ZUG, Switzerland and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and BOSTON, Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced data in seven patients from two ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials of the investigational CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing therapy CTX001 in severe hemoglobinopathies has been accepted for an oral presentation during the Plenary Scientific Session at the annual ASH Meeting and Exposition, which will take place virtually from December 5-8, 2020. Haydar Frangoul, M.D., Medical Director of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, HCA Healthcares TriStar Centennial Medical Center, will deliver the presentation on behalf of all the authors on December 6, 2020.

An abstract posted online today includes data from five patients with three months to 15 months of follow-up after CTX001 infusion in the ongoing Phase 1/2 CLIMB-111 trial in transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT) and data from two patients with three months and 12 months of follow-up in the ongoing Phase 1/2 CLIMB-121 trial in severe sickle cell disease (SCD). Additional data will be presented at ASH, including longer-duration follow-up data for the patients included in the abstract and data for additional patients with greater than three months of follow-up.

CTX001 is being investigated in these two ongoing clinical trials as a potential one-time curative therapy for patients suffering from TDT and severe SCD.

The accepted abstract is now available on the ASH conference website.

About CTX001CTX001 is an investigational, autologous, ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy that is being evaluated for patients suffering from TDT or severe SCD, in which a patients hematopoietic stem cells are engineered to produce high levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF; hemoglobin F) in red blood cells. HbF is a form of the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin that is naturally present at birth, which then switches to the adult form of hemoglobin. The elevation of HbF by CTX001 has the potential to alleviate transfusion requirements for TDT patients and reduce painful and debilitating sickle crises for SCD patients.

Based on progress in this program to date, CTX001 has been granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CTX001 has also been granted Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission for both TDT and SCD, as well as Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for SCD.

CTX001 is being developed under a co-development and co-commercialization agreement between CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex. Among gene-editing approaches being investigated/evaluated for TDT and SCD, CTX001 is the furthest advanced in clinical development.

About CLIMB-111The ongoing Phase 1/2 open-label trial, CLIMB-Thal-111, is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a single dose of CTX001 in patients ages 12 to 35 with TDT. The trial will enroll up to 45 patients and follow patients for approximately two years after infusion. Each patient will be asked to participate in a long-term follow-up trial.

About CLIMB-121The ongoing Phase 1/2 open-label trial, CLIMB-SCD-121, is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a single dose of CTX001 in patients ages 12 to 35 with severe SCD. The trial will enroll up to 45 patients and follow patients for approximately two years after infusion. Each patient will be asked to participate in a long-term follow-up trial.

About the Gene-Editing Process in These TrialsPatients who enroll in these trials will have their own hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells collected from peripheral blood. The patients cells will be edited using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The edited cells, CTX001, will then be infused back into the patient as part of a stem cell transplant, a process which involves, among other things, a patient being treated with myeloablative busulfan conditioning. Patients undergoing stem cell transplants may also encounter side effects (ranging from mild to severe) that are unrelated to the administration of CTX001. Patients will initially be monitored to determine when the edited cells begin to produce mature blood cells, a process known as engraftment. After engraftment, patients will continue to be monitored to track the impact of CTX001 on multiple measures of disease and for safety.

About the CRISPR-Vertex CollaborationCRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex entered into a strategic research collaboration in 2015 focused on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to discover and develop potential new treatments aimed at the underlying genetic causes of human disease. CTX001 represents the first potential treatment to emerge from the joint research program. CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex will jointly develop and commercialize CTX001 and equally share all research and development costs and profits worldwide.

About CRISPR TherapeuticsCRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases. To accelerate and expand its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with leading companies including Bayer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViaCyte, Inc. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and business offices in San Francisco, California and London, United Kingdom. For more information, please visit http://www.crisprtx.com.

CRISPR Therapeutics Forward-Looking StatementThis press release may contain a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, as well as statements regarding CRISPR Therapeutics expectations about any or all of the following: (i) the status of clinical trials (including, without limitation, the expected timing of data releases) related to product candidates under development by CRISPR Therapeutics and its collaborators, including expectations regarding the data and plans to present data at the annual ASH meeting and exposition; (ii) the expected benefits of CRISPR Therapeutics collaborations; and (iii) the therapeutic value, development, and commercial potential of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies and therapies. Without limiting the foregoing, the words believes, anticipates, plans, expects and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although CRISPR Therapeutics believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual performance and results may differ materially from those projected or suggested in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: the potential for initial and preliminary data from any clinical trial and initial data from a limited number of patients (as is the case with CTX001 at this time) not to be indicative of final trial results; the potential that CTX001 clinical trial results may not be favorable; the potential impacts due to the coronavirus pandemic, such as the timing and progress of clinical trials; that future competitive or other market factors may adversely affect the commercial potential for CTX001; uncertainties regarding the intellectual property protection for CRISPR Therapeutics technology and intellectual property belonging to third parties, and the outcome of proceedings (such as an interference, an opposition or a similar proceeding) involving all or any portion of such intellectual property; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in CRISPR Therapeutics most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and in any other subsequent filings made by CRISPR Therapeutics with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. CRISPR Therapeutics disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, other than to the extent required by law.

