Genmab Announces Financial Results for the First Nine Months of 2018

On November 14, 2018 Genmab reported Interim Report for the First Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Press release, Genmab, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531309]).

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!

Highlights

USD 1,441 million in net sales of DARZALEX (daratumumab), resulting in royalty income of DKK 1,111 million
DARZALEX approved in Europe in combination with bortezomib, melphalan and prednisone (VMP) for frontline multiple myeloma, triggering USD 13 million milestone payment from Janssen
Entered strategic collaboration with Immatics to discover and develop next-generation bispecific cancer immunotherapies
"During the third quarter, Genmab continued to push ahead towards completing our goals for 2018. This quarter’s highlights included the European approval of DARZALEX in combination with other standard therapies for the treatment of frontline multiple myeloma and the strategic collaboration we signed with Immatics to fuel the growth of Genmab’s innovative immunotherapy pipeline in the future," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab.

Financial Performance First Nine Months of 2018

Revenue was DKK 1,789 million in the first nine months of 2018 compared to DKK 1,348 million in the first nine months of 2017. The increase of DKK 441 million, or 33%, was mainly driven by higher DARZALEX royalties, the payment from Novartis of USD 50 million and reimbursement income from our collaborations with Seattle Genetics and BioNTech, partly offset by a decrease in DARZALEX milestones.
Operating expenses were DKK 1,130 million in the first nine months of 2018 compared to DKK 707 million in the first nine months of 2017. The increase of DKK 423 million, or 60%, was driven by the advancement of tisotumab vedotin, additional investments in our product pipeline, and the increase in employees to support expansion of our product pipeline.
Operating income was DKK 659 million in the first nine months of 2018 compared to DKK 641 million in the first nine months of 2017. The increase of DKK 18 million, or 3%, was driven by higher revenue, which was offset by increased operating expenses.
Subsequent Events

October: The Phase III CASSIOPEIA study (MMY3006) of daratumumab in combination with bortezomib, thalidomide and dexamethasone (VTD) versus VTD alone as frontline treatment for multiple myeloma patients who are candidates for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) met its primary endpoint of number of patients that achieved a stringent Complete Response (sCR), which was reported in 28.9% of patients treated with daratumumab in combination with VTD, compared to 20.3% of patients who received VTD alone with an odds ratio of 1.60 (95% CI: 1.21 – 2.12, p ≤ 0.001). The safety profile of daratumumab in combination with VTD is consistent with the known safety profile of the VTD regimen used in patients receiving ASCT and the known safety profile for daratumumab.
October: The Phase III MAIA study (MMY3008) of daratumumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (DRd) versus Rd alone as treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not candidates for high dose chemotherapy and ASCT met its primary endpoint of improving progression free survival (PFS) at a pre-planned interim analysis (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.55 (95% CI 0.43 – 0.72), p < 0.0001), resulting in a 45% reduction in the risk of progression or death in patients treated with DRd. The median PFS for patients treated with DRd has not been reached, compared to an estimated median PFS of 31.9 months for patients who received Rd alone. Overall, the safety profile of daratumumab in combination with Rd is consistent with both the known safety profiles of the Rd regimen and daratumumab.
Outlook
Genmab is maintaining its 2018 financial guidance published on February 21, 2018.

Conference Call
Genmab will hold a conference call in English to discuss the results for the first nine months of 2018 today, Wednesday, November 14, at 6.00 pm CET, 5.00 pm GMT or 12.00 pm EST. To join the call dial
+1 646 828 8193 (US participants) or +44 330 336 9411 (international participants) and provide conference code 4314747.

PharmaMar announces the meeting of its patient recruitment target in the phase II study with lurbinectedin as a single agent in small-cell lung cancer

On November 14, 2018 PharmaMar (MSE:PHM) has reported that the recruitment goal of 100 patients in the phase II trial with lurbinectedin as a single agent in recurrent SCLC has been reached (Press release, PharmaMar, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531308]).

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!

The study’s primary endpoint is overall response rate (ORR), while also evaluating secondary endpoints such as the duration of response (DR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (PS), along with the safety profile.

