Lynparza and Imfinzi combination approved in the EU for patients with mismatch repair proficient advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

On August 13, 2024 AstraZeneca reported that Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) have been approved in the European Union (EU) as treatment for certain patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (Press release, AstraZeneca, AUG 13, 2024, View Source [SID1234645826]). Imfinzi plus chemotherapy as 1st-line treatment followed by Lynparza and Imfinzi has been approved for patients with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) disease. Imfinzi plus chemotherapy followed by Imfinzi alone has been approved for patients with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) disease.

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 approval by the European Commission follows the positive opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and is based 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 the trial, the Lynparza and Imfinzi regimen reduced the risk of disease progression or death for patients with pMMR disease 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 The Imfinzi regimen reduced the risk of disease progression or death among patients with dMMR disease by 58% (median not reached versus 7.0 months, HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.22-0.80) versus the control arm.1

Els Van Nieuwenhuysen, Gynaecological Oncologist at the UZ Leuven, Belgium and DUO-E trial investigator, said: "This approval is welcome news for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer in Europe, especially those with mismatch repair proficient disease who have limited options. The olaparib and durvalumab as well as the durvalumab regimens now have the potential to improve outcomes for all patients in this setting in Europe, regardless of mismatch repair status."

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: "This approval of Imfinzi and Lynparza regimens marks the first-ever approval for a combination of an immunotherapy and PARP inhibitor in endometrial cancer and a major step forward for patients. In Europe, endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and until now, the 70 to 80 per cent of patients who have mismatch repair proficient disease have had few available treatment options."

The safety profiles of both regimens were generally manageable, well-tolerated and broadly consistent with the known profiles of the individual agents.1,2,3

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.

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.4-7

The majority of patients with endometrial cancer are diagnosed at an early stage of disease, where the cancer is confined to the uterus.8 They are typically treated with surgery and/or radiation, and the five-year survival rate is high (approximately 80-90%).9 Patients with advanced disease (Stage III-IV) usually have a much poorer prognosis, with the five-year survival rate falling to less than 20%.10 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.11-14 There is a significant need for new treatment options, especially for the 70-80% of patients with pMMR disease.15,16

In Europe, nearly 125,000 women were diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2022.17,18

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 chemotherapy alone, and both arms demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared to standard of care in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.1 Key secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), safety and tolerability. The trial continues to assess OS for both arms 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 NSCLC in patients whose disease has not progressed after chemoradiotherapy. Imfinzi is also approved for the treatment of extensive-stage SCLC and in combination with a short course of Imjudo (tremelimumab) and chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC.

Imfinzi also demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful event-free survival results in patients with resectable early-stage NSCLC based on the AEGEAN Phase III trial. Imfinzi in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery and as adjuvant monotherapy after surgery is approved for patients in Switzerland and the UK based on this trial.

In limited-stage SCLC, Imfinzi demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in the dual primary endpoints of OS and PFS compared to placebo in patients who had not progressed following standard-of-care concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the ADRIATIC Phase III trial.

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 and in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) followed by Imfinzi monotherapy in primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is mismatch repair deficient in the US.

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, breast cancer, bladder cancer, several gastrointestinal and gynaecologic 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.

IN8bio Solidifies Position as a Clinical Leader of Gamma-Delta T Cell Therapy in Oncology with 100% of Treated AML Patients in Complete Remission and Receives FDA Guidance for Registrational Trial of INB-100

On August 12, 2024 IN8bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: INAB), a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer, reported updated positive clinical data from both of the Company’s Phase 1 investigator-sponsored trials of INB-100 for hematological malignancies and INB-200 for GBM (Press release, In8bio, AUG 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234645731]). The Company has also completed a Type B meeting with the FDA and received guidance on the registrational path to advance INB-100 for the treatment of AML.

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!

Every AML patient treated with INB-100 remains in complete remission (CR), and patients across both trials have exceeded expected progression-free survival (PFS) to date. These data continue to demonstrate the broad clinical potential of gamma-delta T cells for difficult-to-treat cancers and provides support for the advancement of these therapies into Phase 2 trials.

As of August 1, 2024, no new relapses have been reported since the clinical updates provided at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) and the European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper) annual meetings.

"Our gamma-delta T cell therapies, engineered with our industry-leading manufacturing technology, continue to demonstrate their potential to eliminate residual cancer cells and to revolutionize cancer treatment," said William Ho, CEO and co-founder of IN8bio. "The safety profile of gamma-delta T cells has been manageable and well-tolerated across both indications with no significant cell therapy-related toxicities reported to date in any patients across these Phase 1 trials."

