On July 25, 2024 Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SMMT) ("Summit," "we," or the "Company") and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) reported a strategic five-year collaboration agreement for the purpose of accelerating the development of ivonescimab (Press release, Summit Therapeutics, JUL 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234645099]).

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Leveraging MD Anderson’s clinical infrastructure and research expertise together with Summit’s innovative, investigational, potential first-in-class PD-1 / VEGF bispecific antibody, the collaboration is designed to quickly discover additional opportunities for ivonescimab, including several tumors outside of its current development plan. MD Anderson will lead multiple clinical trials in several tumor types to evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of ivonescimab, including the possibility of identifying biomarkers through additional research activities.

"We are excited to collaborate with MD Anderson to provide unique insights and expertise to further broaden the development of ivonescimab," stated Allen S. Yang, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Summit. "This collaboration will help accelerate the growing clinical development efforts for ivonescimab and help bring this innovative advancement on immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic standards to as many patients who may benefit as possible."

Early work may include certain types of renal cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer and glioblastoma, which has the potential to rapidly expand the breadth and depth of the ivonescimab development program. The bispecific antibody has shown significant promise in recent read-outs from the randomized Phase III non-small cell lung cancer clinical trials, HARMONi-A and HARMONi-2, conducted by Summit’s partner, Akeso, in addition to promising Phase II data in other solid tumors.

"Through our extensive clinical research efforts, we are committed to bringing impactful new medicines to patients in need as rapidly as possible," said Christopher Flowers, M.D., Division Head of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson. "We are pleased to be collaborating with Summit to broaden the clinical development efforts of ivonescimab and its unique mechanism of action to support our mutual goal to improve the therapeutic options for patients with cancer."

MD Anderson and Summit will collaborate on the design and conduct of preclinical and clinical studies with oversight from a joint steering committee. This research is expected to begin later this year.

About Ivonescimab

Ivonescimab, known as SMT112 in Summit’s license territories, the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, including Mexico and all countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa, and as AK112 in China and Australia, is a novel, potential first-in-class investigational bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule. Ivonescimab displays unique cooperative binding to each of its intended targets with multifold higher affinity when in the presence of both PD-1 and VEGF.

This could differentiate ivonescimab as there is potentially higher expression (presence) of both PD-1 and VEGF in tumor tissue and the tumor microenvironment (TME) as compared to normal tissue in the body. Ivonescimab’s tetravalent structure (four binding sites) enables higher avidity (accumulated strength of multiple binding interactions) in the tumor microenvironment with over 18-fold increased binding affinity to PD-1 in the presence of VEGF in vitro, and over 4-times increased binding affinity to VEGF in the presence of PD-1 in vitro (Zhong, et al, SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper), 2023). This tetravalent structure, the intentional novel design of the molecule, and bringing these two targets into a single bispecific antibody with cooperative binding qualities have the potential to direct ivonescimab to the tumor tissue versus healthy tissue. The intent of this design, together with a half-life of 6 to 7 days (Zhong, et. al., SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper), 2023), is to improve upon previously established efficacy thresholds, in addition to side effects and safety profiles associated with these targets.

Ivonescimab was engineered by Akeso Inc. (HKEX Code: 9926.HK) and is currently engaged in multiple Phase III clinical trials. Over 1,800 patients have been treated with ivonescimab in clinical studies globally.

Summit has begun its clinical development of ivonescimab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), commencing enrollment in 2023 in two multi-regional Phase III clinical trials, HARMONi and HARMONi-3.

HARMONi is a Phase III clinical trial which intends to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI (e.g., osimertinib).

HARMONi-3 is a Phase III clinical trial which is designed to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic squamous NSCLC.

In addition, Akeso has recently had positive read-outs in two single-region (China), randomized Phase III clinical trials for ivonescimab in NSCLC, HARMONi-A and HARMONi-2.

HARMONi-A was a Phase III clinical trial which evaluated ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with an EGFR TKI.

HARMONi-2 is a Phase III clinical trial evaluating monotherapy ivonescimab against monotherapy pembrolizumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have positive PD-L1 expression (PD-L1 TPS >1%).

