LabCorp Subsidiary Sequenom, Inc. Announces Early Tender Results for Tender Offers and Successful Completion of Consent Solicitations for 5% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2017 and 5% Convertible Senior Exchange Notes Due 2018

On September 30, 2016 Sequenom, Inc. ("Sequenom"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) (NYSE: LH), reported the results, as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 29, 2016 (the "Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline"), of (A) the cash tender offers (the "Tender Offers") for any and all of the outstanding 5% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2017 (CUSIP No. 817337 AB4, the "2017 Notes") and 5% Convertible Senior Exchange Notes Due 2018 (CUSIP No. 817337 AC2, the "2018 Notes" and, together with the 2017 Notes, the "Notes") issued by Sequenom, and (B) the solicitations (the "Consent Solicitations") of consents of the holders of Notes (the "Consents") to enact certain proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indentures governing the Notes to eliminate various reporting obligations and restrictive provisions related to the incurrence of indebtedness, as well as make certain other changes in the indentures (Press release, LabCorp, SEP 30, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2207126 [SID:SID1234515520]). The Tender Offers will expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Monday, October 17, 2016, unless extended or terminated (the "Expiration Date").

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As of the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline, (i) a total of $44,841,000 aggregate principal amount of the outstanding 2017 Notes, representing approximately 99.647% of the outstanding 2017 Notes, were validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and (ii) a total of $85,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the outstanding 2018 Notes, representing 100.00% of the outstanding 2018 Notes, were validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) in the Tender Offers. All tendered Notes were accompanied by Consents to the Proposed Amendments.

As a result, as of the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline, Sequenom received the requisite Consents from holders of at least a majority of the outstanding principal amount of both series of Notes to meet the Consent Condition and to adopt the Proposed Amendments. On September 29, 2016, Sequenom and the trustee for the Notes entered into a supplemental indenture to each of the indentures governing the 2017 Notes and the 2018 Notes (the "Supplemental Indentures"), giving effect to the Proposed Amendments. The Supplemental Indentures are binding as of their execution and will become operative on the settlement date of the Tender Offers (the "Settlement Date"), which is expected to occur on October 20, 2016.

Sequenom will accept for purchase such amount of 2017 Notes and 2018 Notes properly tendered and not validly withdrawn in the Tender Offers as of the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline. Holders whose 2017 Notes were validly tendered and accompanied by a Consent on or before the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline, and not withdrawn, will receive, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of 2017 Notes, the "2017 Total Consideration" of $1,037.50 plus Accrued Interest (such price being rounded to the nearest $0.01 per $1,000 principal outstanding amount of Notes) on the Settlement Date. Holders whose 2018 Notes were validly tendered and accompanied by a Consent on or before the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline, and not withdrawn, will receive, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of 2018 Notes, the "2018 Total Consideration" of $1,046.25 plus Accrued Interest (such price being rounded to the nearest $0.01 per $1,000 principal outstanding amount of Notes) on the Settlement Date.

Holders who validly tender their 2017 Notes after the Early Tender and Consent Payment Deadline but on or prior to the Expiration Date and do not withdraw their tender will not receive the respective Total Consideration but will be eligible to receive, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of 2017 Notes tendered, the "Purchase Price" of $1,000.00, plus accrued interest to but excluding the Settlement Date. No tenders of Notes will be valid if submitted after the Expiration Date.

The Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations are being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, dated September 16, 2016 (as supplemented on September 22, 2016, and as amended or further supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase") and the accompanying Consent and Letter of Transmittal.

Barclays is the Dealer Manager and Solicitation Agent for the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations and may be contacted at 1-888-610-5877 (toll free) or 212-526-7255. Requests for documents may be directed to Morrow Sodali Global, LLC, the Information Agent, at 1-203-658-9400 for banks and brokers or 1-800-662-5200 (toll free) for Holders and all others.

This announcement is not an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell the Notes or a solicitation of Consents. The Tender Offers for the Notes and the related Consent Solicitations are only being made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and the related Consent and Letter of Transmittal. Holders of the Notes should read the Offer to Purchase and the Consent and Letter of Transmittal carefully prior to making any decision with respect to the Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations because they contain important information.

This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of Sequenom, Inc. In accordance with normal practice, Barclays expresses no opinion on the merits of the Tender Offers or the Consent Solicitations, nor does it accept any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other document prepared in connection with the Tender Offers or the Consent Solicitations.

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. Gains Title To All Shares In Biotie Therapies Corp. And The Shares Will Delist From Nasdaq Helsinki

On September 30, 2016 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) ("Acorda") reported that it had lodged security approved by the Arbitral Tribunal and thus gained title to all the shares in Biotie Therapies Corp. (Nasdaq Helsinki: BTH1V) ("Biotie") in accordance with Chapter 18, Section 6 of the Finnish Companies Act (Press release, Acorda Therapeutics, SEP 30, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515532]). After the security has been lodged, the minority shareholders of Biotie being parties to the redemption proceedings are only entitled to receive the redemption price and the interest payable thereon. Upon application by Biotie, Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd ("Nasdaq Helsinki") has on 25 August 2016 decided that the Biotie shares will be delisted from the Official List of Nasdaq Helsinki upon title to all shares in Biotie having been transferred to Acorda. The quoting of the Biotie shares on Nasdaq Helsinki will thus cease in accordance with a separate release to be published by Nasdaq Helsinki.

