Market Newsdesk

Company Management and Principal Investigator of ReSPECT to Discuss Interim Data

Webinar Scheduled for Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plus Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTV) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing novel, personalized and targeted therapies for rare and difficult to treat cancers, today announced it will host a webinar on Thursday, November 19, 2020, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. ET. The call will follow a poster presentation of new interim data from the ongoing National Institutes of Health-sponsored ReSPECT™ Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the Company’s lead investigational asset, Rhenium NanoLiposome (RNL™), in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) at the 2020 Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting.

The webinar will feature a discussion of the interim safety, tolerability, dosing, feasibility and efficacy data from the ongoing ReSPECT trial. Andrew J. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at The University of Texas, Health Services Center at San Antonio, will provide an update on the ReSPECT trial and provide insight on the trial data.

Marc Hedrick, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Plus Therapeutics, and Gregory D. Stein, M.D., M.B.A., Senior Vice President, Clinical Development of Plus Therapeutics, will discuss the technology behind RNL as well as the current treatment landscape and unmet medical need in treating patients with recurrent GBM.

The sixth and final dose escalation cohort of the ReSPECT trial is underway and is expected to fully enroll by the end of 2020. In September 2020, the FDA granted both Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation to RNL for the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Additional details about the ReSPECT trial are available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01906385).

Webcast Details

A live webinar with accompanying slides will be available in the Events page of the ‘Investors’ section of the Plus Therapeutics website or by clicking here. Individuals can participate in an interactive Q&A session by submitting pertinent questions via the webcast platform.

Please log in approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The archived webcast will be available in the Events section of the Company’s website for 90 days.

A live audio conference will be available by dialing (833) 340-0285 (toll-free) or (236) 712-2475 and entering Conference ID 6095968.

Andrew J. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Brenner is a nationally known expert in the treatment of brain and breast cancers, with a particular research interest in developing new treatments. He has served on multiple committees and panels including for the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, and others. He has also served on advisory committees for a number of companies to help direct development of new drugs. His laboratory work developing new treatments has been funded by the Food and Drug Administration, National Cancer Institute, and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. He has published nearly 50 original research articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Brenner is a member of the Plus Therapeutics Scientific Advisory Board.

About Plus Therapeutics, Inc.

Plus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: PSTV) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company whose radiotherapeutic portfolio is concentrated on nanoliposome-encapsulated radionuclides for several cancer targets. Central to the Company’s drug development is a unique nanotechnology platform designed to reformulate, deliver and commercialize multiple drugs targeting rare cancers and other diseases. The platform is designed to facilitate new delivery approaches and/or formulations of safe and effective, injectable drugs, potentially enhancing the safety, efficacy and convenience for patients and healthcare providers. More information may be found at PlusTherapeutics.com and ReSPECT-Trials.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate and similar expressions or future conditional verbs such as will, should, would, could or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. These statements include, without limitation, statements about: the Company’s potential to facilitate new delivery approaches and/or formulations of safe and effective, injectable drugs, potentially enhancing the safety, efficacy and convenience for patients and healthcare providers; the Company’s potential to develop drug candidates currently in its product pipeline; and the Company’s potential to develop additional drugs outside of its current pipeline. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to a number of additional material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: the risk that the Company is not able to successfully develop product candidates that can leverage the U.S. FDA’s accelerated regulatory pathways; and the risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports. There may be events in the future that the Company is unable to predict, or over which it has no control, and its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may change in the future. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events, trends or circumstances after the date they are made unless the Company has an obligation under U.S. federal securities laws to do so.

Investor Contact
Peter Vozzo
Westwicke/ICR
(443) 377-4767
[email protected]

Media Contact
Terri Clevenger
Westwicke/ICR
(203) 856-4326
[email protected]

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBIO) and affiliate Navire Pharma, Inc. announced today that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of its SHP2 inhibitor (BBP-398) in patients with solid tumors driven by mutations in the MAPK signaling pathway, including RAS and receptor tyrosine kinase genes. BBP-398 was developed through a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Therapeutics Discovery division.