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy that is not approved by any regulatory authority in Summit’s license territories, including the United States and Europe. Ivonescimab was approved for marketing authorization in China in May 2024.

On July 25, 2024 Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 (Press release, NovoCure, JUL 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234645100]). Novocure is a global oncology company working to extend survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer by developing and commercializing its innovative therapy, Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields).

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"The second quarter was a period of consistent execution at Novocure," said Asaf Danziger, Novocure’s Chief Executive Officer. "We began the year with three key objectives – grow our commercial business in glioblastoma, launch our next indication in non-small cell lung cancer, and deliver on the promise of our clinical and product development pipelines. I am pleased to share we have made significant progress on all fronts this quarter."

Financial updates for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024:

Total net revenues for the quarter were $150.4 million, an increase of 19% compared to the same period in 2023. This increase is primarily driven by our successful launch in France and improved U.S. approval rates.
The United States, Germany, France and Japan contributed $95.7 million, $15.1 million, $14.3 million and $7.7 million, respectively, with other active markets contributing $11.8 million.
Revenue in Greater China from Novocure’s partnership with Zai Lab totaled $5.8 million.
Improved approval rates in the U.S. resulted in $5.0 million of increased net revenue from prior period claims during the quarter. In addition, we received $2.6 million in net revenues from a private payer in the United Kingdom where payments are not routine. We do not expect these two benefits, totaling $7.6 million, to recur.
Gross margin for the quarter was 77%.
Research, development and clinical studies expenses for the quarter were $55.0 million, a decrease of 1% from the same period in 2023.
Sales and marketing expenses for the quarter were $56.6 million, a decrease of 3% compared to the same period in 2023. This primarily reflects lower personnel expenses associated with support functions.
General and administrative expenses for the quarter were $37.7 million, a decrease of 8% compared to the same period in 2023. This primarily reflects lower personnel expenses.
Net loss for the quarter was $33.4 million with loss per share of $0.31.
Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter was $1.1 million.
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $951.2 million as of June 30, 2024.
Operational updates for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024:

1,634 prescriptions were received in the quarter, an increase of 5% compared to the same period in 2023. Prescriptions from the United States, Germany, France and Japan contributed 957, 206, 176 and 108 prescriptions, respectively, with the remaining 187 prescriptions received in other active markets.
As of June 30, 2024, there were 3,963 active patients on therapy, an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2023. Active patients from the United States, Germany, France and Japan contributed 2,175, 538, 369 and 403 active patients, respectively, with the remaining 478 active patients contributed by other active markets.
Quarterly updates and achievements:

In June, we presented positive results from the phase 3 METIS trial, evaluating the use of TTFields therapy and supportive care for the treatment of patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following stereotactic radiosurgery at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting. The METIS trial met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in time to intracranial progression for adult patients treated with TTFields therapy and supportive care compared to patients treated with supportive care alone.
In June, we presented top-line results from the prospective, non-interventional TIGER study at the 2024 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting. TIGER investigated the use of TTFields therapy in routine clinical use in the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM in Germany. The outcomes observed in the TIGER study are consistent with the survival and safety results from our phase 3 EF-14 clinical trial. TTFields therapy use was not associated with an increase in systemic toxicity and was well tolerated.
Anticipated clinical milestones:

Top-line data from phase 3 PANOVA-3 clinical trial in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (Q4 2024)
Conference call details

Novocure will host a conference call and webcast to discuss second quarter 2024 financial results at 8:00 a.m. EDT today, Thursday, July 25, 2024. To access the conference call by phone, use the following conference call registration link and dial-in details will be provided. To access the webcast, use the following webcast registration link.

The webcast, earnings slides presented during the webcast and the corporate presentation can be accessed live from the Investor Relations page of Novocure’s website, www.novocure.com/investor-relations, and will be available for at least 14 days following the call. Novocure has used, and intends to continue to use, its investor relations website, as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

On July 25, 2024 argenx SE (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a global immunology company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases, reported its half year 2024 results and provided a second quarter business update (Press release, argenx, JUL 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234645066]).