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS word mark and design logo and CTX001 are trademarks and registered trademarks of CRISPR Therapeutics AG. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About VertexVertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has multiple approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) a rare, life-threatening genetic disease and has several ongoing clinical and research programs in CF. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust pipeline of investigational small molecule medicines in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including pain, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. In addition, Vertex has a rapidly expanding pipeline of genetic and cell therapies for diseases such as sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex's global headquarters is now located in Boston's Innovation District and its international headquarters is in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 11 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and a best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visit http://www.vrtx.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Vertex Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding the expectations and plans to present data at the annual ASH meeting and exposition, the development, including expected timeline for development, and potential benefits of CTX001, our plans and expectations for our clinical trials and clinical trial sites, and the status of our clinical trials of our product candidates under development by us and our collaborators, including activities at the clinical trial sites and potential outcomes. While Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company's beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that data from the company's development programs, including its programs with its collaborators, may not support registration or further development of its compounds due to safety, efficacy or other reasons, and other risks listed under Risk Factors in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available through the company's website at http://www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements or the scientific data presented. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.

(VRTX-GEN)

CRISPR Therapeutics Investor Contact:Susan Kim, +1 617-307-7503susan.kim@crisprtx.com

CRISPR Therapeutics Media Contact:Rachel EidesWCG on behalf of CRISPR+1 617-337-4167reides@wcgworld.com

Vertex Pharmaceuticals IncorporatedInvestors:Michael Partridge, +1 617-341-6108orZach Barber, +1 617-341-6470orBrenda Eustace, +1 617-341-6187

Media:mediainfo@vrtx.comorU.S.: +1 617-341-6992orHeather Nichols: +1 617-839-3607orInternational: +44 20 3204 5275

Originally posted here:
CRISPR/Cas9 Gene-Editing Therapy CTX001 for Severe Hemoglobinopathies Accepted for Plenary Presentation at the 62nd American Society of Hematology...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 5, 2020--

bluebird bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLUE) announced today that data from its gene and cell therapy programs for sickle cell disease (SCD), transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT) and multiple myeloma (MM) will be presented, including seven oral presentations, at the 62 nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, taking place virtually from December 5-8, 2020.

Updated results from patients in Group C of the companys Phase 1/2 HGB-206 study of LentiGlobin for SCD gene therapy (bb1111) will be presented.

bluebird bio will also present updated long-term efficacy and safety results from the LTF-303 follow-up study; outcomes across genotypes; and outcomes in pediatric patients from Phase 3 studies HGB-207 and HGB-212 of betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel; formerly LentiGlobin for -thalassemia) in TDT.

Data from across the companys multiple myeloma program will be presented. Presentations will include updated safety and efficacy results from the Phase 1 CRB-401 clinical study of idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) and preliminary data from the ongoing Phase 1 CRB-402 clinical study of bb21217, as well as subgroup analyses of the pivotal Phase 2 KarMMa study of ide-cel. Ide-cel and bb21217 are investigational B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immune therapies being studied, in partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb, for the treatment of adult patients with MM.

Sickle Cell Disease Data at ASH

Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients Treated with LentiGlobin for Sickle Cell Disease (bb1111) Gene Therapy

Presenting Author: Julie Kanter, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Date/Time: Oral #365, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 9:45 am PST

Resolution of Serious Vaso-occlusive Pain Crises and Reduction in Patient-Reported Pain Intensity: Results from the Ongoing Phase 1/2 HGB-206 Group C Study of LentiGlobin for Sickle Cell Disease (bb1111) Gene Therapy

Presenting Author: Alexis A. Thompson, MD, Hematology Section Head, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital, Chicago, IL

Date/Time: Oral #677, Monday, December 7, 2020, 1:30 pm PST

The GRNDaD Registry: Contemporary Natural History data and an analysis of real-world patterns of use and limitations of Disease Modifying Therapy in adults with SCD

Presenting Author: Alexandra Boye-Doe, MD, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC

Date/Time: Poster #1730, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Transfusion-Dependent -Thalassemia Data at ASH

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Betibeglogene Autotemcel Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Transfusion-Dependent -Thalassemia: Results in Patients with up to 6 Years of Follow-up

Presenting Author: Janet L. Kwiatkowski, MD, MSCE, Director, Thalassemia Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Date/Time: Oral #153, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 12:00 pm PST

Favorable Outcomes in Pediatric Patients in the Phase 3 HGB-207 (Northstar-2) and HGB-212 (Northstar-3) Studies of betibeglogene autotemcel Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Transfusion-dependent -thalassemia

Presenting Author: Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, Hematology Section Head, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Date/Time: Oral #154, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 12:15 pm PST

Improvement in Erythropoiesis Following Treatment with Betibeglogene Autotemcel Gene Therapy in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent -Thalassemia in the Phase 3 HGB-207 Study

Presenting Author: John B. Porter, MA, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, Head of Red Cell Unit, University College London Hospital, London, UK

Date/Time: Poster #776, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Response of patients with transfusion-dependent -thalassemia (TDT) to betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel; LentiGlobin for -thalassemia) gene therapy based on HBB genotype and disease genetic modifiers

Presenting Author: Mark C. Walters MD, Medical Director, Jordan Family Center for BMT & Cellular Therapies Research, UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA

Date/Time: Poster #1699, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Multiple Myeloma Data at ASH

Updated results from the Phase I CRB-402 study of anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy bb21217 in patients with relapsed and refractory myeloma: correlation of expansion and duration of response with T cell phenotypes

Presenting Author: Melissa Alsina, MD, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Immunotherapy, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL

Date/Time: Oral #130, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 9:45 am PST

Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121), a BCMA-directed CAR T cell therapy, in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma: updated results from phase 1 CRB-401 study

