On May 5, 2022 Keros Therapeutics, Inc. ("Keros" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: KROS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel treatments for patients suffering from hematological and musculoskeletal disorders with high unmet medical need, reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Keros Therapeutics, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613684]).

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"The first quarter of fiscal 2022 saw positive momentum across all of our programs," said Jasbir S. Seehra, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. "We remain on track to report additional data from our ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of KER-050 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes ("MDS") in mid-2022, as well as to report initial data from Part 1 of our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of KER-012 in healthy volunteers in the second quarter of 2022."

First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Keros reported a net loss of $24.2 million in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to a net loss of $15.9 million in the first quarter of 2021. The increase in net loss for the first quarter was largely due to increased research and development efforts as well as additional infrastructure expenses to support the achievement of Keros’ corporate goals.

Research and development expenses were $18.1 million for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to $11.5 million for the same period in 2021. The increase of $6.6 million was primarily due to additional research and development efforts, manufacturing activities, and personnel expenses to support the advancement of Keros’ pipeline.

General and administrative expenses were $6.0 million for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to $4.3 million for the same period in 2021. The increase of $1.8 million was primarily due to increase in personnel expenses and other external expenses to support Keros’ organizational growth.

Keros’ cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2022 was $228.6 million compared to $230.0 million as of December 31, 2021. Keros expects that the cash and cash equivalents it had on hand at March 31, 2022 will fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2024.

On May 5, 2022 Gamida Cell Ltd. (Nasdaq: GMDA), the leader in the development of NAM-enabled cell therapies for patients with solid and hematological cancers and other serious diseases, reported that it will share preclinical data at the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) 2022, being held in San Francisco, CA, May 4-7, 2022 on GDA-301 and GDA-601, two product candidates in the Company’s NAM-enabled genetically modified natural killer (NK) pipeline (Press release, Gamida Cell, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613700]).

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"The preclinical data generated from our expanding pipeline of NAM-enabled cell therapies is already showing signs of meaningful potential as a future approach to fighting cancer," said Julian Adams, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gamida Cell. "With evidence of enhanced cytotoxicity demonstrated across hematologic cancers and solid tumors with these diverse, genetically modified NK cell immunotherapy programs, we look forward to continuing our progress toward opening new frontiers in cancer immunotherapy."

GDA-301 is an investigational genetically modified NAM-NK cell therapy candidate aimed at targeting hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The poster (#501), titled "GDA-301: Engineered NAM-NK Cells via CISH Knockout and Membrane-Bound IL-15 Expression Increases Cytotoxicity Against Malignancies," demonstrated that after six hours of co-culture with a chronic myelogenous leukemia (K562) or multiple myeloma (RPMI) cell line, GDA-301, a combined genetic manipulation of CISH gene editing and the engineered expression of mb IL-15, showed increased cytotoxicity compared with control NAM-NK cells. Additional in vitro assays showed elevation of degranulation marker CD107a, and intracellular proinflammatory cytokines interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α, suggesting increased potency of GDA-301 compared with control. The potency and cytotoxicity data suggest that GDA-301 represents a novel potential immunotherapeutic targeting hematologic malignancies as well as solid tumors.

The poster on GDA-301 was selected for presentation at the conference’s Elevator Pitch Session 2 on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST – 7:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. PST.

GDA-301 is an investigational therapy, and its safety and efficacy have not been established by the FDA or any other health authority.

GDA-601 is an investigational genetically engineered NAM-NK cell therapy candidate designed to target multiple myeloma (MM) cells. The poster (#517), titled "GDA-601: NAM-NK Cells With CD38 Knockout Expresses Enhanced CD38 Chimeric Antigen Receptor and Targets Multiple Myeloma Cells With Increased Cytotoxicity," showed that in vitro killing assays performed six hours after co-culture of GDA-601 with a MM (RPMI) cell line showed increased cytotoxicity compared with control NAM-NK cells. Fratricide attributable to CD38 antigen was effectively eliminated with GDA-601. There was a significant enhancement of potency against CD38-positive MM cells demonstrated by elevation of the degranulation marker CD107a and intracellular proinflammatory cytokines interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α in vitro. These results suggest that GDA-601 displays superior antitumoral responses against MM cells and represent a promising adoptive cell therapeutic strategy against MM.