Program Details as of August 1, 2024:

INB-100 for AML

FDA Guidance on Registrational Program: Following a Type B meeting with the FDA earlier this summer, IN8bio received regulatory guidance on advancing INB-100 for the treatment of AML as a post-transplant maintenance therapy, with relapse-free survival as the primary endpoint. To date, 100% of AML patients treated with INB-100 are in long-term CR, providing a promising path for the registrational trial. IN8bio plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA in Q1 2025. Pending clearance, the Company could initiate a registrational trial for AML in 2025.
100% 1-year Relapse-Free Survival: All patients dosed in the Phase 1 investigator-sponsored trial continue to demonstrate relapse-free survival beyond one year. These patients are mostly classified as high-risk, a category where ~25% would typically be expected to relapse within 100 days post-transplant and up to 50% by one year.
AML Patient Outcomes: 100% of AML patients remain relapse-free after receiving their dose of INB-100. There have been no new relapses reported since the last update with a data cut-off on May 15, 2024. The previously reported patients with other leukemic diagnoses (ALL and MDS/MPN overlap with concurrent TP53 mutations) who relapsed are still alive. The proposed Phase 2 registrational trial will only include patients with AML, a highly aggressive leukemia with high relapse rates, where Phase 1 results to date have shown the most promising long-term responses.
Expansion Cohort: Enrollment in expansion cohort is ongoing, and all treated patients remain in CR, with several having been evaluated for at least 90 days post-transplant and the longest nearing seven months. Full enrollment of the 10-patient expansion cohort is expected by the end of 2024, with long-term follow up results anticipated in 2025.
Gamma-Delta T Cell Persistence: A significant increase in dose-dependent long-term expansion and persistence of circulating gamma-delta T cells continues to be observed up to day 365 post-infusion. This marks the first instance of an allogeneic cellular therapy demonstrating both persistence and expansion over this extended time frame. Cell persistence potentially allows for the gamma-delta T cells to conduct longer immune surveillance to prevent relapse.
INB-200 for GBM

Novel Cellular Therapy Approach: IN8bio’s proprietary drug-resistant immunotherapy (DRI) technology combines standard-of-care chemotherapy with gene-edited, chemotherapy-resistant gamma-delta T cells. Initial data points to a potential dose response across the three cohorts with dose-escalation ranging from a single dose in cohort 1, three doses in cohort 2, and up to six repeat doses in cohort 3. All patients in cohort 1 eventually relapsed. There have been no new relapses with a range of remission from 9.5 to 37.9 months in cohorts 2 and 3 to date. Multiple patients in these higher repeat dose cohorts have now exceeded the overall survival expected with standard-of-care alone relative to historical data.

MGMT-unmethylated GBM patients: Several patients in this group, who are typically poor responders and generally unresponsive to chemotherapy, have remained in remission longer than expected. Notably, one patient who received six doses of INB-200 has been in remission for over a year. Updated clinical data from this trial is expected to be presented in Q4 2024.

INB-400 in Phase 2 trial: This study is investigating six doses of autologous gamma-delta T cells in front-line GBM treatment in combination with standard-of-care. The trial is actively enrolling and treating patients at multiple leading cancer centers across the United States.
Mr. Ho, also commented, "These therapies take advantage of the gamma-delta T cells’ natural ability to target the heterogeneity of cancers, prevent immune escape and disease relapse. Multiple patients have now remained in progression-free remissions longer than expected with many now exceeding expected overall survival, based on historical data. The safety profile and long-term remissions observed with both INB-100 and INB-200, now exceeding three years, across two difficult indications, suggest a significant potential advancement for cellular therapies for cancer. With these compelling results to date, IN8bio stands at the forefront of innovation in oncology and gamma-delta T cell development."

Conference Call Details

IN8bio will host a conference call and webcast today, Monday, August 12, 2024, at 8:30 am ET. The webcast can be accessed by clicking this link and can also be accessed on the Events & Presentations page of the Company’s website. To participate in the live call, please register using this link. It is recommended that participants register at least 15 minutes in advance of the call. Once registered, participants will be informed of the dial-in number and will be provided a unique PIN.

Biosyngen’s BRG01 Receives FDA Approval for Phase II Clinical Trial

On August 12, 2024 Biosyngen reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its BRG01, an EBV-specific CAR-T cell therapy, to proceed with a pivotal Phase lI clinical trial (Press release, BioSyngen, AUG 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234645754]). This marks the first cell therapy to enter Phase lI trials in both the U.S. and China for the treatment of relapsed/metastatic EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma, demonstrating a breakthrough in solid tumor treatment.

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 Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medicinal Product Administration (NMPA) in China had previously granted approval for the pivotal Phase II clinical trial of BRG01. Patient enrollment for the Phase I clinical trial in China and the U.S. began in late January this year, with all participants having completed the BRG01 infusion. The Phase I study has successfully concluded dose-limited toxicity (DLT) observation and efficacy evaluation in nine patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma who had at least one prior immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment, including PD-1 antibodies.