Presenting Author: Yi Lin, MD, PhD, Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Date/Time: Oral #131, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 10:00 am PST

Secondary Quality-of-Life Domains in Patients With Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma Treated With the BCMA-Directed CAR T Cell Therapy Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel; bb2121): Results from the KarMMa Clinical Trial

Author: Nina Shah, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Date/Time: Oral #437, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 12:15 pm PST

Efficacy and Safety of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) in Elderly Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: KarMMa Subgroup Analysis

Presenting Author: Jess Berdeja, MD, Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, TN

Date/Time: Poster #1367, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Characterization of Cytokine Release Syndrome in the KarMMa Study of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) For Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Presenting Author: Ankit Kansagra, MD, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Date/Time: Poster #1378, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Molecular and Phenotypic Profiling of Drug Product and Post-infusion Samples from CRB-402, an Ongoing: Phase I Clinical Study of bb21217 a BCMA-directed CAR T Cell Therapy

Presenting Author: Olivia Finney, PhD, Associate Director, Immunotherapy, bluebird bio

Date/Time: Poster #1401, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Effects of Prior Alkylating Therapies on Preinfusion Patient Characteristics and Starting Material for CAR T Cell Product Manufacturing in Late-Line Multiple Myeloma

Presenting Author: Julie Rytlewski, PhD, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ

Date/Time: Poster #1405, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

KarMMa-4: Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121), a BCMA-Targeted CAR T Cell Therapy, in High-Risk Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Presenting Author: Saad Z. Usmani, MD, Director, Clinical Research in Hematologic Malignancies, Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC

Date/Time: Poster #1418, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Healthcare Resource Utilization and Cost of Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurologic Events in Patients with Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma Receiving the BCMA-directed CAR T Cell Therapy Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) in the KarMMa Trial

Presenting Author: Parmeswaran Hari, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Date/Time: Poster #1598, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

A Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison of Efficacy Outcomes for Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121), a BCMA-directed CAR T Cell Therapy Versus Conventional Care in Triple-Class Exposed Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Presenting Author: Nina Shah, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Date/Time: Poster #1653, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) Responses Are Characterized by Early and Temporally Consistent Activation and Expansion of CAR T Cells With a T Effector Phenotype

Presenting Author: Nathan Martin, PhD, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ

Date/Time: Poster #2315, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

KarMMa-3: A Phase 3 Study of Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel,bb2121), a BCMA-Targeted CAR T Cell Therapy Versus Standard Regimens in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Presenting Author: Michel Delforge, MD, PhD, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Date/Time: Poster #2323, Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 am 3:30 pm PST

Idecabtagene Vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121) in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Analyses of High-Risk Subgroups in the KarMMa Study

Presenting Author: Noopur S. Raje, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Date/Time: Poster #3234, Monday, December 7, 2020, 7:00 am 3:00 pm PST

Health State Utility Valuation in Patients with Triple-Class Exposed Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma Treated with the BCMAdirected CAR T Cell Therapy, Idecabtagene Vicleucel (idecel, bb2121): Results from the KarMMa Trial

Presenting Author: Michel Delforge, MD, PhD, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Date/Time: Poster #3465, Monday, December 7, 2020, 7:00 am 3:00pm PST

Abstracts outlining bluebird bios accepted data at ASH are available on the ASH conference website.

About LentiGlobin for SCD (bb1111)

SCD is a serious, progressive and debilitating genetic disease caused by a mutation in the -globin gene that leads to the production of abnormal sickle hemoglobin (HbS), causing red blood cells (RBCs) to become sickled and fragile, resulting in chronic hemolytic anemia, vasculopathy and painful vaso-occlusive events (VOEs). For adults and children living with SCD, this means unpredictable episodes of excruciating pain due to vaso-occlusion as well as other acute complicationssuch as acute chest syndrome (ACS), stroke, and infections, which can contribute to early mortality in these patients.

LentiGlobin for SCD (bb1111) is an investigational gene therapy being studied as a potential treatment for SCD. bluebird bios clinical development program for LentiGlobin for SCD includes the ongoing Phase 1/2 HGB-206 study and the ongoing Phase 3 HGB-210 study.

LentiGlobin for SCD was designed to add functional copies of a modified form of the -globin gene ( A-T87Q -globin gene) into a patients own hematopoietic (blood) stem cells (HSCs). Once patients have the A-T87Q -globin gene, their red blood cells can produce anti-sickling hemoglobin (Hb A-T87Q ) that decreases the proportion of HbS, with the goal of reducing sickled red blood cells, hemolysis and other complications.

As of March 3, 2020, a total of 37 patients have been treated with LentiGlobin for SCD to-date in the HGB-205 (n=3) and HGB-206 (n=34) clinical studies. The HGB-206 total includes: Group A (n=7), B (n=2) and C (n=25).

LentiGlobin for SCD received orphan medicinal product designation from the European Commission for the treatment of SCD, and Priority Medicines (PRIME) eligibility by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in September 2020.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug designation, fast track designation, regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation and rare pediatric disease designation for LentiGlobin for SCD. LentiGlobin for SCD continues to be evaluated in the ongoing Phase 1/2 HGB-206 and Phase 3 HGB-210 studies.

bluebird bio is conducting a long-term safety and efficacy follow-up study (LTF-303) for people who have participated in bluebird bio-sponsored clinical studies of LentiGlobin for SCD. For more information visit: https://www.bluebirdbio.com/our-science/clinical-trials or clinicaltrials.gov and use identifier NCT02633943 for LTF-303.

