Pierre Fabre and Lonza Enter Manufacturing Agreement for W0180 Antibody Drug Product

On June 15, 2022 Lonza, a global development and manufacturing partner to the pharma, biotech and nutrition industries, and French pharmaceutical group Pierre Fabre reported that the companies have entered into a manufacturing agreement (Press release, Lonza, JUN 15, 2022, View Source [SID1234616025]).

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This collaboration is aimed at manufacturing W0180, an innovative monoclonal antibody discovered by Pierre Fabre targeting the VISTA checkpoint, currently being investigated as a single agent and in combination with pembrolizumab in a Phase I clinical trial (NCT04564417) in various solid tumors.

Lonza will provide cGMP drug product (DP) manufacturing services for clinical supply from its fill and finish facility at Stein, Switzerland. Lonza’s ability to provide exemplary drug product development and manufacturing services offers customers innovative solutions and the possibility to supply high-quality products for clinical use.

Jean-Luc Lowinski, Pierre Fabre Medical Care CEO, said: "We are delighted to entrust the production of the W0180 Drug Product to Lonza. Its Drug Product Services are well-suited for our innovative therapy manufacturing needs. The W0180 will be manufactured in Lonza’s GS Xceed Expression CHO System, also successfully used for the IGF1R and cMet antibodies discovered by Pierre Fabre."

About W0180

W0180 is a first-in-class antibody targeting VISTA (V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell Activation). VISTA is a negative checkpoint regulator of T cell response. VISTA is expressed within the tumor microenvironment, where its inhibition can enhance antitumor immune responses. Furthermore, an increase in VISTA expression has been reported after treatment with anti-PD1/L1 and anti-CTLA4. This confirms that VISTA may play a key role as a mechanism of resistance to the currently used immunotherapies. W0180 given to patients as a single agent or in combination with anti-PD1/L1 therapy has a potential in multiple cancer indications, including those with myeloid immunosuppressive infiltrates where the VISTA pathway is expressed.

Scandion Oncology publishes prospectus in connection with the rights issue of up to approximately SEK 93.7 million

On June 15, 2022 Scandion Oncology (Scandion or "The Company"), a biotech company developing first-in-class medicines aimed at treating cancer which is resistant to current treatment options, reported a prospectus in connection with the rights issue of shares (the "Rights Issue") announced on June 1, 2022, for which the subscription period commences on June 16, 2022 (Press release, Scandion Oncology, JUN 15, 2022, View Source,c3585777 [SID1234615991]). The prospectus has today been approved and registered by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet).

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Summary of the Rights Issue

For one (1) existing share on the record date of June 13 2022, shareholders will receive one (1) subscription right, three (3) subscription rights entitle to subscription of one (1) share.
The subscription price is SEK 8.75 per new share, which, assuming the Rights Issue is fully subscribed, results in the Company receiving issue proceeds of approximately SEK 93.7 million before deduction of transaction costs.
Subscription and guarantee commitments have been received from principal owners and new investors amounting to approximately SEK 75 million, corresponding to approximately 80% of the issue proceeds.
For complete information on the Rights Issue, please see the published prospectus.

Prospectus

The prospectus has been prepared in connection with the forthcoming Rights Issue and has today, on June 15 2022, been approved and registered by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. The prospectus, including full terms and conditions, is available on the Company’s, Hagberg & Aneborn Fondkommission AB’s and Redeye’s respective websites (www.scandiononcology.com, www.hagberganeborn.se, www.redeye.se). The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) will issue a certificate of European passport today, on June 15 2022. A summary of the prospectus in Swedish will be available on the above websites when the certificate is issued. Application forms for subscription without preferential rights will be available on the above websites as the subscription period commences.

Timetable for the Rights Issue

The record date for participating in the Rights Issue was June 13 2022. The last day of trading including the right to subscribe for shares was June 9. The first day of trading excluding the right to subscribe for shares was June 10 2022.

June 16 – June 28, 2022 Trading in subscription rights
June 16 – July 1, 2022 Subscription period
June 16 – until registration with the Danish Business Authority Trading in paid subscription shares (Sw. "BTA")
July 5, 2022 Estimated announcement of outcome in the Rights Issue
Advisers

Redeye AB acts as financial adviser and Horten Advokatpartnerselskab (as to Danish law) and Advokatfirman Schjødt (as to Swedish law) acts as legal advisers in connection with the Rights Issue. Hagberg & Aneborn Fondkommission AB acts as the issuing agent in the Rights Issue.