In this two-part Phase 1 study, safety and preliminary anti-tumor activity will be examined. Part 1 is a dose escalation to establish the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of BBP-398. Part 2 will examine preliminary anti-tumor activity in four cohorts of patients with certain molecular alterations. Those cohorts include advanced KRAS G12C mutant non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), advanced KRAS G12C mutant non-NSCLC, advanced solid tumors with other MAPK pathway mutations and advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC. David S. Hong, professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson, will serve as the lead principal investigator for the study.

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety of BBP-398 in advanced cancer patients, with secondary objectives assessing preliminary anti-tumor activity, including objective response rates and duration of response. Patients enrolling in the study must have a diagnosis of advanced (primary or recurrent) or metastatic solid tumor with potentially susceptible genomic alterations in the MAPK pathway (excluding BRAF V600X).

“SHP2 inhibitors have the potential to be effective additions to the therapeutic arsenal for difficult-to-treat cancers by overcoming multiple mechanisms that tumors use to evade treatments,” said Eli Wallace, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of oncology at BridgeBio, Navire’s parent company. “This study is a critical step in understanding the potential that BBP-398 has for patients with tumors driven by RAS or other MAPK-pathway activating mutations and informing our future clinical development activities.”

SHP2, a conserved protein tyrosine phosphatase, plays a critical role in cell signaling and growth, which are important in the progression of cancer. As SHP2 regulates receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways commonly overly activated in cancer, targeting SHP2 may offer a potential new approach to treat this disease.

BBP-398 was initially discovered and developed by a team of scientists in MD Anderson’s Institute for Applied Cancer Science (IACS) and Translational Research to Advance Therapeutics and Innovation in Oncology (TRACTION) platforms, both engines within the Therapeutics Discovery division. The ongoing research is supported by Navire through a global licensing and development agreement with MD Anderson.

About BridgeBio Pharma

BridgeBio is a team of experienced drug discoverers, developers and innovators working to create life-altering medicines that target well-characterized genetic diseases at their source. BridgeBio was founded in 2015 to identify and advance transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from Mendelian diseases, which are diseases that arise from defects in a single gene, and cancers with clear genetic drivers. BridgeBio’s pipeline of over 20 development programs includes product candidates ranging from early discovery to late-stage development. For more information visit bridgebio.com.

About Navire Pharma

Navire Pharma, an affiliate of BridgeBio, in collaboration with MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division, is developing inhibitors of SHP2 as targeted therapeutics for the treatment of multiple cancers. Together with patients and physicians, the company aims to bring safe, effective treatments to market as quickly as possible. For more information, please visit navirepharma.com

BridgeBio Pharma Forward–Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements we make in this press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are usually identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act and are making this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements, including statements relating to Navire Pharma’s clinical development plans, clinical trial results, timing and completion of clinical trials, Phase 1 study design and objectives, competitive environment, and clinical and therapeutic potential of BBP-398, an SHP2 inhibitor, reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control including, without limitation, Navire Pharma’s ability to continue its planned clinical development for BBP-398 and the timing and success of any such continued clinical development, the therapeutic potential of BBP-398, an SHP2 inhibitor, in patients with solid tumors driven by mutations in the MAPK signaling pathway, including RAS and receptor tyrosine kinase genes, and the continuing success of Navire Pharma’s collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Institute for Applied Cancer Sciences, as well as those set forth in the Risk Factors section of BridgeBio Pharma, Inc.’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our other SEC filings. Except as required by law, we and Navire Pharma assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Grace Rauh
BridgeBio Pharma
[email protected]
917-232-5478

Source: BridgeBio Pharma, Inc.

