On January 7, 2019 CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTMX), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody therapeutic technology platform, reported it has acquired drug conjugate linker-toxin and CD3-based bispecific technologies from Agensys, Inc., an affiliate of Astellas Pharma Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, CytomX will pay Astellas a one-time, up-front payment (Press release, CytomX Therapeutics, JAN 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234532550]).

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"The clinical progress we reported throughout 2018 provided initial proof of concept for our Probody therapeutic platform. This transaction with Astellas provides us with novel payloads and CD3 binding moieties for our next wave of potent anti-cancer agents that leverage our technology, including Probody drug conjugates and Probody T cell engaging bispecifics," said W. Michael Kavanaugh, M.D. chief scientific officer and head of research and non-clinical development at CytomX.

On January 7, 2019 Innate Pharma SA (the "Company" – Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 – IPH) reported that it will be present at the following investor events in the first quarter 2019 (Press release, Innate Pharma, JAN 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234532549]):

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– LifeSci Advisors 1×1 Meetings surrounding the J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference– San Francisco, January 7-10, 2019

– Oddo BHF Forum – Lyon, January 10-11, 2019

– Degroof Petercam’s Healthcare Seminar – Brussels, January 31, 2019

– Leerink Partners Annual Global Healthcare Conference – NYC, February 27 – March 1, 2019

– Credit Suisse Global Healthcare Conference – London, March 5-6, 2019

– Oppenheimer Annual Healthcare Conference – NYC, March 19-20, 2019

Innate Pharma is committed to meet on a regular basis with the financial community. All corporate information on the Company, such as its financial statements or its corporate presentations, is available on the Company’s websitein the Investors’ section (www.innate-pharma.com/en/investors).

On January 7, 2019 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) (NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") reported the completion of its acquisition of Shire plc ("Shire"), becoming a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan (Press release, Takeda, JAN 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234532548]).

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Takeda now has an attractive, expanded geographic footprint and leading position in Japan and the U.S., bringing its highly-innovative medicines to approximately 80 countries/regions with dedicated employees worldwide. Takeda’s R&D efforts are focused on its four therapeutic areas of Oncology, Gastroenterology (GI), Neuroscience and Rare Diseases, with targeted R&D investment also committed to Plasma-Derived Therapies (PDT) and Vaccines. Takeda’s strengthened, highly innovative R&D engine enables the company to have a more global, robust and modality-diverse pipeline as well as to focus on breakthrough innovation. The combined annual revenue of the company, exceeding $30 billion USD, is mainly derived from the key business areas of Oncology, GI, Neuroscience, Rare Diseases and PDT.

"We are delighted that the acquisition was approved by an overwhelming majority of our shareholders at Takeda’s extraordinary general meeting on December 5th, 2018. We are also pleased to have completed the acquisition several months earlier than expected, which was enabled through the hard work of our respective organizations and the smooth receipt of regulatory clearances," said Christophe Weber, President and Chief Executive Officer of Takeda. "We appreciate the support of our employees, partners and shareholders throughout the process. This marks a significant moment in Takeda’s history and is an exciting step forward as we accelerate our transformation journey to deliver highly-innovative medicines to patients around the world with expanded scale and geographical footprint."

Weber continued, "The execution of our integration begins today, and we are confident in our ability to execute a smooth integration under the leadership of our experienced and diverse Takeda Executive Team with a strong track record. The Operating Model we established in September last year has set a clear framework for our integration plans, and we have a highly skilled and dedicated integration team leading the process."

In order to fund the acquisition, Takeda has secured permanent financing with highly competitive rates, resulting in an overall blended interest rate for Takeda’s total debt of approximately 2.3%. The company is confident that it will retain its investment grade credit rating and return to a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.0x or less within three to five years following completion.

Weber will present at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference at 3:30 p.m. PST on January 8, 2019.

On January 7, 2019 Forbius, a clinical-stage company developing biologics for the treatment of cancer and fibrosis, reported that the first patient was dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with AVID200 (Press release, Forbius, JAN 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234532547]). The trial will evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumor effects of escalating doses of AVID200 in patients with solid tumors.

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"Our goal is to significantly expand the number of cancer patients who benefit from checkpoint blockade and other immunotherapies. AVID200 was designed to have the potency and isoform selectivity to effectively counteract the highly immunosuppressive effects of TGF-beta in the tumor microenvironment and reverse resistance to immunotherapy," commented Dr. Maureen O’Connor-McCourt, CSO of Forbius.

AVID200 selectively neutralizes TGF-beta 1 & 3 with best-in-class pM potency, thus neutralizing the principal immunosuppressive TGF-beta isoforms. AVID200’s optimal selectivity was also designed to circumvent cardiac and other safety issues that have limited the applicability of older-generation, non-selective TGF-beta inhibitors.

TGF-beta 1 & 3 are the main oncogenic TGF-beta isoforms expressed by many solid tumors. They are believed to play a major role in T-cell suppression, fibrosis, and resistance to immunotherapeutics such as nivolumab (Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) (Chakravarthy et al., Nature Comm., 2018; Tauriello et al., Nature, 2018; Mariathasan et al., Nature, 2018).

AVID200’s immuno-oncology mode of action focuses on the reversal of both immunosuppression and fibrosis in the tumor stroma. In syngeneic mouse tumor models, AVID200 treatment led to T-cell activation, increased immune cell infiltration, and increased efficacy of immune checkpoint agents.

On January 7, 2019 McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) reported that it will release financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2018 on Thursday, January 31, 2019, following the market close at approximately 4:00 PM Eastern Time (1:00 PM Pacific Time) (Press release, McKesson, JAN 7, 2019, View Source [SID1234532546]). The company has scheduled a conference call for 5:00 PM Eastern Time (2:00 PM Pacific Time), during which John Hammergren, chairman and chief executive officer, Brian Tyler, president and chief operating officer, and Britt Vitalone, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will review these results.

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The dial-in number for individuals wishing to participate on the call is 323-794-2588. Craig Mercer, senior vice president, Investor Relations is the leader of the call and the password is ‘McKesson’. The conference call will also be available live and archived on the company’s Investor Relations website at View Source