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TRACON PHARMACEUTICALS RECEIVES SPECIAL PROTOCOL ASSESSMENT (SPA) AGREEMENT FROM FDA FOR PHASE 3 CLINICAL TRIAL OF TRC105 IN ANGIOSARCOMA

On January 3, 2017 TRACON Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TCON), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer, wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and fibrotic diseases, reported that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for the protocol design, clinical endpoints and statistical analysis approach for the Company’s Phase 3 study evaluating TRC105 for the treatment of patients with advanced angiosarcoma (Press release, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, JAN 3, 2017, View Source [SID1234517251]).

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"The SPA agreement represents a significant milestone for TRACON, as it provides us with a clearly defined development and regulatory pathway for TRC105, our lead clinical program, for the treatment of angiosarcoma," said Charles Theuer, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of TRACON. "We appreciate the FDA’s engagement and guidance during the SPA process and look forward to dosing the first patients in the trial during early 2017."

TRACON intends to conduct the Phase 3 TAPPAS trial (a randomized Phase 3 trial of TRC105 And Pazopanib versus Pazopanib alone in patients with advanced AngioSarcoma) at sites in both the United States and Europe. This one-to-one randomized trial of TRC105 in combination with Votrient (pazopanib) versus Votrient alone will initially enroll 124 patients. The trial features an adaptive design that, based on an interim analysis, can allow for sample size re-estimation up to a maximum of 200 patients, as well as possible enrichment of more responsive patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma. The primary endpoint of the trial is progression-free survival (PFS), with overall survival (OS) as a secondary endpoint.

Further details of the Phase 3 clinical trial are available on www.clinicaltrials.gov under NCT02979899.

About Special Protocol Assessment (SPA)

The SPA process is one in which a sponsor asks the FDA to evaluate the proposed design and size of Phase 3 clinical trials that are intended to form the primary basis for determining a drug product’s efficacy. An SPA agreement indicates concurrence with the adequacy and acceptability of specific critical elements of protocol design, endpoints and analysis. Additionally, it provides a binding agreement with FDA’s review division with respect to the elements agreed to in the SPA process that are considered critical to ensuring the trial has the potential to support a future marketing application. However, final marketing approval depends upon the results of efficacy, the safety profile, and an evaluation of the risk/benefit of treatment demonstrated in the Phase 3 clinical trial, among other requirements, and the FDA may revoke or alter its agreement under certain circumstances. For further information regarding the SPA process, please visit the FDA website at www.fda.gov.

About TRC105 (carotuximab)

TRC105 is a novel, clinical stage antibody to endoglin, a protein overexpressed on proliferating endothelial cells that is essential for angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation. TRC105 is currently being studied in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials sponsored by TRACON or the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the treatment of solid tumor types in combination with VEGF inhibitors. The ophthalmic formulation of TRC105, DE-122, is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial for patients with wet AMD. TRC205, a second generation antibody to endoglin, is undergoing preclinical testing in models of fibrosis.

About Angiosarcoma

Angiosarcoma is an aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of endothelial cell origin that is associated with poor prognosis. Angiosarcoma has a 5-year survival rate of less than 12%, which highlights the aggressive nature of this tumor when compared to a 5-year survival rate of approximately 56% for all STS. Angiosarcoma can arise in any soft tissue structure. About half of patients present with a primary cutaneous lesion. Risk factors include prior radiation exposure as well as inflammatory damage in chronically sun exposed skin. Angiosarcoma has also been associated with chronic lymphedema. Although resection with curative intent followed by adjuvant radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for localized disease amenable to surgery, approximately 50% of these patients will develop metastases and die from the disease. Furthermore, metastases are frequently present at diagnosis, and resection of metastases is rarely feasible.

Angiosarcoma is an extremely rare disease and meets the definition for an orphan disease in the US and European Union (EU), the two regions for which the Phase 3 TAPPAS study is planned. TRC105 has received orphan designation for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in both the US and EU. The annual incidence of angiosarcoma in the US was reported by the NCI in 2015 to be 475 cases. In the EU the incidence of angiosarcoma is 0.01 per 10,000, accounting for an estimated 508 cases annually.

Kite Pharma Submits Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for KITE-718, an Investigational Next Generation T-Cell Receptor (TCR) Therapy Targeting Cancer Antigens MAGE A3 and MAGE A6

On January 3, 2016 Kite Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:KITE) reported that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 1 trial of KITE-718, a T cell therapy engineered to express T cell receptors (TCRs) that target MAGE A3 and MAGE A6 (Press release, Kite Pharma, JAN 3, 2017, View Source [SID1234517250]). MAGE A3/A6 are frequently found in common tumors including bladder, esophageal, head and neck, lung and ovarian cancers. KITE-718 recognizes the MAGE A3 and MAGE A6 fragments bound to a Class II HLA (DPB1*04:01) and therefore has the potential to kill tumor cells both directly and indirectly through activation of the immune system given it incorporates a class II TCR. Class II HLA (DPB1*04:01) is found in 50 percent to 70 percent of Caucasians. The trial is designed to assess the safety and anti-tumor effect of KITE-718 on these solid tumors.