Both programs have
successfully
escalated to
dose
levels
demonstrating
pharmacodynamic
activity
without dose
–
limiting toxicities

Detailed
clinical data
for
each
program
to be presented at
a
medical
conference
in the first half of 2021

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, today announced that both of its lead clinical programs, SRF617 (targeting CD39) and SRF388 (targeting IL-27), have achieved predefined criteria for advancement into combination and expansion stages of the ongoing Phase 1 trials. These criteria include safety, successful escalation to a biologically relevant dose, target engagement and meaningful pharmacodynamic activity in the ongoing Phase 1 trials.

“As we initiated the Phase 1 clinical trials just eight months ago, we are extremely pleased with the progress both of our lead product programs have made to date,” said Jeff Goater, chief executive officer. “With the updates announced today, both SRF617 and SRF388 are well-positioned to advance into the key next stages of the ongoing trials in the coming months and ultimately deliver meaningful clinical benefits to patients suffering with cancer.”

“We are very encouraged by these data and our clinical progress to date with SRF617 and SRF388,” said Rob Ross, M.D., chief medical officer. “Both of these programs are highly innovative, next-generation immunotherapies with the potential to provide novel treatment options to patients with cancer. We look forward to advancing each of these programs into the next stage of the ongoing Phase 1 studies and presenting detailed clinical updates at a medical conference in the first half of 2021.”

SRF617
Highlights:

• The open label, Phase 1/1b clinical trial of SRF617 was initiated in March 2020 and is enrolling patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors. Summary results from nine patients treated across three dose levels (20 mg, 70 mg and 200 mg intravenously every two weeks) include:
  • No dose limiting toxicities have been observed and SRF617 has been well-tolerated.
  • Target occupancy on B cells has increased in a dose-dependent manner, and importantly, within the 200 mg cohort, the goal of meaningful, sustained target occupancy has been achieved. Surface Oncology has already demonstrated that target occupancy is directly correlated with CD39 enzymatic inhibition.
  • Prolonged stable disease (>5 months) has been seen in one patient with NSCLC who had progressed on prior anti-PD-1 treatment.
• While dose escalation will continue because of the lack of dose-limiting toxicities, SRF617 has achieved a dose that supports advancement of the program into the planned combination expansion cohorts (additional details provided below). We anticipate that the combination cohorts will likely begin enrolling in late 2020.
• Surface Oncology plans to present detailed initial clinical results from the ongoing Phase 1/1b trial of SRF617 at a medical conference in the first half of 2021.
• In May 2020, Surface Oncology announced a clinical collaboration with Merck (NYSE: MRK) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining SRF617 with Merck’s KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab), the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved in the United States. This combination will be studied as a future component of the ongoing first-in-human Phase 1/1b study of SRF617 and will be evaluated in patients with solid tumors, with a focus on patients with gastric cancer and those who have developed resistance to checkpoint inhibition — both areas of high unmet need.
• In addition, as part of the clinical development plan, Surface Oncology will initiate SRF617 combinations with gemcitabine and abraxane in patients with pancreatic cancer and SRF617 in combination with AB928, an A_2A/A_2B small molecule inhibitor, in clinical collaboration with Arcus Biosciences (NYSE: RCUS) in patients with prostate cancer.

SRF388
Highlights:

• The open label, Phase 1 clinical trial of the first-in-class antibody SRF388 was initiated in April 2020 and is enrolling patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors. Summary results from nine patients treated across five dose levels (0.003, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/kg intravenously every four weeks) include:
  • No dose limiting toxicities have been observed and SRF388 has been well tolerated.
  • While dose escalation will continue because of the lack of dose-limiting toxicities, SRF388 has already achieved maximal inhibition of the IL-27 signaling pathway at the 0.3mg/kg dose, as measured in whole blood from patients treated on the trial. Planned monotherapy Phase 2 expansion cohorts in liver cancer and kidney cancer are on track to begin enrolling patients in the first half of 2021.
  • Prolonged stable disease (>6 months) has been noted in one patient with kidney cancer, who had progressed on prior anti-PD-1 treatment. Notably, kidney cancer is one of the predefined indications of interest for SRF388 based on clear demonstration of pathway activation in clinical samples. No patients with liver cancer have been enrolled in the dose escalation portion of the trial to date.
• Surface Oncology plans to present detailed initial clinical results from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of SRF388 at a medical conference in the first half of 2021.
• The clinical development plan for SRF388 is based on compelling translational research that indicates that IL-27 is upregulated and functional in both kidney cancer and liver cancer. This work is supported in part by a study presented at the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting demonstrating that high levels of IL-27 correlate strongly with the risk of developing liver cancer. The presentation can be found here.
• SRF388 recently received Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma from the FDA.

