Medtronic announces cash dividend for second quarter of fiscal year 2023

On August 18, 2022 The board of directors of Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) reported that approved the fiscal year 2023 second quarter cash dividend of $0.68 per ordinary share, representing an 8% increase over the prior year (Press release, Medtronic, AUG 18, 2022, View Source [SID1234618494]). This quarterly declaration is consistent with the dividend announcement made by the company in May 2022. Medtronic is a constituent of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index, having increased its annual dividend payment for the past 45 consecutive years. The dividend is payable on October 14, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 23, 2022.

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Sirnaomics Doses the First Patient in Phase I/II Clinical Study of RNAi Therapeutic STP705 for Treatment of Facial Squamous Cell Skin Cancer In Situ

On August 18, 2022 Sirnaomics Ltd. (the "Company" or "Sirnaomics", stock code: 2257.HK), a leading biopharmaceutical company in discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics, reported that the Company has dosed the first patient in a Phase I/II clinical study of STP705, the Company’s leading siRNA (small interfering RNA) drug candidate, for the treatment of patients with facial squamous cell skin cancer in situ (isSCC) (Press release, Sirnaomics, AUG 18, 2022, View Source [SID1234618495]).

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The open label, dose escalation study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of various doses of STP705 administered by intralesional injection and to determine the recommended dose. The study will also analyze biomarkers common to isSCC formation pathways, including TGF-β1 and COX-2. The primary endpoint is to determine the number of patients with histological clearance (HC) of facial isSCC lesions at the end of treatment with STP705. HC is defined as the absence of detectable evidence of the isSCC tumor cell nests as determined by central pathology review. A total of 30 patients, divided into three cohorts of 10 patients each, will receive a given dose once per week for six weeks. Cohort A will receive a 30 μg dose, Cohort B a 60 μg dose, and Cohort C a 90 μg dose.

"We expect that the study of STP705 as a treatment for facial isSCC to yield positive results given previous studies of STP705 that have shown to be safe and effective as a cancer treatment," said Dr. Patrick Lu, founder, Chairman of the Board, Executive Director, President and CEO of Sirnaomics. "Our drug has the potential to offer millions of patients with these non-melanoma facial lesions a non-surgical, non-invasive alternative to traditional lesion removal."

"With surgical removal being the only available treatment for isSCC currently, patients have normally found the results to be painful and aesthetically unpleasing on the face. By dosing our first patient in this Phase I/II study, we can begin to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of STP705 in eradicating these cancerous lesions," said Michael Molyneaux M.D., Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of Sirnaomics. "Formulating this clinical trial as a dose escalation study also gives us the opportunity to determine which dose is the best suited in removing the cancer without adverse events."

The study started in the United States in August 2022, and is expected to be completed in Q1 2023. Additional information about this clinical trial is available at clinicaltrials.gov using the identifier: NCT05421013.

About STP705
Sirnaomics’ leading product candidate, STP705, is a siRNA (small interfering RNA) therapeutic that takes advantage of a dual-targeted inhibitory property and polypeptide nanoparticle (PNP)-enhanced delivery to directly knock down both TGF-β1 and COX2 gene expression. The product candidate has received multiple IND approvals from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), including treatments of cholangiocarcinoma, non-melanoma skin cancer and hypertrophic scar. STP705 has also received Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). STP705 is currently in seven clinical trials for different indications: a Phase IIb for squamous cell carcinoma in situ (isSCC), a Phase II for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a Phase I/II for keloid scarring, a Phase I/II for hypertrophic scar (HTS), a Phase I/II for facial isSCC, a Phase I for liver cancer (basket), and a Phase I for medical cosmetology treatment.

POINT Biopharma to Publish Abstract at ESMO Congress 2022 Containing Efficacy & Safety Data from Lead-In Cohort of Phase 3 SPLASH Trial

On August 18, 2022 POINT Biopharma Global Inc. (NASDAQ: PNT) (the "Company" or "POINT"), a company accelerating the discovery, development, and global access to life-changing radiopharmaceuticals, reported the company will be publishing an abstract at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2022, which takes place in Paris, France on September 9-13, 2022 (Press release, Point Biopharma, AUG 18, 2022, View Source [SID1234618513]).

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The abstract is titled "Efficacy and Safety of 177Lu-PNT2002 Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Therapy in Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC): Initial Results from SPLASH" (Abstract #1400P) and focuses on efficacy and safety data from the 27-patient safety and dosimetry lead-in cohort for the Company’s phase 3 SPLASH trial (NCT04647526) evaluating PNT2002 for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

In advance of the publication of the abstract, the Company also hosted a 45-minute educational webinar entitled "Understanding the PNT2002 SPLASH Trial Control Arm", which provided information regarding:

The SPLASH trial design (including lead-in phase) and rationale for hormone switches
Control arm benchmarks, and why PROfound1 & IMbassador2502 were selected as the SPLASH trial benchmarks
Current treatment patterns, including sequencing considerations, in real-world clinical settings for mCRPC patients
The webinar featured presentations from Dr. Oliver Sartor, MD, Professor of Medicine, Medical Director, Tulane Cancer Center, University of Tulane School of Medicine, and Dr. Kim Chi, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, British Columbia Cancer Agency.

