U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Immunomedics for Sacituzumab Govitecan for the Treatment of Patients With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Feb. 05, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immunomedics, Inc., (Nasdaq:IMMU) today announced that its lead investigational antibody-drug conjugate, sacituzumab govitecan, or IMMU-132, has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have failed at least 2 prior therapies for metastatic disease.
The Breakthrough Therapy Designation was supported by a Phase 2 study in patients with metastatic TNBC who had received a median of 5 prior therapies (range, 2 – 12).
“We believe Breakthrough Therapy Designation for IMMU-132 further validates this potential therapeutic for patients with TNBC, and we are delighted to receive this important recognition,” commented Cynthia L. Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to assess partnering opportunities while completing the scale-up manufacturing and regulatory activities for an international, randomized, controlled, registration trial in TNBC, based on the Special Protocol Assessment agreement that was already granted by the FDA,” she added.
Ms. Sullivan further stated: “IMMU-132 is also in Phase 2 trials in patients with advanced, heavily-pretreated, non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and urothelial cancers, where encouraging results have been observed. The Trop-2 receptor targeted by this antibody-drug conjugate has increased expression in a large number of solid cancers. To date, we have enrolled about 300 patients with diverse cancer types.”
About Breakthrough Therapy Designation
Breakthrough Therapy Designation was created as part of the 2012 FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) to expedite the development and review of a drug that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. More information on the Breakthrough Therapy Designation can be accessed at:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM358301.pdf.
About Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
TNBC is a serious disease, with an annual incidence estimated to be about 40,000 people, 20,000 for metastatic TNBC, in the United States. As the name implies, TNBC does not express estrogen, progesterone or the HER2 receptor, and is, therefore, insensitive to most of the available targeted therapies for breast cancer treatment, including HER2-directed therapy (such as trastuzumab), and endocrine therapies (such as tamoxifen or the aromatase inhibitors). The median overall survival is 6-13 months and the median PFS is usually 3-4 months. There is currently no single standard chemotherapy to treat patients with relapsed/refractory metastatic TNBC. Rapid relapse, with visceral and brain metastases, is very common.
About Sacituzumab Govitecan
Sacituzumab govitecan, or IMMU-132, is a first-in-class ADC developed by the Company by conjugating the moderately-toxic drug, SN-38, site-specifically and at a high ratio of drug to antibody, to a humanized antibody that targets the Trop-2 receptor expressed by many solid cancers. SN-38 is the active metabolite of irinotecan (Camptosar), which is used to treat certain solid cancers as a part of combination therapies, so its pharmacology and properties are well-known. The ADC has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with triple-negative breast cancer, small-cell and non-small-cell lung cancers, and has also been designated an orphan drug for the treatment of patients with small-cell lung or pancreatic cancer in the U.S., and for the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer in the European Union.
About Immunomedics
Immunomedics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and other serious diseases. Immunomedics’ advanced proprietary technologies allow the Company to create humanized antibodies that can be used either alone in unlabeled or “naked” form, or conjugated with radioactive isotopes, chemotherapeutics, cytokines or toxins. Using these technologies, Immunomedics has built a pipeline of nine clinical-stage product candidates. Immunomedics’ most advanced candidate is 90Y-clivatuzumab tetraxetan. This radiolabeled antibody is in an international Phase 3 registration trial in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Immunomedics expects patient enrollment to be completed in calendar year 2016. Immunomedics’ portfolio of investigational products also includes antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that are designed to deliver a specific payload of a chemotherapeutic directly to the tumor while reducing overall toxic effects that are usually found with conventional administration of these chemotherapeutic agents. Immunomedics’ most advanced ADCs are sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) and labetuzumab govitecan (IMMU-130), which are in Phase 2 trials for a number of solid tumors and metastatic colorectal cancer, respectively. Immunomedics has a research collaboration with Bayer to study epratuzumab as a thorium-227-labeled antibody. Immunomedics has other ongoing collaborations in oncology with independent cancer study groups. The IntreALL Inter-European study group is conducting a large, randomized Phase 3 trial combining epratuzumab with chemotherapy in children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia at clinical sites in Australia, Europe, and Israel. Immunomedics also has a number of other product candidates that target solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, as well as other diseases, in various stages of clinical and preclinical development. These include combination therapies involving its antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies targeting cancers and infectious diseases as T-cell redirecting immunotherapies, as well as bispecific antibodies for next-generation cancer and autoimmune disease therapies, created using its patented DOCK-AND-LOCK® protein conjugation technology. The Company believes that its portfolio of intellectual property, which includes approximately 282 active patents in the United States and more than 400 foreign patents, protects its product candidates and technologies. For additional information on the Company, please visit its website at www.immunomedics.com. The information on its website does not, however, form a part of this press release.
This release, in addition to historical information, may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including statements regarding clinical trials (including the funding therefor, outcomes, timing or associated costs), out-licensing arrangements (including the timing and amount of contingent payments), forecasts of future operating results, potential collaborations, and capital raising activities, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirements/actions), the Company’s dependence on business collaborations in order to further develop our products and finance our operations, the risk that we or any of our collaborators may be unable to secure regulatory approval of and market our drug candidates, risks associated with the outcome of pending litigation and competitive risks to marketed products, and availability of required financing and other sources of funds on acceptable terms, if at all, as well as the risks discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any obligation, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For More Information: Dr. Chau Cheng Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Secretary (973) 605-8200, extension 123 ccheng@immunomedics.com