Affini-T Therapeutics & Metagenomi Announce Next-Generation Gene Editing Partnership to Advance Cell Therapies for Solid Tumor Patients

On June 15, 2022 Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company unlocking the power of T cells against oncogenic driver mutations, and Metagenomi, Inc., a genetic medicines company with a versatile portfolio of next-generation, wholly-owned gene editing tools, reported a partnership to enable Affini-T’s next generation ex vivo T cell receptor (TCR) cell therapies for solid tumor patients using Metagenomi’s novel proprietary gene editing systems (Press release, Affini-T Therapeutics, JUN 15, 2022, View Source [SID1234616010]).

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"We are delighted to announce our partnership with Metagenomi and to apply their next-generation gene editing systems to our cell therapies targeting oncogenic and viral driver genes, including KRAS and p53, to provide the greatest impact for patients across a variety of hard-to-treat solid tumor types," said Jak Knowles, M.D., Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Affini-T Therapeutics. "By working with Metagenomi, we will gain access to powerful, novel gene editing tools to make precise and multiplex edits to immune cells, thereby optimizing the effector function of our cell-based therapeutics."

"With this collaboration, Metagenomi is executing on its ex vivo therapeutics partnering strategy in the immuno-oncology space. We are especially excited to partner with the outstanding team at Affini-T and its scientific founder Dr. Phil Greenberg, who has fundamentally advanced this field. We believe that cell therapy, combined with our powerful gene editing tools, is the future of immuno-oncology, treating patients with the highest unmet medical need," said Brian C. Thomas, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Metagenomi. "Our strategy in cell therapy strives to create a broad pipeline of licensed, partnered and in-house development programs with leading scientific teams."

The partnership will leverage Metagenomi’s proprietary gene editing systems to complement Affini-T’s state-of-the-art TCR discovery and synthetic biology platforms to generate groundbreaking cell therapy products. Affini-T will have the option to exclusively license Metagenomi’s technology to make gene edits in autologous TCR T cell therapies for specific tumor targets, with the option to expand non-exclusively to editing certain allogeneic approaches. In the future the parties will discuss further targets for co-development and co-commercialization.

Under the terms of the agreement, Metagenomi will be entitled to receive tiered payments for each optioned cancer target plus additional milestone and royalty payments.

Blue Earth Diagnostics Announces Reader Reproducibility Results from Phase 3 SPOTLIGHT Trial of Investigational PET Imaging Agent 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 in Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer

On June 15, 2022 Blue Earth Diagnostics, a Bracco company and recognized leader in the development and commercialization of innovative PET radiopharmaceuticals, reported inter- and intra-reader reproducibility results from its Phase 3 SPOTLIGHT trial of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 in recurrent prostate cancer (Press release, Blue Earth Diagnostics, JUN 15, 2022, View Source [SID1234616011]). Results for the inter-reader agreement showed that agreement was high across all readers. The inter-reader agreement for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET/CT was more than 75% overall and greatest for the pelvic lymph node region, with more than 87% concordance. Intra-reader agreement was more than 85% overall. 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 is an investigational high affinity radiohybrid (rh) Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-targeted PET imaging agent. The results were reported in an oral presentation at the 2022 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting.

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"Biochemically recurrent prostate cancer can be locally recurrent disease, metastatic disease, or both. Therefore, optimal assessment of the extent and location of recurrent prostate cancer is critical for clinical decision-making by physicians and patients," said Phillip Kuo, MD, Ph.D., Departments of Medical Imaging, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. and Invicro, Needham, Mass., on behalf of the SPOTLIGHT study group. "Unfortunately, recurrence of prostate cancer is common. Conventional imaging, such as CT and bone scintigraphy, is often negative particularly when PSA is still low, so the demonstrated performance of PSMA-PET imaging fits an important unmet need. But no matter how good the radiotracer or scanner, reliable and consistent interpretation of PET imaging is foundational and has the potential to substantially impact patient care. These findings from the SPOTLIGHT study showed high inter-reader and intra-reader agreement for interpretation of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET/CT scans in the setting of biochemical recurrence. Such high reproducibility, particularly for extra-prostatic regions, is clinically valuable, due to the potential of these findings to influence patient management."

"We are pleased to present these reader interpretation results from the Phase 3 SPOTLIGHT trial at SNMMI’s 2022 Annual Meeting, as they will be a critical element of a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET imaging," said David E. Gauden, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer of Blue Earth Diagnostics. "In designing the image interpretation training to be used for the 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 Phase 3 program, we drew upon Blue Earth Diagnostics’ expertise and experience in designing PET image interpretation programs and training for commercialized Axumin (fluciclovine F 18). We selected 18F as the isotope of choice for PET imaging with rhPSMA in consideration of its spatial resolution and resulting high quality of PET images, and its physical half-life which greatly facilitates ease of large-scale manufacturing and distribution for broad-based patient access. 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 represents a new class of high affinity PSMA-targeted PET radiopharmaceuticals. Early studies of 18F‐rhPSMA‐7.3 showed a binding affinity for PSMA, together with biodistribution data suggesting the potential for low bladder activity."

