La Jolla Pharmaceutical has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .

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On July 27, 2017 AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, reported progression-free survival (PFS) results for the Phase III MYSTIC trial, a randomised, open-label, multi-centre, global trial of Imfinzi (durvalumab) monotherapy or Imfinzi in combination with tremelimumab versus platinum-based standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy in previously-untreated patients with metastatic (Stage IV) 1st-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, AstraZeneca, JUL 27, 2017, View Source [SID1234519897]).

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The combination of Imfinzi and tremelimumab did not meet the primary endpoint of improving PFS compared to SoC in patients whose tumours express PD-L1 on 25% or more of their cancer cells (as determined by the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP263) assay).

As a secondary endpoint, although not formally tested, Imfinzi monotherapy would not have met a pre-specified threshold of PFS benefit over SoC in this disease setting.

The trial will continue to assess two additional primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) for Imfinzi monotherapy and OS for the Imfinzi plus tremelimumab combination. Final OS data from both primary endpoints are expected during the first half of 2018.

Sean Bohen, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said: "While the results from the MYSTIC trial for progression-free survival in first-line Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer compared with standard of care are disappointing, the trial was designed to assess overall survival and we look forward to evaluating the remaining primary endpoints of overall survival for both mono- and combination therapy."

AstraZeneca recently received accelerated approval from the US FDA for Imfinzi in previously-treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC).

About MYSTIC

The MYSTIC trial is a randomised, open-label, multi-centre, global Phase III trial of Imfinzi monotherapy or Imfinzi in combination with tremelimumab versus SoC in treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) wild-type locally-advanced or metastatic (Stage IV) 1st-line NSCLC. Lung cancer is an unapproved use of Imfinzi.

The trial is being conducted in 167 centres across 17 countries, including the US, Canada, Europe, parts of Asia including Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, and in Russia and Australia. Primary endpoints include PFS and OS.

About Imfinzi

Imfinzi (durvalumab), a human monoclonal antibody directed against PD-L1, blocks PD-L1 interaction with PD-1 and CD80 on T cells, countering the tumour’s immune-evading tactics and inducing an immune response.

Imfinzi continues to be studied in multiple monotherapy trials and combination trials with tremelimumab and other potential new medicines in immuno-oncology. Imfinzi is being assessed in Phase III trials as a monotherapy in various stages of NSCLC, in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), in mUC and in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The combination of Imfinzi and tremelimumab is being assessed in Phase III trials in mUC, NSCLC, SCLC and HNSCC and in Phase I/II trials in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and haematological malignancies.

About Tremelimumab

Tremelimumab is an investigational human monoclonal antibody that targets the activity of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). Tremelimumab blocks the activity of CTLA-4, contributing to T cell activation and boosting the immune response to cancer. Tremelimumab is being investigated in an extensive clinical trial programme in combination with Imfinzi, in NSCLC, mUC, HNSCC, HCC and blood cancers.

About AstraZeneca in NSCLC

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, accounting for about one-third of all cancer deaths and more than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined.

AstraZeneca has a comprehensive portfolio of approved and potential new medicines in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of NSCLC across all stages of disease and lines of therapy. We aim to address unmet needs of patients with EGFR-mutated tumours as a genetic driver of disease, which occur in 10-15% of NSCLC patients in the US and EU and 30-40% of NSCLC patients in Asia, with our approved medicines Iressa and Tagrisso and ongoing FLAURA and ADAURA trials. Our extensive late-stage immuno-oncology programme focuses on 75-80% of patients with NSCLC without a known genetic mutation. Our portfolio includes Imfinzi (durvalumab), an anti-PDL1 antibody, which is in development as monotherapy (ADJUVANT, PACIFIC, MYSTIC, PEARL and ARCTIC trials) and in combination with tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 (MYSTIC, NEPTUNE and POSEIDON trials).

On July 27, 2017 Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI), reported that it has amended its license agreement with Takeda Oncology for IPI-549, Infinity’s potentially first-in-class immuno-oncology product candidate that selectively inhibits phosphoinositide-3-kinase gamma (PI3K-gamma) (Press release, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, JUL 27, 2017, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2289511 [SID1234519908]). Under the amended agreement, Infinity will no longer have an obligation to pay Takeda future royalties on worldwide net sales of selective inhibitors of PI3K-gamma, including IPI-549.

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In exchange for eliminating the royalty obligation, Infinity issued to Takeda an unsecured $6.0 million convertible note that matures on July 27, 2018, and accrues interest at an annual rate of eight percent. The company is obligated to pay the principal amount together with any accrued interest on or before the maturity date in cash or in shares of Infinity common stock, at the election of Takeda. The share payment price would equal the average closing price of Infinity’s common stock for the 20 days prior to the payment date.

