On April 25, 2022 AI Therapeutics, Inc., an AI driven clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for rare diseases, reported the acquisition of EntreChem, S.L.’s investigational drug candidate EC-8042 (redesignated AIT-102), a novel targeted cancer therapy in development for rare pediatric and other cancers (Press release, EntreChem, APR 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234648560]).

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Despite recent advances in the understanding of tumor biology, treatment for many pediatric cancers remains limited to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy which often have poor outcomes and are associated with significant side effects. AIT-102 specifically targets the mutations responsible for the formation and progression of two notable pediatric tumors, rhabdoid tumors and Ewing sarcoma, and holds the potential to treat a broader family of tumors that share a common mechanism of mutated or dysregulated SWI/SNF activity.

"As a physician treating children with cancer on a daily basis, I am acutely aware of the need for more effective and less toxic therapies," said Patrick Grohar, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Translational Research with the Center of Childhood Cancer Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a leader in the study and treatment of pediatric tumors. "For many tumor types, the biological culprit is well understood, but has proven difficult to target with pharmaceuticals. I have dedicated the last 15 years of my professional career to understanding the mechanism of tumor biology in children and finding new, targeted, therapies to treat these tumors. I am particularly impressed with the strong preclinical data from our studies of AIT-102 in rhabdoid tumors and Ewing sarcoma, and I believe that AIT-102 has the potential to transform the treatment of these cancers, as well as many others."

"AIT-102 is a powerful addition to AI Therapeutics’ rare disease treatment pipeline," said Brigette Roberts, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of AI Therapeutics. "Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children in the US today. With AIT-102, we hope to change these statistics. Beyond pediatrics, AIT-102 has the potential to treat up to 20% of cancers with altered SWI/SNF activity, either through mutation or dysregulation, including epithelioid sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, lung adenocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, and others. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring forward a promising new agent to help fight these tumors."

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

On April 25, 2022 BioVaxys Technology Corp. (CSE: BIOV, FRA:5LB,OTCQB:BVAXF) ("BioVaxys" or "Company"), reported that it has entered into an agreement with the Deaconess Research Institute ("DRI") to supply BioVaxys with surgically debulked tumors from Stage III/Stage IV ovarian cancer patients undergoing treatment at Deaconess Health System ("Deaconess") (Press release, BioVaxys Technology, APR 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234614613]). DRI, based in Evansville, Indiana, is the clinical studies arm of Deaconess, a premier regional provider of health care services in the United States. Access to ovarian cancer tumor cells is a critical step enabling BioVaxys to validate the manufacturing process for BVX-0918, the Company’s autologous haptenized tumor cell vaccine for late-stage ovarian cancer.

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The standard of care for late-stage ovarian cancer often involves surgically debulking of the tumor mass. The debulked tumor cells will be used to test and validate the tumor collection protocol, cryopackaging, cryopreservation, and supply chain logistics for BVX-0918 bioproduction. Following shipment to BioElpida s.a. ("BioElpida"), the Company’s bioproduction partner in Lyon, France, the tumor cells will then be used for process testing and manufacturing "dry runs" of BVX-0918, a major step leading to the completion of Good Manufacturing Process ("GMP") production, a requirement for the planned Clinical Trial Application ("CTA") with the European Medicines Agency ("EMA"). BioVaxys, together with its EU partner, ProCare Health of Barcelona, Spain, is preparing to launch a Phase I clinical study for BVX-0918 later this year.

BioElpida developed various tests and validation procedures needed to support GMP manufacturing, such as sterility testing for transport, hapten fixation, and cryopreservation solutions, as well as antibody generation, bioburden screening of the haptens, and endotoxin assays; access to debulked tumor means that BioElpida will begin the final stages of the vaccine production protocol and GMP validation. BioVaxys and BioElpida have also designed and fabricated a specialized shipping package which would cryopreserve the tumor sample while in transit from any hospital site to the BioElpida site.

BioVaxys President & Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Kovan says, "Having complied with the regulatory oversight involved in obtaining waste tumor samples, BioVaxys is now able to provide BioElpida with the materials required for finalizing the vaccine production protocol and performing process validation in the lead up to our planned CTA submission to the European regulator."