LentiGlobin for SCD is investigational and has not been approved in any geography.

About betibeglogene autotemcel

Transfusion dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT) is a severe genetic disease caused by mutations in the -globin gene that result in reduced or significantly reduced hemoglobin (Hb). In order to survive, people with TDT require chronic blood transfusions to maintain adequate Hb levels. These transfusions carry the risk of progressive multi-organ damage due to unavoidable iron overload.

Betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel) adds functional copies of a modified form of the -globin gene ( A-T87Q -globin gene) into a patients own hematopoietic (blood) stem cells (HSCs). Once a patient has the A-T87Q -globin gene, they have the potential to produce HbA -T87Q, which is gene therapy-derived adult hemoglobin, at levels that may eliminate or significantly reduce the need for transfusions.

The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for beti-cel, marketed as ZYNTEGLO gene therapy, for patients 12 years and older with transfusion-dependent -thalassemia (TDT) who do not have a 0 / 0 genotype, for whom hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is appropriate, but a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched related HSC donor is not available.

As of March 3, 2020, a total of 60 pediatric, adolescent and adult patients, including 11 patients with at least 5 years of follow-up, across genotypes of TDT have been treated with beti-cel in the Phase 1/2 Northstar (HGB-204) and HGB-205 studies, and the Phase 3 Northstar-2 (HGB-207) and Northstar-3 (HGB-212) studies. In studies of beti-cel, patients were assessed for transfusion independence, defined as no longer needing red blood cell transfusions for at least 12 months while maintaining a weighted average Hb of at least 9 g/dL.

Non-serious adverse events (AEs) observed during clinical studies that were attributed to beti-cel included abdominal pain, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, hot flush, dyspnoea, pain in extremity, tachycardia and non-cardiac chest pain. One serious adverse event (SAE) of thrombocytopenia was considered possibly related to beti-cel.

Additional AEs observed in clinical studies were consistent with the known side effects of HSC collection and bone marrow ablation with busulfan, including SAEs of veno-occlusive disease. On April 28, 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) renewed the CMA for beti-cel. The CMA for beti-cel is valid in the 27 member states of the EU as well as UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. For details, please see the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC).

The U.S. FDA granted beti-cel orphan drug designation and Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of TDT. Beti-cel is not approved in the United States. Beti-cel continues to be evaluated in the ongoing Phase 3 Northstar-2 (HGB-207) and Northstar-3 (HGB-212) studies.

bluebird bio is conducting a long-term safety and efficacy follow-up study (LTF-303) for people who have participated in bluebird bio-sponsored clinical studies of beti-cel.

About idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121)

Ide-cel is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed genetically modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy. The ide-cel CAR is comprised of a murine extracellular single-chain variable fragment (scFv) specific for recognizing BCMA, attached to a human CD8 hinge and transmembrane domain fused to the T cell cytoplasmic signaling domains of CD137 4-1BB and CD3- chain, in tandem. Ide-cel recognizes and binds to BCMA on the surface of multiple myeloma cells leading to CAR T cell proliferation, cytokine secretion, and subsequent cytolytic killing of BCMA-expressing cells.

Ide-cel is being developed as part of a Co-Development, Co-Promotion and Profit Share Agreement between Bristol Myers Squibb and bluebird bio. Ide-cel was granted accelerated assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 26, 2020, and the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) was validated by the EMA on May 20, 2020. The FDA accepted the ide-cel Biologics License Application (BLA) for priority review on September 22, 2020.

KarMMa (NCT03361748) is a pivotal, open-label, single-arm, multicenter, multinational, Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ide-cel in adults with RRMM in North America and Europe. The primary endpoint of the study is overall response rate as assessed by an independent review committee (IRC) according to the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria. Complete response rate is a key secondary endpoint. Other secondary endpoints include time to response, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, minimal residual disease evaluated by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) assay and safety. The study enrolled 140 patients, of whom 128 received ide-cel across the target dose levels of 150-450 x 10 6 CAR+ T cells after receiving lymphodepleting chemotherapy. All enrolled patients had received at least three prior treatment regimens, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody, and were refractory to their last regimen, defined as progression during or within 60 days of their last therapy.

CRB-401 (NCT02658929) is an open-label Phase 1 study evaluating the preliminary safety and efficacy of ide-cel in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The primary endpoint of the study is safety. CRB-401 was designed as a two-part (dose escalation and dose expansion) study to determine the maximum tolerated dose and further evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical activity at the recommended Phase 2 dose; these findings established the recommended dose of the Phase 2 KarMMa trial. All patients have been treated in the study and follow-up is ongoing.

In addition to the pivotal KarMMa and CRB-401 trials, bluebird bio and Bristol Myers Squibbs broad clinical development program for ide-cel includes clinical studies (KarMMa-2, KarMMa-3, KarMMa-4) exploring ide-cel combinations and activity in earlier lines of treatment for patients with multiple myeloma, including newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. For more information visit clinicaltrials.gov.

Ide-cel is not approved for any indication in any geography.

