On January 21, 2022 Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent", HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases, reported with Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly",NYSE: LLY) the final clinical outcome and biomarker analysis of the open label, phase Ib study (NCT04072679) of sintilimab plus bevacizumab biosimilar injection for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma at the 2022 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (Abstract# 455) (Press release, Innovent Biologics, JAN 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234606691]).

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The study, which was conducted in China, evaluated the treatment of sintilimab plus bevacizumab biosimilar injection for patients with local advanced or metastatic HCC with or without previous systemic treatment or systemic treatment failure. The Phase Ib study included dose escalation and dose expansion stages. In the dose escalation stage, patients were randomly assigned to receive sintilimab 200mg plus bevacizumab biosimilar 7.5 mg/kg (low-dose group) or 15 mg/kg (high-dose group). In the dose expansion stage safety and efficacy were assessed for each dose group. A total of fifty patients were enrolled in final analysis, with 29 patients administered bevacizumab biosimilar 7.5 mg/kg and 21 patients 15 mg/kg. The safety profile was consistent with that observed in previously reported studies of sintilimab and bevacizumab biosimilar, without new or unexpected safety signals. The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) were as hypertension (32%), proteinuria (26%) and fever (26%). The incidence of grade ≥ 3 adverse events in the high-dose group was 28.6%, while 13.8% in the low-dose group.

The overall response rate (ORR) was 34% (17/50) and ORRs for the low-dose and high-dose groups were 31% and 38%, respectively. The disease control rate (DCR) was 78% (39/50). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.5 months (95%CI, 8.4-12.7) and median overall survival (OS) was 20.2 months (95%CI, 16.1 -24.3). Further biomarker analysis showed that patients with a high level of CD137 ≥ 31.8 pg/mL have longer PFS (mPFS:14.2 vs. 4.1months, p=0.001) and OS (mOS: NR vs.15.6months, p=0.023). In addition, the Tumor immune Microenvironment（TiME）analysis demonstrated that the high density of M1 macrophages (CD68+, CD163-) in stroma was related to higher efficacy (p=0.033), longer PFS (p=0. 024) and OS (p =0.046).

Professor Zhou Aiping from the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences stated: "This study not only showed the safety and efficacy data for sintilimab in combination with different doses of bevacizumab, but also identified biomarkers that could predict the efficacy of the combined treatment regimen for hepatocellular carcinoma, which lays the groundwork for more individualized treatment."

Dr. Zhou Hui, Senior Vice President of Innovent Biologics, stated: "Sintilimab plus bevacizumab biosimilar was approved for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma by National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and successfully included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) in 2021. This study showed the clinical data of sintilimab in combination with two different doses of bevacizumab biosimilar, potentially offering more treatment options for physicians. Meanwhile, the exploration of biomarkers for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy will contribute to better treatment options and represent a step towards precise and individualized treatment."

Dr. Li WANG , Senior Vice President of Lilly China and Head of Lilly China Drug Development and Medical Affairs commented that: "Lilly and Innovent are committed to bringing innovative oncology medicines with global quality to serve patients in China. The clinical outcome and biomarker analysis result in this phase Ib study of sintilimab plus bevacizumab biosimilar injection for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma provides more solid basis for individualized and precise treatment. The advancement of HCC treatment may contribute to the government’s goal of increasing the overall 5-year cancer survival rate by 15% by 2030, and also supports accelerating the implementation of the ‘Health China 2030’ initiative. In the future, we will continue to strengthen cooperation with Innovent to endeavor to bring additional treatment options to patients."

About NCT04072679 study

NCT04072679 study is a Phase 1b study assessing the safety, tolerability and anti-tumor activity of sintilimab in combination with bevacizumab biosimilar in subjects with local advanced or metastatic HCC with or without previous systemic treatment or systemic treatment failure in China. The study has two stages, the first is a dose escalation stage and the second is a dose expansion stage. In the dose escalation stage, subjects will receive either 7.5 mg/kg (low-dose group) or 15 mg/kg (high-dose group) of bevacizumab biosimilar (IBI305) in combination with a fixed dose of 200 mg of sintilimab, respectively, and then entered into the dose expansion stage.

About Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a common malignancy of the digestive system worldwide, among which about half new cases and deaths occur in China. The main pathological types of liver cancer are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accounting for 85 to 90 percent, and a small number of cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and HCC-ICC mixed liver cancer. In China, HCC is primarily caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

About Sintilimab

Sintilimab, marketed as TYVYT (sintilimab injection) in China, is an innovative PD-1 inhibitor with global quality standards jointly developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company. Sintilimab is an immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, which binds to PD-1 molecules on the surface of T-cells, blocks the PD-1 / PD-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway, and reactivates T-cells to kill cancer cells. Innovent is currently conducting more than 20 clinical studies of sintilimab worldwide, to evaluate its safety and efficacy in a wide variety of cancer indications, including more than 10 registrational or pivotal clinical trials.

In China, sintilimab has been approved and included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) for four indications, including:

The treatment of relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma after two lines or later of systemic chemotherapy;
In combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer;
In combination with gemcitabine and platinum chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of squamous non-small cell lung cancer;
In combination with bevacizumab biosimilar for the first-line treatment of unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Additionally, sintilimab currently has three regulatory submissions accepted for review in NMPA, including:
In combination with cisplatin plus paclitaxel or cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil for the first-line treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;
In combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma;
In combination with bevacizumab biosimilar and chemotherapy for EGFR-mutated non-squamous NSCLC following EGFR-TKI treatment.
Additionally, two clinical studies of sintilimab have met their primary endpoints:

Phase 2 study as second-line treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;
Phase 3 study as second-line treatment for squamous NSCLC with disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy.
In May 2021, the U.S. FDA accepted for review the Biologics License Application (BLA) for sintilimab in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

About BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection)

BYVASDA, also known as IBI305, is a bevacizumab biosimilar and a recombinant humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody drug. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important factor in angiogenesis that is highly expressed by the endothelial cells in most human tumors. An anti-VEGF antibody binds VEGF-A selectively with high affinity and blocks its binding to VEGF-2 receptors on the surface of vascular endothelial cells, thereby inhibiting signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt/PKB and Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK. BYVASDA produces anti-tumor effects by inhibiting the growth, proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells, blocking angiogenesis, reducing vascular permeability, blocking blood supply to tumor tissues, inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. Since its launch, bevacizumab has been approved for the treatment of patients with multiple malignant tumors globally, including non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. The efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in these tumor types have been well recognized worldwide.

In China, BYVASDA (bevacizumab biosimilar injection) is approved for indications including advanced non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, adult recurrent glioblastoma, and advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

On January 21, 2022 Medivir AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: MVIR-B) reported that an e-poster entitled "Liver biopsy biomarkers in a phase 1 study of the prodrug MIV-818 demonstrates proof-of-concept for cancer in the liver" will be presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Liver Cancer Summit 3-4 February (Press release, Medivir, JAN 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234606692]). The Abstract (PO-221) is available on the EASL website (View Source).

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About fostroxacitabine bralpamide
Fostroxacitabine bralpamide (also named MIV-818) is a pro-drug designed to selectively treat liver cancers and to minimize side effects. It has the potential to become the first liver-targeted and orally administered drug for patients with HCC and other forms of liver cancer. Fostroxacitabine bralpamide has completed a phase 1b monotherapy study, and a combination study in HCC was recently initiated.

About primary liver cancer
Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cancer that arises in the liver. Although existing therapies for advanced HCC can extend the lives of patients, treatment benefits are insufficient and death rates remain high. There are 42,000 patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer per year in the US and current five-year survival is 11 percent. HCC is a heterogeneous disease with diverse etiologies, and lacks defining mutations observed in many other cancers. This has contributed to the lack of success of molecularly targeted agents in HCC. The limited overall benefit, taken together with the poor overall prognosis for patients with intermediate and advanced HCC, results in a large unmet medical need.

