On October 1, 2018 AVEO Oncology (NASDAQ: AVEO) reported that it has initiated topline analysis of the phase 3 TIVO-3 clinical trial on the unanimous recommendation of the independent TIVO-3 Study Steering Committee, and after notice to the FDA (Press release, AVEO, OCT 1, 2018, View Source [SID1234529690]). The TIVO-3 trial is the Company’s randomized, controlled, multi-center, open-label study to compare FOTIVDA (tivozanib) to sorafenib in subjects with refractory advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Company expects to complete data analysis and report topline results from the study in approximately 6 weeks.

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 Steering Committee recommendation was preceded by a slowing in the rate of progression free survival (PFS) events in the trial over the last 4-6 months. The reasons given by the Steering Committee for the unanimous recommendation were that current patients have been on study for at least one year and may not progress for some time, and that the small reduction in events at the time of final analysis was unlikely to materially affect the clinical interpretation of the results. As of September 26, 2018, the last review of events, a total of 242 PFS events had occurred in the trial. The Company plans to set the data cutoff date for the primary analysis at October 4, 2018. Performing the primary analysis at 242 events reduces the power of the study from 90% (based on the prior target of 255 PFS events) to 88%.

Following the last review of events, 42 patients remain on treatment in the TIVO-3 study with 28 of the remaining patients yet to have a PFS event as determined by the independent radiology committee. All patients still enrolled in the study will continue to receive treatment per study protocol. The Company will remain blinded to study data until data analysis is complete.

"Initiation of the topline analysis of the TIVO-3 trial brings us one step closer to potentially realizing the strategy we laid out in 2015, which included commercialization of tivozanib in the United States and Europe, and exploration of tivozanib’s clinical potential in immunotherapy combinations," said Michael Bailey, president and chief executive officer of AVEO. "With the introduction of immunotherapy as a treatment for earlier-line RCC, survival among patients is extending well beyond disease progression on first- and second-line treatment, which we believe may substantially increase the third-plus-line opportunity for tivozanib. TIVO-3 has the potential to serve as the first prospective Phase 3 randomized dataset in this setting, creating an evidence-based guidepost for sequencing therapies in refractory disease. We look forward to announcing the topline results of TIVO-3 in the coming weeks."

The TIVO-3 trial was designed to enroll patients with RCC who have failed at least two prior regimens, including VEGFR-TKI therapy. Eligible patients may also have received checkpoint inhibitor therapy in earlier lines of treatment. Patients are randomized 1:1 to receive either tivozanib or sorafenib, with no crossover between arms. The primary endpoint of the study is PFS. Secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), overall response rate, and safety and tolerability. TIVO-3, together with the previously completed TIVO-1 trial of tivozanib in the first-line treatment of RCC, is designed to support a regulatory submission of tivozanib in the U.S. as a treatment for RCC, if the data are positive. TIVO-3 patients were exclusively enrolled in North America, Western Europe, and Central Europe.

About Tivozanib (FOTIVDA)

Tivozanib (FOTIVDA) is an oral, once-daily, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) discovered by Kyowa Hakko Kirin and approved for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the European Union plus Norway and Iceland. It is a potent, selective and long half-life inhibitor of all three VEGF receptors and is designed to optimize VEGF blockade while minimizing off-target toxicities, potentially resulting in improved efficacy and minimal dose modifications.1,2 Tivozanib has been shown to significantly reduce regulatory T-cell production in preclinical models, enabling potentially enhanced activity when used in combination with immune modulating therapy.3 As part of a North American registration plan, tivozanib is currently being studied in the Phase 3 TIVO-3 trial, a randomized, controlled, multi-center, open-label study to compare tivozanib to sorafenib in subjects with refractory RCC. Tivozanib has been investigated in several tumors types, including renal cell, hepatocellular, colorectal and breast cancers.

On October 1, 2018 Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) reported that it earned a $22 million payment from Verastem Oncology under the license agreement between the Company and Verastem for COPIKTRA (duvelisib) (Press release, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, OCT 1, 2018, View Source [SID1234530645]). The payment was earned upon the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 24, 2018 of duvelisib for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies, as well as accelerated approval for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after at least two prior systemic therapies.

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!

"We are really pleased that duvelisib is now available for patients with CLL/SLL and follicular lymphoma and are proud of the role Infinity played in its development," said Adelene Perkins, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Infinity. "This $22 million FDA approval payment from Verastem supports Infinity’s continued expansion of the development of IPI-549, our first-in-class, oral, immuno-oncology development candidate that selectively inhibits phosphoinositide-3-kinase-gamma (PI3K-gamma), including in doublet and triplet combination trials to identify the best combination regimens to treat patients with specific types of cancer."

In 2016, Infinity entered into a license agreement granting Verastem an exclusive worldwide license for the research, development, commercialization, and manufacture of duvelisib and products containing duvelisib in oncology. Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement, Verastem has notified Infinity of its election to make the $22 million payment in cash, which Infinity expects to receive later this year. Infinity also is eligible for royalties on worldwide net sales of duvelisib ranging from the mid-to-high single digits, shared equally with Takeda.

Infinity’s updated 2018 financial guidance is:

Net Loss: Infinity expects net loss for 2018 to range from $10 million to $20 million.

Cash and Investments: Infinity expects to end 2018 with a year-end cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities balance ranging from $50 million to $60 million.

Cash Runway: Based on its current operational plans, Infinity expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities will be adequate to satisfy the company’s capital needs into 2020. Infinity’s financial guidance excludes additional funding or business development activities and does not include a potential $2 million payment from PellePharm, a private company, upon initiation of a Phase 3 study for the hedgehog inhibitor program, which Infinity licensed to PellePharm in 2013.

