On February 12, 2019 Ascletis Pharma Inc. (Ascletis, 1672.HK) and 3-V Biosciences, Inc. (3-V Biosciences) jointly reported that Ascletis, through its subsidiary, and 3-V Biosciences have entered into an exclusive license agreement for 3-V Biosciences’ FASN (fatty acid synthase) inhibitor TVB-2640 (Ascletis code: ASC40), a first-in-class, Phase 2-ready drug candidate for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in Greater China (Press release, Ascletis, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234577322]).

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In conjunction with the license agreement, 3-V Biosciences raised US$18 million in a Series E financing led by new investor Ascletis, through its subsidiary. Ascletis is joined in this financing by new investor Qianhai Ark (Cayman) Investment Co. Limited and existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) and Kleiner Perkins (KP). All investors have committed to fund an additional US$7 million in a subsequent financing. 3-V Biosciences expects to use the proceeds of the financing to support the continued development of TVB-2640, including its Phase 2 trials for NASH in the United States and China.

Under the terms of the license agreement, 3-V Biosciences granted Ascletis an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize ASC40 (TVB-2640) and related compounds in Greater China. 3-V Biosciences is eligible to receive development and commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties on future net sales of ASC40 (TVB-2640).

"We are excited about this strategic collaboration with 3-V Biosciences. Results from the phase 1b trial showed significant decrease in liver fat synthesis and indicate that ASC40 (TVB-2640) may be a promising treatment for NASH," said Jinzi J. Wu, PhD, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, "There are no approved therapies today for NASH in China and globally. We’re thrilled to develop ASC40 (TVB-2640) for NASH in Greater China and support 3-V Biosciences’ Phase 2 multi-center trials in the United States and China."

"3-V Biosciences is excited about our partnership with Ascletis; Ascletis brings expertise and capabilities that can accelerate the advancement of TVB-2640 (ASC40) on a global scale for this important emerging disease," said George Kemble, PhD, CEO of 3-V Biosciences.

"The partnership with Ascletis, a leading expert in liver diseases, will accelerate the development of TVB-2640. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Wu to the board, and I look forward to working with him," said Beth Seidenberg, MD, board director of 3-V Biosciences and managing director of KP, an existing shareholder.

According to Dr. Rohit Loomba, MD of Univ. California San Diego, Director, NAFLD Research Center, and Principal Investigator of the upcoming Phase 2 study of TVB-2640, "I am excited to see the advancement of this compound; lipid synthesis is an important driver of NASH. This study will evaluate the impact of TVB-2640 on liver fat using advanced imaging techniques that are expected to predict the ability of this drug to address this unmet medical need."

"In 2016, there were approximately 243 million people in China with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). By 2030, this is expected to increase to approximately 314 million people, of which 2.3 million will have cirrhosis," said Professor Wei Lai, MD, Director, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Chair, NAFLD and Alcoholic Liver Disease Special Interest Group (ALD SIG), Past-immediate President, Chinese Society of Hepatology of the Chinese Medical Association. "Inhibition of FASN is a promising mechanism of action for NASH. It is encouraging that Chinese biotech takes on the challenge to develop the first-in-class drug for such unmet medical need."

About TVB-2640 (ASC40).

TVB-2640 is an orally bioavailable, first-in-class inhibitor of FASN. FASN is a key enzyme in the de novo lipogenesis (DNL) pathway and catalyzes the biosynthesis of palmitate, which can then undergo further modifications into other fatty acids and complex lipids. Dysregulation of FASN activity is found in a number of different diseases, including liver diseases and cancer. NAFLD and the more advanced disease of NASH can progress to significant liver diseases, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

On February 12, 2019 Clovis Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVS) reported that it will announce its fourth quarter/fiscal year 2018 financial results on Tuesday, February 26, 2019, before the open of the U.S. financial markets (Press release, Clovis Oncology, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533259]). Clovis’ senior management will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the company’s results in greater detail.

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The conference call is being webcast and can be accessed from the Clovis Oncology website at www.clovisoncology.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days.

Conference Call Details

Clovis will hold a conference call to discuss Q4/FY 2018 results on Tuesday, February 26, at 8:30am ET. The conference call will be simultaneously webcast on the Company’s web site at www.clovisoncology.com, and archived for future review. Dial-in numbers for the conference call are as follows: US participants 866.393.4306, International participants 734.385.2616, conference ID: 6675335.

On February 12, 2019 Gossamer Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOSS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing and commercializing therapeutics in the disease areas of immunology, inflammation and oncology, reported the closing of its previously announced initial public offering of 19,837,500 shares of its common stock, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase 2,587,500 additional shares, at a price to the public of $16.00 per share (Press release, Gossamer Bio, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533260]). Including the option exercise, the aggregate gross proceeds to Gossamer Bio from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, were $317.4 million. Gossamer Bio’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "GOSS."

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BofA Merrill Lynch, SVB Leerink, Barclays and Evercore ISI acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Registration statements relating to these securities have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and became effective on February 7, 2019. A prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering has been filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The offering was made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus related to this offering can be obtained from BofA Merrill Lynch, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by email at [email protected]; or from SVB Leerink, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, or by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6132, or by email at [email protected]; or from Barclays, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, Attn: Prospectus Department, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (888) 603-5847, or by email at [email protected]; or from Evercore ISI, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 36th Floor, New York, NY 10055, or by telephone at (888) 474-0200, or by email at [email protected].

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 offer or 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.

On February 12, 2019 Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) reported it is initiating phase 1 clinical development for XL092, the first internally-discovered Exelixis compound to enter the clinic following the company’s reinitiation of drug discovery activities (Press release, Exelixis, FEB 12, 2019, View Source [SID1234533261]). XL092 is a next-generation oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets VEGF receptors, MET, and other kinases implicated in cancer’s growth and spread. The molecule is the subject of an active Investigational New Drug (IND) application Exelixis submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2018.

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"Exelixis is building a pipeline of diverse investigational medicines behind cabozantinib through in-house drug discovery activities and targeted in-licensing," said Peter Lamb, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Scientific Strategy and Chief Scientific Officer of Exelixis. "XL092 is a novel compound that targets key signal transduction pathways in tumors, while potentially addressing tumor-induced immune suppression. Data from the upcoming phase 1 clinical trial will be used to determine the potential for further development of XL092."

The multi-center phase 1 clinical trial is designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of XL092. The trial is divided into dose-escalation and expansion phases. The dose-escalation phase of the trial will enroll patients with advanced solid tumors, with the primary objective of determining a dose for daily oral administration of XL092 suitable for further evaluation. Assuming positive data from the initial phase of the trial, the expansion phase is designed to further explore the selected dose of XL092 in individual tumor cohorts, where safety, tolerability, and initial clinical activity would be evaluated.

"Supported by revenues from the global cabozantinib franchise, Exelixis is building on our prolific drug discovery history to advance a new generation of Exelixis medicines," said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelixis. "As the first molecule to enter clinical development from our new laboratories here in Alameda, XL092 represents an important milestone for our company and highlights our commitment to the patients we serve. We look forward to the clinical progress of XL092 and the continued maturation of other earlier-stage molecules currently in development."

On February 12, 2019 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, reported that it will host a conference call on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 5pm ET to discuss its financial results and corporate update for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2018 (Press release, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, FEB 12, 2019, http://ir.ultragenyx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/ultragenyx-host-conference-call-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-3 [SID1234533266]).

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The live and replayed webcast of the call will be available through the company’s website at View Source To participate in the live call by phone, dial (855) 797-6910 (USA) or 262-912-6260 (International) and enter the passcode 6689186. The replay of the call will be available for one year.