On January 21, 2022 Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARWR) reported that it will host a webcast and conference call on February 2, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the fiscal 2022 first quarter ended December 31, 2021 (Press release, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, JAN 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234606697]).

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Conference Call and Webcast Details

Investors may access a live audio webcast on the Company’s website at View Source For analysts that wish to participate in the conference call, please dial 855-215-6159 or 315-625-6887 and provide Conference ID 9844328.

A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for 90 days. An audio replay will also be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will be available for 3 days. To access the audio replay, dial 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406 and provide Conference ID 9844328.

On January 20, 2022 Celleron Therapeutics, the UK-based company developing personalised medicines for cancer patients, reported that a 14.5% patient two-year survival rate following treatment in their Phase II clinical trial testing the immune check point inhibitor (ICI) nivolumab in combination with zabadinostat in patients suffering from advanced micro-satellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC) (Press release, Celleron, JAN 20, 2022, https://cellerontherapeutics.com/celleron-therapeutics-reports-survival-data-from-zabadinostat-combined-with-nivolumab-in-micro-satellite-stable-colorectal-cancer-patients/ [SID1234605617]).

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Celleron Therapeutics’ Phase II clinical trial (the CAROSELL Study) tested the effect of zabadinostat (formerly CXD101) in combination with nivolumab in MSS CRC, which typically does not respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors agents as mono-therapy. The clinical trial strategy rests on compelling pre-clinical results which provide novel insights into how zabadinostat and ICI drugs work together to re-engage recognition of tumours by the immune system, frequently described as turning ‘cold’ tumours ‘hot’. The patients studied, had advanced or metastatic disease, having relapsed after at least two previous lines of therapy.

Enrolment to the Phase II study was completed in May 2019, and all ongoing subjects have completed the study treatment. Interim analysis of the evaluable MSS CRC subjects saw a significant level of durable disease control (stable disease plus partial response) and overall response rate (ORR). Patients have now been followed-up for survival post-study treatment, where 14.5% of the subjects had survived for two years or more, from first dose of study treatment. This clinical activity compares favourably with products that have been approved to treat MSS CRC, such as Stivarga (regorafenib) and Lonsurf (trifluridine/tipiracil tablets).

Professor David Kerr, Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Celleron Therapeutics, commented:

"We continue to be extremely excited by these encouraging Phase II trial results which add to the continuing evidence that zabadinostat is a clinically viable drug with wide utility in metastatic colorectal cancer. We expect to further develop our understanding of these responses with our upcoming precision-medicine Phase III study".

About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second most common tumour type in women, and the third most common in men, globally. The approximate five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer patients in the United States is 10% for those with advanced metastatic disease (Stage IV).

Surgery is indicated for localized disease, whilst chemotherapy has been the standard management for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Two agents have been approved for third line management of advanced colorectal cancer, namely regorafenib (Stivarga) and Trifluridine-tipiracil hydrochloride (Lonsurf).

A subset (5%) of colorectal cancers is characterized with deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR or microsatellite instability, MSI). These tumours tend to have a high expression of checkpoint proteins (PD-1 and PD-L1), which interfere with the body’s normal anti-tumour T-cell response. By disabling these proteins, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) such as nivolumab allow the immune system to function properly, and T-cells to kill tumour cells.

However, the majority of patients with a normal Mismatch Repair proficient expression, the microsatellite phenotype is stable (MSS), antigen presentation is believed to be much decreased, and the tumour is thus resistant to checkpoint inhibition. Most MSS patients will ultimately relapse or become resistant to chemotherapy. There remains a very significant unmet clinical need to find novel agents, singly or in combination, for the treatment of these late-stage patients.

On January 20, 2022 Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONCT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel oncology therapies, reported that it will host a key opinion leader (KOL) webinar on hematological malignancies and prostate cancer on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 from 2:30 – 4:30 pm (ET) (Press release, Oncternal Therapeutics, JAN 20, 2022, View Source [SID1234605636]).

