On July 1, 2024 Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTX), a clinical-stage allogeneic cell therapy and genetic medicines company advancing differentiated non-viral treatments for patients with cancer and rare diseases, reported that the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Kristin Yarema, Ph.D., will participate in a virtual fireside chat at the Stifel 2024 Virtual Cell Therapy Forum on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 7:55am PT | 10:55am ET (Press release, Poseida Therapeutics, JUL 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234644634]).

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A live webcast of the fireside chat will be available on the Investors & Media Section of Poseida’s website, www.poseida.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for approximately 90 days following the presentation.

On July 1, 2024 AstraZeneca reported its Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) have been recommended for approval in the European Union (EU) as treatment for certain patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (Press release, AstraZeneca, JUL 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234644635]). Imfinzi plus chemotherapy as 1st-line treatment followed by Lynparza and Imfinzi has been recommended for patients with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) disease. Imfinzi plus chemotherapy followed by Imfinzi alone has been recommended for patients with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) disease.

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The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) based its positive opinion on a prespecified exploratory subgroup analysis by mismatch repair (MMR) status from the DUO-E Phase III trial, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in October 2023.

This analysis showed a reduction in the risk of disease progression or death for pMMR patients in the Lynparza and Imfinzi arm by 43% (median 15.0 months versus 9.7 months, hazard ratio [HR] 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44-0.73) versus the control arm.1 Results for dMMR patients showed a reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in the Imfinzi arm by 58% (median not reached versus 7.0 months, HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.22-0.80) versus the control arm.1

In Europe, endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with nearly 125,000 diagnoses and more than 30,000 deaths in 2022.2,3 Patients diagnosed at an early stage of disease have a five-year survival rate of approximately 80-90%, but that falls to less than 20% for people with advanced disease.4,5 There is a significant need for new treatment options, especially for the 70-80% of patients with pMMR disease.5,6 This recommendation underscores the importance of MMR testing at point of diagnosis, which is well established and widely available.7,8

Els Van Nieuwenhuysen, Gynaecological Oncologist at the UZ Leuven, Belgium and trial investigator, said: "Patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer currently have a very poor prognosis, especially those with mismatch repair proficient disease. This recommendation underscores the significant benefit shown with durvalumab as well as with the olaparib and durvalumab combination for patients with both mismatch repair deficient and mismatch repair proficient status. This marks an important step toward improving outcomes for these patients in Europe."

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "Today’s recommendation for approval in the EU recognises the potential of the Lynparza and Imfinzi combination to provide clinical benefit for patients with endometrial cancer, especially for those with mismatch repair proficient disease who have few available treatments today. If approved, patients in Europe will have a new option for combination treatment that brings the additional benefit of PARP inhibition to immunotherapy."

The safety profiles of both experimental regimens were manageable, well-tolerated and broadly consistent with the known profiles of the individual agents.1,9,10

Regulatory submissions for Imfinzi and Lynparza are currently under review in Japan and several other countries based on the DUO-E trial. Imfinzi plus chemotherapy was recently approved for dMMR patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer in the US.11

Notes

Endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease that originates in the tissue lining of the uterus and is most common in women who have already been through menopause, with the average age at diagnosis being over 60 years old.12-15

The majority of patients with endometrial cancer are diagnosed at an early stage of disease, where the cancer is confined to the uterus.16 They are typically treated with surgery and/or radiation, and the five-year survival rate is high (approximately 80-90%).17 Patients with advanced disease (Stage III-IV) usually have a much poorer prognosis, with the five-year survival rate falling to less than 20%.4 Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy is emerging as a new standard of care for advanced endometrial cancer, particularly for patients with dMMR disease, who make up approximately 20-30% of all patients.11,17-20 There remains a high unmet need for treatments for the remaining 70-80% of endometrial cancer patients with pMMR disease.5,6

DUO-E
The DUO-E trial (GOG 3041/ENGOT-EN10) is a three-arm, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre Phase III trial of 1st-line Imfinzi (durvalumab) plus platinum-based chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) followed by either Imfinzi monotherapy or Imfinzi plus Lynparza (olaparib) as maintenance therapy versus platinum-based chemotherapy alone as a treatment for patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.

