1 will provide a valuable therapeutic option for patients that do not respond to checkpoint blockade alone and we now look forward to starting our MERKLIN study in a comparable group of patients with Merkel-cell carcinoma within the coming months."