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Cellectar Biosciences Announces New Positive Data from Phase I Clinical Study of CLR 131 in Multiple Myeloma

On September 29, 2016 Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRB) (the "company"), an oncology-focused biotechnology company, reported positive data from the second cohort of patients enrolled in its orphan-drug designated Phase I study of CLR 131 in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Following these outcomes, the study’s Data Monitoring Committee approved patient enrollment to the third cohort, which will include a 33 percent dose increase from 18.75 to 25mCi/m2 of CLR 131 from the previous cohort (Filing, 8-K, Cellectar Biosciences, SEP 29, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515512]).

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All evaluable study participants (n=8) have achieved stable disease and progression-free survival (PFS), which includes four evaluable patients from Cohort 1 and four evaluable patients from Cohort 2. To date, Cohort 2 subjects have attained an average increase in PFS of greater than 30 percent as compared to Cohort 1. Cellectar continues to follow patient outcomes within Cohort 2, including PFS. After these patients have fully completed the study, the company looks forward to providing additional study data, including the full extent of the increase in PFS from Cohort 2 over Cohort 1. While patients in Cohort 2 received a 50 percent increase in dose, they did not experience a proportional increase in adverse events and demonstrated a similarly favorable safety and tolerability profile as experienced by patients in Cohort 1.

"As seen in the results to date, CLR 131 has demonstrated an outstanding safety profile in heavily pretreated, relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients with limited treatment options," stated Natalie Callander, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center Myeloma Clinical Program, and the study’s lead investigator. "I am excited that Cellectar will open the next treatment cohort to offer patients access to this novel treatment’s encouraging efficacy signals."

In this multi-center, open label Phase I dose escalation study, CLR 131 is administered as a single dose, 30-minute infusion. The primary study objective is to characterize the safety and tolerability of CLR 131 in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Prior to enrollment, all study participants had received a minimum of three systemic regimens and up to 12 lines of therapy. Many also received a stem cell transplant. Secondary study objectives include establishment of a recommended Phase II dose, both with and without dexamethasone, as well as an assessment of therapeutic activity.

"This important clinical milestone further validates the potential of our patented PDC delivery platform as well as the clinical benefits of CLR 131 for the treatment of an extremely challenging hematologic cancer," said Jim Caruso, president and CEO of Cellectar Biosciences. "We are focused on successfully executing this Phase I Study for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, as well as initiating our National Cancer Institute-supported Phase II study to further explore dose, regimen and clinical utility of CLR 131 in multiple myeloma and other selected hematologic malignancies with unmet medical need."

About CLR 131
CLR 131 is an investigational compound under development for a range of hematologic malignancies. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The company plans to initiate a Phase II clinical study to assess efficacy in a range of B-cell malignancies in the first half of 2017. Based upon pre-clinical and interim Phase I study data, treatment with CLR 131 provides patients with a novel approach to treating hematological diseases and may provide patients with an improvement in progression-free survival and overall quality of life. CLR 131 utilizes the company’s patented PDC tumor targeting delivery platform to deliver a cytotoxic radioisotope, iodine-131 directly to tumor cells. The FDA has granted Cellectar an orphan drug designation for CLR 131.

About Phospholipid Drug Conjugates (PDCs)
Cellectar’s product candidates are built upon its patented cancer cell-targeting delivery and retention platform of optimized phospholipid ether-drug conjugates (PDCs). Its phospholipid ether (PLE) carrier platform was deliberately designed to be coupled with a variety of payloads to facilitate both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The basis for selective tumor targeting of our PDC compounds lies in the differences between the plasma membranes of cancer cells compared to those of normal cells. Cancer cell membranes are highly enriched in lipid rafts, which are glycolipoprotein microdomains of the plasma membrane of cells that contain high concentrations of cholesterol and sphingolipids, and serve to organize cell surface and intracellular signaling molecules. PDCs have been tested in over 70 different xenograft models of cancer.

About Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood or hematologic cancer with approximately 30,000 new cases in the United States every year. It affects a specific type of blood cells known as plasma cells. Plasma cells are white blood cells that produce antibodies to help fight infections. While treatable for a time, multiple myeloma is incurable and almost all patients will relapse or the cancer will become resistant/refractory to current therapies.

Endocyte Announces Presentations at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

On September 29, 2016 Endocyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECYT), a leader in developing targeted small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging agents for personalized therapy, reported that two posters will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper), being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 7-11, 2016 (Press release, Endocyte, SEP 29, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515513]).