The DUO-E trial randomised 699 patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent epithelial endometrial carcinoma to receive either Imfinzi (1120mg) or placebo, given every three weeks in addition to standard-of-care platinum-based chemotherapy. After 4-6 cycles of chemotherapy, patients (whose disease had not progressed) then received either Imfinzi (1500mg) or placebo every four weeks as maintenance, plus 300mg Lynparza (300mg BID [2x150mg tablets, twice a day]) or placebo until disease progression.

The dual primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) of each treatment arm versus standard of care. Key secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), safety and tolerability. The trial continues to assess OS for both Imfinzi monotherapy and Imfinzi plus Lynparza as maintenance therapy in the overall trial population. Mismatch repair (MMR) status, recurrence status and geographic location were stratification factors. The trial was sponsored independently by AstraZeneca and conducted in 253 study locations across 22 countries including the US, Europe, South America and Asia.

For more information about the trial, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

Imfinzi
Imfinzi (durvalumab) is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the PD-L1 protein and blocks the interaction of PD-L1 with the PD-1 and CD80 proteins, countering the tumour’s immune-evading tactics and releasing the inhibition of immune responses.

Imfinzi is the only approved immunotherapy and the global standard of care in the curative-intent setting of unresectable, Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose disease has not progressed after chemoradiation therapy. Imfinzi is also approved for the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and in combination with a short course of Imjudo (tremelimumab) and chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC.

In addition to its indications in lung cancers, Imfinzi is approved in combination with chemotherapy (gemcitabine plus cisplatin) in locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer and in combination with Imjudo in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Imfinzi is also approved as a monotherapy in unresectable HCC in Japan and the EU.

Since the first approval in May 2017, more than 220,000 patients have been treated with Imfinzi. As part of a broad development programme, Imfinzi is being tested as a single treatment and in combinations with other anti-cancer treatments for patients with SCLC, NSCLC, bladder cancer, breast cancer, several gastrointestinal cancers and other solid tumours.

Lynparza
Lynparza is a first-in-class PARP inhibitor and the first targeted treatment to block DNA damage response (DDR) in cells/tumours harbouring a deficiency in homologous recombination-related (HRR) genes, such as those with mutations in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2, or those where deficiency is induced by other agents (such as new hormonal agents [NHAs]).

Inhibition of PARP with Lynparza leads to the trapping of PARP bound to DNA single-strand breaks, stalling of replication forks, their collapse and the generation of DNA double-strand breaks and cancer cell death. Lynparza may also help enhance immunogenicity and increase the impact of anti-tumour immune responses.

Lynparza is currently approved in a number of countries across multiple tumour types, including maintenance treatment of platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer and as both monotherapy and in combination with bevacizumab for the 1st-line maintenance treatment of BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) and homologous recombination repair deficient (HRD)-positive advanced ovarian cancer, respectively; for germline BRCA mutation (gBRCAm), HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (in the EU and Japan, this includes locally advanced breast cancer); for gBRCAm, HER2-negative high-risk early breast cancer (in Japan, this includes all BRCAm HER2-negative high-risk early breast cancer); for gBRCAm metastatic pancreatic cancer; in combination with abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) when chemotherapy is not clinically indicated (EU only) and for BRCAm mCRPC (US and Japan); and as monotherapy for HRR gene-mutated mCRPC in patients who have progressed on prior NHA treatment (BRCAm only in the EU and Japan). In China, Lynparza is approved for the treatment of BRCA-mutated mCRPC as well as 1st-line maintenance treatment with bevacizumab for HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer.

