On May 9, 2022 OPKO Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPK), a multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company, reported the acquisition of ModeX Therapeutics, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing innovative multi-specific immune therapies for cancer and infectious diseases (Press release, Opko Health, MAY 9, 2022, View Source [SID1234613907]). OPKO acquired ModeX for $300 million in OPKO common stock .

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Founded in October 2020 with headquarters in Natick, Mass., ModeX Therapeutics has developed highly flexible multi-specific antibody technology platforms with broad targeting and functional capabilities, simpler manufacturing and potentially better specificity and safety, providing significant differentiation from competing platforms. The design of these multi-specifics is amenable to gene-based delivery by mRNA or DNA vectors. The ModeX product portfolio includes cancer immunotherapies that combine four specificities into one protein to improve targeting and immune killing, as well as masking or "stealth" technology to improve tumor-specific killing and reduce side effects. For viral diseases, the lead targets of a broad and potent multi-specific antibody portfolio include HIV and SARS-CoV-2. A vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus is also in development.

"The acquisition of ModeX Therapeutics significantly broadens our technology foundation and expands our product pipeline to include multi-specific multi-functional antibodies focused on a range of cancers and infectious diseases, with applicability to other therapeutic areas. We believe the promise of better outcomes for patients treated with these multi-specific antibodies represents a next generation of large molecule therapeutics and the next chapter of OPKO," said Phillip Frost, M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OPKO. "We welcome ModeX’s co-founders Dr. Zerhouni and Dr. Nabel, as well as Alexis Borisy to our Board of Directors, and Dr. Zerhouni and Dr. Nabel to OPKO’s executive management team. The ModeX executive team brings to OPKO a wealth of experience, knowledge and industry contacts, which we expect will have a tremendous long-term positive impact on OPKO as we advance their technology and product pipeline and leverage potential synergies with our current portfolio in diagnostics and therapeutics."

Elias Zerhouni, M.D., Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of ModeX, has been appointed President and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of OPKO. Dr. Zerhouni brings extensive experience in academia, government and industry as a leading authority on emerging trends and issues in medical care and biomedical research and development. A physician scientist with an academic background in imaging and biomedical engineering, Dr. Zerhouni most recently served as President of Global Research & Development and Executive Vice President of Sanofi. Dr. Zerhouni also served as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Senior Fellow for Global Health Research at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Presidential U.S. Envoy for Science and Technology, and Professor and Chair of the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Executive Vice Dean and Dean for Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Zerhouni was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and to the National Academy of Engineering. He serves on the Board of the Lasker Foundation, the Foundation for NIH, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and Research!America. He received the 2017 Scripps Executive of the Year Award for the pharmaceutical industry and the French Legion of Honor in 2008. He has been a director of Danaher Corporation since 2009.

"Being part of OPKO represents a transformative opportunity for both companies. We anticipate it will accelerate ModeX’s product pipeline focused on unmet needs in oncology and infectious diseases and the development of our innovative technologies, and also will take advantage of synergies with OPKO’s programs," said Dr. Zerhouni. "ModeX has operated quietly since we were founded 18 months ago on the basis of over 10 years of prior foundational work. We have assembled a world-class executive team with outstanding public and private sector leadership experience to advance our programs. Our lead drug candidate is already in the clinic while several others in late preclinical stages are expected to enter clinical development in 2023. We were enticed to join OPKO by its leadership’s vision and enthusiasm for strengthening our mutual potential for breakthrough innovation."

Gary Nabel, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ModeX, has been appointed Chief Innovation Officer of OPKO and joins OPKO’s Board of Directors. Dr. Nabel, a renowned virologist and immunologist, served as Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Sanofi where he directed the breakthrough laboratory that developed tri-specific products now in early clinical development. He is the founding director of the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center, working on vaccines and broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, influenza, SARS, Ebola, Chikungunya and Epstein-Barr virus. He was previously an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Michigan. In recognition of his expertise at the forefront of virology, immunology, gene therapy and molecular biology, Dr. Nabel was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, is a fellow of the American Association of Physicians and the American Academy of Arts Sciences, and was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award from Research!America.