About bb21217

bb21217 is an investigational BCMA-targeted CAR T cell therapy that uses the ide-cel CAR molecule and is cultured with the PI3 kinase inhibitor (bb007) to enrich for T cells displaying a memory-like phenotype with the intention to increase the in vivo persistence of CAR T cells. bb21217 is being studied for patients with multiple myeloma in partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb.

bluebird bios clinical development program for bb21217 includes the ongoing Phase 1 CRB-402 study. CRB-402 is the first-in-human study of bb21217 in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), designed to assess safety, pharmacokinetics, efficacy and duration of effect. CRB-402 is a two-part (dose escalation and dose expansion), open-label, multi-site Phase 1 study of bb21217 in adults with RRMM. For more information visit: clinicaltrials.gov using identifier NCT03274219.

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bluebird bio to Present Data from Gene and Cell Therapy Programs During the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition -...

LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LogicBio Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:LOGC) (LogicBio), a company dedicated to extending the reach of genetic medicine with pioneering targeted delivery platforms, today announced the appointment of Mariana Nacht, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer, effective Nov. 30, 2020, and the promotion of Kyle Chiang, Ph.D., to chief operating officer, effective Nov. 2, 2020.

Dr. Nacht brings more than 20 years of experience in both large and small biotech companies to her role at LogicBio. Most recently, she served as CSO and was a founding executive team member of Cereius, where she led a small internal research team and a group of collaborators to develop radiolabeled proteins for the treatment of brain metastases. Before that, she served as CSO of Vivid Biosciences, a functional precision medicine company, where she was also a founding executive team member. Dr. Nacht has also served in key scientific roles at Padlock Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol Myer Squibb in 2014) and Avila Therapeutics, a platform company that developed covalent irreversible inhibitors and was acquired by Celgene in 2012. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade working at Genzyme (now Sanofi Genzyme), where she led anti-angiogenesis and oncology target discovery efforts. Dr. Nacht received her B.S. in biology from Tufts University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

We are proud to expand our leadership team as we prepare to launch our first clinical trial in pediatric patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and continue to advance both our GeneRide and Next Generation Capsid platforms, said Fred Chereau, CEO of LogicBio. Mariana brings terrific expertise in novel therapeutic platforms as well as deep experience in building and leading strong scientific teams to her position as CSO. Were thrilled to welcome her to LogicBio as we move into this exciting next phase of progress. Im also delighted to have Kyle promoted to our core leadership team. He has provided essential guidance on pipeline strategy and program development from the early days of LogicBio and he will continue to be an important voice in shaping our future growth.

I am very enthusiastic about the potential for the GeneRide platform to transform care for pediatric patients with rare genetic diseases, Dr. Nacht said. We all enter this field to make a difference for patients, and I am excited to be joining LogicBio just as LB-001, our lead program for children with MMA, is about to enter the clinic with the Phase 1/2 SUNRISE trial. Beyond LB-001, I look forward to further advancing LogicBios pipeline with the goal of bringing more durable and transformational therapies to people living with devastating genetic diseases.

Dr. Chiang was the second employee at LogicBio and has held positions of increasing responsibility since joining the team as director of translational science in 2016. Most recently, he served as vice president, product strategy, where he led LB-001 through early regulatory interactions and managed LogicBios collaboration with the Childrens Medical Research Institute to develop more potent and more easily manufacturable AAV capsids for gene therapy and genome editing applications. Before joining LogicBio, Dr. Chiang led aTyr Pharmas ATYR1940 program from discovery through early clinical development for patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Dr. Chiang received his B.S. in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego and his Ph.D. in macromolecular cellular structure and chemistry from the Scripps Research Institute.

LogicBio also announced today that Bryan Yoon, Esq., the companys chief administrative officer, general counsel and corporate secretary, will be departing from the company effective Nov. 6, 2020. I want to thank Bryan for his contributions to LogicBio and we wish him the best in his next challenge, Mr. Chereau said.

AboutLogicBioTherapeuticsLogicBio Therapeuticsis dedicated to extending the reach of genetic medicine with pioneering targeted delivery platforms. LogicBios proprietary genome editing technology platform, GeneRide, enables the site-specific integration of a therapeutic transgene without nucleases or exogenous promoters by harnessing the native process of homologous recombination. LogicBio has received FDA clearance for the first-in-human clinical trial of LB-001, a wholly owned genome editing program leveraging GeneRide for the treatment of methylmalonic acidemia. Patient enrollment is expected to begin in early 2021. In addition, LogicBio has a collaboration withTakedato research and develop LB-301, an investigational therapy leveraging GeneRide for the treatment of the rare pediatric disease Crigler-Najjar syndrome.

LogicBio is also developing a Next Generation Capsid platform for use in gene editing and gene therapies. Data presented have shown that the capsids deliver highly efficient functional transduction of human hepatocytes with improved manufacturability with low levels of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies in human samples. Top-tier capsid candidates from this effort demonstrated significant improvements over benchmark AAVs currently in clinical development. LogicBio is developing these highly potent vectors for internal development candidates and potentially for business development collaborations.

LogicBio is headquartered in Lexington, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.logicbio.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including those related to the timing, progress and results of the Companys strategic directives and its research and development activities, including those related to LB-001 and its pipeline. These are not statements of historical facts and are based on managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. They are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results and the implementation of the Companys plans to vary materially, including the risks associated with the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of the Companys current and future research and development activities and preclinical studies and potential future clinical trials. In particular, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys ability to progress with its research, development, manufacturing and regulatory efforts, including the Companys plans to initiate, advance and complete its Phase 1/2 clinical trial for LB-001 in MMA, and the value of and market for the Companys common stock, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence at this time, such as the ultimate duration of the pandemic, travel restrictions, quarantines, social distancing and business closure requirements in the United States and in other countries, and the effectiveness of actions taken globally to contain and treat the disease. These risks are discussed in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including, without limitation, the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2020 with the SEC, the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 11, 2020, and the Companys subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Contacts:

Investors:Matthew LaneGilmartin Investor Relationmatt@gilmartinir.com

Media:Stephanie SimonTenBridge Communicationsstephanie@tenbridgecommunications.com617-581-9333

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LogicBio Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Veteran Biotech Executive Mariana Nacht, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer and Kyle Chiang, Ph.D.,...