Lynparza is being jointly developed and commercialised by AstraZeneca and MSD, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other potential medicines. Independently, the companies are developing and will commercialise Lynparza in combination with their respective PD-L1 and PD-1 medicines, Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab). Lynparza has been used to treat approximately 140,000 patients worldwide. Lynparza has a broad clinical trial development programme, and AstraZeneca and MSD are working together to understand how it may affect multiple PARP-dependent tumours as a monotherapy and in combination across multiple cancer types. Lynparza is the foundation of AstraZeneca’s industry-leading portfolio of potential new medicines targeting DDR mechanisms in cancer cells.

On July 01, 2024 Allogene Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T) products for cancer and autoimmune disease, reported that Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC), part of the US Oncology Network and Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI); Astera Cancer Care (ACC), a multi-specialty community oncology practice and part of the OneOncology network; and Norton Cancer Institute, are open for enrollment in the pivotal Phase 2 ALPHA3 trial (Press release, Allogene, JUL 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234644620]).

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The ALPHA3 trial is evaluating the use of cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel) as part of the first line (1L) consolidation treatment regimen for newly diagnosed and treated large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) patients who remain positive for minimal residual disease (MRD). Detection of MRD will be done using the Foresight CLARITY Investigational Use Only (IUO) MRD test, powered by PhasED-Seq. When given as a "7th cycle" of frontline treatment to eligible patients with MRD, consolidation treatment with cema-cel has the potential to meaningfully improve 1L cure rates for patients with LBCL who are likely to relapse.

"We believe community physicians have been waiting for a trial like ALPHA3 that offers cutting-edge CAR T without the inherent complexities associated with autologous therapies," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Allogene. "The differentiated attributes of cema-cel eliminate many of the complex logistics that have hindered CAR T adoption in the community setting. The fact that community-based practices are the first sites to open for enrollment in the ALPHA3 trial is a significant symbolic step forward in expanding patient access to this powerful modality and will serve as a catalyst for our cema-cel development program."

RMCC is the largest multidisciplinary practice in Colorado with 19 locations across the state dedicated solely to providing care for patients with cancer and diseases of the blood. RMCC is a part of SCRI, a combination of two nationally recognized oncology research institutes – US Oncology and SCRI. This combination creates a leading oncology research organization participating in community-based clinical trials. Patients undergoing treatment for newly diagnosed LBCL throughout the RMCC network will be considered for enrollment in ALPHA3.

"Current 1L chemoimmunotherapy is effective in most patients, but the reality is that 30% will relapse," said John M. Burke, M.D., a Blood Cancer Specialist at RMCC. "The ALPHA3 trial will be answering two key questions. First, can measuring circulating tumor DNA in the blood be used to select lymphoma patients destined to relapse for early intervention? And second, does treating these high-risk lymphoma patients with cema-cel increase cure rates compared with conventional surveillance? These are critically important questions that have the potential to change the lymphoma treatment paradigm."

ACC is an independent and physician-owned multi-specialty community oncology practice serving more than 22,000 new patients annually in Central New Jersey. The practice is part of the OneOncology platform which is a partnership of over 20 independent community oncology practices nationally. Astera’s specialists practice at 13 distinct locations in Middlesex, Somerset, Bergen, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer and Monmouth counties in New Jersey and Langhorne, Pennsylvania and have a robust clinical trial platform for cancer therapy with one of the only community-based clinical trial programs in CAR T cell therapies in the nation. Patients undergoing treatment for newly diagnosed LBCL throughout the ACC network will be considered for enrollment in ALPHA3.

According to Edward J. Licitra, M.D., PhD, oncologist and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at ACC, relapsed LBCL is much more difficult to treat, and physicians often consider enrollment in clinical trials to allow access to promising therapies. "I have watched with interest the acceleration of CAR T research in LBCL, but because most patients live more than two hours from the nearest treatment center, it’s not feasible for them to participate. Having access to an "off-the-shelf" CAR T product with a manageable safety profile changes that equation dramatically for me, and my patients. We are excited to help define a new treatment standard in LBCL. An approved "off-the-shelf" CAR T product would allow for greater access to cutting edge technologies for patients in their local communities and this could improve outcomes for many more cancer patients."