Alexis Borisy, the Lead Independent Director of ModeX, also joins OPKO’s Board of Directors. Mr. Borisy is a leading biotechnology entrepreneur and investor with more than 25 years of experience, including founding, serving as Chief Executive Officer and/or Chairman of nine NASDAQ-listed companies. He co-founded and served as either the Chief Executive Officer or Chairman of Blueprint Medicines, Foundation Medicine, Relay Therapeutics, Tango Therapeutics, Celsius Therapeutics and CombinatoRx.

With the additions of Dr. Zerhouni, Dr. Nabel and Mr. Borisy to OPKO’s Board, the number of Directors expands to 13.

Conference Call & Webcast Information

Management will discuss this transaction and answer questions during the company’s previously scheduled first quarter 2022 conference call, to be held today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. Participants can pre-register for the conference call using this link. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. Participants may register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. Those unable to pre-register may participate by dialing (866) 777-2509 (U.S.) or (412) 317-5413 (International). A webcast of the call may also be accessed at OPKO’s Investor Relations page and here.

A telephone replay will be available until May 16, 2022 by dialing (877) 344-7529 (U.S.) or (412) 317-0088 (International) and providing the passcode 6587528. A webcast replay will be available beginning approximately one hour after the completion of the live conference call here.

On May 9, 2022 Neoleukin Therapeutics, Inc., "Neoleukin" (NASDAQ:NLTX), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing sophisticated computational methods to design de novo protein therapeutics, reported financial results for the quarter ending March 31, 2022 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Neoleukin Therapeutics, MAY 9, 2022, View Source [SID1234613923]).

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"During the first quarter of 2022 our dedicated team at Neoleukin has been focused on execution of our NL-201 Phase 1 clinical trial, evaluating multiple schedules during dose escalation in patients with relapsed and refractory solid tumors," said Jonathan Drachman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Neoleukin. "We anticipate reporting interim data from this trial during the second half of 2022; we also expect to initiate testing of NL-201 in combination with pembrolizumab around mid-year. Our scientists continue preclinical evaluation of NL-201 in novel regimens and additional indications as well as advancing our de novo protein technology and early-stage research programs."
NL-201 Update
Neoleukin is conducting a clinical trial of intravenous NL-201 in patients with advanced solid tumors. It is currently enrolling patients at sites in Australia, the United States, and Canada, evaluating two different schedules and multiple dose levels in order to determine a recommended Phase 2 dose and schedule. Neoleukin anticipates disclosing interim data during the second half of 2022.
In January, Neoleukin announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) to evaluate NL-201 plus pembrolizumab as part of Neoleukin’s ongoing Phase 1 trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. This additional arm of the ongoing clinical trial is expected to begin enrollment mid-year 2022.
In April 2022, Neoleukin announced the presentation of preclinical data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, highlighting the potential for NL-201 to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma as well as synergistic antitumor activity when NL-201 is combined with radiation therapy, including significant inhibition of tumor growth and increased survival in preclinical models.
Based on encouraging preclinical activity, Neoleukin announced plans to initiate a separate clinical trial to evaluate NL-201 in patients with hematologic malignancies. The timing for enrolling patients in this trial will be determined based on data we receive from our ongoing solid tumor Phase 1 trial relating to safety and optimal dosing schedules.