Both posters will be presented on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at Poster Session 2, at 5:45 p.m. EST/2:45 p.m. PST – 7:15 p.m. EST/4:15 p.m. PST.

GDA-601 is an investigational therapy, and its safety and efficacy have not been established by the FDA or any other health authority.

For more information, please visit isctglobal.org.

About NAM Technology

Our NAM-enabling technology, supported by positive Phase 3 data, is designed to enhance the number and functionality of targeted cells, enabling us to pursue a curative approach that moves beyond what is possible with existing therapies. Leveraging the unique properties of NAM (Nicotinamide), we can expand and metabolically modulate multiple cell types — including stem cells and natural killer cells — with appropriate growth factors to maintain the cells’ active phenotype and enhance potency. Additionally, our NAM technology improves the metabolic fitness of cells, allowing for continued activity throughout the expansion process.

On May 5, 2022 Repare Therapeutics Inc. ("Repare" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: RPTX), a leading clinical-stage precision oncology company, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Press release, Repare Therapeutics, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613715]).

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"The first quarter was marked by significant progress in our RP-3500 program, including the comprehensive new dataset from the TRESR trial which was part of the featured oral presentation at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) conference this year, and that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) council has adopted ‘camonsertib’ as the nonproprietary (generic) name in the United States, and the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) council has accepted ‘camonsertib’ as proposed INN for RP-3500," said Lloyd M. Segal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Repare. "The findings continue to demonstrate camonsertib’s promising clinical benefit given as monotherapy in patients with solid tumors with multiple genotypes and potential best-in-class safety and tolerability profile for ATR inhibitors. Beyond ATM, encouraging data in other genotypes suggest further validation of our STEP2 platform to identify other synthetic lethalities as we expand TRESR and develop our pipeline of synthetic lethal candidates. We look forward to providing updates on the potential of camonsertib as monotherapy and initial data of camonsertib in combination with PARP inhibitors or gemcitabine expected in the second half of this year."

First Quarter 2022 Review and Operational Updates:

Announced updated clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 TRESR (Treatment Enabled by SNIPRx) clinical trial of camonsertib, a potent and selective oral small molecule inhibitor of ATR (Ataxia-Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein kinase) for the treatment of solid tumors with specific synthetic-lethal genomic alterations including those in the ATM gene (Ataxia-Telangiectasia mutated kinase) at the 2022 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
Updated data showed camonsertib monotherapy continues to appear safe and well tolerated. Expectedly, Grade 1-2 anemia was the most common treatment-related adverse event and was well controlled in patients. Only 24.2% of all patients in the 3 days on 4 days off schedule experienced Grade 3 anemia, and none experienced Grade 4 anemia.

Camonsertib monotherapy resulted in durable clinical benefit across tumor types and genomic alterations. Overall clinical benefit rate (CBR) for all patients was 43%, and 47% in patients after PARP inhibitor (PARPi) failure.

Promising results were observed particularly in patients with advanced ovarian cancer (n = 20). 90% of evaluated patients had prior PARPi failure, and 85% of evaluated patients were platinum resistant. In these patients, overall response (OR) was 25%, including one complete response (CR), three partial responses (PR) as determined by RECIST 1.1 criteria, and one durable and ongoing CA125 response. CBR was 75% and median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 35 weeks.

Clinical benefit was also observed in patients with tumors harboring BRCA1 and BRCA2 genomic alterations, as predicted by SNIPRx. In patients with BRCA1/2 mutated tumors (n = 37), ORR was 14% and included two patients with ovarian cancer, and one each with breast cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. CBR was 43% with a mPFS of 15 weeks in the BRCA1/2 population; in patients specifically with BRCA1 mutations, the CBR was 48%.