With more than 21 locations serving Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana, Norton Cancer Institute (NCI) treats more than 4,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients each year. NCI’s network of multidisciplinary clinics offers patients the latest treatments and access to more than 100 clinical trials.

"Kentucky has one of the highest cancer death rates in the United States1 and a big contributor to this is lack of patient access to cutting-edge treatments," said Don A. Stevens, M.D., a hematologist-oncologist at Norton Cancer Institute. "Offering investigational cema-cel to our first line patients has the potential to improve cure rates for the 30% we know will relapse after chemoimmunotherapy. This could change how we treat these patients in the future."

About Cemacabtagene Ansegedleucel (cema-cel)
Cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, or cema-cel, is a next generation anti-CD19 AlloCAR T investigational product for the treatment of large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). In June 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to cema-cel in third line (3L) r/r LBCL. The ALPHA3 pivotal Phase 2 trial in first line (1L) consolidation for the treatment of LBCL launched in June 2024. Allogene has oncology rights to cema-cel in the US, EU and UK with options for rights in China and Japan.

About the ALPHA3 Trial
Over 60,000 patients are expected to be treated for LBCL annually in the US, the EU and the UK. While first line (1L) R-CHOP or other chemoimmunotherapy is effective for most patients, approximately 30% will relapse and require subsequent treatment. The current standard of care (SOC) after 1L treatment has been simply to "watch and wait" to see if the disease relapses. The pivotal Phase 2 ALPHA3 study takes advantage of cema-cel as a one-time, off-the-shelf treatment that can be administered immediately upon discovery of MRD following six cycles of R-CHOP or other chemoimmunotherapy, positioning it to become the standard "7th cycle" of frontline treatment available to all eligible patients with MRD.

On July 1, 2024 NH TherAguix (NHT), a phase II clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel nanomedicine solutions for precision radiotherapy in oncology, reported the transition to the Phase II randomized part of the NANOSMART study in the cohort of patients with pancreatic tumors (Press release, NH TherAguix, JUL 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234644636]). The NANOSMART study, titled "An adaptive phase I–II trial of AGuIX gadolinium-based nanoparticles with stereotactic magnetic resonance-guided adaptive radiation therapy (SMART) for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and centrally located lung tumors," is currently ongoing to assess safety, biodistribution and radio-enhancement efficacy of the combination of AGuIX intravenous injections.

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AGuIX: A Nanodrug Capable of Improving the Precision and Effectiveness of Radiotherapy
The culmination of over a decade of research, AGuIX nanoparticles are designed to meet the critical medical need for more effective cancer treatments, including pancreatic cancer. These gadolinium-based nanoparticles enhance MRI contrast, allowing for precise tumor visualization, and significantly amplify the radiation dose delivered to tumor tissues, thereby improving the efficacy of radiotherapy.

NANOSMART: A Monocentric, Randomized, Open-Label Phase Ib/II Trial Conducted with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital Team
The aim of the dose escalation Phase I was to determine the recommended dose of the experimental drug to be evaluated in Phase II. Two dose levels of AGuIX (75mg/kg and 100mg/kg) have been tested on twenty patients treated in the pancreas cohort during Phase I. These patients with locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have received two injections of AGuIX in combination with SMART (40 Gy in 5 fractions of 8 Gy). AGuIX injections were well-tolerated. Additionally, MRI analysis has confirmed that AGuIX nanoparticles selectively accumulated in pancreatic tumors.

A good safety profile of AGuIX in combination with SMART was confirmed.
"The transition to the Phase II randomized stage of the study in the cohort of patients with pancreatic cancer was approved by the institutional review board and the FDA at the recommended dose of AGuIX at 100mg/kg," said Dr Jonathan Leeman, the study P.I., from Brigham & Women’s Hospital and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The Phase II part of NANOSMART study will be randomized within two arms: an experimental arm in which patients will be treated with AGuIX at a dose of 100 mg/kg in combination with SMART (10 patients), and a control arm in which patients will be treated with SMART alone (20 patients).