Drs. Sartor and Chi were joined by the Company’s executive leadership team including Dr. Sherin Al-Safadi, VP Medical Affairs.

A replay of the webinar is now available online at View Source

The phase 3 SPLASH trial is a multi-center, randomized, open label assessment of PNT2002 in participants with PSMA-expressing mCRPC who have progressed on androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) therapy and refuse, or are not eligible for, chemotherapy. The randomization phase of the study is expected to enroll approximately 400 participants across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Participants will be randomized 2:1 with participants in arm A receiving PNT2002 and participants in arm B receiving either abiraterone or enzalutamide. Participants in arm B who experience centrally assessed radiographic progression and meet protocol eligibility will have the option to crossover and receive PNT2002. Patients will be subject to follow-up for up to 5 years from their first PNT2002 dose. The primary endpoint of the study is radiographic progression-free survival. Key secondary endpoints include overall response rate, overall survival, and pharmacokinetics.

Bicara Therapeutics to Present Clinical Data from Lead Precision Tumor Modulator Program, BCA101, at ESMO Congress 2022

On August 18, 2022 Bicara Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing dual-action biologics designed to elicit a potent and durable immune response in the tumor microenvironment, reported that it will present updated data from the expansion phase of its ongoing Phase 1 trial of BCA101, a bifunctional antibody designed to target the TGFβ trap to EGFR+ tumors, in an oral presentation at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2022 (Press release, Bicara Therapeutics, AUG 18, 2022, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bicara-therapeutics-to-present-clinical-data-from-lead-precision-tumor-modulator-program-bca101-at-esmo-congress-2022 [SID1234618479]). The meeting is being held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France and virtually from September 9-13, 2022.

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Details of the oral presentation are as follows:

Session Category: Mini Oral session: Investigational immunotherapy
Presentation Title: A phase 1 trial of the bifunctional EGFR/TGFβ fusion protein BCA101 alone and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors
Presenter: Glenn J. Hanna, MD
Date/Time: Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 2:55 p.m. GMT (8:55 a.m. EST)

About BCA101

BCA101 is a first-in-class EGFR / TGF-β-trap bifunctional antibody designed to enhance both innate and adaptive immune responses directly at the site of the tumor by binding to the well-validated EGFR antigen and disabling TGF-β, a signaling molecule that plays a key role in suppressing the immune response in the tumor microenvironment. Promising preclinical data suggest that BCA101 is superior to the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab in preventing tumor recurrence, as well as in restoring immune activation. An ongoing Phase 1/1b clinical trial of BCA101, initiated in July 2020, has enrolled cohorts of patients in a dose-escalation study with BCA101 as a single agent, as well as in combination with pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor and a recommended dose for expansion has been declared. For more information, please visit study number NCT04429542 at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

CG Pharmaceuticals Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1b/2 Study Evaluating Ivaltinostat for the Treatment of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

On August 18, 2022 CG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported the first patient dosed with the ivaltinostat and capecitabine combination therapy for the Phase 1b/2 pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) maintenance study (Press release, CG Therapeutics, AUG 18, 2022, View Source [SID1234618496]).

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Commencement of treatment for the first patient began on Aug 15, 2022, and the study will continue to recruit patients in approximately 25 institutions throughout the US.

The Phase 1b study will investigate the safety and tolerability of ivaltinostat in 3 different dose cohorts with locally advanced or metastatic PDAC who have completed at least one prior therapy. In the Phase 2 study, metastatic PDAC patients who show no evidence of disease progression after treatment with FOLFIRINOX will receive either the ivaltinostat/capecitabine combination therapy or capecitabine monotherapy after randomization. The primary endpoint is to evaluate ivaltinostat’s effect on improving progression free survival (PFS), while key secondary endpoints include objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and overall survival (OS).

Dr. Joong Myung Cho, CEO of CG Pharmaceuticals and CrystalGenomics, stated "Dosing of the first patient is a significant milestone for ivaltinostat as there is a great unmet medical need for the PDAC patients. We are very excited about the start of this trial as ivaltinostat has demonstrated promising signs of efficacy from previous preclinical and clinical studies."

About Ivaltinostat

Ivaltinostat is a novel anticancer therapeutic candidate that inhibits enzymatic activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC). Ivaltinostat has been evaluated for anticancer effect for metastatic PDAC and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The results of the Phase 2 study with unresectable or metastatic PDAC patients who have not had prior treatment were 93.8%, 25%, and 10.8 months, respectively for DCR, ORR and median OS. These results were published in the June 2022 publication of "International Journal of Cancer".