In patients with ATM loss-of-function (LOF) tumors (n = 34), ORR was 9% including one RECIST 1.1 confirmed/unconfirmed response, and two prostate specific antigen (cPSA) responses. CBR in patients with ATM LOF was 44%, with mPFS of 17 weeks.

New sequencing data demonstrated biallelic gene LOF, an emerging biomarker for synthetic lethal therapies, can potentially be leveraged to further enrich for patients most likely to benefit from camonsertib. CBR in patients with biallelic LOF was significantly higher (47%) compared to the CBR in patients with non-biallelic tumors (15%).

A poster presentation, titled "Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) determinants of improved outcomes in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors receiving the ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related inhibitor (ATRi), RP-3500, in the phase 1/2a TRESR trial (NCT04497116)" (abstract #367586) will be presented at the 2022 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual meeting in June.

Announced camonsertib dose selection Phase 1 monotherapy safety data from the Phase 1/2 TRESR Trial at the 2022 ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress
This comprehensive safety analysis from three monotherapy dosing schedules of camonsertib at therapeutic doses confirmed the acceptable tolerability of the recommended phase 2 dose (160mg 3 days on/4 days off).

Anemia was the most common reported toxicity with less than 25% of patients experiencing grade 3 toxicities.

A dose modification plan that includes 2 alternative dosing schedules was established to mitigate the on-target toxicity of anemia and maintain patients on a camonsertib dosing schedule that targets antitumor activity.

A nomogram, based on cycle 1 assessment of toxicities, is being prospectively evaluated to identify patients at increased risk of anemia and inform early intervention.

Announced publication of preclinical data in Nature demonstrating the potential of PKMYT1 inhibitor RP-6306 in tumors with CCNE1 amplification
In April 2022, the Company announced that preclinical data demonstrating inhibition of CCNE1-amplified tumor growth in vivo by selective inhibition of PKMYT1 using RP-6306, a first-in-class small molecule candidate targeting PKMYT1, were published in Nature.

SNIPRx, the Company’s proprietary, genome-wide, CRISPR-based screening approach, was used to uncover CCNE1 amplification as synthetic lethal to PKMYT1 inhibition. Data show PKMYT1 inhibition is a promising therapeutic target in CCNE1-amplified cancers.

Phase 1 clinical trials are currently evaluating RP-6306 as a monotherapy (MYTHIC) as well as in combination with gemcitabine (MAGNETIC) for the treatment of molecularly selected advanced solid tumors. The Company recently initiated an additional Phase 1 (MINOTAUR) clinical trial of RP-6306 in combination with FOLFIRI also for the treatment of molecularly selected advanced solid tumors.

Initiated patient enrollment in a new arm of its Phase 1 MYTHIC clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of RP-6306 in combination with camonsertib in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Appointed Philip Herman to Executive Leadership Team as EVP, Commercial & New Product Development
In January 2022, the Company appointed Philip Herman as EVP, Commercial & New Product Development. Mr. Herman was most recently Chief Commercial Officer of Y-mAbs Therapeutics and led the successful launch of DANYELZA (naxitamab).
First Quarter 2022 Financial Results:

Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities: Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2022 were $311.7 million.
Research and development expenses, net of tax credits (Net R&D): Net R&D expenses were $26.5 million and $16.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The year-over-year increase in Net R&D expenses was primarily due to direct external costs related to the Company’s camonsertib and RP-6306 programs, and personnel related expenses, including share-based compensation.
General and administrative (G&A) expenses: G&A expenses were $8.8 million and $5.2 million for three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The year-over-year increase in G&A expenses was primarily due to personnel related costs, including share-based compensation, as we scale the organization, and professional fees related to the Company’s transition from emerging growth company and smaller reporting company status at the end of 2021.
Net loss: Net loss was $34.8 million, or $0.83 per share in the three months ended March 31, 2022, and $21.4 million, or $0.58 per share in the three months ended March 31, 2021.
About Repare Therapeutics’ SNIPRx Platform

Repare’s SNIPRx platform is a genome-wide CRISPR-based screening approach that utilizes proprietary isogenic cell lines to identify novel and known synthetic lethal gene pairs and the corresponding patients who are most likely to benefit from the Company’s therapies based on the genetic profile of their tumors. Repare’s platform enables the development of precision therapeutics in patients whose tumors contain one or more genomic alterations identified by SNIPRx screening, in order to selectively target those tumors in patients most likely to achieve clinical benefit from resulting product candidates.

