On October 9, 2018 Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:KPTI), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, reported that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $150 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2025 (the "Notes") in a private offering to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") (Press release, Karyopharm, OCT 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234530277]). Karyopharm also expects to grant to the initial purchasers of the Notes a 13-day option to purchase up to an additional $22.5 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes.

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The Notes will be unsecured, senior obligations of Karyopharm and will bear interest payable semi-annually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, beginning on April 15, 2019. The Notes will mature on October 15, 2025, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with their terms. Subject to certain conditions, on or after October 15, 2022, Karyopharm may redeem for cash all or a portion of the Notes. The Notes will be convertible at the option of holders of the Notes, upon satisfaction of certain conditions and during certain periods, into cash, shares of Karyopharm’s common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of Karyopharm’s common stock, at Karyopharm’s option. The interest rate, conversion rate, conversion price and certain other terms of the Notes will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering.

Karyopharm intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Notes: to continue establishing the infrastructure to support the potential commercial launch of selinexor; to support continued clinical development of selinexor in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors; to conduct ongoing activities to support regulatory submissions for oral selinexor as a new treatment for patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma and, if the results of Karyopharm’s SADAL trial are positive, as a new treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; for clinical trials of two of Karyopharm’s pipeline drug candidates in oncology, eltanexor and KPT-9274; and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The Notes will be offered and sold to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The offer and sale of the Notes and the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes, if any, have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and the Notes and any such shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. Any offer of the Notes will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of the Notes or any other securities (including the shares of Karyopharm’s common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes, if any) in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

On October 9, 2018 Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) reported that interim Phase 2 data on its investigational, selective FGFR1/2/3 inhibitor, pemigatinib (INCB54828), will be presented at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 Congress taking place in Munich, Germany from October 19-23, 2018 (Press release, Incyte, OCT 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234529818]).

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Data at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 will include poster presentations on the FIGHT-202 study of pemigatinib in patients with previously treated advanced/metastatic or surgically unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) with fibroblast growth factor (FGF)/FGFR genetic alterations, as well as the FIGHT-201 study of pemigatinib in patients with metastatic or surgically unresectable urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer) harboring FGF/FGFR genetic alterations.

"We are pleased that data on pemigatinib – part of our targeted therapy portfolio – have been selected for presentation at this year’s ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress," stated Steven Stein, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Incyte. "We look forward to sharing updated interim data from the ongoing FIGHT-202 trial of pemigatinib in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, which continue to support our plan for a 2019 NDA submission in this indication, as well as updated data from the FIGHT-201 study of pemigatinib in patients with urothelial carcinoma, which support recruitment into the continuous dosing cohort of this study."

Abstracts were made available today on the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress website at View Source

Poster details:

Interim Results of FIGHT-202, a Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of INCB054828 in Patients (pts) with Previously Treated Advanced/Metastatic or Surgically Unresectable Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) with/without Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)/FGF Receptor (FGFR) Genetic Alterations (Abstract #756P, poster display session)

Sunday, 21 October 2018 from 12:45 p.m. CEST to 1:45 p.m. CEST (6:45 a.m. ET to 7:45 a.m. ET) in Hall A3 – Poster Area Networking Hub
Interim Results of FIGHT-201, a Phase 2, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of INCB054828 in Patients (pts) with Metastatic or Surgically Unresectable Urothelial Carcinoma (UC) Harboring Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)/FGF receptor (FGFR) Genetic Alterations (GA) (Abstract #900P, poster display session)

Monday, 22 October 2018 from 12:45 p.m. CEST to 1:45 p.m. CEST (6:45 a.m. ET to 7:45 a.m. ET) in Hall A3 – Poster Area Networking Hub
Full session details and data presentation listings for ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 can be found at:
View Source

About FGFR and Pemigatinib (INCB54828)

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) play an important role in tumor cell proliferation and survival, migration and angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). Activating mutations, translocations and gene amplifications in FGFRs are closely correlated with the development of various cancers.

Pemigatinib is a potent, selective, oral inhibitor of FGFR isoforms 1, 2 and 3 which, in preclinical studies, has demonstrated selective pharmacologic activity against cancer cells with FGFR alterations. Phase 2 studies investigating the safety and efficacy of pemigatinib monotherapy across several FGFR-driven malignancies are ongoing—the FIGHT (FIbroblast Growth factor receptor in oncology and Hematology Trials) clinical trial program currently comprises FIGHT-201 in patients with metastatic or surgically unresectable bladder cancer, including with activating FGFR3 alterations; FIGHT-202 in patients with metastatic or surgically unresectable cholangiocarcinoma who have failed previous therapy, including with activating FGFR2 translocations; and FIGHT-203 in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms with activating FGFR1 translocations.

