On April 27, 2022 Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T) products for cancer, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan-drug designation (ODD) to ALLO-605, the Company’s next-generation AlloCAR T product candidate targeting BCMA for the treatment of multiple myeloma (Press release, Allogene, APR 27, 2022, View Source [SID1234616273]).

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ALLO-605 is the Company’s first TurboCAR product candidate. TurboCAR is a proprietary, next generation platform technology based on a programmable cytokine signaling, designed to control T cell exhaustion and to improve T cell function and potency. These properties may enable CAR T products to succeed in more difficult to treat hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The FDA granted Fast Track designation to ALLO-605 in Q2 2021 based on the potential for the product candidate to address an unmet need for patients who have failed other standard multiple myeloma therapies. The Phase 1 study evaluating ALLO-605 is ongoing.

"Orphan-drug designation marks an important step towards developing our anti-BCMA portfolio for patients with multiple myeloma and making allogeneic CAR T products readily available for patients," said Rafael Amado, M.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer. "We look forward to providing an update on our BCMA clinical assets by the end of the year with an eye toward prioritizing a strategy for the next stage of development."

Orphan-drug designation is granted by the FDA to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which generally includes a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. ODD granted therapies entitle companies to development incentives including tax credits for clinical testing and prescription drug user fee exemptions. If a product that has ODD subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the designated disease, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances. ODD does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review or approval process.

About ALLO-605
ALLO-605, a next-generation AlloCAR T known as a TurboCAR, is an investigational product that targets the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and other BCMA-positive malignancies. This study uses ALLO-647, Allogene’s proprietary monoclonal antibody (mAb), as a part of its differentiated lymphodepletion regimen. ALLO-605 incorporates Allogene’s proprietary TurboCAR technology, which allows for cytokine activation signaling to be engineered selectively into CAR T cells. Preclinical results with ALLO-605 were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) annual meeting in December 2020. In June 2021, ALLO-605 was granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the potential treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The Phase 1 study evaluating ALLO-605 is underway.

On April 27, 2022 Caladrius Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLBS) ("Caladrius" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapies designed to treat or reverse disease, and Cend Therapeutics, Inc. ("Cend"), a privately-held, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on a novel approach to enable more effective treatments for solid tumor cancers, reported that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Cend will merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of Caladrius in an all-stock approximate "merger of equals" transaction unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of each company (Press release, Caladrius Biosciences, APR 27, 2022, View Source [SID1234613021]). Following closing, the combined company will be renamed Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. ("Lisata") and will trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "LSTA". The merger is currently expected to close in the third quarter of 2022 subject to the approval of Caladrius and Cend stockholders as well as the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions and applicable approvals.

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"As we communicated to our shareholders frequently over the last year, Caladrius has been seeking to identify and evaluate strategic development opportunities with the aim of consummating transactions that will deliver additional value to our shareholders beyond our current development pipeline. After a comprehensive review of available opportunities and with the aid of specialized consultants, we concluded that a merger with Cend provides Caladrius shareholders with an attractive opportunity for potential value creation by immediately expanding and diversifying our development portfolio," stated David J. Mazzo, PhD, President and CEO of Caladrius. "We believe that Cend’s technology has the potential to deliver novel and improved treatments in patients with solid tumor cancers with a lead program in pancreatic cancer that already has shown great promise based on early clinical data. Furthermore, we expect that the complementarity of expertise, experience, and resources between the two companies will accelerate the development and availability to patients of this innovative and potentially important new cancer treatment."

"Our team has spent the past several years developing and advancing a novel and differentiated approach to treat solid tumor cancers. The CendR Platform provides a targeted tissue penetration capability which is designed to specifically enhance drug delivery to solid tumors. Cend’s lead investigational drug, CEND-1, has been combined with other anticancer products to potentially enable more effective treatment of difficult to treat solid tumor cancers," said David Slack, CEO of Cend. "For us, an attractive aspect of this business combination is the addition of Caladrius’ development team, which has experience and expertise in a diverse array of therapeutic areas, including oncology. We are excited to be working together to improve outcomes for cancer patients."

