On October 10, 2018 Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (NYSE American: HEB) reported the signing of a clinical trial agreement with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to evaluate Ampligen in combination with checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) (Press release, Hemispherx Biopharma, OCT 10, 2018, View Source [SID1234530604]). The Phase IIa clinical trial will evaluate the immune-mediated effects of cytokine modulation in combination with CPIs in patients with primary resistance to CPI therapy. The protocol will seek to evaluate the combination of Ampligen and CPIs in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Ampligen is the Company’s investigational immune-enhancing TLR3 agonist that has demonstrated a robust anti-cancer effect in preclinical models when combined with CPIs. This new agreement expands the extensive prior clinical and preclinical work into the clinical checkpoint blockade arena and offers the opportunity to begin evaluation of this combination therapy in patients with a variety of solid tumors where large numbers of patients do not respond or progress following treatment with standard CPI-based therapy.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The Phase IIa study will be led by Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD, Vice Chair for Translational Research and Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine and Co-Leader of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at Roswell Park, in collaboration with Mateusz Opyrchal, MD, PhD, of the Roswell Park Department of Medicine. Additional details about trial design, implementation and timing will be disclosed upon approval by Roswell Park’s institutional review board.

"This event marks an important milestone for Hemispherx as we evaluate Ampligen in combination with CPIs in difficult-to-treat solid tumors and among a patient population that is largely relapsed and/or refractory to treatment," said Thomas K. Equels, Chief Executive Officer of Hemispherx. "Our expanded collaboration with Roswell Park offers an ideal setting for these early stage trials. We have developed a productive working relationship with this world-class team and look forward to beginning these important clinical trials."

On October 10, 2018 Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX), a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs designed to activate a patient’s immune system against cancer, reported that the company is scheduled to present at the 2018 BIO Investor Forum Heat Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTBX), a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs designed to activate a patient’s immune system against cancer, reported that the company is scheduled to present at the 2018 BIO Investor Forum. The Forum will be held on October 17th and 18th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Jeff Wolf, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Heat Biologics, will provide an overview of the Company’s business during the live presentation and will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the forum.

Presentation Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Time: 3:45 PM, PT
Location: Elizabethan A Room

. The Forum will be held on October 17th and 18th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California.

Jeff Wolf, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Heat Biologics, will provide an overview of the Company’s business during the live presentation and will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the forum.

Presentation Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Time: 3:45 PM, PT
Location: Elizabethan A Room

On October 10, 2018 Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519) reported that it obtained a supplemental approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) on October 10, 2018, for the anti-cancer agent, pertuzumab (brand name: PERJETA I.V. Infusion 420 mg/14 mL) for the indication of "neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer (Press release, Chugai, OCT 10, 2018, View Source [SID1234529941])." In Japan, PERJETA is currently on the market and its approved indication is in "HER2-positive inoperable or recurrent breast cancer." With this supplemental approval, the indication of PERJETA has been broadened to "HER2-positive breast cancer."

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"The ultimate goal for early breast cancer treatment is to cure. Although treatment outcomes have improved over the years, unfortunately, some patients still have recurrence of cancer. By offering a new treatment option for HER2-positive early breast cancer with this approval, we hope that PERJETA can make an even greater contribution to the advancement of breast cancer treatments," said Dr. Yasushi Ito, Chugai’s Executive Vice President, Co-Head of Project & Lifecycle Management Unit. "Chugai will continue to focus on collecting and providing information for the proper use of PERJETA against the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer."

This approval is based on the results from the APHINITY study (Adjuvant Pertuzumab and Herceptin IN Initial TherapY in Breast Cancer), a global phase III study, and several clinical studies. The APHINITY study is a global phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of PERJETA plus Herceptin and chemotherapy (anthracycline medicine followed by docetaxel or paclitaxel / docetaxel plus carboplatin) compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy as adjuvant (post-surgery) therapy in 4,805 patients (including 302 patients in Japan) with HER2-positive early breast cancer who have undergone curative surgery. The primary endpoint of the APHINITY study is invasive disease-free survival (IDFS), which is the time a patient lives without return of invasive breast cancer at any site or death from any cause after adjuvant therapy. PERJETA arm significantly reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 19% compared to control arm (HR=0.81, 95%CI 0.66-1.00, stratified log-rank test, p=0.0446). The safety profile of PERJETA was consistent with that seen in previous studies.

PERJETA was approved for neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer in September 2013 in the US and in July 2015 in Europe. In addition, PERJETA was approved for adjuvant therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer in December 2017 in the US and in May 2018 in Europe.

As the leading pharmaceutical company in the field of oncology in Japan, Chugai believes that PERJETA will make a significant contribution to patients’ lives as a new treatment option for "HER2-positive early breast cancer."

Drug Information

The underlined descriptions are newly added and changed.

