Vermillion Announces Publication of New Study Demonstrating Overa’s Greater Sensitivity in Detecting Ovarian Cancer Compared with ROMA, HE4 + CA125, and CA125 Alone

On July 16, 2019 Vermillion, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRML), a bioanalytical-based women’s health company focused on gynecologic disease, reported publication of a paper entitled: "Clinical Performance Comparison of Two In-Vitro Diagnostic Multivariate Index Assays (IVDMIAs) for Presurgical Assessment for Ovarian Cancer Risk" in the journal Advanced Therapeutics (Shulman et al. Adv Ther. July 2019) (Press release, Vermillion, JUL 16, 2019, View Source [SID1234537551]). The study of 993 patients with 245 malignancies shows that Vermillion’s second generation multivariate index assay, Overa (MIA2G), had superior sensitivity to the current standards of care, Risk of Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) and CA125, in detecting ovarian cancer, and the lowest false-negative rate in correctly characterizing ovarian malignancy risk.

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"These findings advance our ability to detect ovarian malignancy and provide clinicians with reliable tools to screen adnexal masses." said Lee Shulman, M.D., principal investigator and Anna Lapham Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. "The ability to better detect disease while reducing the number of missed cancer cases, is critical for improving outcomes for women with adnexal masses.

This is the first study published with respect to Overa since it received FDA approval. Key findings from the study include:

Overa exhibited a statistically significant higher sensitivity (91%; 95%CI, 86.8% – 94.0%) of malignancy detection than either ROMA (79.2%: 95%CI, 73.7% – 83.8%) or CA125 (71%; 95%CI, 65.0% – 76.30%), with the current ACOG guidance cutoff of 200 U/ml
Overa also outperformed CA125 in detection of combined early stage (I and II) cancer with a sensitivity of 90.5% (95%CI, 82.3% – 95.1%) for Overa and a sensitivity of 63.1% (95%CI, 52.4% – 72.6%) for CA125. Overa sensitivity also tended to outperform ROMA (76.2%; 95%CI, 66.1% – 84.0%) in detection of combined early stage (I and II) cancer.
Overa also tended to exhibit higher sensitivity than CA 125 and ROMA regardless of cancer type (epithelial, non-epithelial, low malignancy potential, metastatic, and non-metastatic)
Overa exhibited a significantly higher non-epithelial cancer sensitivity of 75% compared with 50.0% for ROMA, and 37.5% for CA125. This gap is significant as non-epithelial cancers are more prevalent in disparate populations.
Out of the 245 malignancies Overa exhibited the lowest rate of false negatives (8.9%) compared with CA125 (28.9%) or ROMA (20.8%)
As compared to CA125 and ROMA, Overa exhibited the highest sensitivity according to menopausal status. Overa also had identical sensitivity for pre- and post-menopause
"The findings from this study further establish that early stage risk assessment of ovarian cancer is possible with our OVA technology," said Valerie Palmieri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vermillion, Inc. "The greatest barrier for women to obtain the proper treatment has been the lack of early detection tools, with the OVA technology the early stage risk assessment gap has finally been filled. Vermillion is committed to improving the pre-surgical pelvic mass assessment, so all stages, ages and ethnicities can access the right treatment at the right time."

Vermillion’s proprietary technologies, OVA1 and Overa, are FDA-cleared blood tests to evaluate cancer risk in women presenting with a pelvic mass, thus helping healthcare providers and women assess risk for malignancy prior to surgery.

Astellas and Seattle Genetics Announce Submission of Biologics License Application to FDA for Enfortumab Vedotin for Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Cancer

On July 16, 2019 Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") and Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN) reported submission of a Biologics License Application for accelerated approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the investigational agent enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have received a PD-1/L1 inhibitor and who have received a platinum-containing chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant/adjuvant, locally advanced or metastatic setting (Press release, Astellas, JUL 16, 2019, View Source [SID1234537550]).

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The submission is based on results from the first cohort of patients in the EV-201 pivotal phase 2 clinical trial that were presented as a late-breaking abstract at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) in June. Enfortumab vedotin is an investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets Nectin-4, a protein that is highly expressed in urothelial cancers.i

"There are limited treatment options for patients with advanced urothelial cancer, and we are encouraged by the results observed in the pivotal trial for enfortumab vedotin," said Andrew Krivoshik, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Oncology Therapeutic Area Head at Astellas.