On May 5, 2022 Daewoong Pharmaceutical (Daewoong) (CEO Sengho Jeon & Changjae Lee) reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2022 (separate basis) (Press release, Daewoong Pharmaceutical, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613732]). In the first quarter, the separate sales and operating profit marked KRW 272.2 billion and KRW 26.8 billion, up 12.6% and 32.6% year-over-year, respectively . In the same quarter, the consolidated sales and operating profit marked KRW 298.4 billion and KRW 23 billion, up 10.7% and 2.2% y-o-y, respectively.

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Daewoong achieved record-high annual sales and operating profit in 2021 and again broke its record in the highest quarterly operating profit (separate basis) in the first quarter of this year. The sales growth of highly profitable ethical-the-counter (ETC) drugs and the increase in the export of Nabota were led by improvements in profitability, operating profit, and gross profit margin (GPM).

Sales of ETC drugs recorded KRW 197.6 billion, a 9% increase from KRW 181 billion y-o-y, leading to an increase in earnings. It is characterized by more than 20% growth compared to the same period of the previous year in highly profitable product lines such as an antiulcer drug Nexiad, a dyslipidemia drug Litorvazet, a gastric ulcer drug Axid, a hyperlipidemia drug Crezet, and an antithrombotic drug Cloart.

Sales of Nabota surged by 98% y-o-y, from KRW 15.4 billion to KRW 30.7 billion exports. In particular, its exports increased by 189% y-o-y, from KRW 7.9 billion to KRW 22.8 billion. For example, the exports to its U.S. sales partner Evolus amounted to KRW 18.3 billion, risen by three times y-o-y. Favorable exchange rates also supported the earnings. Nabota is expected to drive sales growth continuously, as Evolus is preparing to officially launch Nabota in Europe in the third quarter, and Nabota shows strong market presence in the countries where it has already been released.

Sales of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs recorded KRW 29.7 billion, a 12% increase from KRW 26.4 billion y-o-y. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and a surge in home treatment, the company’s representative cold medicine EZN6 grew by 77.3% y-o-y, and the quasi-drugs related to physical fatigue Urshot and a wet patch Easyderm also contributed to the growth. Sales of supplements also surged by 169% y-o-y, owing to its strategic reinforcement of the supplement portfolio for the liver, centered on the liver-specialized brand Ener Thistle, blood circulation, intestine, and vitamins, and focus on online sales channels.

"With export expansion of Nabota based on superior product power and quality, the highly profitable ETC product lines continued to grow, leading to another record-breaking highest quarterly operating profit," said Sengho Jeon, Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO. "For the second quarter and the second half of this year, we are expected to achieve solid growth and increasing profitability, thanks to the expansion of Nabota’s overseas sales channels, the launch of highly profitable new products, such as Fexuclue tablets, a new drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease, and an increase in the gross profit margin."

On May 5, 2022 AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) reported that it has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received a prior anti-HER2-based regimen either in the metastatic setting, or in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting and have developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing therapy (Press release, AstraZeneca, MAY 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234613608]).

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Enhertu is a specifically engineered HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) being jointly developed and commercialised by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo.

The approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on positive results from the DESTINY-Breast03 Phase III trial that showed Enhertu reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 72% versus trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) (hazard ratio [HR] 0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22-0.37; p<0.0001) in patients with HER2-positive unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane.

The approval was granted under the FDA’s Real-Time Oncology Review (RTOR) programme and converts the accelerated approval of Enhertu in later line HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer to standard approval, broadening Enhertu’s breast cancer indication in the US to earlier lines of use in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Erika Hamilton, MD, Director of the Breast Cancer and Gynecological Cancer Research Program for Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, US, said: "Enhertu has demonstrated significant progression-free survival in the earlier metastatic setting, potentially establishing it as a new standard of care in previously treated patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Today’s approval is an important milestone for the clinical community as we will now be able to offer Enhertu to these patients earlier in their treatment."