On October 8, 2018 Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company, reported it has entered into a purchase agreement with several institutional investors for the purchase of common units and pre-funded units for a combined total of 4,629,630 units in a registered direct offering, for expected gross proceeds of approximately $25 million before placement agent fees and other offering expenses payable by Altimmune (Press release, Altimmune, OCT 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234529900]).

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Each common unit is being sold at a public offering price of $5.40 and consists of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.40. Each pre-funded unit is being sold at a public offering price of $5.39 and consists of a pre-funded warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.40. The public offering price of each pre-funded unit is equal to the public offering price of each common unit being sold to the public in this offering, minus $0.01. The pre-funded warrants will be immediately exercisable and may be exercised at any time until all of the pre-funded warrants are exercised in full. The other warrants will be exercisable immediately and will expire five years from the date of issuance. The terms of the warrants and the pre-funded warrants will be substantially the same as the terms of the warrants and the pre-funded warrants issued in connection with the Company’s public offering completed October 2, 2018 For a summary of the material terms of the warrants and pre-funded warrants, please refer to Exhibit A attached to this press release.

The offering is expected to close on or about October 10, 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. Altimmune intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for the continued advancement of development activities for our clinical-stage product pipeline, general corporate purposes and strategic growth opportunities.

Roth Capital Partners is acting as sole placement agent for the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by Altimmune pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-217034) that was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 6, 2017. A final prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained, when available, by contacting Roth Capital Partners, LLC, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 888 San Clemente Drive, Suite 400, Newport Beach, California 92660, by telephone at (800) 678-9147 or e-mail at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, 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.

On October 9, 2018 OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMED), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel anti-cancer therapeutics, reported that interim results of its ongoing Phase 1b study of navicixizumab in combination with paclitaxel in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer will be presented in a poster presentation on October 20, 2018 at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting to be held in Munich, Germany (Press release, OncoMed, OCT 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234530050]).

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Poster 951P/
Abstract 1389: A Phase 1b Study of Navicixizumab & Weekly Paclitaxel in Heavily Pre-Treated Platinum Resistant Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal or Fallopian Tube Cancer

Date and Time: Saturday, October 20, 2018 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm CEST

Location: Hall A3 – Poster Area Networking Hub
About Navicixizumab
OncoMed’s anti-DLL4/VEGF bispecific antibody, navicixizumab, is designed to inhibit the function of both DLL4 and VEGF and thereby induce potent anti-tumor responses while mitigating certain angiogenic-related toxicities. Navicixizumab was developed utilizing OncoMed’s BiMAb bispecific platform technology, which enables the design of bispecific antibodies comparable to traditional monoclonal antibodies but possessing dual target-binding specificity. In preclinical studies, navicixizumab demonstrated robust in vivo anti-tumor efficacy across a range of solid tumor xenografts, including colon, ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancers, among others. Further, in preclinical studies dual inhibition of DLL4 and VEGF appeared to exhibit synergistic anti-tumor activity at doses where blockade of either target alone elicited sub-optimal activity. In a Phase 1a study with single-agent navicixizumab published in Investigational New Drugs, 19 of 66 patients with various types of refractory solid tumors had tumor shrinkage following treatment with navicixizumab. Notably, 3 of the 12 (25%) ovarian cancer patients treated in the trial achieved a partial response with single-agent navicixizumab therapy

On October 9, 2018 Loxo Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOXO), a biopharmaceutical company developing highly selective medicines for patients with genomically defined cancers, reported that investigators will present data from the larotrectinib and LOXO-292 programs at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2018 Congress to be held October 19-23, 2018, in Munich, Germany (Press release, Loxo Oncology, OCT 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234529819]).

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The larotrectinib oral presentation will provide updated follow-up on the primary analysis set of 55 patients enrolled across the larotrectinib pivotal program, as well as details on the clinical activity of larotrectinib in additional TRK fusion patients subsequently enrolled. The submitted abstract utilized a February 2018 data cut-off date, and the presentation will utilize a July 2018 data cut-off date.

Additionally, an updated analysis of patients’ plasma cell free DNA during treatment with LOXO-292 will be presented in a separate poster presentation.

The schedule for the presentations is as follows:

Oral Presentation Session Date & Time: October 21, 2018, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CET
Title: Larotrectinib efficacy and safety in TRK fusion cancer: an expanded clinical dataset showing consistency in an age and tumor agnostic approach
Presentation Number: 4090
Session Title: Proffered paper session – Developmental therapeutics
Location: Hall B3 – Room 22
Presenter: Ulrik Lassen, M.D., Ph.D.

