On May 25, 2021 Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) reported that the European Commission has approved Venclyxto (venetoclax) in combination with hypomethylating agents, azacitidine and decitabine, for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy (Press release, Hoffmann-La Roche, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580539]).

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"This Venclyxto approval is a critical step in providing new therapeutic options for patients in the EU newly diagnosed with AML who cannot tolerate the side effects of, or are ineligible for, intensive chemotherapy," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. "Venclyxto-based combinations continue to show meaningful clinical benefits in AML patients, who would otherwise have a poor prognosis."

The approval is based on the results of two key studies, phase III VIALE-A and phase I/II M14-358, of Venclyxto in combination with hypomethylating agents in adults with newly diagnosed AML, who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Results from the VIALE-A study showed Venclyxto plus azacitidine significantly reduced the risk of death by 34%, compared to azacitidine alone (HR=0.66; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.85; p<0.001). The median overall survival was 14.7 months (95% CI: 11.9, 18.7) in the Venclyxto group and 9.6 months (95% CI: 7.4, 12.7) in the control group. The Venclyxto combination more than doubled the complete responses (CRs), with a CR rate of 37% (95% CI: 31, 43) compared to 18% (95% CI: 12, 25) in the comparator arm (p<0.001). The Venclyxto plus azacitidine combination also led to higher rates of composite complete remission (CR + CR with incomplete blood count recovery [CR + CRi]) at 66% (95% CI: 61, 72) compared to 28% (95% CI: 21, 36) with azacitidine alone (p<0.001). The most frequently reported serious adverse reactions (≥5%) in patients receiving Venclyxto in combination with azacitidine were febrile neutropenia, pneumonia, sepsis and haemorrhage.

Results from the M14-358 study demonstrated that patients receiving Venclyxto in combination with decitabine achieved a CR + CRi rate of 74% (95% CI: 55, 88). The most frequently reported serious adverse reactions (≥5%) were febrile neutropenia, pneumonia, bacteraemia and sepsis.

Today’s approval reinforces the potential of Venclyxto-based combinations to provide clinically meaningful benefits across several disease areas, including AML. Venclexta (venetoclax) is already approved in the US in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low dose cytarabine for the treatment of newly diagnosed AML in adults 75 years or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Venclexta/Venclyxto is also approved in the US and EU in combination with MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) who have received at least one prior therapy; in combination with Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated CLL; and as a monotherapy for the treatment of CLL in the presence of 17p deletion or TP53 mutation in people who are unsuitable for or have failed a B-cell receptor pathway inhibitor.

Venclexta/Venclyxto is being developed by AbbVie and Roche. It is jointly commercialised by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the US, and commercialised by AbbVie outside of the US.

About the VIALE-A study
VIALE-A [NCT02993523] is a phase III, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Venclyxto (venetoclax) plus azacitidine, a hypomethylating agent, compared to placebo with azacitidine, in 431 people with previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Two-thirds of patients (n=286) received 400 mg Venclyxto daily, in combination with azacitidine, and the remaining patients (n=145) received placebo tablets in combination with azacitidine. Patients enrolled in the study had a range of mutational subtypes, including IDH1/2 and FLT3. VIALE-A met its primary and key secondary endpoints.

About the M14-358 study
M14-358 [NCT02203773] is a phase I/II, open-label, non-randomised, multicentre study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Venclyxto (venetoclax) plus azacitidine or decitabine, in patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Oral Venclyxto was given in combination with azacitidine in 84 patients and in combination with decitabine in 31 patients.

About acute myeloid leukaemia
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive form of leukaemia that starts in immature forms of blood-forming cells, known as myeloid cells, found in the bone marrow.2 AML is the most common type of aggressive leukaemia in adults, approximately 42,000 people in Europe are currently diagnosed with AML.3,4,5 Even with the best available therapies, it has the lowest survival rate of all types of leukaemia.6

About Venclyxto (venetoclax)
Venclyxto is a first-in-class targeted medicine designed to selectively bind and inhibit the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein. In some blood cancers and other tumours, BCL-2 builds up and prevents cancer cells from dying or self-destructing, a process called apoptosis. Venclyxto blocks the BCL-2 protein and works to help restore the process of apoptosis.

Venclexta/Venclyxto is being developed by AbbVie and Roche. It is jointly commercialised by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the US, and commercialised by AbbVie outside of the US. Together, the companies are committed to research with Venclexta/Venclyxto, which is currently being studied in clinical trials across several types of blood and other cancers.

In the US, Venclexta has been granted five Breakthrough Therapy Designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: one for previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), two for relapsed or refractory CLL and two for previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia.