"Submission of this IND is an important milestone for our solid tumor strategy utilizing engineered T cell therapy based on both TCR and CAR platform technology," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Kite. "TCRs have the potential to access a broad spectrum of tumor targets and we have incorporated our next generation cell manufacturing technologies into KITE-718 to exploit targets naturally expressed in common solid tumors for which there is a great unmet medical need."

KITE-718 is built on the proof of concept data established by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) MAGE A3/A6 TCR program (NCT02111850). No off-target toxicity was observed in the NCI study, and evidence of tumor regression was seen in patients with multiple types of solid tumors. KITE-718 has been optimized from the foundational work at the NCI by streamlining the manufacturing process through advanced technologies and next-generation cell manufacturing conditions.

Eagle Pharmaceuticals’ Pemetrexed NDA Submitted for Review

On January 3, 2016 Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:EGRX) ("Eagle" or "the Company") reported that the 505(b)(2) New Drug Application (NDA) for its novel pemetrexed drug product has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, JAN 3, 2017, View Source [SID1234517249]).

This 505(b)(2) NDA requests FDA approval of Eagle’s ready-to-dilute (RTD) Pemetrexed Injection product for the treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, and Mesothelioma (in combination with cisplatin).

"We look forward to the FDA’s decision on this NDA this year, and to continuing to work closely with the FDA through the review process. We believe our RTD liquid formulation will be well received, adding to Eagle’s growing commercial portfolio of improved formulations, benefiting patients and shareholders alike," said Scott Tarriff, Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Pharmaceuticals.

Eagle’s RTD Pemetrexed Injection product is administered as an IV infusion.

Apollo Endosurgery Completes Merger with Lpath; Initiates Trading on NASDAQ as ‘APEN’

On December 29, 2016 Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. ("Apollo"), a leader in less invasive medical devices for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures, reported that it has completed its merger transaction with Lpath, Inc. ("Lpath", Nasdaq: LPTN) (Filing, 8-K, Lpath, DEC 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234517278]).

With the completion of the merger today, Lpath was renamed Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. and will begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol ‘APEN’ on December 30, 2016.

Following the closing of the merger and a 1-for-5.5 reverse stock split, the combined company has approximately 10.7 million shares of common stock outstanding. The stockholders of Apollo received common stock representing approximately 95.9% of the outstanding shares and the stockholders of Lpath retained approximately 4.1% of the combined company. Concurrent with the closing of the merger, certain stockholders of Apollo invested $29 million of new equity in the combined company, which is included in the 95.9% ownership of previous Apollo stockholders.

"Apollo has an exciting product and technology portfolio from which to advance the interventional treatment of obesity through less invasive procedures. We are grateful for the continued confidence and support of Apollo’s stockholders as we take this next step in the development of our company," commented Todd Newton, Chief Executive Officer of Apollo.

BeiGene Announces First Patient Dosing in China Phase I Trial with Investigational Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody BGB-A317

On December 30, 2016 BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BGNE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, reported the dosing of the first patient in a Phase I clinical trial of BGB-A317, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in mainland Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, BeiGene, DEC 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234517240]).

"We are pleased to report that BGB-A317 is now in Phase I clinical evaluation in mainland China. To date, all four of our clinical-stage molecules are active in the clinic in China. We are enthusiastic about the agent’s therapeutic potential, with promising data from an ongoing Phase I study of BGB-A317 in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Taiwan recently reported at the 2016 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. We are committed to developing BGB-A317 for patients in China, where this exciting class of immuno-oncology agents is still not approved," commented John V. Oyler, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman.

The Phase I open-label, multi-center study of BGB-A317 is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity of BGB-A317 in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors. Professor Yilong Wu from Guangdong General Hospital is the lead principal investigator of the study. The co-lead investigators are Professor Lin Shen and Professor Jun Guo, both of Beijing Cancer Hospital.

About BGB-A317

BGB-A317 is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody that belongs to a class of immuno-oncology agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. It is designed to bind to PD-1, a cell surface receptor that plays an important role in downregulating the immune system by preventing the activation of T-cells. BGB-A317 has high affinity and specificity for PD-1, and we believe it is differentiated from the currently approved PD-1 antibodies with the ability to bind Fc gamma receptor I specifically engineered out. BGB-A317 is being developed as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies for the treatment of various cancers.