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Presentations are as follows:

Abstract #: 731P
Title: "Phase 1 Study of the PSMA-Targeted Tubulysin Small-Molecule Drug Conjugate EC1169 in Patients with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC): Study Update"
When: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, from 1 – 2 PM CEST
Session ID: Poster Display
Location: Hall E
Presenter: Michael J. Morris, M.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Abstract #: 395P
Title: "Dose Escalation Phase 1, Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study of the Folate Receptor-Targeted Drug Conjugate EC1456 in Advanced Cancer Patients: Study Update"
When: Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, from 1 – 2 PM CEST
Session ID: Poster Display
Location: Hall E
Presenter: Jasgit C. Sachdev, M.D., Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at HonorHealth/TGen

About EC1169 and 99mTc-EC0652

EC1169 is an investigational therapeutic SMDC constructed of a high affinity prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting ligand conjugated through a releasable linker system to a potent cytotoxic microtubule inhibitor, tubulysin B hydrazide (TubBH). The high affinity of EC1169 for PSMA allows for the active and specific delivery of TubBH to PSMA-expressing cancer cells, while minimizing exposure to normal cells. PSMA is known to be highly expressed on the majority of prostate cancers with limited expression on normal tissues. The PSMA-targeted companion imaging agent 99mTc-EC0652 is being co-developed to characterize whole body PSMA expression in real time, to identify patients most likely to benefit from EC1169 therapy. EC1169 and 99mTc-EC0652 are currently being evaluated in a phase 1 study in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02202447).

About EC1456 and 99mTc-etarfolatide

EC1456 is an investigational therapeutic SMDC constructed of folic acid conjugated through a spacer and releasable linker system to a potent cytotoxic microtubule inhibitor, TubBH. The high affinity of the folic acid ligand for the folate receptor (FR) allows for the active and specific targeting of EC1456 to FR-expressing cancer cells. The FR is highly expressed in several epithelial cancers (e.g. ovarian, NSCLC) but is expressed at low levels in most normal tissues. 99mTc-etarfolatide is an FR-targeted companion imaging agent being co-developed to characterize whole body FR expression in real time, to identify patients most likely to benefit from EC1456 therapy. EC1456 and 99mTc-etarfolatide are currently being evaluated in a phase 1 study in patients with advanced solid tumors (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01999738).

Boehringer Ingelheim and SARAH CANNON Research Institute launch strategic collaboration to develop novel immune-oncology therapies

On September 29, 2016 Boehringer Ingelheim and Sarah Cannon Research Institute, the research arm of Sarah Cannon, the global cancer institute of HCA, reported a new strategic collaboration (Press release, Boehringer Ingelheim, SEP 29, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515516]). This partnership brings together Boehringer Ingelheim’s extensive experience in cancer drug development and Sarah Cannon’s expertise and leadership in designing and optimizing clinical trials. The partnership will help bring innovative cancer treatments to patients with unmet medical needs.

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The joint clinical development programme will study Boehringer Ingelheim’s BI 754091(anti- PD-1) and BI 754111 (anti-LAG 3) monoclonal antibodies for the combination treatment of multiple cancers with high unmet medical needs, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). BI 754091 and BI 754111 are immune checkpoint inhibitors designed to rally the patient’s own immune system – which is often suppressed by the tumor – to fight cancer. As both compounds interact with the immune system at different points, the combination treatment approach is expected to result in better anti-tumor response, potentially leading to improved outcomes for patients. Following preliminary findings, the collaboration could be expanded beyond the initial research focus.

"Clinical research is a critical component of finding more effective therapies for patients across different cancer types," said Howard A. "Skip" Burris, MD, President, Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Cannon. "We are committed to advancing treatment options through more targeted methods for patients fighting cancer. By collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology research teams, we can further our understanding of immunotherapies and bring these cutting-edge treatment options into the community more rapidly for patients."

"We are excited to partner with the scientific experts at Sarah Cannon to boost the development of two immune-oncology candidates from Boehringer Ingelheim’s broad oncology pipeline," said Dr. Jörg Barth, Corporate Senior Vice President, Therapy Area Head Oncology, Boehringer Ingelheim. "This collaboration is an important part of our commitment to the area of immune oncology and complements our ongoing research efforts to develop therapeutic cancer vaccines or cancer-fighting viruses as well as in the development of novel targeted therapies."

Through Sarah Cannon Development Innovations, a full-service, oncology-focused contract research organization (CRO), Sarah Cannon will provide comprehensive clinical development services and operational delivery of Boehringer Ingelheim’s early stage development programs. The collaboration will enable rapid patient enrollment to clinical trials through Sarah Cannon’s extensive network across the U.S. and UK. Sarah Cannon is one of the world’s leading clinical research organizations, conducting more than 220 first-in-human studies to date and enrolling more than 2,000 patients each year on innovative clinical trials.