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"We were excited to unveil our ambition for the future of argenx – Vision 2030 – last week, outlining our plan to develop and deliver continued and sustainable innovation for patients," said Tim Van Hauwermeiren, Chief Executive Officer of argenx. "We are already delivering on this promise with impressive commercial execution throughout the first half of the year, expanding our patient reach in MG, and launching in CIDP with our broad FDA label. Our development pipeline is stronger than ever, driven by our unique innovation engine. And we are well-positioned to capture the sizeable growth opportunity before us as we seek to reach earlier-line MG patients over the next 12-18 months with potential label expansions and a pre-filled syringe."

Vision 2030

During its R&D Day on July 16, 2024, argenx unveiled its ‘Vision 2030’ as part of its long-term commitment to transform the treatment of autoimmune diseases by strengthening its leadership in neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) biology, investing in its continuous pipeline of differentiated antibody candidates, and scaling in a disciplined way to ensure innovation remains core to the argenx mission. ‘Vision 2030’ includes the following goals:

50,000 patients globally on treatment with an argenx medicine
10 labeled indications across all approved assets, including VYVGART and potentially empasiprubart and ARGX-119
Five new molecules in Phase 3 development indicating ongoing investment in internal discovery engine, the Immunology Innovation Program
Reaching 50,000 Patients Globally

VYVGART (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) is a first-in-class antibody fragment targeting FcRn and is now approved for both intravenous use and subcutaneous injection (SC) (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase-qvfc) in three indications, including generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) globally, primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in Japan, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in the U.S.

Generated global net product sales (inclusive of both VYVGART and VYVGART SC) of $478 million in second quarter of 2024
National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved VYVGART SC for treatment of gMG in China through Zai Lab on July 16, 2024
Additional VYVGART regulatory decisions on approval expected for gMG in 2024, including in Switzerland, Australia, and Saudi Arabia
Launched VYVGART Hytrulo in CIDP in U.S. with first patients injected in July
Multiple VYVGART SC regulatory submissions under review or planned for CIDP, including:
Regulatory submissions completed in China, Japan, and Europe with decisions on approval expected in 2025
Regulatory submission filing in Canada by end of 2024
Announced plan to evaluate VYVGART in ocular MG with registrational study (ADAPT OCULUS) to start by end of year; OCULUS to support label-expansion strategy into broader MG populations along with ongoing ADAPT SERON study in seronegative MG
Regulatory submission filed and under review for VYVGART SC pre-filled syringe (PFS) for gMG and CIDP
Advancing Pipeline to Achieve 10 Labeled Indications by 2030

argenx continues to demonstrate breadth and depth within its immunology pipeline, advancing multiple pipeline-in-a-product candidates. argenx is solidifying its leadership in FcRn biology, with efgartigimod currently in development in 15 indications. argenx is also advancing its first-in-class C2 inhibitor, empasiprubart, which is being evaluated in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), delayed graft function (DGF), dermatomyositis (DM), and CIDP. In addition, argenx is evaluating ARGX-119, a muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) agonist in both congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Registrational studies ongoing of efgartigimod in thyroid eye disease (TED)
Advancing development of efgartigimod in primary Sjogren’s disease (SjD) with Phase 3 study to begin by end of 2024
Following alignment meeting with FDA, confirmatory study of VYVGART (IV) in primary ITP to start by end of 2024 to enable registration in U.S.
Topline data from seamless Phase 2/3 ALKIVIA study evaluating efgartigimod across three myositis subsets (immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS), and DM expected in fourth quarter of 2024
Update on BALLAD study development plan evaluating efgartigimod in bullous pemphigoid (BP) expected by end of 2024
Proof-of-concept studies ongoing with efgartigimod in membranous nephropathy (MN) and lupus nephritis (LN) with studies expected to initiate this year in antibody mediated rejection (AMR) and systemic sclerosis (SSc)
Phase 3 study of empasiprubart for MMN to initiate in fourth quarter of 2024
CIDP nominated as fourth empasiprubart indication, recognizing opportunity to bring multiple innovative treatments to patients
Phase 1b/2a studies of ARGX-119 to assess early signal detection in patients with CMS and ALS to start by end of 2024
Investing in Immunology Innovation Program to Support Five New Molecules in Phase 3 by 2030