This multicenter, phase II "basket", clinical trial, involving 38 centers from nine different countries, will assess the safety and efficacy of lurbinectedin in patients with recurrent SCLC, this meaning, those patients who have received a prior chemotherapy treatment.

In June, PharmaMar presented data on 61 patients from this cohort with recurrent small-cell lung cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Congress in the abstract entitled "Efficacy and safety of lurbinectedin (PM1183, Zepsyre) in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC): results from a phase 2 study". An ORR of 39.3% was
seen in these patients. The median DR was 6.2 months and the median OS, 11.8 months.

"We have observed that lurbinectedin as a single agent is active in patients with recurrent small-cell lung cancer and that, according to the data observed so far, there is a high percentage of responses," explains Dr. Ali Zeaiter, Director of Clinical Development at the Oncology Business Unit at PharmaMar.

Legal warning
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

Mateon Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

On November 14, 2018 Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB:MATN), a biopharmaceutical company developing investigational drugs for the treatment of orphan oncology indications, reported third quarter 2018 financial results (Press release, Mateon Therapeutics, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531307]).

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!

For the three months ended September 30, 2018, Mateon reported a net loss of $0.7 million, compared to a net loss of $3.5 million reported for the three months ended September 30, 2017. As of September 30, 2018, Mateon had cash of $1.1 million.

"We are inching closer to finalizing our regulatory submission for a new clinical phase 2a study of CA4P combined with the checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD1 in patients with advanced melanoma. I believe that our scientific approach for increasing the anti-tumor immunity of checkpoint inhibitors by inducing ischemic necrosis of tumor cells with CA4P is as good as any of the other checkpoint inhibitor approaches, although it is certainly less well-recognized," stated William D. Schwieterman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Mateon Therapeutics. "In addition, we are continuing to screen patients for enrollment into our study of OXi4503 for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Our target is a total of approximately ten patients at the 9.76 mg/m2 dose currently being evaluated."

Seattle Genetics Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Trial of SEA-BCMA for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

On November 14, 2018 Seattle Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGEN) reported dosing of the first patient in a phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of SEA-BCMA for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) (Press release, Seattle Genetics, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531306]). SEA-BCMA is an investigational antibody empowered using Seattle Genetics’ proprietary Sugar Engineered Antibody (SEA) technology designed to enhance antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The target of SEA-BCMA, the cell surface protein B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), is broadly expressed on malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma. SEA-BCMA has demonstrated encouraging antitumor activity in preclinical studies.

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!

"Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, it remains an incurable disease with a need for active and well-tolerated agents," said Roger D. Dansey, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Genetics. "BCMA is a validated therapeutic target for multiple myeloma. SEA-BCMA represents a novel empowered antibody treatment approach that has demonstrated antitumor activity and an acceptable safety profile in preclinical evaluation to date. We look forward to evaluating SEA-BCMA through our clinical development program and hope to meaningfully improve outcomes for multiple myeloma patients."

The phase 1 trial is an open-label, multi-center, dose-escalation and expansion clinical study designed to enroll approximately 65 patients with relapsed or refractory MM in the United States. The study is expected to be conducted in two parts, with a dose escalation cohort to evaluate safety and tolerability and to determine the maximum tolerated dose of SEA-BCMA, followed by an expansion cohort to obtain further data regarding safety and antitumor activity.

Data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2018 demonstrate that SEA-BCMA exhibits encouraging preclinical antitumor activity and has the potential to be an active, tolerable and combinable agent.

For more information about the phase 1 study of SEA-BCMA for patients with multiple myeloma and enrolling centers, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03582033).

About Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an aggressive cancer that forms in white blood cells called plasma cells. Cancerous plasma cells can crowd out healthy blood cells, impair bone strength and weaken the immune system. MM is the second most common blood cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 30,000 new cases of MM were expected in the U.S. in 2018, with over 12,500 deaths. Despite recent medical advances, MM still remains an incurable disease. It is managed with sequential lines of treatment that typically yield shorter durations of disease control with each subsequent relapse, and some patients receive more than four lines of treatment over the course of their disease.

