MacroGenics, Inc. (MGNX)
- GlobeNewswire
MacroGenics Announces Flotetuzumab Publication in Blood Advances
— Role of TP53 abnormalities in immunotherapy response in AML highlightedROCKVILLE, MD, Oct. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the publication of a manuscript in Blood Advances, a journal of the American Society of Hematology. This represents the third publication of flotetuzumab data in 2020. Flotetuzumab (also known as MGD006), is an investigational, clinical-stage bispecific DART® molecule that recognizes both CD123 on leukemic cells and CD3 on T cells, with the intended result of T-cell-mediated killing of leukemic blasts. This most recent publication reports on the role of flotetuzumab in the immunotherapy of TP53-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML).It has previously been shown1 that an inflammatory (IFN-γ-related) gene expression signature in patients with AML correlated with a lack of response to induction chemotherapy. The same gene signature was shown to be associated with an increased probability of this subset of patients to respond to flotetuzumab. As further described in the article titled “TP53 Abnormalities Correlate with Immune Infiltration and Associate with Response to Flotetuzumab Immunotherapy in AML,” AML with TP53 abnormalities was also associated with immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment (TME); moreover, patients with TP53 abnormalities derived benefit from flotetuzumab immunotherapy.“Previous translational studies demonstrated that patients who failed to respond to induction therapy (primary induction failure, or PIF, AML) or those who relapsed within six months of achieving an initial remission (early relapsed, or ER, AML) had an immune-infiltrated TME that not only associated with resistance to standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens, but also with response to flotetuzumab,” said Sergio Rutella, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPath, John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, College of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom. “Included in this PIF/ER AML population are patients harboring TP53 abnormalities, a particularly difficult to treat subset of AML associated with poor prognosis. Interestingly, these patients who responded poorly when treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens appeared to benefit from flotetuzumab therapy.” “The results published today in Blood Advances, combined with data from previous articles published in Blood and Science Translational Medicine, further support our decision to conduct a pivotal study of flotetuzumab in AML patients who have previously experienced either a primary induction failure or an early relapse when treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens. These individuals represent approximately 40-50% of all AML patients,” said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics. “Our single arm clinical trial is ongoing as an expansion of the Phase 1/2 study, for which we plan to enroll up to 200 patients. We plan to present interim results at a medical conference later this year.” 1 “Flotetuzumab as Salvage Immunotherapy for Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia,” Blood, 2020; and “Immune Landscapes Predict Chemotherapy Resistance and Immunotherapy Response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia,” Science Translational Medicine, 2020.About Acute Myeloid LeukemiaAML is a hematological malignancy characterized by differentiation arrest and uncontrolled clonal proliferation of neoplastic precursors that prevent normal bone marrow hematopoiesis. Nearly 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, with a median age of 69 years at diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of newly diagnosed patients fail to achieve a complete remission with intensive induction therapy (primary induction failure, or PIF) or experience disease recurrence after a short remission duration (<6 months; early relapsed, or ER). A very small number of these patients are expected to respond to salvage therapy. Although new targeted agents have been approved for the treatment of frontline or relapsed/refractory AML in recent years, approximately 50% of patients have no known targetable mutations. The discovery by the Rutella lab of an immunological gene signature in the AML tumor microenvironment forms the basis for a potential predictive biomarker for further clinical validation.About FlotetuzumabFlotetuzumab (also known as MGD006) is a clinical-stage bispecific, investigational DART molecule that recognizes both CD123 and CD3. CD123, the interleukin-3 receptor alpha chain, has been reported to be over-expressed on malignant cells in AML and other hematologic malignancies. The primary mechanism of action of flotetuzumab is believed to be its ability to redirect T lymphocytes to kill CD123-expressing cells. To achieve this, the DART molecule combines a portion of an antibody recognizing CD3, an activating molecule expressed by T cells, with an arm that recognizes CD123 on the target cells. Data from the Phase 1/2 clinical study of flotetuzumab in patients with primary induction failure / early relapse (PIF/ER) AML were presented in December 2019 