The primary endpoint of this Phase II is local control at 12 months. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, overall response rate, disease-specific survival, quality of life and overall survival.

Dr. Olivier de Beaumont, CMO of NH TherAguix, emphasized the significance of this step: "AGuIX Orphan Drug Designation was already granted by FDA and EMA for pancreatic tumors in 2021, and we are very happy to be able to continue the evaluation of AGuIX in combination with SMART after confirmation of the good safety profile and biodistribution in patients with pancreatic tumors. I would like to thank Dr. Jonathan Leeman very much for his strong commitment to enrolling patients in the two cohorts (locally advanced/unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LAPC) and centrally located non-small cell lung cancer lesions."

Vincent Carrère, CEO of NH TherAguix, commented: "We are thrilled to announce this important next step of transition to the NANOSMART Phase II randomized part in pancreatic tumors. I would like to thank Dr Jonathan Leeman and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital team for this remarkable clinical and translational work. It highlights the transformative potential of AGuIX in enhancing radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer patients. This promising next step reinforces our commitment to advancing innovative cancer treatments and improving patient outcomes in difficult-to-treat indications."

On July 1, 2024 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., a biotechnology company with a pipeline of proprietary small molecule drugs that address oncological and inflammatory diseases, reported that a patient with liver decompensated cirrhosis who was treated with Namodenoson at the Soroka Medical Center in Israel under compassionate use showed an improvement in liver indices (Press release, Can-Fite BioPharma, JUL 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234644621]). This drug candidate is currently used in a pivotal Phase III study for patients with advanced liver cancer and a Phase IIb study for MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).

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Decompensated cirrhosis is defined as an acute deterioration in liver function in a patient with cirrhosis and is characterized by jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, or variceal hemorrhage. While some drugs can treat symptoms, there is no therapeutic approach that has shown efficacy in slowing disease progression.

In the past year Can-Fite has initiated a compassionate use program at the Soroka Medical Center, Beersheva, Israel, for the treatment of decompensated patients with Namodenoson. The first patient, a 63-year-old female with a history of decompensated primary biliary cirrhosis is now treated for one year with Namodenoson. Prior to the treatment with Namodenoson and despite best medical care for her underlying disease, she developed ascites and was admitted to the hospital with acute variceal bleeding. Currently, the patient shows improvement in liver function tests hematological parameters and FibroScan values and has not experienced any event of decompensation since starting treatment with Namodenoson. Namodenoson is known to induce liver protective effects in other liver pathologies, and Phase IIa data in patients suffering from MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), responded positively to the drug, showing anti-inflammatory, anti-steatotic, and antifibrotic effects with a very favorable safety profile.

Ohad Etzion, MD, Director, Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases at the Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel, the Investigator and Initiator of this study commented, "We were very much encouraged by the response of the first patient with decompensated liver cirrhosis who showed a rapid and sustained response to the drug with an improvement with liver indices. We plan to treat more patients and hopefully see an improvement of liver function in this devastating disease.

Decompensated cirrhosis is defined as an acute deterioration in liver function, with cirrhosis and is characterized by jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, or variceal hemorrhage. While some drugs can treat symptoms, there is no therapeutic approach that has shown efficacy in slowing disease progression. An estimated 10.6 million people globally had decompensated cirrhosis in 2017, with few treatment options available aside from liver transplants if the decompensated cirrhosis has reached an advanced stage. Underscoring the need for an effective treatment, the American Liver Foundation states there are more people who need a liver than supply available, and some people can be on the wait list for a liver transplant for more than 5 years. The treatment of liver cirrhosis globally is estimated to become an approximately $29.2 billion market by 2031.

About Namodenoson

Namodenoson is a small orally bioavailable drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR). Namodenoson was evaluated in Phase II trials for two indications, as a second line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, and as a treatment for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). A3AR is highly expressed in diseased cells whereas low expression is found in normal cells. This differential effect accounts for the excellent safety profile of the drug.