On October 1, 2018 Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical stage gene therapy company developing a new approach to treating cancer based upon a novel proprietary technology platform, reported that the management team will present at the following upcoming investor and industry conferences (Press release, Genprex, OCT 1, 2018, View Source [SID1234529691]):

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!

Event: The MicroCap Conference
Date: October 2, 2018
Time: 12:00 PM EDT
Location: New York, NY
Presenter: Rodney Varner, Chairman and CEO

Event: BIO Investor Forum
Date: October 18, 2018
Time: 9:30 AM PDT
Location: San Francisco, CA
Presenter: Dr. Julien Pham, President and COO

On October 1, 2018 Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) reported that it earned a $22 million payment from Verastem Oncology under the license agreement between the Company and Verastem for COPIKTRA (duvelisib) (Press release, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, OCT 1, 2018, View Source [SID1234529882]). The payment was earned upon the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 24, 2018 of duvelisib for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies, as well as accelerated approval for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after at least two prior systemic therapies.

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!

"We are really pleased that duvelisib is now available for patients with CLL/SLL and follicular lymphoma and are proud of the role Infinity played in its development," said Adelene Perkins, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Infinity. "This $22 millionFDA approval payment from Verastem supports Infinity’s continued expansion of the development of IPI-549, our first-in-class, oral, immuno-oncology development candidate that selectively inhibits phosphoinositide-3-kinase-gamma (PI3K-gamma), including in doublet and triplet combination trials to identify the best combination regimens to treat patients with specific types of cancer."

In 2016, Infinity entered into a license agreement granting Verastem an exclusive worldwide license for the research, development, commercialization, and manufacture of duvelisib and products containing duvelisib in oncology. Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement, Verastem has notified Infinity of its election to make the $22 million payment in cash, which Infinity expects to receive later this year. Infinity also is eligible for royalties on worldwide net sales of duvelisib ranging from the mid-to-high single digits, shared equally with Takeda.

Infinity’s updated 2018 financial guidance is:

Net Loss: Infinity expects net loss for 2018 to range from $10 million to $20 million.
Cash and Investments: Infinity expects to end 2018 with a year-end cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities balance ranging from $50 million to $60 million.
Cash Runway: Based on its current operational plans, Infinity expects that its existing cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities will be adequate to satisfy the company’s capital needs into 2020. Infinity’s financial guidance excludes additional funding or business development activities and does not include a potential $2 million payment from PellePharm, a private company, upon initiation of a Phase 3 study for the hedgehog inhibitor program, which Infinity licensed to PellePharm in 2013.

On October 1, 2018 Aduro Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADRO) reported that four separate abstracts from its research and development portfolio will be presented at the upcoming Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. from November 7-11, 2018 (Press release, Aduro Biotech, OCT 1, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2369686 [SID1234530081]). Preliminary clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1 dose-finding study evaluating ADU-S100 (MIW815), an intratumoral STING agonist in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas, were accepted for presentation on November 9, 2018.

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!

"We look forward to sharing preliminary clinical data from the dose escalation portion of the monotherapy trial which provides an initial understanding of the potential role of ADU-S100 in the treatment of cancer and which contribute to the broader scientific understanding of the STING pathway," said Stephen T. Isaacs, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aduro Biotech. "In collaboration with our partner Novartis, our objective is to characterize the safety and mechanism of action of ADU-S100 across a wide array of solid tumors and lymphomas and provide a basis for continued development of ADU-S100 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4."

Researchers will present additional preclinical data for ADU-S100 in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. They will also present the results of early research to identify and characterize an anti-SIRPa antibody ADU-1805.

Details of the poster and oral presentations are as follows:

Abstract 10763: Phase I dose-finding study of MIW815 (ADU-S100), an intratumoral STING agonist, in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas
Date: November 9-10, 2018
Location: Poster Hall E, Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Abstract 10938: ADU-S100 (MIW815) Synergizes with Checkpoint Inhibition to Elicit an Anti-Tumor CD8+ T Cell Response to Control Distal Tumors
Date: November 9-10, 2018
Location: Poster Hall E, Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Abstract 10923: SIRPα blockade increases the activity of multiple myeloid lineage cells, enhances dendritic cell cross-presentation, and aids in remodeling the tumor microenvironment
Session: Rapid Oral Abstracts
Date/Time: November 9, 2018, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Poster Hall E, Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Abstract 10960: Pan-allele anti-SIRPα antibodies that block the SIRPα–CD47 innate immune checkpoint
Date: November 9-10, 2018
Location: Poster Hall E, Walter E. Washington Convention Center
About STING Pathway Activator Platform
The Aduro-proprietary STING pathway activator product candidates, including ADU-S100 (MIW815), are synthetic small molecule immune modulators that are designed to target and activate human STING. STING is generally expressed at high levels in immune cells, including dendritic cells. Natural activation of STING is not always sufficient to prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. In preclinical models, ADU-S100 directly activates STING to further amplify the natural anti-tumor response. Once activated, the STING receptor initiates a profound innate immune response through multiple pathways, inducing the expression of a broad profile of cytokines, including interferons and chemokines. This subsequently leads to the development of a systemic tumor antigen-specific T cell adaptive immune response.

Aduro’s lead molecule, ADU-S100, is the first therapeutic in development specifically targeting STING. In collaboration with Novartis, it is being tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial as a single agent and in combination with ipilimumab, and in a Phase 1b combination trial with spartalizumab (PDR001), an investigational anti-PD-1 compound. These studies are enrolling patients with cutaneously accessible, advanced/metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas. The trials are evaluating the ability of ADU-S100 to activate the immune system and recruit specialized immune cells to attack the injected tumor, leading to a broad immune response that seeks out and kills distant metastases.