Catherine Ormerod, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Mission, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, said: "This is an important day for the breast cancer community. With this approval, Enhertu now provides a new treatment option for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer which can be used earlier in treatment to potentially delay progression of disease."

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: "Enhertu is already established in the later-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, and we are thrilled that with this approval, patients in the US will now be able to access the transformative potential of Enhertu earlier in their treatment. We look forward to bringing this important, potentially paradigm-shifting medicine to even more patients across the globe in an earlier setting as quickly as possible."

Ken Keller, Global Head, Oncology Business and President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc, said: "Today’s FDA approval, which converts the accelerated approval of Enhertu to regular approval, highlights the importance of the FDA’s accelerated pathway that allows for earlier approval of medicines to treat serious medical conditions such as breast cancer. Data from DESTINY-Breast03 not only confirmed the results of DESTINY-Breast01, but also demonstrated the superiority of Enhertu in prolonging progression-free survival compared to T-DM1 in an earlier setting of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer."

The DESTINY-Breast03 Phase III trial results were recently published online in The New England Journal of Medicine.1 In the trial, the safety profile of Enhertu was consistent with previous clinical trials, with no new safety concerns identified and no Grade 4 or 5 treatment-related interstitial lung disease events.

Based on the DESTINY-Breast03 data, fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) recently was added to the NCCN Clinical Practical Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) as the Category 1 preferred regimen as second-line therapy for recurrent unresectable (local or regional) or Stage IV HER2-positive disease.2

The US regulatory submission was reviewed under Project Orbis, which provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology medicines among participating international partners. Five national health authorities collaborated with the FDA on this review, including the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), Health Canada, Israel’s Ministry of Health Pharmaceutical Administration and Switzerland’s Swissmedic.

This approval follows the recent Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy Designation of Enhertu in the US in this earlier setting.

Regulatory applications for Enhertu are currently under review in Europe, Japan and several other countries for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received a prior anti-HER2-based regimen based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial.

Notes

Financial considerations
Following this approval for Enhertu in the US, an amount of $100m is due from AstraZeneca to Daiichi Sankyo as a 2nd-line milestone payment in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. In AstraZeneca, the milestones paid will be capitalised as an addition to the upfront payment made in 2019 and subsequent capitalised milestones and amortised through the profit and loss.

Sales of Enhertu in the US are recognised by Daiichi Sankyo. AstraZeneca reports its share of gross profit margin from Enhertu sales in the US as collaboration revenue in the Company’s financial statements. For further details on the financial arrangements, please consult the collaboration agreement from March 2019.

HER2-positive breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and in the US.3,4 More than two million patients with breast cancer were diagnosed in 2020, with nearly 685,000 deaths globally.3 More than 290,000 new cases are expected in the US in 2022, with more than 43,000 deaths.5 Approximately one in five cases of breast cancer are considered HER2-positive.6

HER2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor growth-promoting protein expressed on the surface of many types of tumours including breast, gastric, lung and colorectal cancers.7 HER2 protein overexpression may occur as a result of HER2 gene amplification and is often associated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis in breast cancer.8

Despite initial treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane, patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer will often experience disease progression.9 More treatment options are needed to further delay progression and extend survival.9-11

DESTINY-Breast03
DESTINY-Breast03 is a global, head-to-head, randomised, open-label, registrational Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Enhertu (5.4mg/kg) versus T-DM1 in patients with HER2-positive unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane.

The primary efficacy endpoint of DESTINY-Breast03 is progression-free survival (PFS) based on blinded independent central review. Secondary efficacy endpoints include overall survival, objective response rate (ORR), duration of response, PFS based on investigator assessment and safety.