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The webinar will feature a presentation by KOL Michael Wang, M.D., from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, who will discuss the current landscape and unmet medical need in the treatment of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). Oncternal’s management will provide further details on the development of zilovertamab, the company’s investigational anti-ROR1 monoclonal antibody, including the planned registrational Phase 3 superiority study ZILO-301, which is expected to be initiated in the first half of 2022, following the company’s recently announced agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the study design and major details. Dr. Wang will serve as the U.S. Principal Investigator and Chairman of the Steering Committee for this study. Oncternal’s management will also discuss the progress in the development of ONCT-808, its lead candidate of its autologous CAR-T program targeting ROR1-expressing malignancies.

A second KOL, Evan Yu, M.D., from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, will provide perspectives on current standards of care and highlight the potential of next generation treatments for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Oncternal’s management will present an overview of the preclinical data and development plans for ONCT-534, the lead candidate in its preclinical dual-action androgen receptor inhibitor (DAARI) program, a potential next-generation treatment option for patients with resistant prostate cancer.

A live question and answer session will follow the formal presentations. To register for the webinar, please click here.

Michael Wang, M.D. is Professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Wang has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers and has presented his work at meetings nationally and internationally. He is the current Director of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Program of Excellence and Co-Director of Clinical Trials at MD Anderson. During the past 22 years, he has focused on preclinical and clinical research and established a MCL-SCID-hu mouse model, which is the first human primary MCL animal model for the study of the biology and treatment of MCL. Dr. Wang has pioneered the work to improve the treatment of patients with MCL, including the introduction of BTK inhibitors such as ibrutinib and acalabrutinib in the treatment algorithm, and has performed extensive work with CAR-T cells for the treatment of these patients. His work has been published in the most prestigious medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet. He is currently the PI of the B-Cell Lymphoma Moon Shot Program at MD Anderson. Dr. Wang obtained his M.D. from Shandong Medical University and M.S. from Beijing University, Medical School. He completed his clinical training as a resident at Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Conn., and as a Fellow in Oncology and in Hematology.

Evan Ya-Wen Yu, M.D., is a medical oncologist who treats prostate, bladder, and testicular cancer patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), Fred Hutch’s clinical care partner. In addition, Dr. Yu serves as the clinical research director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Yu is also a professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, a professor in clinical research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and medical director of clinical research support at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Consortium. As a physician-scientist, he provides a personalized-medicine approach to test novel therapies and discover unique cancer biomarkers. Dr. Yu also has a background in basic science; as a researcher, he studies the biological mechanisms of drug sensitivity and treatment resistance. In addition, his interests include cancer biomarkers, imaging (PET and MRI scans), and bone health. His overall goal is to discover novel biomarkers that can help guide treatment and aid in developing novel treatments for prostate cancer.

About Zilovertamab (formerly Cirmtuzumab)
Zilovertamab is an investigational, potentially first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting ROR1, or Receptor tyrosine kinase-like Orphan Receptor 1. Zilovertamab is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in combination with ibrutinib for the treatment of MCL or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in a collaboration with the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) School of Medicine and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). In addition, Oncternal is supporting two investigator-sponsored studies being conducted at the UC San Diego School of Medicine: (i) a Phase 1b clinical trial of zilovertamab in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of women with HER2-negative metastatic or locally advanced, unresectable breast cancer, and (ii) a Phase 2 clinical trial of zilovertamab in combination with venetoclax, a Bcl-2 inhibitor, in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL.

ROR1 is a potentially attractive target for cancer therapy because it is an onco-embryonic antigen – not usually expressed on adult cells, and its expression confers a survival and fitness advantage when reactivated and expressed by tumor cells. Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine discovered that targeting a critical epitope on ROR1 was key to specifically targeting ROR1 expressing tumors. This led to the development of zilovertamab, that binds this critical epitope of ROR1, which is highly expressed on many different cancers but not on normal tissues. Preclinical data showed that when zilovertamab bound to ROR1, it blocked Wnt5a signaling, inhibited tumor cell proliferation, migration and survival, and induced differentiation of the tumor cells. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designations to zilovertamab for the treatment of patients with MCL and CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma. Zilovertamab is in clinical development and has not been approved by the FDA for any indication.