BioVaxys’ vaccine platform is based on the established immunological concept that modifying surface proteins—whether they are viral or tumor—with haptens makes them more visible to the immune system. This process of haptenization "teaches" a patient’s immune system to recognize and make target proteins more "visible" as foreign, thereby stimulating a T-cell mediated immune response. BioVaxys’ cancer vaccines are created by extracting a patient’s own (autologous) cancer cells, chemically linking with a hapten, and re-injecting them into the patient to induce an immune response to proteins which are otherwise not immunogenic. Haptenization is a well-known and well-studied immunotherapeutic approach to cancer immunotherapy and has been clinically evaluated in both regional and disseminated metastatic tumors.

A first generation single-hapten vaccine invented by BioVaxys Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer David Berd, MD, achieved positive immunological and clinical results in Phase I and Phase II human trials in over 600 patients with different tumor types, as well as having no observed toxicity in years of clinical study. These studies were conducted under an FDA-reviewed IND. A first generation autologous, haptenized vaccine was also tested by Dr. Berd in women with advanced ovarian cancer who had ceased to respond to conventional chemotherapy. The results were encouraging: In 24 patients, the median overall survival was 25.4 months with a range of 4.5-57.4 months; 8 patients survived for more than 2 years. BioVaxys has enhanced the first-generation approach by utilizing two haptens ("bi-haptenization"), which the Company believes will yield superior results.

On April 25, 2022 Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) reported a new strategic plan focused on prioritizing key research and development efforts that will be most impactful to the company’s future, including its NKTR-358, NKTR-255 and several core research programs (Press release, Nektar Therapeutics, APR 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234612904]). In connection with this new strategic plan, Nektar also announced a cost restructuring plan aimed at ensuring Nektar has significant capital to fund key programs through value-enhancing data and other milestones without a need to raise incremental capital for at least 3 years.

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Nektar’s strategic plan going forward is built upon three core pillars:

Success-based development funding of NKTR-358 for maximum royalty participation: In partnership with Eli Lilly, the NKTR-358 program has continued to advance. Built upon early promising data, the Phase 2 program for NKTR-358 includes the ongoing 280-patient Phase 2 study in lupus, a second Phase 2 study planned to start shortly in 300 patients with atopic dermatitis and a third Phase 2 study being planned in a yet to be announced autoimmune indication to potentially start in 2023. Under the terms of its agreement with Eli Lilly, Nektar is eligible for up to $250 million in development and regulatory milestones. Nektar will have the option to participate in Phase 3 development up to 25% on an indication-by-indication basis and can receive significant double-digit royalties on global sales of NKTR-358 with the first tier in the mid-teens and the second tier in the low twenties of global sales of NKTR-358. Lilly is responsible for all costs of global commercialization and Nektar has an option to co-promote NKTR-358.
Prudently develop NKTR-255 in its areas of strength and differentiation: Nektar’s development plan for 255 is focused on key preclinical and emerging clinical data driven areas of differentiation of this unique IL-15 agonist. The company will continue the Merck KGaA-sponsored JAVELIN Bladder Medley Study. In addition, new development efforts will focus on the potential to use NKTR-255 as a cell therapy potentiator, based upon clinical observations and preclinical models suggesting NKTR-255 has great potential to enhance CAR-T cell persistence. Nektar currently has two studies underway with external collaborators to evaluate NKTR-255 in combination with CAR-T therapies and is also currently designing a Nektar-sponsored comparative study, which it aims to initiate in the second half of 2022. The company will also continue its dose-escalation development work in combination with antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) agents and plans to evaluate potential next steps once these data mature.
Invest in core research programs to complement Nektar’s pipeline: Nektar is currently cultivating several new research programs. The first, a collaboration with Biolojic Design, is for a unique bivalent agonistic antibody targeting TNFR2, and is an example of Nektar’s ability to bring in external candidates and new modalities into the pipeline. The additional two programs were invented in Nektar’s laboratories and are focused in the areas of auto-immune disease and oncology.
"Over the past several weeks, the Nektar executive team has made decisions to prioritize key research and development efforts that will be most impactful to the future of our company," said Howard W. Robin, President and CEO of Nektar. "This new strategic plan focuses on important pipeline programs – NKTR-358, NKTR-255 and preclinical candidates – each of which we believe presents an opportunity to create significant value for our shareholders."

