IMV Announces Company-Sponsored Clinical Trial in Patients with r/rDLBCL in Collaboration with Merck Following Feedback from FDA

On April 7, 2021 IMV Inc. (Nasdaq: IMV; TSX: IMV) ("IMV" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of cancer immunotherapies, reported that, following feedback from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the company has entered into an agreement with Merck to initiate a Phase 2B clinical trial to evaluate its lead compound, maveropepimut-S (DPX-Survivac) in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with recurrent/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (r/rDLBCL) (Press release, IMV, APR 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234577686]). The contribution of low dose cyclophosphamide (CPA) as an activator of immune response will also be evaluated in this trial.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We are proud to continue working with Merck to deepen the relationship that was built during our basket trial and the prior "SPiReL" study in r/rDLBCL", said Andrew Hall, Chief Business Officer at IMV. "This new agreement continues to leverage our common vision to save and improve lives by delivering better treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. In this collaboration we look forward to collaborating with Merck, beyond the provision of Keytruda, to ensure clinical and regulatory alignment, thus optimizing our probability of success."

In a press release issued on March 17, 2021, the Company announced that the FDA provided valuable feedback on the clinical trial design and the study is expected to begin in Q2 2021.

Frederic Ors, Chief Executive Officer at IMV stated "The guidance from the FDA is an important milestone for the Company and we believe it provides us regulatory clarity and confidence to advance our development strategy for our lead immunotherapy in this difficult-to-treat patient population. We intend to initiate this trial rapidly and will seek to confirm the promising results obtained in the SPiReL study."

The three-arm Phase 2B trial is a randomized, parallel group, Simon two-stage study designed to assess the combination of maveropepimut-S and KEYTRUDA with or without CPA. A third arm will evaluate maveropepimut-S as a single agent. Across the three arms of this study, IMV’s lead compound will be evaluated in up to 150 subjects with r/r DLBCL who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy and who are ineligible or have failed autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or CAR-T therapy.

The primary endpoint is Objective Response Rate (ORR), centrally evaluated per Lugano (2014) and measured by the number of subjects per arm achieving a best response of Partial or Complete Response (PR+CR) during the 2-year treatment period. All subjects will be evaluated for their baseline PD-L1 expression with the goal to validate the SPiReL data that highlighted PD-L1 as a possible predictive biomarker for the combination therapy.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

About Maveropepimut-S

Maveropepimut-S is the lead candidate in IMV’s new class of immunotherapy that generates targeted and sustained cancer cell killing capabilities in vivo. Treatments with Maveropepimut-S in association with CPA have demonstrated a favorable safety profile across all clinical studies.

Maveropepimut-S, consists of survivin-based peptides formulated in IMV’s proprietary delivery platform (DPX) which is designed to generate a sustained cytotoxic T cell response against cancer cells presenting survivin peptides on their surface.

Survivin, recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a promising tumor-associated antigen, is broadly over-expressed in most cancer types, and plays an essential role in antagonizing cell death, supporting tumor-associated angiogenesis, and promoting resistance to chemotherapies. IMV has identified over 20 cancer indications in which survivin can be targeted by maveropepimut-S.

Maveropepimut-S has received Fast Track designation from the FDA as maintenance therapy in advanced ovarian cancer, as well as Orphan Drug designation status from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the ovarian cancer indication.

FDA Approves Trodelvy®, the First Treatment for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Shown to Improve Progression-Free Survival and Overall Survival

On April 7, 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) for adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have received two or more prior systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease (Press release, Gilead Sciences, APR 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234577702]). The approval is supported by data from the Phase 3 ASCENT study, in which Trodelvy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 57% reduction in the risk of disease worsening or death (progression-free survival (PFS)), extending median PFS to 4.8 months from 1.7 months with chemotherapy (HR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.35-0.54; p<0.0001). Trodelvy also extended median overall survival (OS) to 11.8 months vs. 6.9 months (HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.41-0.62; p<0.0001), representing a 49% reduction in the risk of death.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Trodelvy is directed to the Trop-2 receptor, a protein frequently expressed in multiple types of epithelial tumors, including TNBC, where high expression is associated with poor survival and relapse. Prior to the FDA approval of Trodelvy, patients with previously treated metastatic TNBC had few treatment options in this high unmet-need setting. The FDA granted accelerated approval to Trodelvy in April 2020 based on objective response rate and duration of response results in a Phase 1/2 study. Today’s approval expands the previous Trodelvy indication to include treatment in adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have received two or more prior systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease.