at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. MacroGenics is conducting a single-arm, registration-enabling clinical study to evaluate flotetuzumab in up to 200 patients with PIF/ER AML, with complete remission (CR) and CR with partial hematological recovery (CRh) as the primary endpoint. The study will be conducted as a continuation of the ongoing Phase 1/2 study (NCT02152956; to be updated). The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to flotetuzumab for the treatment of AML.About MacroGenics, Inc. MacroGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company generates its pipeline of product candidates primarily from its proprietary suite of next-generation antibody-based technology platforms, which have applicability across broad therapeutic domains. For more information, please see the Company's website at www.macrogenics.com. MacroGenics, the MacroGenics logo and DART are trademarks or registered trademarks of MacroGenics, Inc. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking StatementsAny statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future operations, clinical development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, milestone or opt-in payments from the Company's collaborators, the Company's anticipated milestones and future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation and enrollment of future clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials, expectations for the timing and steps required in the regulatory review process, expectations for regulatory approvals, the impact of competitive products, our ability to enter into agreements with strategic partners and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the Company's product candidates, business or economic disruptions due to catastrophes or other events, including natural disasters or public health crises such as the novel coronavirus (referred to as COVID-19), and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. CONTACT: CONTACT: Jim Karrels, Senior Vice President, CFO MacroGenics, Inc. 1-301-251-5172, info@macrogenics.com
- GlobeNewswire
MacroGenics Announces MGC018 Publication in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
* Manuscript describes preclinical development of MGC018 * Phase 1 dose expansion trial evaluating MGC018 in patients with mCRPC, TNBC and NSCLC is currently recruiting patientsROCKVILLE, MD, Sept. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the publication of a manuscript in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, highlighting the development of MGC018, the Company’s investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting B7-H3 for the treatment of solid tumors.B7-H3 has been identified as a cell surface protein with limited expression on normal tissues but over-expressed on the epithelium and tumor-associated vasculature in solid tumors. Overexpression of this molecule has been shown to be associated with cancer disease severity, risk of recurrence and reduced survival. The Company’s early studies showed that ligation of B7-H3 by select monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) led to mAb internalization and antitumor activity toward B7-H3-expressing tumor cells when conjugated to a toxic payload. Based on these results, MacroGenics selected a lead candidate mAb and developed MGC018, an ADC targeting B7-H3 for the treatment of cancer.As described in the paper “Preclinical Development of MGC018, a Duocarmycin-based Antibody-drug Conjugate Targeting B7-H3 for Solid Cancer,” the authors report on preclinical studies that showed that MGC018 mediated specific in vitro killing across a range of B7-H3-expressing solid tumor cell types. Furthermore, the preclinical studies showed that MGC018 mediated bystander in vitro killing of B7-H3-negative tumor cells in the presence of B7-H3-positive tumor cells.MGC018 displayed potent antitumor activity in preclinical tumor xenograft models of breast, ovarian and lung cancer, as well as melanoma. Additionally, antitumor activity was observed toward patient-derived tumor xenograft models of breast, prostate and head and neck cancer displaying heterogeneous expression of B7-H3. Importantly, MGC018 exhibited an acceptable pharmacokinetic and safety profile in cynomolgus monkeys following repeat-dose administration.“With its overexpression on a wide range of solid cancers but limited presence on normal tissues, B7-H3 is an attractive candidate for an ADC-targeting approach,” said Deryk Loo, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at MacroGenics and the lead author of the paper. “The published preclinical antitumor activity data and safety profile provided evidence of a potentially favorable therapeutic index to support the development of MGC018 for the treatment of solid tumors.”Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics, further commented: “Encouraged by the MGC018 interim clinical dose escalation data presented at ASCO in May, we have recently initiated recruitment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate, triple negative breast and non-small cell lung cancers in the dose expansion portion of the Phase 1 clinical study. We expect to provide an update on this study next year.”About MGC018MGC018 is comprised of an anti-B7-H3 humanized IgG1/kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated via a cleavable linker to the prodrug seco-DUocarmycin hydroxyBenzamide Azaindole (DUBA; licensed from Byondis, B.V.), with an average drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) of ~2.7. DUBA is an alkylating agent that can damage DNA in both dividing and non-dividing cells, causing cell death. MGC018 is being evaluated in a Phase 1 study (NCT03729596). Preliminary clinical results from the dose escalation portion of this study were presented at the 2020 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scientific Program. MacroGenics retains full worldwide rights to MGC018.About MacroGenics, Inc.MacroGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company generates its pipeline of product candidates primarily from its proprietary suite of next-generation antibody-based technology platforms, which have applicability across broad therapeutic domains. For more information, please see the Company's website at www.macrogenics.com. MacroGenics and the MacroGenics logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of MacroGenics, Inc.Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking StatementsAny statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future operations, clinical development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, milestone or opt-in payments from the Company's collaborators, the Company's anticipated milestones and future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation and enrollment of future clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials, expectations for the timing and steps required in the regulatory review process, expectations for regulatory approvals, the impact of competitive products, our ability to enter into agreements with strategic partners and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the Company's product candidates, business or economic disruptions due to catastrophes or other events, including natural disasters or public health crises such as the novel coronavirus (referred to as COVID-19), and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. CONTACT: CONTACT: Jim Karrels, Senior Vice President, CFO MacroGenics, Inc. 1-301-251-5172, info@macrogenics.com
- GlobeNewswire
MacroGenics Announces Publication of Flotetuzumab Interim Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial Results in Blood
ROCKVILLE, MD, Sept. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced the publication of a manuscript in Blood, a journal of the American Society of Hematology, which highlights interim results of an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of flotetuzumab in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Flotetuzumab (also known as MGD006) is an investigational, clinical-stage bispecific DART® molecule that recognizes both CD123 on leukemic cells and CD3 on T cells, with the intended result of T cell mediated killing of leukemic blasts.As described in the article titled “Flotetuzumab as Salvage Immunotherapy for Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia,” 88 AML patients were enrolled in the Phase 1/2 trial as of November 1, 2019, including 42 in dose escalation and 46 treated with flotetuzumab at the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of 500ng/kg/day. The majority (56%) had adverse risk by ELN 2017 criteria and 36% had secondary AML. Patients were heavily pretreated, with a median of three lines of prior therapy (range 1-9). Collectively, this group of patients represents a poor-prognosis population having few effective therapies and an otherwise limited life expectancy.The most common treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) was infusion-related reaction/cytokine release syndrome (IRR/CRS), the majority reported as grade 1-2. Stepwise dosing during week 1, pre-treatment with dexamethasone, prompt use of tocilizumab and temporary dose reductions/interruptions successfully prevented severe IRR/CRS, resulting in acceptable tolerability.As described in the publication, of 50 evaluable patients with relapsed or refractory AML, 30 patients entered the study with no prior response to induction therapy (primary induction failure AML or PIF AML) or having relapsed within six months of achieving an initial remission (early relapsed AML or ER AML), a combined population with poor prognosis and high unmet medical needs. This PIF/ER AML subset of patients showed a 16.7% (5/30) complete remission (CR) rate and a combined CR and complete remission with partial hematological recovery (CRh) rate of 26.7% (8/30) following flotetuzumab treatment. In contrast, only one of 20 patients with late relapsed AML achieved a CR following flotetuzumab treatment. PIF/ER patients who achieved CR/CRh showed median overall survival (OS) of 10.2 months (range 1.87-27.27), with 6- and 12-month survival rates of 75% (95% CI, 0.450-1.05) and 50% (95% CI, 0.154-0.846).