To reflect these new strategic priorities, Nektar also announced several changes to its executive team. Dr. Dimitry Nuyten, Nektar’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), will step down from his position following a transition through June 2022. He will be succeeded by Dr. Brian Kotzin, Nektar’s Head of Immunology, who brings over 30 years of drug development experience to the role and is an expert in the areas of immunology and inflammatory diseases. Dr. Kotzin had previously served as Nektar’s interim CMO. John Northcott, Nektar’s Chief Commercial Officer, who led the pre-commercialization activities for BEMPEG, will depart the company in June following a transition period, but will remain as a strategic consulting advisor to the company through the end of 2022. The company thanks Dr. Nuyten and Mr. Northcott for their contributions.

Cost Restructuring Plan
Nektar also announced that it is implementing a cost restructuring plan, extending the company’s cash runway into the first half of 2025. The restructuring plan is designed to ensure Nektar has sufficient working capital to fund key R&D programs to value-enhancing data and other milestones without a need to raise external capital. In connection with this restructuring, Nektar will reduce its workforce by approximately 70%. The scale and scope of this reduction aligns with the substantial work Nektar did to conduct late stage registrational studies of bempegaldesleukin and prepare for its widespread distribution and commercial launch.

Robin continued, "Our new operating plan is designed to ensure we have at least three years of cash runway to support the advancement of our key programs through a steady stream of data catalysts that we expect will begin in the second half of 2022. On behalf of our entire Nektar management team and Board, I want to express my deep and humble gratitude to the employees who will be departing Nektar. We are immensely grateful for the contributions you have made to our company, your dedication to our mission and your efforts to work to bring new medicines to patients with debilitating diseases."

After accounting for BEMPEG wind-down and restructuring costs, Nektar now expects to end the year with approximately $440 million to $450 million in cash and investments and no debt on the company’s balance sheet. In connection with the business restructuring and reduction in workforce, Nektar expects to take a charge of between $150 million and $160 million, a substantial portion of which will be recorded in the company’s financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2022.

Webcast Conference Call for Analysts & Investors
Nektar executives will host an analyst and investor conference call to discuss the new strategic plan and the company’s research and development pipeline beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, April 25, 2022.

The press release and live audio-only webcast of the conference call can be accessed through a link that is posted on the Home Page and Investors section of the Nektar website: View Source The web broadcast of the conference call will be available for replay through May 27, 2022.

On April 25, 2022 Laboratoires DELBERT reported the signature with Sanofi on March 31st, 2022 of the acquisition of Teralithe 250mg, divisible tablet and Teralithe LP 400mg, prolonged-release tablet (lithium carbonate) in France (Press release, Sanofi, APR 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234612921]).

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Laboratoires DELBERT (View Source) is a French Pharmaceutical company specialized in the « Revival of essential medications » : Marketing discontinuation, stock shortages …affect more and more essential medications especially in crisis periods with the consequence of narrowing the therapeutic arsenal of doctors that may force well-controlled patients to switch to other therapies.

With this acquisition Laboratoires DELBERT reinforces the execution of their strategy in order to ensure safe and continuous availability of Essential Medications to patients and reinforce their CNS portfolio.

"This acquisition demonstrates our ongoing commitment to invest in Major Therapeutical Interest Medications (MITM). Maintaining these medications available for patients in need is our priority," said Marc Childs, & Thierry Hoffmann co-founders of Laboratoires DELBERT, « Laboratoires DELBERT built up over the time a portfolio of MITM that is anchored in 3 specific therapeutic areas : Antiinfectives, CNS and Oncology. »

Laboratoires DELBERT will reach over 30m€ sales by 2022 with double digit growth every year and already commercializes 14 products (out of which 13 princeps) for hospitals/specialists prescriptions.

Laboratoires DELBERT financed this acquisition thanks to very strong relationship with its financial partners who strongly believe in their values focused on patients access to MITM.

On April 25, 2022 Hoffmann-La Roche reported its first quarter results 2022 (Presentation, Hoffmann-La Roche, APR 25, 2022, View Source [SID1234612941]).

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