"Women with triple-negative breast cancer have historically had very few effective treatment options and faced a poor prognosis," said Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, Director of Breast Cancer Research Program, Mass General Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and global principal investigator of the ASCENT study. "Today’s FDA approval reflects the statistically significant survival benefit seen in the landmark ASCENT study and positions sacituzumab govitecan-hziy as a potential standard of care for pre-treated TNBC."

"A metastatic TNBC diagnosis is frightening. As an aggressive and difficult-to-treat disease, it’s a significant advance to have an FDA-approved treatment option with a proven survival benefit for patients with metastatic disease that continues to progress," said Ricki Fairley, Founder and CEO of Touch, the Black Breast Cancer Alliance. "For far too long, people with metastatic TNBC had very few treatment options. Today’s news continues the progress of bringing more options to treat this devastating disease."

Among all patients evaluable for safety in the ASCENT study (n=482), Trodelvy had a safety profile consistent with the previously approved FDA label. The most frequent Grade ≥3 adverse reactions for Trodelvy compared to single-agent chemotherapy were neutropenia (52% vs. 34%), diarrhea (11% vs. 1%), leukopenia (11% vs. 6%) and anemia (9% vs. 6%). Adverse reactions leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 5% of patients receiving Trodelvy.

"Today’s approval is the culmination of a multi-year development program and validates the clinical benefit of this important treatment in metastatic TNBC," said Merdad Parsey, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Gilead Sciences. "Building upon this milestone, we are committed to advancing Trodelvy with worldwide regulatory authorities so that, pending their decision, Trodelvy may become available to many more people around the world who are facing this difficult-to-treat cancer."

Regulatory submissions for Trodelvy in metastatic TNBC have been filed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and Australia as part of Project Orbis, an initiative of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) that provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology products among international partners, as well as in Singapore through our partner Everest Medicines. The European Medicines Agency has also validated a Marketing Authorization Application for Trodelvy in the European Union. All filings are based on data from the Phase 3 ASCENT study.

Trodelvy Boxed Warning

The Trodelvy U.S. Prescribing Information has a BOXED WARNING for severe or life-threatening neutropenia and severe diarrhea; see below for Important Safety Information.

About Trodelvy

Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) is a first-in-class antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate directed to the Trop-2 receptor, a protein frequently expressed in multiple types of epithelial tumors, including metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), where high expression is associated with poor survival and relapse.

Trodelvy is also being developed as an investigational treatment for metastatic urothelial cancer, hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER 2-) metastatic breast cancer and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Additional evaluation across multiple solid tumors is also underway.

About Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

TNBC is an aggressive type of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 15% of all breast cancers. The disease is diagnosed more frequently in younger and premenopausal women and is more prevalent in African American and Hispanic women. TNBC cells do not have estrogen and progesterone receptors and have limited HER 2. Medicines targeting these receptors therefore are not typically effective in treating TNBC.

About the ASCENT Study

The Phase 3 ASCENT study, an open-label, active-controlled, randomized confirmatory trial, enrolled more than 500 patients with relapsed/refractory metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who had received two or more prior systemic therapies (including a taxane), at least one of them for metastatic disease. Patients were randomized to receive either Trodelvy or a chemotherapy chosen by the patients’ treating physicians. The primary efficacy outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) in patients without brain metastases at baseline, as measured by a blinded, independent, centralized review using RECIST v1.1 criteria. Additional efficacy measures included PFS for the full population (all patients with and without brain metastases) and overall survival (OS). More information about ASCENT is available at View Source

Important Safety Information for Trodelvy

BOXED WARNING: NEUTROPENIA AND DIARRHEA

Severe, life-threatening, or fatal neutropenia may occur. Withhold TRODELVY for absolute neutrophil count below 1500/mm3 or neutropenic fever. Monitor blood cell counts periodically during treatment. Consider G-CSF for secondary prophylaxis. Initiate anti-infective treatment in patient with febrile neutropenia without delay.
Severe diarrhea may occur. Monitor patients with diarrhea and give fluid and electrolytes as needed. Administer atropine, if not contraindicated, for early diarrhea of any severity. At the onset of late diarrhea, evaluate for infectious causes and, if negative, promptly initiate loperamide. If severe diarrhea occurs, withhold TRODELVY until resolved to ≤ Grade 1 and reduce subsequent doses.
CONTRAINDICATIONS