DUBLIN, Nov. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Curative Oncology and Rare Disease Therapies Transforming the Global Biologics Market, 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The forecast for the global biologics market until 2024 reveals an interesting trend and paradigm shifts that are set to take place in the industry. Importantly, the study also identifies actionable growth opportunities for industry participants to profit upon.

With this research service, the publisher's Transformational Health team provides critical insights into the global biologics industry highlighting the growth opportunities, market revenue segmentation, and technology trends influencing its growth. The global biologics market covered in this study includes 4 major segments - antibody therapies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and regenerative medicine.

This research service identifies the largest revenue-generating segments and key therapeutic areas for the global biologics industry. Accelerated regulatory approvals for biologic products and the emergence of next-generation technologies are highlighted, in addition to their influence on market trends during the forecast period.

The study highlights the dynamics of the biologics industry and the sub-segments of the biologics market. Growth opportunities in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), RNA therapy, and gene therapy platforms are also explored. Further, the study discusses the impact (such as the accelerated development of vaccines) of the COVID-19 pandemic on the biologics industry and the market. Current challenges facing the biologics industry such as the sluggish growth rate of vaccines, and recombinant proteins are discussed.

Most importantly, this research service discusses possible future market trends such as the accelerated development of mRNA-based vaccines and the increasing importance of speciality bio-CDMOs for the development and commercialization of regenerative medicine. Based on the market trends and revenue forecasts, the group of analysts highlight key growth opportunities in ADC, RNA, and gene therapy platforms through successful drug launches such as Belantamab Malfodotin, Inclisiran, and Zolgensma.

Research Highlights

Highlights of the report include:

Key Issues Addressed

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Dashboard

2. Market Overview - Biologics

3. Market Dynamics

4. COVID-19 Impact Analysis of the Biologics Market

5. Revenue Forecast - Total Biologics Market

6. Antibody Therapies Segment Analysis

7. Recombinant Proteins Segment Analysis

8. Vaccines Segment Analysis

9. Cell & Gene Therapy Segment Analysis

10. Companies to Action - Pipeline Analysis

11. Growth Opportunities

12. The Last Word - Strategic Considerations for Staying on the Growth Trajectory

13. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mwd43p

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

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Global Biologics Market Report 2020-2024: Strategic Collaborations with Specialty Bio-CDMOs will Continue to Drive Growth Opportunities in...

No boy should have a last stretch of days. But Bertrand Might lived his as well as any boy could: There was a Star Trek marathon with his brother and sister, sunrises on the lakeshore, and visits with family in parks, beaches, and backyards anywhere they could safely gather during the pandemic.

His father, Matt Might, said it ended up being an unplanned farewell for 12-year-old Bertrand, whose health had always been precarious. He was the first person in the world diagnosed with a particular neurodegenerative condition that causes developmental delays, seizure-like activity in the brain, and frequent infections.

One of those infections, unrelated to Covid-19, led to his death on Oct. 23 after he spiraled into septic shock. But if his passing came too soon, it did not come before his life led to crucial discoveries for dozens of children with his condition.

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What he did with NGLY1 alone was pretty powerful, said Matt Might, referring to the gene involved in his sons disease. After years of research, it was the discovery of a double mutation in Bertrands NGLY1 gene, and the constellation of symptoms linked to it, that explained the cause of the illness and built a worldwide community around it.

There are 70 families on the patient mailing list right now for a disease that eight years ago didnt exist, Might said.

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Bertrand also inspired a quest by his father, an artificial intelligence expert and computer programmer, to employ precision medicine on a wider scale, using genetic data to help tailor treatments to patients with rare and hard-to-treat diseases like his sons.

Might began that work initially to help Bertrand, but it led to a stint on President Obamas precision medicine initiative and the creation of a new precision medicine institute (PMI) he now leads at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

PMI was founded on this algorithm that Bertrand taught me, Might said. How do you try to therapeutically modulate a specific genetic target? There is a central game plan we use every time somebody comes in.

Might and his team examine what gene is involved in a persons condition and whether it is under-reactive, over-reactive, toxic, or missing altogether. The answers to those questions form the basis for a scientific process that often gives patients hope when conventional medicine has failed to provide an accurate diagnosis or effective treatments. A permanent endowment has been established at UAB in Bertrands name to fund advanced diagnostics and research to identify novel therapies for patients with no other options.

In Bertrands case, the double mutation in NGLY1 left him without an enzyme that facilitates the recycling of cellular waste. It severely limited his mobility, requiring him to use a wheelchair, and also impaired his liver function and ability to communicate.

Still, Bertrand drove the science of his condition while enduring countless hospitalizations, often due to infections that made it difficult to breathe.

Throughout his life, he developed a love for dolphins and an aquarium his parents set up in his bedroom. He spent hours learning words and reading with his father and mother, Cristina, and he bonded with his younger brother and sister over movies and video games.