Following the closing of the merger, Lisata is expected to advance CEND-1 as its lead product candidate in a variety of difficult to treat solid tumor applications, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where the product is being evaluated in ongoing Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies with Cend and its partner in China, Qilu Pharmaceutical. CEND-1 is a proprietary cyclic peptide which undergoes protease mediated cleavage in the tumor microenvironment producing a C-end Rule or "CendR" peptide that potentiates transport across the tumor stroma and improves delivery of anticancer drugs to the tumor. Additional Phase 1b/2 PDAC clinical data is expected as early as 2023. Lisata also plans to initiate an additional trial in PDAC in combination with immunotherapy as well as a trial or trials exploring applications of CEND-1 in other difficult to treat solid tumors, such as hepatocellular, gastric and breast cancers along with additional therapeutic combinations. We see CEND-1’s advancement as supported by compelling Phase 1b data previously presented at the 2020 European Society for Molecular Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper), which not only demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability, but importantly, the potential for marked improvement in treatment effectiveness in combination with standard of care drugs for PDAC.1 With its unique tumor-targeted, tissue penetrating technology, we believe that the CendR Platform holds the potential to enable more effective solid tumor treatment for a range of emerging treatment modalities, including RNA-based drugs. We believe that this could provide Lisata with additional partnering and product opportunities to benefit cancer patients and Lisata shareholders.

About the Proposed Transaction

Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, David J. Mazzo, Ph.D., current President and CEO of Caladrius will be the Chief Executive Officer of Lisata, David Slack, current President and CEO of Cend, will be Lisata’s President and Chief Business Officer, and Kristen K. Buck, MD, current Executive Vice President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer, will continue in those roles with Lisata. Upon closing, shareholders of Cend will receive approximately 60.5 million shares of Caladrius common stock, subject to certain closing conditions, resulting in the shareholders of each company owning approximately 50% of the combined company. The transaction values each company at $90 million, which for Caladrius represents a 136% premium to its market cap as of the market close on April 26, 2022. At the effective time of the merger, the Board of Directors of Lisata is expected to comprise four directors designated by Caladrius and four directors designated by Cend, with the possibility of one additional independent director, whose appointment will be mutually agreed upon by both Caladrius and Cend.

Conference Call Details:

A live webcast along with the accompanying slides, which will be used during the webcast, are immediately available on the Events & Presentations page (View Source) under the Investors & News section of the Caladrius website.
A telephone replay will also be available through May 4, 2022. To access replay, please dial (855) 859-2056 (Domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (International). At the system prompt, please enter the code 4166037 followed by the sign #.

On April 27, 2022 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel products for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, reported that it will host a conference call on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 5:00pm ET to discuss its financial results and corporate update for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, APR 27, 2022, https://ir.ultragenyx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/ultragenyx-host-conference-call-first-quarter-2022-financial [SID1234613037]).

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The live and replayed webcast of the call will be available through the company’s website at View Source To participate in the live call by phone, dial
(855) 797-6910 (USA) or (262) 912-6260 (International) and enter the passcode 7951356. The replay of the call will be available for one year.

On April 27, 2022 Novartis reported positive topline results from an interim analysis of the Phase III RATIONALE 306 study, which showed anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared to chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), regardless of PD-L1 expression (Press release, Novartis, APR 27, 2022, View Source [SID1234613053]). Novartis intends to submit these data to regulatory authorities, and will collaborate with BeiGene to present them at an upcoming medical meeting.

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"People living with esophageal cancer experience painful everyday challenges and typically have a poor prognosis, with a five-year survival rate of around five percent for metastatic cases, underscoring the urgency for more immunotherapy options," said Jeff Legos, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Oncology & Hematology Development. "We plan to discuss these data with health authorities, and we will continue to expand our tislelizumab clinical development program in pursuit of novel, synergistic combinations with the ultimate goal of extending survival for more patients."