Executive Appointment
In March 2022, Neoleukin announced the appointment of Donna M. Cochener as General Counsel, Senior Vice President, Legal. Ms. Cochener joins Neoleukin after serving as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at HomeStreet, Inc., the parent company of HomeStreet Bank. Prior to her position with HomeStreet, Ms. Cochener was a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP in Seattle, and worked as an associate at the Seattle offices of Heller Ehrman, LLP, Riddell Williams, P.S. and Perkins Coie, LLP.
Summary of Financial Results
Cash Position: Cash and cash equivalents totaled $128.1 million as of March 31, 2022, compared to $142.5 million as of December 31, 2021.
Based upon current internal infrastructure and pipeline initiatives, Neoleukin believes it has sufficient cash to fund operations through 2023.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 increased to $10.7 million from $9.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to increased clinical trial expenses related to our lead product candidate, NL-201, and costs incurred in connection with the advancement of other Neoleukin technologies. The increase was partially offset by higher costs incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2021 in connection with the build-out of our headquarters and laboratory space in Seattle, Washington, as well as development costs associated with our NL-CVX1 program which was suspended in June 2021.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 decreased to $4.7 million from $5.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreases in personnel-related and facility-related costs.
Net Loss: Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was $15.4 million compared to a net loss of $14.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.
About NL-201
NL-201 is a de novo agonist of the IL-2 and IL-15 receptors, designed to expand cancer-fighting CD8 T cells and natural killer (NK) cells without any bias toward cells expressing the alpha receptor subunit (CD25). Previously presented preclinical data has demonstrated the ability of NL-201 to stimulate and expand CD8+ and NK cells at low doses with minimal impact on immunosuppressive regulatory T cells. Furthermore, NL-201 has demonstrated both monotherapy and combination activity across a wide range of preclinical syngeneic tumor models.

On May 9, 2022 Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, reported financial results and corporate highlights for the first quarter of 2022 as well as upcoming anticipated corporate milestones (Press release, Surface Oncology, MAY 9, 2022, View Source [SID1234613939]).

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"The first quarter of 2022 marked the beginning of a data-rich year for Surface, starting with the presentation of preclinical and translational SRF388 data at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) in April," said Rob Ross, M.D., chief executive officer. "We are actively developing two novel antibodies in Phase 2 studies, SRF388 and SRF617, and our runway now provides us with 12 months of cash beyond data readouts for up to six different indications and combination studies across the programs. We look forward to presenting our next update on SRF388, the only antibody targeting IL-27 in the clinic, at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper), and we remain on track to share new clinical data for SRF617 in the second half of this year."

First Quarter and Subsequent Corporate Highlights

During the first quarter, Surface raised net proceeds of approximately $21 million through the company’s existing At-the-Market (ATM) facility with participation based on unsolicited interest received from EcoR1 and Octagon Capital Advisors.

At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2022, Surface presented SRF388 preclinical and translational data supporting the recommended Phase 2 monotherapy dose selection of 10 mg/kg administered intravenously every four weeks. This dose is being studied in dedicated expansion cohorts of treatment-refractory clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

In March, Surface announced that the first patient had been dosed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in a Phase 1 study evaluating GSK4381562 in patients with solid tumors. GSK4381562 is a fully human IgG1 antibody targeting PVRIG, an inhibitory protein on the TIGIT/DNAM/TACTILE axis that is expressed on natural killer cells (NK cells) and T cells. As a result, Surface is entitled to a $30 million milestone payment and is eligible to receive an additional $700 million in potential future milestone payments, and tiered royalties on global net sales.

In March, the company announced the appointment of Theresa Boni, J.D., as general counsel and senior vice president, legal. Ms. Boni brings more than 20 years of legal experience spanning the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.
SRF388 Clinical Trial Progress and Updates

In April 2022, Surface announced the initiation of two Phase 2 clinical studies evaluating SRF388, a potential first-in-class antibody against IL-27. The initiations include the first patient dosed in a Phase 2 monotherapy clinical study in treatment-refractory NSCLC patients and the first patient dosed in the lead-in to a randomized Phase 2 clinical study in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in patients with HCC who have not received prior systemic treatment (first-line).

With respect to the design of the SRF388 randomized Phase 2 study in first-line HCC, the company will expand the open-label lead-in from six patients, as originally planned, to approximately 30 patients. Management believes this expanded lead-in will provide more robust safety and efficacy data to inform the start of the randomized stage and could elucidate important biomarkers to support enriched patient selection. Data from the lead-in are anticipated in the first half of 2023.

New clinical data on SRF388 will be presented in an oral session at the 2022 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The session, entitled "First-in-human study of SRF388, a first-in-class IL-27 targeting antibody, as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors," will be held Saturday, June 4, 2022, from 1:15 pm – 4:15 pm CDT.
Selected Anticipated Near-term Corporate Milestones

The company remains on track to provide a clinical data update on SRF617, a fully human antibody designed to inhibit CD39, in the second half of 2022.