Severe hypersensitivity to TRODELVY
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Neutropenia: Dose modifications may be required due to neutropenia. Neutropenia occurred in 62% of patients treated with TRODELVY, leading to permanent discontinuation in 0.5% of patients. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 47% of patients. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 6%.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea occurred in 64% of all patients treated with TRODELVY. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 12% of patients. Neutropenic colitis occurred in 0.5% of patients. Withhold TRODELVY for Grade 3-4 diarrhea and resume when resolved to ≤ Grade 1. At onset, evaluate for infectious causes and if negative, promptly initiate loperamide, 4 mg initially followed by 2 mg with every episode of diarrhea for a maximum of 16 mg daily. Discontinue loperamide 12 hours after diarrhea resolves. Additional supportive measures (e.g., fluid and electrolyte substitution) may also be employed as clinically indicated. Patients who exhibit an excessive cholinergic response to treatment can receive appropriate premedication (e.g., atropine) for subsequent treatments.

Hypersensitivity and Infusion-Related Reactions: TRODELVY can cause severe and life-threatening hypersensitivity and infusion-related reactions, including anaphylactic reactions. Hypersensitivity reactions within 24 hours of dosing occurred in 37% of patients. Grade 3-4 hypersensitivity occurred in 1% of patients. The incidence of hypersensitivity reactions leading to permanent discontinuation of TRODELVY was 0.4%. Pre-infusion medication is recommended. Observe patients closely for hypersensitivity and infusion-related reactions during each infusion and for at least 30 minutes after completion of each infusion. Medication to treat such reactions, as well as emergency equipment, should be available for immediate use.

Nausea and Vomiting: Nausea occurred in 67% of all patients treated with TRODELVY. Grade 3-4 nausea occurred in 5% of patients. Vomiting occurred in 40% of patients and Grade 3-4 vomiting occurred in 3% of these patients. Premedicate with a two or three drug combination regimen (e.g., dexamethasone with either a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist or an NK-1 receptor antagonist as well as other drugs as indicated) for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Withhold TRODELVY doses for Grade 3 nausea or Grade 3-4 vomiting and resume with additional supportive measures when resolved to Grade ≤ 1. Additional antiemetics and other supportive measures may also be employed as clinically indicated. All patients should be given take-home medications with clear instructions for prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting.

Increased Risk of Adverse Reactions in Patients with Reduced UGT1A1 Activity: Individuals who are homozygous for the uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1)*28 allele are at increased risk for neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and anemia and may be at increased risk for other adverse reactions with TRODELVY. The incidence of Grade 3-4 neutropenia in genotyped patients was 69% in patients homozygous for the UGT1A1*28, 48% in patients heterozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele and 46% in patients homozygous for the wild-type allele. The incidence of Grade 3-4 anemia in genotyped patients was 24% in patients homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele, 8% in patients heterozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele, and 10% in patients homozygous for the wild-type allele. Closely monitor patients with known reduced UGT1A1 activity for adverse reactions. Withhold or permanently discontinue TRODELVY based on severity of the observed adverse reactions in patients with evidence of acute early-onset or unusually severe adverse reactions, which may indicate reduced UGT1A1 function.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Based on its mechanism of action, TRODELVY can cause teratogenicity and/or embryo-fetal lethality when administered to a pregnant woman. TRODELVY contains a genotoxic component, SN-38, and targets rapidly dividing cells. Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with TRODELVY and for 6 months after the last dose. Advise male patients with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with TRODELVY and for 3 months after the last dose.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

In the ASCENT study (IMMU-132-05), the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥25%) were nausea, neutropenia, diarrhea, fatigue, alopecia, anemia, vomiting, constipation, rash, decreased appetite, and abdominal pain. The most frequent serious adverse reactions (SAR) (>1%) were neutropenia (7%), diarrhea (4%), and pneumonia (3%). SAR were reported in 27% of patients, and 5% discontinued therapy due to adverse reactions. The most common Grade 3-4 lab abnormalities (incidence ≥25%) in the ASCENT study were reduced hemoglobin, lymphocytes, leukocytes, and neutrophils.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

UGT1A1 Inhibitors: Concomitant administration of TRODELVY with inhibitors of UGT1A1 may increase the incidence of adverse reactions due to potential increase in systemic exposure to SN-38. Avoid administering UGT1A1 inhibitors with TRODELVY.