“The response to flotetuzumab in primary induction failure and early relapsed AML is consistent with our previously published data1 that an IFN-γ-related inflammatory gene expression signature in the AML bone marrow correlated with lack of response to induction chemotherapy but was associated with a greater likelihood to respond to flotetuzumab,” said Sergio Rutella, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPath, John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, College of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom, and a co-author on the current paper. “AML is a highly heterogeneous disease. Our translational studies provided a strong mechanistic basis for studying flotetuzumab in these AML patients, who currently have few treatment options.”“The results recently published in Blood support our decision to conduct a pivotal study of flotetuzumab in the specific subset of AML patients who have previously experienced either a primary induction failure or an early relapse when treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy regimens. These individuals represent approximately 40-50% of all AML patients,” said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics. “Moreover, the translational research provides a strong mechanistic basis for studying flotetuzumab in these AML patients, who currently have few treatment options. Our single arm clinical trial is ongoing as an expansion of the Phase 1/2 study, for which we plan to enroll a total of up to 200 patients. We plan to present interim results later this year.”1 “Immune Landscapes Predict Chemotherapy Resistance and Immunotherapy Response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia,” Science Translational Medicine, 2020.About Acute Myeloid LeukemiaAML is a hematological malignancy characterized by differentiation arrest and uncontrolled clonal proliferation of neoplastic precursors that prevent normal bone marrow hematopoiesis. Nearly 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, with a median age of 69 years at diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of newly diagnosed patients fail to achieve a complete remission with intensive induction therapy (primary induction failure) or experience disease recurrence after a short remission duration (<6 months; early relapsed). A very small number of these patients are expected to respond to salvage therapy. Although new targeted agents have been approved for the treatment of frontline or relapsed/refractory AML in recent years, approximately 50% of patients have no known targetable mutations. The discovery by the Rutella lab of an immunological gene signature in the AML tumor microenvironment forms the basis for a potential predictive biomarker for further clinical validation.About FlotetuzumabFlotetuzumab (also known as MGD006) is a clinical-stage bispecific DART molecule that recognizes both CD123 and CD3. CD123, the interleukin-3 receptor alpha chain, has been reported to be over-expressed on malignant cells in AML and other hematologic malignancies. The primary mechanism of action of flotetuzumab is believed to be its ability to redirect T lymphocytes to kill CD123-expressing cells. To achieve this, the DART molecule combines a portion of an antibody recognizing CD3, an activating molecule expressed by T cells, with an arm that recognizes CD123 on the target cells. Data from the Phase 1/2 clinical study of flotetuzumab in patients with primary induction failure / early relapse (PIF/ER) AML were presented in December 2019 at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. MacroGenics is conducting a single-arm, registration-enabling clinical study to evaluate flotetuzumab in up to 200 patients with PIF/ER AML, with complete remission (CR) and CR with partial hematological recovery (CRh) as the primary endpoint. The study will be conducted as a continuation of the ongoing Phase 1/2 study (NCT02152956; to be updated). The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to flotetuzumab for the treatment of AML.About MacroGenics, Inc.MacroGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company generates its pipeline of product candidates primarily from its proprietary suite of next-generation antibody-based technology platforms, which have applicability across broad therapeutic domains. For more information, please see the Company's website at www.macrogenics.com. MacroGenics and the MacroGenics logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of MacroGenics, Inc.Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking StatementsAny statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future operations, clinical development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, milestone or opt-in payments from the Company's collaborators, the Company's anticipated milestones and future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation and enrollment of future clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials, expectations for the timing and steps required in the regulatory review process, expectations for regulatory approvals, the impact of competitive products, our ability to enter into agreements with strategic partners and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the Company's product candidates, business or economic disruptions due to catastrophes or other events, including natural disasters or public health crises such as the novel coronavirus (referred to as COVID-19), and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. CONTACT: CONTACT: Jim Karrels, Senior Vice President, CFO MacroGenics, Inc. 1-301-251-5172, info@macrogenics.com