Surface anticipates filing an Investigational New Drug application for SRF114, a fully human IgG1 anti-CCR8 antibody, in the second half of 2022.
Financial Results
As of March 31, 2022, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $150.4 million, compared to $154.1 million on December 31, 2021.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $6.5 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $5.6 million for the same period in 2021. This increase was primarily due to increases in personnel and facility-related costs and increased insurance premiums. G&A expenses included $1.3 million in stock-based compensation expense for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

Research and development (R&D) expenses were $16.6 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $10.5 million for the same period in 2021. This increase was primarily driven by progress on our SRF617 and SRF388 Phase 1 clinical trials and advancement into Phase 2 trials. R&D expenses included $0.6 million in stock-based compensation expense for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

For the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, net income was $6.2 million, or basic net income per share of $0.13 and diluted net income per share of $0.13. Net loss was $15.6 million for the same period in 2021, or basic and diluted net loss per share of $0.37.

Based upon the current operating plan, Surface projects its cash runway extending into 2024.

On May 9, 2022 Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) reported the initiation of a new share buy-back program, under which the Company intends to buy back up to 71,562 of its own shares (Press release, Bavarian Nordic, MAY 9, 2022, View Source [SID1234613955]). The purpose of the share buy-back program is to meet the Company’s obligations arising from the share-based incentive programs for the Board of Directors and Executive Management, in accordance with the Company’s remuneration policy.

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The share buy-back program is initiated pursuant to the authorization granted at the annual general meeting on April 5, 2022, according to which the Company may purchase up to 10 % of the Company’s share capital for the time being.

The share buy-back program will be executed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on market abuse and supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016, which together constitute the Safe Harbour Regulation.

Bavarian Nordic A/S has appointed Danske Bank A/S Lead Manager of the program. Danske Bank A/S will buy back shares on behalf of Bavarian Nordic A/S and make decisions on trading with Bavarian Nordic A/S’ shares independently and without influence of Bavarian Nordic A/S.

The program will be implemented in accordance with the authorization within the following scope:

A maximum of 71,562 shares will be purchased within the duration of the program.
The maximum consideration for Bavarian Nordic A/S-shares purchased within the duration of the program is DKK 20 million. However, based on the closing price of Bavarian Nordic’s share on Nasdaq Copenhagen A/S on May 6, 2022, the total consideration is expected to be in the level of DKK 9.5 million.
The program terminates at the latest on May 18, 2022.
The maximum number of shares, which may be purchased per trading day, shall not exceed 25% of the average daily volume of shares in the Company traded on Nasdaq Copenhagen A/S in the preceding 20 trading days.
The shares may not be purchased at a price which is higher than the higher of the following:
The price of the last independent trade.
The highest current independent purchase bid on Nasdaq Copenhagen A/S.
Bavarian Nordic A/S may terminate the program at any time. If the Company determines to terminate the program, the Company will give notice hereof.

On May 9, 2022 Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, late-stage product candidates targeting neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, plans to hold its upcoming first quarter 2022 earnings call and webcast, reporting financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and provide a review of recent accomplishments and anticipated upcoming milestones, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. ET (Press release, Biohaven Pharmaceutical, MAY 9, 2022, View Source [SID1234613972]). The earnings call and webcast will follow Biohaven’s issuance of its first quarter 2022 earnings release and the filing of its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

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To access the call on May 11, 2022, please dial 877-407-9120 (domestic) or 412-902-1009 (international). The conference call webcast and accompanying slide presentation can be accessed through the "Investors" section of Biohaven’s website at www.biohavenpharma.com. To ensure a timely connection, it is recommended that participants register at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled webcast. A replay of the call will be made available for two weeks following the conference call. To hear a replay of the call, dial 877-660-6853 (domestic) or 201-612-7415 (international) with conference ID 13728089. An archived webcast will be available on Biohaven’s website.