Product name: PERJETA I.V. Infusion 420 mg/14 mL

Generic name: pertuzumab (genetical recombination)

Indication: HER2-positive breast cancer

Dosage and administration: The usual adult dosage when used in combination with trastuzumab (genetical recombination) and other anticancer drugs is a loading dose of 840 mg of pertuzumab (genetical recombination) followed by 420 mg every three weeks given by intravenous infusion over 60 minutes. For neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy, however, treatment should be given for up to 12 months. The infusion time can be shortened to as little as 30 minutes from the second infusion onward if the first infusion is well tolerated.

On October 10, 2018 Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, reported that it will hold its third-quarter 2018 sales and earnings conference call with institutional investors and analysts at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 25 (Press release, Merck & Co, OCT 10, 2018, View Source [SID1234529843]). During the call, company executives will provide an overview of Merck’s performance for the quarter.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live audio webcast of the call on Merck’s website at View Source A replay of the webcast, along with the sales and earnings news release and supplemental financial disclosures, will be available at www.merck.com.

Institutional investors and analysts can participate in the call by dialing (706) 758-9927 or (877) 381-5782 and using ID code number 2169459. Members of the media are invited to monitor the call by dialing (706) 758-9928 or (800) 399-7917 and using ID code number 2169459. Journalists who wish to ask questions are requested to contact a member of Merck’s Media Relations team at the conclusion of the call.

On October 10, 2018 Epizyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPZM), a clinical-stage company developing novel epigenetic therapies, reported that updated efficacy and safety data from the fully enrolled cohort of epithelioid sarcoma (ES) patients in its ongoing Phase 2 trial of tazemetostat will be presented in a poster discussion session at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 Congress to be held October 19-23 in Munich, Germany (Press release, Epizyme, OCT 10, 2018, View Source [SID1234529845]). Tazemetostat is the company’s potent, selective, orally available, first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The Phase 2 study ES cohort completed enrollment in 2017 with a total of 62 patients. Detailed data will be presented at the Congress, including objective response rate (ORR), the study’s primary endpoint, and other important endpoints in this disease including duration of response, overall survival (OS), disease control rate and safety. For the first time, an analysis of ORR, durability and OS will be presented in both treatment-naive patients and in relapsed and/or refractory patients from the fully enrolled study cohort. Data will be presented by the study’s primary investigator, Mrinal Gounder, M.D., attending physician, Sarcoma Medical Oncology and Early Drug Development Service, and assistant professor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

"We are excited to share these updated efficacy and safety data on tazemetostat in patients with epithelioid sarcoma, a rare and deadly cancer," said Robert Bazemore, president and chief executive officer of Epizyme. "We remain committed to bringing this potential therapy to patients living with ES, and are confident as we progress towards our first NDA submission in the first half of 2019."

In addition to the ES data, Epizyme will present data from the company’s Phase 2 study of tazemetostat in adult patients with INI1-negative tumors in two additional poster discussions and during one oral session at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper). A complete list of the tazemetostat presentations at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) are listed below:

Epithelioid Sarcoma Poster Discussion Session
Title: A phase 2, multicenter study of the EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat in adults: (epithelioid sarcoma cohort)
Abstract No.: 1615PD
Date: Monday, October 22, 2018; 11:50 a.m. CEST
Location: Hall B3 – Room 23
Presenter: Mrinal Gounder, M.D.

Proffered Paper (Oral Presentation) Session
Title: Molecular characterization of epithelioid sarcoma (ES) tumors derived from patients enrolled in a phase 2 study of tazemetostat
Abstract No.: 1892O
Date: Saturday, October 20, 2018; 11:12 a.m. – 11:24 a.m. CEST
Location: Hall B3 – Room 21
Presenter: Mrinal Gounder, M.D.

Poster Discussion Sessions
Title: A phase 2, multicenter study of the EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat in adults (INI1-negative tumors cohort)
Abstract No.: 1611PD
Date: Monday, October 22, 2018; 11:50 a.m. CEST
Location: Hall B3 – Room 23
Presenter: Silvia Stacchiotti, M.D.

Title: A phase 2, multicenter study of the EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat in adults (rhabdoid tumor cohort)
Abstract No.: 1612PD
Date: Monday, October 22, 2018; 11:50 a.m. CEST
Location: Hall B3 – Room 23
Presenter: Robin L. Jones, MRCP, M.D.

Conference Call Information
Epizyme Management will host a conference call on Monday, October 22, 2018 at 8:30am EDT. To participate in the conference call, please dial 877-844-6886 (domestic) or 970-315-0315 (international) and refer to conference ID 8780088. The webcast can be accessed in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at www.epizyme.com. The replay of the webcast will be available in the investor section of the company’s website for 60 days.

About the Tazemetostat Clinical Trial Program
Tazemetostat, a potent, selective, orally available, first-in-class EZH2 inhibitor, is currently being studied as a monotherapy in ongoing Phase 2 programs in certain molecularly defined solid tumors, including epithelioid sarcoma and other INI1-negative tumors; follicular lymphoma (FL); and combination studies in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).