"There is an urgent need for new therapies for patients with advanced urothelial cancer, and we look forward to working with our partner Astellas and the FDA on the review of this application," said Roger Dansey, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Seattle Genetics.

Based on preliminary results from a phase 1 trial (EV-101), the FDA granted enfortumab vedotin Breakthrough Therapy designation for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer whose disease has progressed during or following checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

A global, randomized phase 3 confirmatory clinical trial (EV-301) is ongoing and is intended to support global registrations. Another ongoing trial, EV-103, is evaluating enfortumab vedotin in earlier lines of treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer, including in combination with pembrolizumab and/or platinum chemotherapy in newly diagnosed patients as well as patients whose cancer progressed from earlier-stage disease.

Horizon Therapeutics plc to Release Second-Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Host Webcast on Aug. 7, 2019

On July 16, 2019 Horizon Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: HZNP) reported that its second-quarter 2019 financial results will be released on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 (Press release, Horizon Therapeutics, JUL 16, 2019, View Source [SID1234537549]). Following the announcement, Horizon’s management will host a live webcast at 8 a.m. Eastern Time to review the Company’s financial and operating results.

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The live webcast and a replay may be accessed at View Source Please connect to the Company’s website at least 15 minutes prior to the live webcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be needed to access the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the live webcast.

Puma Biotechnology’s Licensing Partner Knight Therapeutics Receives Regulatory Approval from Health Canada to Commercialize NERLYNX® (neratinib) for Extended Adjuvant Treatment of Hormone Receptor Positive, HER2-Positive Early Stage Breast Cancer

On July 16, 2019 Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: PBYI) announced that its licensing partner Knight Therapeutics Inc. (Knight) has received marketing authorization from Health Canada to commercialize NERLYNX (neratinib) in Canada for the extended adjuvant treatment of women with early stage hormone receptor positive, HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer within one year after completion of trastuzumab-based adjuvant therapy (Press release, Puma Biotechnology, JUL 16, 2019, View Source [SID1234537547]).

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Health Canada approval was based on the Phase III ExteNET trial, a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of neratinib following adjuvant trastuzumab treatment. Women (n=2,840) with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer and within two years of completing adjuvant trastuzumab therapy were randomized to receive either neratinib (n=1420) or placebo (n=1420) for one year.

The results of the ExteNET trial demonstrated that after two years of follow-up, for patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2-positive early stage breast cancer patients who were treated within one year after the completion of trastuzumab based adjuvant therapy, invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) was 95.3% in the patients treated with neratinib compared with 90.8% in those receiving placebo (hazard ratio = 0.49; 95% CI: (0.30, 0.78); p=0.002).

The most common adverse reactions (>5%) were diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, vomiting, rash, stomatitis, decreased appetite, muscle spasms, dyspepsia, AST or ALT increase, nail disorder, dry skin, abdominal distention, weight loss, and urinary tract infection. The most common adverse reaction leading to discontinuation was diarrhea, which was observed in 16.8% of neratinib-treated patients. Hepatotoxicity or increases in liver transaminases led to drug discontinuation in 1.7% of neratinib-treated patients.

"Health Canada approval marks the first time Canadian women are being presented with an opportunity for extended-adjuvant therapy that will reduce the risk of disease recurrence in patients who would otherwise have had a relapse," said Jonathan Ross Goodman, Chief Executive Officer of Knight.

Puma Biotechnology’s CEO and President Alan H. Auerbach, added, "Reducing the risk of disease recurrence remains a need for patients, despite advances in the treatment of early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. We are pleased that our partner, Knight Therapeutics, will be bringing NERLYNX to patients throughout Canada. Health Canada represents the second international approval of NERLYNX this year and we are committed to supporting our partners to expand NERLYNX commercial accessibility to patients around the world."

About HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Approximately 20 to 25 percent of breast cancer tumors over-express the HER2 protein. HER2-positive breast cancer is often more aggressive than other types of breast cancer, increasing the risk of disease progression and death. Although research has shown that trastuzumab can reduce the risk of early stage HER2-positive breast cancer returning after surgery, up to 25% of patients treated with trastuzumab experience recurrence.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON REPORTS 2019 SECOND-QUARTER RESULTS

On July 16, 2019 Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reported results for second-quarter 2019. "We delivered solid second-quarter underlying sales growth and strong earnings growth that enables us to make investments in innovation to accelerate performance in each of our businesses," said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our pipelines continue to progress with the launch of new products and several regulatory submissions and approvals, which positions us well to deliver the next wave of transformational products and solutions. I am proud of our talented colleagues across Johnson & Johnson who continue to deliver significant healthcare advances to improve the lives of patients and consumers around the world."
SEGMENT COMMENTARY:

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Consumer
Consumer worldwide operational sales, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, grew 2.3%* driven by NEUTROGENA, AVEENO and OGX beauty products, over-the-counter products including ZYRTEC upper respiratory and MOTRIN analgesic products, international LISTERINE mouthwash in Oral Care products and U.S. Baby Care products.

Pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical worldwide operational sales, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures grew 4.4%* driven by DARZALEX (daratumumab), for the treatment of multiple myeloma, STELARA (ustekinumab), a biologic for the treatment of a number of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib), an oral, once-daily therapy approved for use in treating certain B-cell malignancies, a type of blood or lymph node cancer, INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION/INVEGA TRINZA/TREVICTA (paliperidone palmitate), long-acting, injectable atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, TREMFYA (guselkumab), a biologic for the treatment of adults living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, OPSUMIT (macitentan), an oral endothelin receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension to delay disease progression, ERLEADA (apalutamide), a next-generation androgen receptor inhibitor for the treatment of patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and PREZISTA/PREZCOBIX/REZOLSTA/ SYMTUZA (D/C/F/TAF) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, partially offset by declines in REMICADE (infliximab), a biologic approved for the treatment of a number of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, and U.S. ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate), an oral, once-daily medication for use in combination with prednisone for the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer due to biosimilar and generic entrants.

Medical Devices
Worldwide Medical Devices operational sales, excluding the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures grew 3.2%* driven by the growth of electrophysiology products in the Interventional Solutions business, endocutters and international energy products in the Advanced Surgery business. As previously disclosed, the divestiture of the ASP business was completed, resulting in an approximate $2.0 billion pretax gain in the quarter.

NOTABLE NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE QUARTER:
The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with Johnson & Johnson’s other disclosures filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Current Reports on Form 8-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. The reader is also encouraged to review all other news releases available online in the Investors section of the company’s website at news releases.

Pipeline Updates
Regulatory Approvals
IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) – CHMP Positive Opinions in combination with obinutuzumab in CLL and in combination with rituximab in WM
(press release)
DARZALEX (daratumumab) – Newly diagnosed patients with Multiple Myeloma in combination with Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone (U.S.)
(press release)
Regulatory Submissions
DARZALEX (daratumumab) – Subcutaneous formulation in multiple myeloma (U.S.)1

(press release)
ERLEADA (apalutamide) – Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (EU)
(press release)
ERLEADA (apalutamide) – Metastatic Castration – Sensitive Prostate Cancer (U.S)
(press release)
Rilpivirine and Cabotegravir – Monthly, Injectable, Two-Drug Regimen for Treatment of HIV
(press release)

1 Subsequent to the quarter

FULL YEAR 2019 GUIDANCE:

Johnson & Johnson does not provide GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because the company is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of legal proceedings, unusual gains and losses, acquisition-related expenses and purchase accounting fair value adjustments without unreasonable effort. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could be material to Johnson & Johnson’s results computed in accordance with GAAP.

Other modeling considerations will be provided on the webcast.

WEBCAST INFORMATION:
Johnson & Johnson will conduct a conference call with investors to discuss this earnings release today at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Time. A simultaneous webcast of the call for investors and other interested parties may be accessed by visiting the Johnson & Johnson website. A replay and podcast will be available approximately two hours after the live webcast in the Investors section of the company’s website at events-and-presentations.