Im proud of Bertrand in multiple ways, Might said. I would often tell people to imagine a being created without the ability to even feel malice. He was just a pure being, and I loved that about him.

In recent years, the science that led to his diagnosis has also begun to unravel the biology of NGLY1 deficiency and its impact on patients. A project sponsored by the National Institutes of Health is underway to screen hundreds of thousands of molecules for therapeutic potential against the illness, while Might has used computational methods to identify treatments that showed efficacy in animal subjects.

On Bertrands last day in the hospital, as his condition continued to deteriorate, his father read him an email from the father of another patient with his illness. It said that the Food and Drug Administration seemed pleased with pre-clinical studies of a gene therapy for NGLY1 and outlined a series of steps toward a clinical trial.

It was so meaningful to know the community that Bertrand formed has spawned efforts well beyond my own, Might said. And in the end, he died in a world where the hope of a cure existed.

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The life and death of a boy whose diagnosis brought hope to other patients - STAT

Precision medicines, such as cell therapies, remain expensive to manufacture and hard to access by patients. For example, Kymriah, the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment approved in the United States, can have price tags as high as $475,000. Unfortunately, precision medicines are expensive to develop and manufacture, and the costs are ultimately borne by taxpayers and patients, according to The State of Personalized/Precision Medicine a report issued last year by GlobalData.

Today, companies are developing new models to lower the costs of manufacturing and bring drugs to more patients. Among them are companies developing new business models and services, innovative equipment for on-site manufacturing in hospitals, and improved formulation technology.

A key challenge for companies is scaling up the delivery of precision medicines, notes Janel Firestein, partner and life sciences industry leader at Clarkston Consulting. Companies supplying precision medicines are harvesting material for patients in a hospital or clinic, and then freezing or shipping it fresh to a contract manufacturing organization (CMO), contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), or other manufacturing entity.

What were seeing with a lot of our clients leveraging contract manufacturers is theyre contracting for specific slots, she says. They have x number of slots per week or month, and the scalability of that is hard.

Precision medicines are manufactured in small batches in accordance with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, that is, for patients in subpopulations that meet certain well-defined criteria. (The subset of precision medicines known as personalized medicines are even more specific; that is, they are developed uniquely for each individual patient.) If a patient doesnt pass prescreening at the scheduled time, Firestein warns, the manufacturing slot for the patients treatment is lost unless the manufacturer can find another eligible patient.

Conversely, if the company is working across multiple CMOs in different countries, it needs to schedule slots in a predictable way. You need to know which slots are open, Firestein points out. You need to leverage automation and artificial intelligence to give a manufacturing view to physicians at the patient hub, so they know which dates are available and can ensure the patients cells are viable upon receipt at the manufacturing plant.

Orgenesis is among the companies turning to localization to deliver precision medicines to patients. The companys CEO and director, Vered Caplan, is a serial entrepreneur and among the top 20 inspirational leaders in advanced medicine listed in The Medicine Makers Power List 2020. Caplan has developed a point-of-care business model for hospitals that combines technological and biological development with a business strategy.

We see that centralized processing is very costly, she explains. It can be a solution for companies working in clinical trials, butonce you get to marketit is not feasible for large numbers of patients.

The companys Cell & Gene Therapy Biotech Platform incorporates the following elements: POCare Therapeutics, a pipeline of licensed cell and gene therapies (CGTs); POCare Technologies, a suite of proprietary and in-licensed technologies; and POCare Network, a collaborative, international ecosystem of research institutes and hospitals. This platform, the company asserts, is about decentralization, enabling precision medicines to be prepared on-site at hospitals.

The platform automates the production of precision medicines by validating closed box processes to reduce cleanroom footprints once the product gets to market. Caplan works to develop and commercialize drugs that can be licensed for use by hospitals in the Orgenesis network.

What we do is offer a low-cost supply platform with processing and regulatory solutions that are validated in a harmonized fashion, she details. Essentially, we take responsibility for R&D. Our hospitals are partners, and because were working in a network, the economic burden isnt high, and we can supply the therapy at a reasonable cost.

The Orgenesis approach doesnt follow the usual approach, which involves a hospital research center licensing its drug to a pharmaceutical company, which then pays the center for clinical trials. Instead, Orgenesis works in partnership with a partner hospital throughout the commercialization process. Production of the final product is automated and supplied via an on-site point-of-care processing unitreducing the complex logistics involved in transporting cells.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, a global CDMO, is developing a new platform to streamline the development of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for gene therapies. There are three methods to make AAVs, says Steve Pincus, PhD, the companys head of science and innovation. Two of the methods use viral vectors, and a third uses plasmids.

People using the latter need a source of cells and plasmids, he notes. Unfortunately, there are few licensable cell lines and few plasmid manufacturers. Consequently, as Pincus points out, If you want to manufacture your GMP plasmids at one of these, you have to wait 6 to 12 months to get in the queue.

Fujifilm wanted to tackle these problems, so it decided to license five different Rep-Cap plasmids, an adenovirus helper plasmid, and a human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cell line for AAV production by plasmid transfection from Oxford Genetics. Pincus explains that by licensing these technologies, the company means to offer an HEK293 master cell bank that is well characterized and stocks GMP-grade Rep-Cap and helper plasmids, so that people can come and use those readily available reagents without having to wait 6 to 12 months, and so that the clients pay only for what they need.

To support the production of AAVs, Pincus and his team are developing specialized upstream and downstream processes. They are also developing in-process analytics for common problems in the AAV manufacturing space, such as measuring empty and full virus capsids.