UGT1A1 Inducers: Exposure to SN-38 may be substantially reduced in patients concomitantly receiving UGT1A1 enzyme inducers. Avoid administering UGT1A1 inducers with TRODELVY

PTC Therapeutics Received Gallup’s "Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture" Award

On April 7, 2021 PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT) reported that it has been named a winner of the 2021 "Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture Award" from Gallup (Press release, PTC Therapeutics, APR 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234577668]). The award recognizes organizations with strong workplace cultures that get the best out of their employees by focusing and developing their strengths and placing them at the center of how they work every day.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We are honored to accept this award and appreciate the recognition that at PTC we have built an engaging and innovative work environment that is collaborative and committed to develop our employees," said Stuart W. Peltz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of PTC Therapeutics. "While the past year has presented many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has proven that we can work smarter and go farther together. At PTC we say that science is our foundation, and our culture is our heart."

About the Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture Award
Don Clifton, professor of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, invented the CliftonStrengths assessment, which helps companies bring the power of strengths-based development into the workplace.1 To honor this, Gallup introduced the "Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture" Award. A panel of judges reviewed many companies and identified six that successfully integrate the Clifton StrengthsFinder methodology into its performance management framework as well as support employees in discovering and operating in their strengths.

Nirogy Therapeutics to Present at AACR Annual Meeting 2021

On April 7, 2021 Nirogy Therapeutics Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company developing novel small molecules to target cellular transporters, reported that the company will present two e-posters at the 2021 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting, which is being held on April 10-15, 2021 and May 17-21, 2021 (Press release, Nirogy Therapeutics, APR 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234577687]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Nirogy will highlight preliminary data that shows that NGY-B, the company’s first-in-class, orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor, intervenes in two key hallmarks of cancer, metabolism and immunity, providing a potential novel therapeutic modality to combat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Nirogy will also highlight preclinical data that demonstrate the potential of NGY-B to inhibit melanoma by targeting metabolic symbiosis and activating antitumor immune response mechanisms.

"We’re thrilled to be presenting two impactful posters at this year’s AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) virtual conference," said Vincent Sandanayaka, Ph.D., founder, president and chief executive officer of Nirogy. "These preliminary data show that NGY-B has significant efficacy in ‘immunologically cold’ mouse tumor models, where many drugs fail. We’re also pleased with our findings that NGY-B works synergistically with anti-CTLA4 checkpoint inhibitors, suggesting a potential future combination therapy for patients. We look forward to continuing to evaluate NGY-B as we move closer to the clinic."

Poster Presentation Details:

Title: Dual MCT1/4 inhibition promotes anti-tumor immunity in triple-negative breast cancer
Presenters: Gregory James Goreczny, Jaime Escobedo, Vincent Sandanayaka
Session: Session PO.ET06.04 – Novel Targets and Pathways
Presentation Number: 1335
Date and Time: Saturday, April 10, 2021, 8:30 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. ET

Title: A novel treatment approach for melanoma by dually targeting MCT1 and MCT4 lactate transporters
Presenters: Sambad Sharma, Gregory Goreczny, Satish Kumar Noonepalle, Erica Palmer, Maria Garcia-Hernandez, Daliya Banerjee, Jaime Escobedo, Alejandro Villagra, Vincent Sandanayaka
Session: Session PO.ET06.03 – Novel Antitumor Agents
Presentation Number: 1268
Date and Time: Saturday, April 10, 2021, 8:30 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. ET

Endevica Bio Begins IND-Enabling Toxicology Studies

On April 7, 2021 Endevica Bio (formerly known as Tensive Controls Inc.), a company developing best-in-class peptide drug candidates with better safety and efficacy properties, has signed an agreement with Wuxi AppTec to begin toxicology studies for TCMCB07, its investigational therapeutic for cancer cachexia (Press release, Endevica Bio, APR 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234577703]). These studies will support an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which will allow it to commence clinical trials.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Cachexia, a serious clinical consequence also known as "wasting syndrome," is estimated to be prevalent in approximately 50-80% of those with advanced malignant cancer and it is estimated to be the cause of death for up to 40% of cancer patients.

TCMCB07 is a first-in-class melanocortin ¾ antagonist peptide designed to help people with cancer cachexia live longer by enabling greater tolerability of cancer treatment and improved quality of life. Discovered by Endevica Bio Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Kenneth Gruber, the compound reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in the brain and is designed to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier.

"TCMCB07 has many advantages – in addition to being able to cross the blood-brain barrier, it has shown to be more stable in plasma, orally active and has predictable pharmacokinetics (PK) properties," said Russ Potterfield, Executive Chairman of Endevica Bio. "Further, due to our patented technology for the suppression of cardiovascular side effects in melanocortin-based therapeutics, we believe TCMCB07 will have a robust safety profile."

Results from these toxicology studies are expected to be announced by December 2021. Endevica expects to file its IND by the first quarter of 2022.