argenx continues to invest in its Immunology Innovation Program (IIP) to drive long-term sustainable pipeline growth. Through the IIP, four new pipeline candidates have been nominated, including: ARGX- 213, targeting FcRn and further solidifying argenx’s leadership in this new class of medicine; ARGX- 121, a first-in-class molecule targeting IgA; ARGX-109, targeting IL-6, which plays an important role in inflammation, and ARGX-220, a first-in-class sweeping antibody for which the target has not yet been disclosed.

Phase 1 studies of ARGX-213 and ARGX-121 expected to start in second half of 2025
Investigational new drug (IND) applications for ARGX-220 and ARGX-109 on track to be filed by end of 2025
SECOND QUARTER 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS

argenx SE

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS

Argenx earnings 2024

DETAILS OF THE FINANCIAL RESULTS

Total operating income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $489 million and $902 million compared to $281 million and $511 million for the same periods in 2023, and mainly consists of:

Product net sales of VYVGART and VYVGART SC for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $478 million and $876 million compared to $269 million and $487 million for the same periods in 2023.
Other operating income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $12 million and $23 million compared to $10 million and $21 million for the same periods in 2023. The other operating income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, primarily relates to research and development tax incentives.
Total operating expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $535 million and $1,041 million compared to $383 million and $717 million for the same periods in 2023, and mainly consists of:

Cost of sales for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $52 million and $96 million compared to $24 million and $42 million for the same periods in 2023. The cost of sales was recognized with respect to the sale of VYVGART and VYVGART SC.
Research and development expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $225 million and $450 million compared to $196 million and $361 million for the same periods in 2023. The research and development expenses mainly relate to external research and development expenses and personnel expenses incurred in the clinical development of efgartigimod in various indications and the expansion of other clinical and preclinical pipeline candidates.
Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $256 million and $492 million compared to $162 million and $311 million for the same periods in 2023. The selling, general and administrative expenses mainly relate to professional and marketing fees linked to the commercialization of VYVGART and VYVGART SC, and personnel expenses.
Financial income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $39 million and $78 million compared to $20 million and $37 million for the same periods in 2023. The increase in financial income is mainly due to an increase in interest income coming from an increase of cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets as a result of the July 2023 financing round.

Exchange losses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 were $8 million and $27 million compared to $2 million exchange losses and $9 million of exchange gains for the same periods in 2023.

Exchange gains/losses are mainly attributable to unrealized exchange rate gains or losses on the cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets denominated in Euro.

Income tax for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $44 million and $57 million of income tax benefit, respectively, compared to $11 million of income tax expense and $37 million of income tax benefit for the same periods in 2023.

Net Result for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 was $29 million profit and $33 million loss compared to $94 million and $123 million loss for the same periods in 2023. On a per weighted average share basis, the basic profit was $0.49 and diluted profit was $0.45 for the three months ended June 30, 2024, compared to a basic and diluted loss of $1.69 for the same period in 2023. On a per weighted average share basis, the basic and diluted loss was $0.55 for the six months ended June 30, 2024, compared to a basic and diluted loss of $2.21 for the same period in 2023.

Cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets totalled $3.1 billion as of June 30, 2024, compared to $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2023. The decrease in cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets result from a net cash flows used in operating activities.

FINANCIAL GUIDANCE

Based on its current operating plans, argenx expects its combined research and development and selling, general and administrative expenses in 2024 to be less than $2 billion. argenx updated its cash burn guidance and now expects to utilize less than $500 million of net cash1 in 2024 on anticipated operating expenses as well as working capital and capital expenditures.

EXPECTED 2024 FINANCIAL CALENDAR

October 31, 2024: 3Q 2024 financial results and business update
February 27, 2025: Full-year 2024 financial results and 4Q 2024 business update
CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

The half-year 2024 financial results and second quarter business update will be discussed during a conference call and webcast presentation today at 2:30 PM CET/8:30 AM ET. A webcast of the live call and replay may be accessed on the Investors section of the argenx website at argenx.com/investors.