The findings presented at SNMMI discussed inter- and intra-reader agreement for the interpretation of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 scans. Overall agreement between all three blinded readers who received identical training was assessed and repeated for the regions of the prostate/prostate bed, pelvic lymph nodes, and other (extra-pelvic) sites (lymph nodes outside pelvis, soft tissue/parenchyma, and bones). Results showed that agreement was high across all readers. The inter-reader agreement for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET/CT was more than 75% overall and greatest for the pelvic lymph node region, with more than 87% concordance. Intra-reader agreement was more than 85% overall. Reproducibility was lower for the prostate/prostate bed than other regions; however, the high reproducibility for extra-prostatic regions is clinically valuable due to the potential of these findings to influence patient management.

The SPOTLIGHT trial (NCT04186845) is a Phase 3, multi-center, single-arm imaging study conducted in the United States and Europe to evaluate the safety and diagnostic performance of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated PSA following prior therapy. Key results for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET were previously presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GU in February 2022,1 with additional results announced at AUA in April 20222.

The findings were discussed in an oral presentation at SNMMI 2022 on June 14, 2022, "Inter- and intra-reader reproducibility of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET image interpretation in patients with suspected prostate cancer recurrence: Results from a phase 3, prospective, multicenter study (SPOTLIGHT)," by Phillip Kuo, MD, Ph.D., Departments of Medical Imaging, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. and Invicro, Boston, Mass., on behalf of the SPOTLIGHT study group. Full session details and the abstract are available in the SNMMI online program HERE.

About Radiohybrid Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (rhPSMA)
rhPSMA compounds consist of a radiohybrid ("rh") Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-targeted receptor ligand which attaches to and is internalized by prostate cancer cells and they may be radiolabeled with 18F for PET imaging, or with isotopes such as 177Lu or 225Ac for therapeutic use – creating a true theranostic technology. They may play an important role in patient management in the future, and offer the potential for precision medicine for men with prostate cancer. Radiohybrid technology and rhPSMA originated from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Blue Earth Diagnostics acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to rhPSMA diagnostic imaging technology from Scintomics GmbH in 2018, and therapeutic rights in 2020, and has sublicensed the therapeutic application to its sister company Blue Earth Therapeutics. Blue Earth Diagnostics has completed two Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the safety and diagnostic performance of 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 PET imaging in prostate cancer: ("SPOTLIGHT," NCT04186845), in men with recurrent disease and ("LIGHTHOUSE," NCT04186819), in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Currently, rhPSMA compounds are investigational and have not received regulatory approval.

Boston Scientific Announces Agreement to Purchase Majority Stake of M.I.Tech Co., Ltd from Synergy Innovation Co., Ltd

On June 15, 2022 Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) reported that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Synergy Innovation Co., Ltd, to purchase its majority stake (approximately 64 percent) of M.I.Tech Co., Ltd, ("M.I.Tech") a publicly traded Korean manufacturer and distributor of medical devices for endoscopic and urologic procedures. M.I.Tech is the creator of the HANAROSTENT technology, a family of conformable, non-vascular, self-expanding metal stents, which have been distributed by Boston Scientific in Japan since 2015 (Press release, Boston Scientific, JUN 15, 2022, View Source,-Ltd-from-Synergy-Innovation-Co-,-Ltd [SID1234615994]). The agreement consists of a purchase price of KRW 14,500 per share, which represents a total of KRW 291.2 billion or approximately $230 million at current exchange rates, subject to closing adjustments.

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Non-vascular gastrointestinal and airway stents are used to help clear occlusions or strictures in various areas of a patient’s anatomy, including the biliary tree, pancreatic duct, esophagus, colon and duodenum. In many cases, stent placement is minimally invasive and may aid faster patient recovery compared to surgery.1,2 The HANAROSTENT technology features a unique hook-cross nitinol design intended to provide a natural and flexible fit within a patient’s anatomy, as well as flared ends to help prevent stent migration.

"M.I.Tech is an innovator in non-vascular stent development, with product offerings that complement our existing stent portfolio, including the differentiated AXIOS Stent and Electrocautery Enhanced Delivery System and the flexible and conformable Agile Esophageal Stent System," said Art Butcher, executive vice president and group president, MedSurg and Asia Pacific, Boston Scientific. "We are committed to investing in technologies that advance care for patients around the world and are eager to work more closely with M.I.Tech to expand their international footprint."

The company expects to complete the transaction in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. The impact to GAAP and adjusted earnings per share is expected to be immaterial in 2022.