Poster Presentation Session Date & Time: October 20, 2018, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CET
Title: Detection and clearance of RET variants in plasma cell free DNA (cfDNA) from patients (pts) treated with LOXO-292
Presentation Number: 105P
Session Title: Poster display session: Biomarkers, Gynaecological cancers, Haematological malignancies, Immunotherapy of cancer, New diagnostic tools, NSCLC – early stage, locally advanced & metastatic, SCLC, Thoracic malignancies, Translational research
Location: Hall A3 – Poster Area Networking Hub
Presenter: Benjamin Besse, M.D.

About Larotrectinib
Larotrectinib is an oral and selective investigational tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of patients with cancers that harbor a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion. Growing research suggests that the NTRK genes, which encode for TRKs, can become abnormally fused to other genes, resulting in growth signals that can lead to cancer in many sites of the body. In clinical trials, larotrectinib demonstrated anti-tumor activity in patients with tumors harboring NTRK gene fusions, regardless of patient age or tumor type. In an analysis of 55 RECIST-evaluable adult and pediatric patients with NTRK gene fusions, using a July 17, 2017 data cutoff, larotrectinib demonstrated a 75 percent centrally-assessed confirmed overall response rate (ORR) and an 80 percent investigator-assessed confirmed ORR, across many different types of solid tumors. The majority (93 percent) of all adverse events were grade 1 or 2.

Larotrectinib has been granted Priority Review, Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. FDA.

In November 2017, Loxo Oncology and Bayer entered into an exclusive global collaboration for the development and commercialization of larotrectinib and LOXO-195, a next-generation TRK inhibitor. Bayer and Loxo Oncology are jointly developing the two products with Loxo Oncology leading the ongoing clinical studies as well as the filing in the U.S., and Bayer leading ex-U.S. regulatory activities and worldwide commercial activities. In the U.S., Loxo Oncology and Bayer will co-promote the products.

For additional information about the larotrectinib clinical trials, please refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov. Interested patients and physicians can contact the Loxo Oncology Physician and Patient Clinical Trial Hotline at 1-855-NTRK-123 or visit www.loxooncologytrials.com/trk-trials.

About TRK Fusion Cancer
TRK fusion cancer occurs when a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fuses with another unrelated gene, producing an altered tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) protein. The altered protein, or TRK fusion protein, is constantly active, triggering a permanent signal cascade. These proteins become the primary driver of the spread and growth of tumors in patients with TRK fusion cancer. TRK fusion cancer is not limited to certain types of cells or tissues and can occur in any part of the body. NTRK gene fusions occur in various adult and pediatric solid tumors with varying prevalence, including appendiceal cancer, breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, GIST, infantile fibrosarcoma, lung cancer, mammary analogue secretory carcinoma of the salivary gland, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, and various sarcomas. Only sensitive and specific tests can reliably detect TRK fusion cancer. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can provide a comprehensive view of genomic alterations across a large number of genes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can also be used to test for TRK fusion cancer, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) can be used to detect the presence of TRK protein.

About LOXO-292
LOXO-292 is an oral and selective investigational new drug in clinical development for the treatment of patients with cancers that harbor abnormalities in the rearranged during transfection (RET) kinase. RET fusions and mutations occur across multiple tumor types with varying frequency. LOXO-292 was designed to inhibit native RET signaling as well as anticipated acquired resistance mechanisms that could otherwise limit the activity of this therapeutic approach. LOXO-292 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the U.S. FDA.

LOXO-292 is currently being studied in the global LIBRETTO-001 Phase 1/2 trial. For additional information about the LOXO-292 clinical trial, please refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov. Interested patients and physicians can contact the Loxo Oncology Physician and Patient RET Clinical Trial Hotline at 1-855-RET-4-292 or email [email protected].

About RET-Altered Cancers
Genomic alterations in the RET kinase, which include fusions and activating point mutations, lead to overactive RET signaling and uncontrolled cell growth. RET fusions have been identified in approximately 2% of non-small cell lung cancer, 10-20% of papillary and other thyroid cancers, and a subset of other cancers. Activating RET point mutations account for approximately 60% of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Both RET fusion cancers and RET-mutant MTC are primarily dependent on this single activated kinase for their proliferation and survival. This dependency, often referred to as "oncogene addiction," renders such tumors highly susceptible to small molecule inhibitors targeting RET.