About SEA-BCMA

SEA-BCMA is a novel investigational antibody empowered using Seattle Genetics’ proprietary Sugar Engineered Antibody (SEA) technology that leads to enhanced antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. SEA-BCMA is a non-fucosylated BCMA-directed antibody that is designed to block proliferative tumor cell signaling, mediate antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis and induce enhanced cell lysis through antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The cell surface protein BCMA is expressed on cells of several cancer types, including multiple myeloma and other B-cell malignancies. BCMA is a validated therapeutic target for multiple myeloma.

Trillium Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2018 Financial and Operating Results

On November 14, 2018 Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ/TSX: TRIL), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer, reported financial and operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 (Press release, Trillium Therapeutics, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531305]).

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!

2018 Third Quarter Highlights:

Presented an update at the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Cutaneous Lymphoma Task Force (EORTC CLTF) meeting on the safety and efficacy of the ongoing multicenter, open-label phase 1 intratumoral trial of TTI-621 in 23 patients with relapsed/refractory mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome, 20 of whom only received induction therapy consisting of 1-6 injections over 2 weeks. Local delivery of TTI-621 was well tolerated, with no treatment-related > Grade 3 adverse events or dose-limiting toxicity observed. Reductions in CAILS scores, which measure local lesion responses, were observed in 89% of patients, with 44% exhibiting reductions of 50% or greater. These responses occurred rapidly within the 2-week induction period. Similar CAILS scores changes were seen in adjacent non-injected lesions, suggesting locoregional effects that were not confined to the site of injection. Evidence of a systemic effect was observed in 1 of 2 patients receiving continuation monotherapy beyond the 2-week induction therapy. In addition, data suggest a combination effect with pegylated IFN-alpha-2a.

Presented an update at the Discovery on Target conference on the safety and efficacy of the ongoing multicenter, open-label phase 1a/b intravenous trial of TTI-621 in patients with relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancies. Based on an expanded data set of 163 patients, weekly infusions of TTI-621 were shown to be well tolerated. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse event, occurring in 20% of patients. Platelet reductions, however, were shown to be transient and pre-dose platelet levels remained steady during the course of the study. Notably, the reversible thrombocytopenia did not lead to an increased risk of bleeding and had no impact on drug delivery, nor was there a significant impact of TTI-621 on hemoglobin levels. Monotherapy efficacy was observed in patients with mycosis fungoides (19% ORR, n=21), peripheral T-cell lymphoma, or PTCL (25% ORR, n=12), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL (25% ORR, n=8), and in DLBCL patients when combined with rituximab (25% ORR, n=24). This clinical activity was observed in patients receiving relatively low doses of drug (0.2 mg/kg for monotherapy or 0.1 mg/kg in combination with rituximab). Dose intensification beyond 0.2 mg/kg is currently ongoing, and doses of 0.5 mg/kg have been well tolerated for up to 27 weeks.
"The growing body of data from the TTI-621 intratumoral trial in patients with CTCL continues to look encouraging, and we believe that there are several potential paths forward in this indication, and possibly in other accessible tumors," said Dr. Niclas Stiernholm, president and CEO of Trillium Therapeutics. "Additionally, data from over 160 patients in our intravenous trial indicate that systemically delivered TTI-621 has single-agent and combination activity at relatively low doses, and ongoing efforts to dose intensify appear encouraging. We believe that flexibility is the best way to address this new IO pathway, and having two development candidates in the clinic, and options of intravenous and intratumoral delivery, as monotherapy or in combination, gives Trillium the most comprehensive approach to targeting CD47."

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results:

As of September 30, 2018, Trillium had cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, and working capital, of $52.1 million and $41.8 million, respectively, compared to $81.8 million and $68.9 million, respectively, at December 31, 2017. The decrease in cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities was due mainly to cash used in operations of $30.8 million, net of an unrealized foreign exchange gain of $1.3 million. The decrease in working capital was due mainly to cash used in operations, increases to amounts receivable and prepaid expenses, and a decrease to accounts payable and accrued liabilities due to clinical trial payments.

Net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 of $33.9 million was lower than the loss of $34.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017. The net loss was lower mainly due to a net foreign currency gain of $1.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, compared to a net foreign currency loss of $4.9 million in the prior year period, and lower manufacturing costs, partially offset by higher clinical trial expenses and the expense relating to the amendment of the SIRPaFc license agreement.