DESTINY-Breast03 enrolled approximately 500 patients at multiple sites in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. For more information about the trial, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

Enhertu
Enhertu is a HER2-directed ADC. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary DXd ADC technology, Enhertu is the lead ADC in the oncology portfolio of Daiichi Sankyo and the most advanced programme in AstraZeneca’s ADC scientific platform. Enhertu consists of a HER2 monoclonal antibody attached to a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, an exatecan derivative, via a stable tetrapeptide-based cleavable linker.

Enhertu (5.4mg/kg) is approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received a prior anti-HER2-based regimen either in the metastatic setting, or in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting and have developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing therapy, based on results from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial.

Enhertu (5.4mg/kg) is also approved in approximately 40 countries for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti-HER2-based regimens based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast01 trial.

Enhertu (6.4mg/kg) is approved in several countries for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who have received a prior trastuzumab-based regimen based on the results from the DESTINY-Gastric01 trial.

Enhertu development programme
A comprehensive development programme is underway globally, evaluating the efficacy and safety of Enhertu monotherapy across multiple HER2-targetable cancers, including breast, gastric, lung and colorectal cancers. Trials in combination with other anticancer treatments, such as immunotherapy, are also underway.

Regulatory applications for Enhertu are currently under review in Europe, Japan and several other countries for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received a prior anti-HER2 based regimen based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial.

Enhertu was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-negative) breast cancer who have received a prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting or developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing adjuvant chemotherapy, based on the results of the DESTINY-Breast04 trial. Patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer should additionally have received or be ineligible for endocrine therapy.

Enhertu is also currently under review in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumours have a HER2 (ERBB2) mutation and who have received a prior systemic therapy, based on the DESTINY-Lung01 trial, and in Europe for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma who have received a prior anti-HER2-based regimen based on the DESTINY-Gastric01 and DESTINY-Gastric02 trials.

Daiichi Sankyo collaboration
Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (TSE:4568) [referred to as Daiichi Sankyo] and AstraZeneca entered into a global collaboration to jointly develop and commercialise Enhertu (a HER2-directed ADC) in March 2019, and datopotamab deruxtecan (DS-1062; a TROP2-directed ADC) in July 2020, except in Japan where Daiichi Sankyo maintains exclusive rights. Daiichi Sankyo is responsible for manufacturing and supply of Enhertu and datopotamab deruxtecan.

AstraZeneca in breast cancer
Driven by a growing understanding of breast cancer biology, AstraZeneca is starting to challenge, and redefine, the current clinical paradigm for how breast cancer is classified and treated to deliver even more effective treatments to patients in need – with the bold ambition to one day eliminate breast cancer as a cause of death.

AstraZeneca has a comprehensive portfolio of approved and promising compounds in development that leverage different mechanisms of action to address the biologically diverse breast cancer tumour environment. AstraZeneca aims to continue to transform outcomes for HR-positive breast cancer with foundational medicines Faslodex (fulvestrant) and Zoladex (goserelin) and the next-generation oral selective oestrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and potential new medicine camizestrant.

PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib) is a targeted treatment option that has been studied in HER2-negative early and metastatic breast cancer patients with an inherited BRCA mutation. AstraZeneca with MSD (Merck & Co., Inc. in the US and Canada) continue to research Lynparza in metastatic breast cancer patients with an inherited BRCA mutation and are exploring new opportunities to treat these patients earlier in their disease.

Building on the first approval of Enhertu, a HER2-directed ADC, in previously treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are exploring its potential in earlier lines of treatment and in new breast cancer settings.

To bring much needed treatment options to patients with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer, AstraZeneca is testing immunotherapy Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with other oncology medicines, including Lynparza and Enhertu, evaluating the potential of AKT kinase inhibitor, capivasertib, in combination with chemotherapy, and collaborating with Daiichi Sankyo to explore the potential of TROP2-directed ADC, datopotamab deruxtecan.

AstraZeneca in oncology
AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology with the ambition to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Company’s focus is on some of the most challenging cancers. It is through persistent innovation that AstraZeneca has built one of the most diverse portfolios and pipelines in the industry, with the potential to catalyse changes in the practice of medicine and transform the patient experience.

AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.