About SRF617
:

SRF617 is a fully human antibody designed to inhibit the enzymatic activity of CD39, allowing for a dual mechanism of action to promote anti-tumor immunity via reduction of immunosuppressive adenosine in addition to increasing levels of immunostimulatory ATP. A substantial body of research supports a role for CD39 in allowing cancer to evade immune responses. For example, in gastric cancer, immune cells within the tumor often express high levels of CD39, which may impair an overall anti-cancer immune response even in the presence of an anti-PD-1 antibody. In preclinical studies, SRF617 has exhibited strong affinity for and inhibition of CD39, the ability to reduce adenosine and increase ATP levels and anti-tumor activity both as a single agent and in combination with multiple therapeutic agents.

About SRF388
:

SRF388 is a fully human anti-IL-27 antibody designed to inhibit the activity of this immunosuppressive cytokine. Surface Oncology has identified particular tumor types, including liver and kidney cancer, where IL-27 appears to play an important role in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and may contribute to resistance to treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. SRF388 targets the rate-limiting p28 subunit of IL-27, and preclinical studies have shown that treatment with SRF388 blocks the immuno-suppressive biologic effects of IL-27, resulting in immune cell activation in combination with other cancer therapies and potent anti-tumor effects as a monotherapy. Furthermore, Surface Oncology has identified a potential biomarker associated with IL-27 that may be useful in helping identify patients most likely to respond to SRF388.

About Surface Oncology:

Surface Oncology is an immuno-oncology company developing next-generation antibody therapies focused on the tumor microenvironment. Its pipeline includes two wholly-owned lead programs targeting CD39 (SRF617) and IL-27 (SRF388), a clinical-stage collaboration with Novartis targeting CD73 (NZV930), and two preclinical programs, each focused primarily on activating natural killer cells (via targeting PVRIG, also known as CD112R (SRF813)), or depleting regulatory T cells (via targeting CCR8 (SRF114)). Surface’s novel cancer immunotherapies are designed to achieve a clinically meaningful and sustained anti-tumor response and may be used alone or in combination with other therapies. For more information, please visit www.surfaceoncology.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements set forth in this press release constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “potential,” “would,” or similar expressions, and the negative of those terms. These forward-looking statements are based on Surface Oncology’s management’s current beliefs and assumptions about future events and on information currently available to management.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Surface Oncology’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to Surface Oncology’s ability to successfully develop SRF388, SRF617, SRF813 and its other product candidates through current and future milestones or regulatory filings on the anticipated timeline, if at all, the therapeutic potential of Surface Oncology’s product candidates, the risk that results from preclinical studies or early clinical trials may not be representative of larger clinical trials, the risk that Surface Oncology’s product candidates, including SRF388, SRF617 and SRF813, will not be successfully developed or commercialized, the risks related to Surface Oncology’s dependence on third-parties in connection with its manufacturing, clinical trials and preclinical studies, and the potential impact of COVID-19 on our clinical and preclinical development timelines and results of operations. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect Surface Oncology’s future results are included in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2019 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending March 31, 2020, both of which are available on the Security and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov and Surface Oncology’s website at www.surfaceoncology.com.

Additional information on potential risks will be made available in other filings that Surface Oncology makes from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that Surface Oncology believes to be reasonable as of this date. Except as required by law, Surface Oncology assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons if actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Investors
Matt Lane
[email protected]
617-901-7698

Media
Matthew Corcoran
mcorcoran@tenbridgecommunications.com
617-866-7350