Preliminary data indicates that BRG01 demonstrates exceptional safety and preliminary efficacy. All patients are late-stage cancer patients failing standard treatment including checkpoint inhibitors. BRG01 is well tolerated and expanded in patient with no dose-limiting toxicity. More efficient disease control and tumor shrinkage effects were observed with dose escalation. 75% patients in the high dose group showed necrosis and metabolic reduction of tumor lesions as determined by PET-CT.

Biosyngen aims to expedite BRG01’s clinical development and commercial availability, offering new hope for nasopharyngeal cancer patients worldwide. This FDA’s approval underscores BRG01’s potential in tumor and anti-viral therapies and recognizes Biosyngen’s innovation and R&D capability in cellular immunotherapy.

Biosyngen has established itself as a leading biotech with a portfolio of cell therapies, including CAR-T, TCRT, and TIL, addressing various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The company’s multiple products have been granted approval to proceed with Phase I/II clinical trials in the U.S. and China, targeting a range of solid tumors such as lung and liver cancer.

Looking ahead, with Biosyngen’s efficient execution and rapid development progress, the company anticipates further clinical breakthroughs in solid tumor cell therapies, providing new treatment options and hope for patients.

Leap Therapeutics Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

On August 12, 2024 Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024 (Press release, Leap Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234645732]).

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!

Leap Highlights:

· Overall response rate (ORR) increases to 33% across all evaluable patients and 38% across evaluable patients with left-sided CRC in updated data from Part A of the Phase 2 DeFianCe study evaluating DKN-01 in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy in second-line patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC)
· Expanded the randomized controlled Part B of the DeFianCe study to 180 patients; enrollment expected to be completed by end of September 2024 with data expected in mid-2025
· Patient follow-up continues in the randomized controlled Part C of the Phase 2 DisTinGuish study evaluating DKN-01 in combination with tislelizumab and chemotherapy in first-line patients with advanced gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) and gastric cancer; data expected in Q4 2024 or early 2025
· Completed $40 million private placement with new and existing investors, including Gilead Sciences, Inc.

"With the momentum provided by our $40 million private placement, we are positioned to achieve our critical company milestones," said Douglas E. Onsi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Leap. "We have executed well on our two DKN-01 randomized controlled trials and on preparatory activities for registrational studies. We look forward to sharing initial data from both randomized controlled studies over the next 12 months as we strive to deliver new treatments for patients fighting against cancer."

DKN-01 Development Update

· ORR increases in updated data from Part A of the DeFianCe Study. The DeFianCe study (NCT05480306) is a Phase 2 study evaluating DKN-01 in combination with bevacizumab and chemotherapy in second-line patients with advanced microsatellite stable CRC. Preliminary results from Part A of the study were previously reported at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in January 2024. In April 2024, a ninth Part A patient was identified as having a partial response (PR). This patient, who has left-sided Consensus Molecular Subtype 4 CRC with APC and TP53 mutations and KRAS wildtype genetics, had been previously treated with cetuximab and chemotherapy. The patient enrolled in Part A in March 2023 and had a best response of stable disease (SD) for over a year before the tumor reduction deepened into a PR. The patient remains on study with a confirmed PR.

· Key Updated Part A Findings (as of June 7, 2024 data cut-off):

o Across all patients enrolled (n=33):

§ ORR among response-evaluable patients (n=27) was 33% and disease control rate (DCR) was 93%, including 9 PRs and 16 patients with a best response of SD
§ Median progression-free survival (PFS) was unchanged at 6.3 months

o Enhanced activity in patients with left-sided tumors (n=25), a group that has more frequent activation of the Wnt pathway modulated by DKK1

§ 38% ORR and 100% DCR in response-evaluable population (8 PRs, 13 SDs)
§ Median PFS was unchanged at 8.6 months

o DKN-01 plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy was well-tolerated, with a majority of DKN-01 related events being low grade (Grade 1/2)

· Enrollment in Part B of the DeFianCe Study in CRC patients is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of September 2024. The Company expanded the randomized controlled Part B of the DeFianCe study from 130 to 180 patients and included PFS in the subpopulation of patients with left-sided CRC as an additional primary endpoint. As of August 9, 2024, 161 patients have enrolled in Part B. The Company expects to complete enrollment by the end of September 2024, with data expected mid-2025.

