Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[cjgaddy]

WOW: 2 Stat. Sig. Improvements when Bavi added. “mOS was not reached” in both cases where the BAVI arm "received subsequent immunotherapy"...

FROM PPHM’s 4-4-17 PR: http://ir.peregrineinc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1020046
…”SUNRISE Data Analysis Demonstrates Stat. Significant Overall Survival (OS) Improvement in Patients Receiving Bavituximab+Docetaxel and Subsequent Immunotherapy Compared to Placebo+Docetaxel and Subsequent Immunotherapy… AACR’17 presentation (#CT159/25) of results of a new analysis of the Phase III SUNRISE trial… Data demonstrated that for patients in the study's BAVI+DOCE treatment arm who received subsequent immunotherapy, the mOS was not reached, while mOS was 13.0mos. for patients in the study's DOCE+PLACEBO arm who received subsequent immunotherapy [HR=0.43; p=.005]. These are the first clinical results reported supporting the hypothesis that bavituximab may modulate the tumor microenvironment to enhance the anti-tumor activity of immunotherapy agents... The presentation highlighted an analysis in which the company evaluated the impact of subsequent immunotherapy treatment, as well as patients' pre-treatment interferon gamma (IFN-y) levels on overall survival. Overall, low peripheral IFN-y correlated with more favorable OS in the patients receiving BAVI+DOCE and is a biomarker of interest. Data were also analyzed by low versus high IFN-y levels. For patients with low pre-treatment IFN-y levels who received subsequent immunotherapy, those in the BAVI+DOCE arm did not reach mOS compared to mOS of 12.1mos. for the DOCE+PLACEBO arm [HR=0.24; p<.001].
Joseph Shan, Peregrine’s VP of Clinical & Regulatory Affairs:
"We are extremely encouraged by the results of these exploratory analyses which provide further clinical rationale for combining bavituximab and checkpoint inhibitors. This will be the key focus for upcoming early phase clinical trials, which includes a study of bavituximab and pembrolizumab in head and neck cancer through our ongoing collaboration with the NCCN.”
...Bavituximab is an investigational chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets phosphatidylserine (PS). Signals from PS inhibit the ability of immune cells to recognize and fight tumors. PS-targeting antibodies have demonstrated an ability to shift the functions of immune cells in tumors, resulting in multiple signs of immune activation and anti-tumor immune responses. Bavituximab is believed to override PS immunosuppressive signaling by blocking the engagement of PS with its receptors and sending an alternate immune activating signal.