About Roche in haematology
Roche has been developing medicines for people with malignant and non-malignant blood diseases for over 20 years; our experience and knowledge in this therapeutic area runs deep.
Today, we are investing more than ever in our effort to bring innovative treatment options to patients across a wide range of haematologic diseases. Our approved medicines include MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab), Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab), Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin), Venclexta/Venclyxto (venetoclax) in collaboration with AbbVie, and Hemlibra (emicizumab). Our pipeline of investigational haematology medicines includes T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies, glofitamab and mosunetuzumab, targeting both CD20 and CD3, and cevostamab, targeting FcRH5 and CD3; Tecentriq (atezolizumab), a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with PD-L1; and crovalimab, an anti-C5 antibody engineered to optimise complement inhibition. Our scientific expertise, combined with the breadth of our portfolio and pipeline, also provides a unique opportunity to develop combination regimens that aim to improve the lives of patients even further.

On May 25, 2021 ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company focused on developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, reported that the company will host a conference call and webcast to review initial data from the ongoing Phase 1b study of ORIC-101, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, in combination with nab-paclitaxel in advanced solid tumors (Press release, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, MAY 25, 2021, https://investors.oricpharma.com/news-releases/news-release-details/oric-pharmaceuticals-host-conference-call-kol-review-initial [SID1234580555]). On the conference call, management will be joined by trial investigator and senior author, Professor Pamela Munster, M.D., Director of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit and Co-Leader of the Center for BRCA Research at the University of California San Francisco. The data will also be presented in two posters at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held June 4 – 8, 2021.

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Webcast and Conference Call

ORIC will host a conference call and webcast, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. ET. To participate in the conference call, please dial (833) 651-0991 (domestic) or (918) 922-6080 (international) and refer to conference ID 4783288. A live webcast and audio archive of the conference call will be available through the investor section of the company’s website at www.oricpharma.com. The webcast will be available for replay for 90 days following the presentation.

On May 25, 2021 Epizyme, (Nasdaq: EPZM), a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering novel epigenetic therapies, reported that Robert Bazemore, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat during the Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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A live webcast of the fireside chat will be available in the investor section of the Company’s website at www.epizyme.com, and will be archived for 60 days following the call.

On May 25, 2021 Clarus Therapeutics Inc. ("Clarus"), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to providing solutions to unmet medical needs by advancing androgen and metabolic therapies for men and women, and HavaH Therapeutics ("HavaH"), an Australia-based biopharmaceutical company developing androgen therapies for inflammatory breast disease and certain forms of breast cancer by using the innate breast-tissue-specific hormone/immune interface, reported a licensing agreement whereby Clarus will acquire the exclusive worldwide (excluding Australia) development and commercialization rights for HAVAH T+Ai (CLAR-121) (Press release, clarus therapeutics inc, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580587]).

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CLAR-121 is a proprietary combination of testosterone (T) (natural ligand for the androgen receptor; AR) and anastrozole (inhibitor of T conversion to estradiol) delivered by a subcutaneous implant for treatment of AR-mediated breast disease that predominantly affects women. If approved, CLAR-121 would be the first T treatment of its kind for inflammatory breast disease, including inflammatory periductal mastitis (PDM) and estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Clarus’s initial clinical development target is PDM — a destructive autoimmune inflammatory process of the retro-areolar milk ducts that results in multiple fistulae and inevitably results in disfiguring surgery and a high risk of recurrence. There is no known treatment for this condition apart from surgery, which has significant limitations.1 Due to the low prevalence of PDM in the U.S., Clarus anticipates this disease could qualify for orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and plans to petition the agency for that status for CLAR-121.

If approved, CLAR-121 would be the first T treatment of its kind for inflammatory breast disease.

HavaH has extensive clinical experience with CLAR-121 in more than 1,000 Australian women (more than 6,200 implants) with breast disease, and Clarus expects that access to HavaH’s pharmacokinetics, safety and early efficacy data in PDM will expedite progression to Phase 2/3 clinical studies in the U.S. Clarus estimates that the annual U.S. market size for PDM exceeds $400 million.2,3,4 With this new pipeline asset, Clarus may also pursue, alone or in partnership, future indications in ER+ breast cancer, macromastia, granulomatous mastitis, and autoimmune induced breast pain.

"This licensing agreement marks the beginning of an exciting new partnership with HavaH. Their experience coupled with the significant amount of clinical data generated in Australia will benefit Clarus greatly as we begin our development activities in the U.S.," said Dr. Robert Dudley, Clarus’s founder, president and CEO. "CLAR-121 allows us to leverage our expertise in androgen biology, as exemplified by JATENZO, a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for male hypogonadism and Clarus’s first commercial product, and expands our development pipeline with an initial focus on PDM in women — a debilitating, painful disease with very limited treatment options, short of invasive surgery. This treatment, if approved, has the potential to be life-changing for women who suffer from PDM, and its development fits well with our mantra: ‘good is never good enough’. Our goal is to provide treatment options that not only produce a positive clinical outcome, but also provide a positive therapeutic experience for patients."

Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Clarus will be responsible for future global development and regulatory activities for CLAR-121, excluding Australia. Clarus will pay HavaH an upfront payment of $500,000 upon signing and HavaH may be eligible for up to $10.75 million in potential development and regulatory milestone payments. HavaH will retain the right to promote HAVAH T+Ai in Australia. Additionally, HavaH would be eligible for a modest royalty and up to $30 million in potential commercial milestones.

"We developed HAVAH T+Ai to address a significant unmet need in women’s health, and our partnership with Clarus will enable us to advance this therapeutic approach not only for inflammatory breast disease but, more widely we hope, for ER+ breast cancer where data now unambiguously demonstrates that the androgen receptor has an important tumor suppressor role in this form of breast cancer,"5 said Stephen Birrell, MD, PhD, HavaH founder, chairman and chief medical officer.

"In Clarus, we found a partner who understands and appreciates the potentially profound importance of androgen action in the context of inflammatory breast disease, as well as its role as an adjunctive endocrine therapy for certain forms of breast cancer," said Kathy Harrison, HavaH CEO.

Reedland Capital Partners, acting through Weild & Co., member FINRA/SIPC, served as financial advisor to HavaH in connection with this transaction. For more information, please visit www.reedland.com.

On May 25, 2021 NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, a global innovator in the development, production and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals used for therapeutic applications and medical imaging, and Clarity Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage radiopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious disease, reported the signing of a Master Supply Agreement for the therapeutic radioisotope copper-67 (Cu-67) (Press release, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580503]). Under the agreement, NorthStar will supply Cu-67 exclusively to Clarity Pharmaceuticals as an active pharmaceutical ingredient used to support Clarity’s Targeted Copper Theranostics (TCT) programs.

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Cu-67 is a beta-emitting radioisotope with clinical applications as a radiopharmaceutical to directly target and deliver therapeutic doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells in patients with serious disease.

"Previously, the lack of an effective copper chelating technology has limited the clinical development of Cu-67 products and subsequent commercial production of Cu-67," said Stephen Merrick, President and Chief Executive Officer of NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes. "Clarity Pharmaceuticals’ unique copper-chelating technology has enabled it to advance its product pipeline into a range of theranostic clinical trials that use copper-64 (Cu-64) for diagnostic imaging and Cu-67 as therapy. NorthStar is addressing the need for reliable Cu-67 radioisotope supply by advancing towards commercial-scale production. Our efforts use the proven expertise and innovative approach demonstrated in the successful development and commercialization of U.S.-produced, non-uranium molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) to generate technetium-99m. NorthStar is pleased to sign this agreement with Clarity Pharmaceuticals, and we look forward to supporting its plans for further clinical development and commercialization of Cu-67 based therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to improve the lives of patients with serious disease."

"Consistent with other NorthStar production processes, the Cu-67 production process is also environmentally friendly and non-uranium based," said James T. Harvey, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer of NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes. "Cu-67 has an optimal half-life for a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical, is produced domestically in the United States without a nuclear reactor, has no long-lived contaminants or bi-products from the manufacturing process, and its starting material, zinc, is readily available. As opposed to other therapeutic isotopes in the market and under development, Cu-67 is ideally suited for commercial production to meet the growing demand for radiopharmaceuticals in large disease indications and we look forward to meeting Clarity’s anticipated future demands as it develops and commercializes its suite of products."

"Clarity leads the world in the development and commercialization of TCT," said Alan Taylor, PhD, Executive Chairman of Clarity Pharmaceuticals. "Access to large, commercial supply of Cu-67 at a suitable price-point enables us to apply our TCT approach not only to rare diseases such as neuroblastoma in children, but also other cancers with very large patient populations such as prostate and breast cancers. In essence, the availability of large scale production of Cu-67 in the United States will increase the speed of Clarity’s clinical trials across our SARTATETM, SAR-bisPSMA, SAR-Bombesin and discovery programs and will help us to achieve our ultimate goal of better treating children and adults with cancer."

About Copper-67 (Cu-67)

Copper-67 (Cu-67) is a short-range, beta-emitting radioisotope that is attractive for medical purposes due to its ability to carry sufficient radiation energy to cause cell death in targeted cells while having a sufficiently short half-life to limit unwanted radioactivity in patients. Cu-67 is being investigated for therapeutic purposes across a wide range of adult and childhood cancers. Potential radiotherapeutic targets include prostate cancer, breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), neuroblastoma, glioma, lymphoma, ovarian, and bladder cancers. A chelator, which strongly binds Cu-67 to the targeting agent, is required to develop safe and effective targeted therapies. Clarity has successfully developed a highly specific and highly stable chelator for copper isotopes and is progressing a range of radiopharmaceuticals based on its proprietary SAR Technology Platform. NorthStar is developing a proprietary process for commercial-scale production of Cu-67 to meet demand for clinical research and treatment purposes.