· Randomized controlled Part C of the DisTinGuish study in patients with GEJ and gastric cancer is ongoing, with initial data expected in Q4 2024 or early 2025. The DisTinGuish study (NCT0436380) is a Phase 2, randomized, open-label, multicenter study of DKN-01 in combination with tislelizumab and chemotherapy in first-line, HER-2 negative patients with GEJ and gastric cancer. Part C enrolled 170 patients randomized 1:1 to evaluate DKN-01 in combination with tislelizumab and chemotherapy, compared to tislelizumab and chemotherapy alone. The Company expects to report initial data from Part C of the DisTinGuish study in Q4 2024 or early 2025.

Business Update:

· Completed a $40 million private placement. In April 2024, Leap entered into a securities purchase agreement with a select group of new and existing investors including Gilead Sciences, Inc., a life sciences-focused investor, Samsara BioCapital, LP, 683 Capital Partners, LP, Laurion Capital Management LP, and Rock Springs Capital Management LP. Gross proceeds from the private placement were approximately $40 million. The net proceeds from this financing, combined with existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, are expected to fund Leap’s operating and capital expenditures into the second quarter of 2026.

Selected Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Net Loss was $20.4 million for the second quarter 2024, compared to $13.4 million for the same period in 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in research and development expenses.

Research and development expenses were $17.9 million for the second quarter 2024, compared to $11.1 million for the same period in 2023. The increase of $6.8 million was primarily due to an increase of $5.7 million in clinical trial costs due to patient enrollment, the duration of patients on study, the enhancement of correlative studies, increase in site activity associated with Part C of the DisTinGuish study, and the expansion of the size of Part B of the DeFianCe study. There was also an increase of $0.6 million in manufacturing costs related to clinical trial material and manufacturing campaigns and an increase of $0.5 million in payroll and other related expenses due to an increase in headcount of our R&D full-time employees.

General and administrative expenses were $3.4 million for the second quarter 2024, compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2023. The decrease was due to a decrease of $0.3 million in professional fees associated with our business development activities, partially offset by a $0.1 million increase in payroll and other related expenses.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $78.5 million at June 30, 2024.

Aethlon Medical Receives Second Ethics Committee Approval for Hemopurifier® Cancer Trial

On August 12, 2024 Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEMD), a medical therapeutic company focused on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases, reported that, on August 6, 2024, the Bellberry Human Research Ethics Committee (BHREC) granted full ethics approval to the Pindara Private Hospital for a safety, feasibility and dose-finding clinical trial of the Hemopurifier in patients with solid tumors who have stable or progressive disease during anti-PD-1 monotherapy treatment, such as Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) or Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) (AEMD-2022-06 Hemopurifier Study) (Press release, Aethlon Medical, AUG 12, 2024, View Source [SID1234645755]). The approval is valid for one year, until August 6, 2025. The trial will be conducted by Dr. Marco Matos and his staff at the Pindara Private Hospital, located in Queensland, Australia.

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 quite pleased that the BHREC accepted our responses to their thoughtful questions during their review and determined that our study meets the requirements of the National Statement application. Dr. Matos and his research team have a proven track record of enrollment in device trials in oncology patients that provides momentum to these trials," stated Steven LaRosa, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Aethlon Medical. "This is the second ethics committee approval we have received for our oncology trial in Australia after receiving approval from the ethics committee for Royal Adelaide Hospital in June."

Dr. LaRosa continued, "The next step is to receive approval from the Research Governance Office at each hospital which reviews indemnities and insurance. Once these approvals are obtained, Aethlon, in concert with our Australian Contract Research Organization, ReSQ, will conduct Site Initiation Visits (SIVs), after which patient enrollment may proceed."

Currently, only approximately 30% of cancer patients who receive pembrolizumab or nivolumab treatment for solid tumors will have lasting clinical responses to these agents. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) produced by tumors have been implicated in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapies as well as the spread of cancers. The Aethlon Hemopurifier has been designed to bind and remove these EVs from the bloodstream, which may improve therapeutic response rates to anti-PD-1 antibodies. In preclinical studies, the Hemopurifier has been shown to reduce the number of exosomes in cancer patient plasma samples.

The primary endpoint of the approximate nine to 18-patient, safety, feasibility and dose-finding trial is safety. The trial will monitor any adverse events and clinically significant changes in lab tests of Hemopurifier treated patients with solid tumors with stable or progressive disease at different treatment intervals, after a two-month run in period of PD-1 antibody, Keytruda or Opdivo monotherapy. Patients who do not respond to the PD-1 therapy will be eligible to enter the Hemopurifier period of the study, where sequential cohorts will receive 1, 2 or 3 Hemopurifier treatments during a one-week period. In addition to monitoring safety, the study is designed to examine the number of Hemopurifier treatments needed to decrease the concentration of EVs and if these changes in EV concentrations improve the body’s own natural ability to attack tumor cells. These exploratory central laboratory analyses are expected to inform the design of a subsequent efficacy and safety, Premarket Approval (PMA), study required by regulatory agencies.