"Our decision to enter this amendment underscores Infinity’s belief in the potential of IPI-549 to be an oral, selective first-in-class inhibitor of PI3K-gamma for the treatment of a broad range of solid tumors, and we are continuing to advance our Phase 1 study evaluating IPI-549 both as a monotherapy and in combination with Opdivo, a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor," stated Adelene Perkins, Infinity’s chief executive officer. "This amendment reduces the total royalty burden on any future net sales of IPI-549 to four percent due to Mundipharma and Purdue from a previous agreement."

Infinity remains obligated to pay development, regulatory and commercial milestones to Takeda for IPI-549. The remaining milestones comprise up to a total of $5 million in development milestones, up to $50 million in success-based regulatory milestones, and up to $115 million in commercial milestones, which are due once certain sales thresholds have been met.

Under a previous agreement, Infinity is obligated to pay Mundipharma International Corporation Limited and Purdue Pharmaceutical Products L.P. a four percent royalty in the aggregate on worldwide net sales of IPI-549, which steps down to one percent in the U.S. after a certain sales threshold is met.

About IPI-549 and the Ongoing Phase 1 Study

IPI-549 is an investigational, orally administered immuno-oncology development candidate that selectively inhibits PI3K-gamma. In preclinical studies, IPI-549 reprograms macrophages from a pro-tumor to an anti-tumor phenotype and is able to overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibition.1,2 As such, IPI-549 may have the potential to treat a broad range of solid tumors and represents a potentially complementary approach to restoring anti-tumor immunity in combination with other immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors.

A Phase 1 study of IPI-549 in patients with advanced solid tumors is ongoing to explore the activity, safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of IPI-549 as a monotherapy and in combination with Opdivo (nivolumab), a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors.3 The study includes monotherapy and combination dose-escalation phases, in addition to a monotherapy expansion cohort and combination expansion cohorts. The expansion cohorts evaluating IPI-549 plus Opdivo will include patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Patients enrolled in these combination expansion cohorts represent a difficult-to-treat population, as they must have demonstrated initial resistance or subsequently develop resistance to a PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy immediately prior to enrolling in the study. Overall, the study is expected to enroll approximately 175 patients.

IPI-549 is an investigational compound and its safety and efficacy has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other health authority.

On July 27, 2017 Cancer Research UK reported that the charity’s commercialisation arm, Cancer Research Technology, has been brought together with the Charity’s research funding teams to form a new in-house division called Research and Innovation (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, JUL 27, 2017, View Source [SID1234523163]).

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The move will increase the ease with which funded research can progress toward the development of new therapeutics, diagnostics and other innovations that ultimately deliver benefits to cancer patients and the wider population.

Dr Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation, said: "It’s become clear that the more integrated we are as an organisation, the more we can ensure that our incredible network of discovery science, translational research and clinical development activities are brought to bear in the development of new advances that benefit patients.

"Partnership plays an incredibly important role in this – we can’t advance the discoveries our researchers make in isolation – and with this move we can engage partners sooner and bring our network of capability together with their expertise to accelerate progress.

"Our goal is to be the world leading cancer research and innovation organisation. Partners need to understand what we do and how to engage with our funded scientists and our portfolio of research. We have a broad research strategy spanning discovery science, cancer prevention, big data, therapeutic innovation and early detection. This move we are making will help us develop effective strategic partnerships to advance our work in these areas."

All commercialisation activity will be carried out by Cancer Research UK’s Commercial Partnerships team* and the CRT Discovery Laboratories will become the CRUK Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories. With exclusive rights to over £350m of world-class cancer research annually, we are able to offer unique opportunities to commercial partners looking for early involvement in new discoveries.

The move will also benefit researchers, enabling them to progress their projects through cross-disciplinary or industry interactions, while industry partners will benefit from academia’s high-risk research and innovative thinking.

On July 27, 2017 NewLink Genetics Corporation (NASDAQ: NLNK) reported first patient dosed in the Phase 1 study of NLG802, a novel prodrug of indoximod. NLG802 is an investigational agent targeting the IDO pathway and represents an important step in the company’s strategic planning and intellectual property (IP) management (Press release, NewLink Genetics, JUL 27, 2017, View Source [SID1234519909]).
The NLG802 trial is a Phase 1 open-label clinical trial for patients with advanced solid tumors designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of escalating oral doses. The trial will utilize a standard 3+3 dose-escalation design.

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"Preclinical data for NLG802 have shown an advantageous pharmacokinetic profile in preclinical models and were presented in April at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) annual meeting," said Charles J. Link, Jr., MD, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. "NLG802 further expands the lifecycle and IP surrounding our evolving immuno-oncological platform."

Trial specific information is available on clinicaltrials.gov

About NLG802
NLG802 is an investigational, orally available prodrug of indoximod, a small molecule targeting the IDO Pathway. The IDO Pathway is one of the key immuno-oncology targets involved in regulating the tumor microenvironment and immune escape. NewLink Genetics is currently evaluating NLG802 in a Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial in cancer patients to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of NLG802.