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FDA Lifts Partial Hold on OncoMed’s Cancer Drug

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Soligenix Acquires Phase-3-Ready Oncology Program Soligenix Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing products that address unmet medical needs in the areas of inflammation, oncology and biodefense, announced the acquisition of a novel orphan drug candidate, known as SGX301 (synthetic hypericin). SGX301 is poised to enter pivotal Phase 3 clinical testing for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and is highly synergistic with the company’s existing development pipeline. As part of the acquisition, Soligenix acquired all rights for synthetic hypericin, including intellectual property, and preclinical and clinical data. SGX301 is a novel, first-in-class, photodynamic therapy utilizing safe visible light for activation. The active ingredient, synthetic hypericin, is a potent photosensitizer which is topically applied to skin lesions and activated by fluorescent light. This treatment approach avoids the risk of secondary malignancies (including melanoma) inherent with the frequently employed DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic drugs and other photodynamic therapies that are dependent on ultraviolet A (UVA) exposure. Topical hypericin has demonstrated safety in a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers. In a Phase 2, placebo-controlled, clinical study in CTCL patients, the drug was safe and well tolerated, with 58.3% of the CTCL patients responding to topical hypericin treatment compared to only 8.3% receiving placebo (p ? 0.04). These clinical data fully support advancing this therapy to a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in CTCL. The Phase 3 clinical protocol of SGX301 for the treatment of CTCL is currently in final review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). SGX301 has received orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of CTCL, which provides for seven years of market exclusivity upon approval in the US. SGX301 is being developed pursuant to discoveries made at New York University Medical Center together with the Yeda Research and Development Company, Ltd., which is the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. In addition to SGX301, the acquired technology package includes preclinical and clinical data supporting other potential indications for hypericin photodynamic therapy, such as psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that is similarly characterized by cutaneous accumulation of T-cell lymphocytes but without cancerous transformation. It is a common disease that affects over seven million adults in the US. Photodynamic therapy is a frequently employed initial therapy for psoriasis, despite the need for ultraviolet light exposure and its attendant risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The Phase 2 clinical study has shown that hypericin and visible light phototherapy is also effective in treating these lesions. “We are very excited by the acquisition of this late-stage technology which has the potential to be the first photodynamic therapy approved for CTCL,” said Christopher Schaber, president & chief executive officer of Soligenix. “With SGX301 we will be able to leverage our clinical development expertise in cancer and cancer supportive care. We also anticipate the potential for a number of federal funding opportunities for SGX301 in this orphan disease, as well as for expansion into other indications of unmet medical need.” Date: September 5, 2014 Source: Soligenix Summary: Soligenix Inc. announced the acquisition of a novel orphan drug candidate, known as SGX301 (synthetic hypericin). Read more...OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed the partial clinical hold on the company’s ipafricept (FZD8-Fc, OMP-54F28) Phase 1 clinical trials. Enrollment and dosing of new patients is expected to resume within the next few weeks as the study sites’ institutional review boards (IRBs) receive and approve the revised trial protocols. Ipafricept is being studied in combination with standard-of-care in three Phase 1b studies.
 
“With important input from our clinical investigators and academic bone experts, the OncoMed team has developed modified study parameters intended to avoid potential risks while allowing us to evaluate the therapeutic impact of ipafricept for patients with pancreatic, hepatocellular and ovarian cancers in combination with standard therapy,” said Jakob Dupont, OncoMed’s chief medical officer. “We appreciate the FDA’s prompt response to our submission and their acceptance of our proposed amendments to the trial protocols.”
 
OncoMed submitted a substantial clinical safety and efficacy data package for ipafricept along with revised study protocols to the FDA’s Division of Oncology Products 1, which resulted in the removal of the partial clinical hold. The amendments for the Phase 1b combination trials include modified dosing regimens, risk mitigation measures, such as increased monitoring and bone protection strategies, and modified enrollment criteria.
 
“We expect enrollment in our first-in-class Wnt pathway programs, ipafricept and vantictumab, to be back underway soon,” said Paul Hastings, chairman and chief executive officer of OncoMed. “The Wnt pathway represents a highly promising target for disrupting cancer stem cell activity and inducing tumor differentiation. As we advance ipafricept and vantictumab through clinical studies in combination with standard of care, we expect to generate key data from these Phase 1b studies that will support a potential opt-in by our partner Bayer as well as late-stage clinical development.”
 
On June 13, 2014, OncoMed announced its decision to voluntarily halt enrollment in its Phase 1 vantictumab and ipafricept Wnt pathway programs as a precautionary measure based on reported incidents (13% and 5%, respectively) of mild-to-moderate bone adverse events. The FDA concurred with the company’s decision and placed the studies on partial clinical hold, allowing for the continued dosing of patients who demonstrated benefit without significant drug-related adverse effects. The FDA removed the partial clinical hold on both programs based on data and amended study protocols submitted by OncoMed.
 
Date: September 4, 2014

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