ESCC is the most common type of esophageal cancer globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 544,000 deaths from esophageal cancer internationally in 2020.2 In the United States, it is estimated there will be more than 20,000 new diagnoses and more than 16,000 deaths from esophageal cancers.3

RATIONALE 306 (NCT03783442) is a multi-regional Phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in patients with unresectable, locally advanced recurrent or metastatic ESCC. Approximately 649 study participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either tislelizumab plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. The primary endpoint is OS. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, objective response rate, duration of response, health-related quality of life measures and safety.

Tislelizumab is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for advanced or metastatic ESCC after prior chemotherapy. The EMA is also reviewing tislelizumab for advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after prior chemotherapy, and in combination with chemotherapy for previously untreated advanced or metastatic NSCLC.

About Tislelizumab
Novartis is evaluating tislelizumab, a uniquely designed anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in a global clinical development program consisting of 14 pivotal clinical trials across a broad array of solid tumors, with more than 8,800 patients enrolled to date in 35 countries. Novartis four distinct therapeutic platforms (immunotherapy, radioligand therapy, cell and gene therapy, targeted therapy) offer a unique opportunity to study tislelizumab in differentiated, potentially synergistic combinations across our pipeline and portfolio of market compounds.

Novartis has the rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize tislelizumab in North America, Europe and Japan through a collaboration and license agreement with BeiGene.

On April 27, 2022 SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE: SQZ), focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for multiple therapeutic areas, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation for the company’s lead cell therapy candidate, SQZ-PBMC-HPV, for the treatment of HPV16+ advanced or metastatic solid tumors (Press release, SQZ Biotech, APR 27, 2022, View Source [SID1234613070]).

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Fast Track Designation is designed to accelerate the development and review of treatments for serious and life-threatening diseases where no treatment currently exists or where the treatment in discovery may be better than what is currently available.

"We are thrilled to receive FDA Fast Track Designation for our SQZ Antigen Presenting Cells product candidate," said Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder at SQZ Biotechnologies. "This designation adds to our exciting clinical data presented at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO last year where we first demonstrated the potential of our Cell Squeeze technology to drive clinical benefit while maintaining favorable tolerability. The FDA Fast Track program can potentially expedite future review processes and accelerate the registrational path for SQZ-PBMC-HPV."

Data presented at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Immuno-Oncology Congress 2021 has shown that the company’s lead APC cell therapy candidate induced radiographic, symptomatic and immune response as monotherapy in a post-checkpoint HPV16+ solid tumor patient. The company continues to enroll patients in its highest dose monotherapy cohort and is simultaneously enrolling patients for combination therapy in the company’s Phase 1/2 SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101 clinical trial.

SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101 Trial Design

SQZ-PBMC-HPV is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of HPV16+ advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Patients must be positive for the human leukocyte antigen serotype HLA-A*02. The investigational candidate, which targets E6 and E7 oncoproteins, is being studied as a monotherapy and in combination with immuno-oncology agents. The study’s primary outcome measures in the monotherapy and combination phases of the trial include safety and tolerability. Antitumor activity is a secondary outcome measure in both the monotherapy and combination stages of the trial, and manufacturing feasibility is a secondary outcome measure in the monotherapy phase of the trial. The monotherapy phase of the study includes escalating dose cohorts with a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) window of 28 days and is designed to identify a recommended phase 2 dose. The planned combination phase of the study will include SQZ-PBMC-HPV and checkpoint inhibitors. DLT will be measured over 42 days.

About Human Papillomavirus Positive Cancers

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common viruses worldwide and certain strains persist for many years, often leading to cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States HPV+ tumors represent 3% of all cancers in women and 2% of all cancers in men, resulting in over 39,000 new cases of HPV+ tumors every year. HPV infection is larger outside of the U.S., and according to the International Journal of Cancer, HPV+ tumors account for 4.5% of all cancers worldwide resulting in approximately 630,000 new cases every year. According to the CDC, HPV infection plays a significant role in the formation of more than 90% of anal and cervical cancers, and most cases of vaginal (75%), oropharyngeal (70%), vulval (70%) and penile (60%) cancers.