On July 25, 2024 Cellectis (the "Company") (Euronext Growth: ALCLS – NASDAQ: CLLS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug (ODD) and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) Status to UCART22 product candidate for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) (Press release, Cellectis, JUL 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234645085]).

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ALL represents about 10% of all leukemia cases in the United States, progresses rapidly, and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated. It is estimated that 6,660 new cases of ALL and 1,560 deaths related to the disease occurred in the US in 2022[2].

Mark Frattini, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Cellectis said: "We are excited that the FDA granted UCART22 both ODD and RPDD Status in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This decision represents additional evidence of the potential of UCART22 to bring a much-needed therapeutic option to these patients with ALL. There is an urgent need to develop new therapies for ALL for patients who are not candidates for HSCT or relapse after CD19 directed CAR T-cell therapies and/or HSCT."

UCART22 is an allogeneic CAR T-cell product candidate targeting CD22 and evaluated in BALLI-01, a Phase 1/2 open-label dose-escalation and dose-expansion study, designed to evaluate the safety, expansion, persistence and clinical activity of UCART22 in patients with relapse/refractory ALL.

The last clinical data presented by Cellectis at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) in December 2023 were encouraging and suggested that UCART22-P2 (fully manufactured at Cellectis) is more potent with a preliminary response rate of 67% at Dose Level 2, compared to a 50% response rate at Dose Level 3 with UCART22-P1 (manufactured by an external CDMO). Cellectis expects to provide updates on the progress of BALLI-01 by year-end 2024.

The FDA grants ODD status to medicines intended for the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the US, an RPDD is granted for serious or life-threatening disease in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations, such as mortality with relapsed and/or refractory disease, primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years. Receiving ODD may help to expedite and reduce the cost of development, approval, and commercialization of a therapeutic agent. Receiving RPDD may lead to receiving a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher at the time of marketing approval.

On July 25, 2024 Checkpoint Therapeutics, Inc. ("Checkpoint") (Nasdaq: CKPT), a clinical-stage immunotherapy and targeted oncology company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has accepted for review Checkpoint’s resubmission of its Biologics License Application ("BLA") for cosibelimab, its anti-programmed death ligand-1 ("PD-L1") antibody, as a potential new treatment for adults with metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma ("cSCC") who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation (Press release, Checkpoint Therapeutics, JUL 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234645086]). The resubmission has been accepted as a complete response to the FDA’s December 2023 complete response letter ("CRL") and the FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act ("PDUFA") goal date of December 28, 2024.

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James F. Oliviero, President and Chief Executive Officer of Checkpoint, said, "We are pleased that the FDA has accepted our BLA resubmission as a complete response after we aligned on our BLA resubmission strategy. We look forward to working closely with the FDA to finalize the review and to the potential opportunity to deliver cosibelimab’s unique dual mechanism of action to patients suffering from cSCC."

In December 2023, the FDA issued a CRL for the cosibelimab BLA, which only cited findings that arose during a multi-sponsor inspection of Checkpoint’s third-party contract manufacturing organization ("CMO") as approvability issues to address in a BLA resubmission. The CRL did not state any concerns about the clinical data package, safety, or labeling for the approvability of cosibelimab.

About Cosibelimab
Cosibelimab is a potential differentiated, high affinity, fully-human monoclonal antibody of IgG1 subtype that directly binds to PD-L1 and blocks the PD-L1 interaction with the programmed death receptor-1 ("PD-1") and B7.1 receptors. Cosibelimab’s primary mechanism of action is based on the inhibition of the interaction between PD-L1 and its receptors PD-1 and B7.1, which removes the suppressive effects of PD-L1 on anti-tumor CD8+ T-cells to restore the cytotoxic T cell response. Cosibelimab is potentially differentiated from the currently marketed PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies through sustained high tumor target occupancy of PD-L1 to reactivate an antitumor immune response and the additional potential benefit of a functional Fc domain capable of inducing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity ("ADCC") for potential enhanced efficacy.