Earlier this year, on September 8, Lonza announced that in a project at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the first cancer patient received a CAR T-cell therapy that had been manufactured using the companys Cocoon platform. Cocoon is another model for distributed manufacturinga closed, automated piece of equipment for manufacturing cell therapies at the scale of a single patient, with a custom cassette that incorporates all the media, agents, and other consumables.

When you look at the way cell therapies are manufactured, one of the costs is cleanroom space, says Matthew Hewitt, PhD, head of clinical development and personalized medicine at Lonza. A cleanroom suite graded class B for air quality is noticeably more expensive than one graded class C, and the size of the room also matters. If you move to a closed or functionally closed automated platform like the Cocoon that has integrated cell culture, then you can move to cheaper cleanroom space, Hewitt asserts. or you can increase the manufacturing density in your existing cleanroom to use the space more efficiently.

Hewitt divides CAR T-cell manufacturing into a seven-step process: 1) collecting a patient sample; 2) preparing the sample for manufacturing; 3) activating the cells; 4) modifying (transducing) the cells; 5) expanding cell populations as needed for dosing; 6) washing, harvesting, and formulating the cells; and 7) dosing the patient. According to Hewitt, the steps currently automated by Cocoon include activation, transduction, and washing/harvesting/formulation. Additional automation features, he says, will debut in the coming months. Later this year, the company will begin beta testing automatic magnetic cell separation. Next year, the company plans to incorporate automated sample preparation into the Cocoons cassette.

Speaking on the future of manufacturing for precision medicine, Hewitt says he sees a role for both distributed and centralized models. Lonzas centralized facility in Houston, TX, for example, can offer standardized and well-controlled conditions, as well as an experienced team, for process development and early-stage activities.

Once you get to later stages, he points out, manufacturing needs to be moved toward the point of care to mitigate any issues with logistics. He adds that as cell therapies become more common, building enough space to process patient therapies at a centralized facility becomes increasingly impractical. Even if your centralized location served 50,000 patients a year, he says, the logistics would be a heroic endeavor.

Gene and cell therapies dont have much going on in terms of formulation, says Maria Croyle, PhD, professor of molecular pharmaceutics and drug delivery at the University of Texas at Austin. The formulation side needs to catch up.

She argues that even though precision medicines are often formulated just by adding glycerol to the cells, preparing precision medicines to dose the patient is often a complex process. When I talk about these therapies to my students, she relates, I explain that you need to thaw them out and do complicated dilutions. Its not as simple as adding 5 mL to a flask.

Precision medicines are often stored on-site in ultra-low-temperature (80C) freezers, devices that are, Croyle notes, expensive to run. The costs are often passed onto the patient. In addition, preparing the medications often involves lengthy dilution processes. Any of these medications that arent used within a couple of hours must be discarded, pushing costs yet higher.

Although some companies are moving to freeze-drying as a way to preserve living viruses and cells, preserving a live virus can take 48 to 72 hours. I had no idea until I talked to industry how much freezer dryers were a power drain, she recalls. They use a lot of electricity for 72-plus hours, and thats added to the cost of the drug.

Croyle has developed a method for stabilizing live viruses inspired by the film Jurassic Park, which depicted the recovery of dinosaur DNA from amber. She has three patents on a peelable film, inspired by amber, into which gene therapy or vaccine products can be suspended and dried within hours. You can mix them by 8 am, peel them by 3 pm, and package them to be sent off, she asserts. Its very simple and space savingits just a flat envelope with a strip of film, and it can be used in a variety of ways.

Film-packaged doses, she says, can be rehydrated to produce nasal-sprayable vaccines or injectable gene therapy solutions, or they can be placed under the tongue and upper cheek, where dissolution of the film surface releases the vaccine, activating an immune response. To commercialize the technology, she has founded Jurata Thin Film. The company is named after a mythical Lithuanian goddess who lived in an amber castle under the sea.

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Precision Medicines That Are Tailored and Off-the-Rack - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT), the leader in precision genetic medicine for rare diseases, today announced that senior management will participate in a fireside chat at the 29th Annual Credit Suisse Virtual Healthcare Conference on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. E.T.

The presentation will be webcast live under the investor relations section of Sareptas website at http://www.sarepta.com and will be archived there following the presentation for 90 days. Please connect to Sarepta's website several minutes prior to the start of the broadcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Sarepta TherapeuticsAt Sarepta, we are leading a revolution in precision genetic medicine and every day is an opportunity to change the lives of people living with rare disease. The Company has built an impressive position in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and in gene therapies for limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs), mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), and other CNS-related disorders, with more than 40 programs in various stages of development. The Companys programs and research focus span several therapeutic modalities, including RNA, gene therapy and gene editing. For more information, please visit http://www.sarepta.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Internet Posting of Information

We routinely post information that may be important to investors in the 'Investors' section of our website at http://www.sarepta.com. We encourage investors and potential investors to consult our website regularly for important information about us.

Source: Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.Investors:Ian Estepan, 617-274-4052, iestepan@sarepta.com

Media:Tracy Sorrentino, 617-301-8566, tsorrentino@sarepta.com

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Sarepta Therapeutics to Present at the 29th Annual Credit Suisse Virtual Healthcare Conference - Yahoo Finance

Nov. 5, 2020 06:00 UTC

TOKYO & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Modalis Therapeutics Corporation (Modalis) (TOKYO: 4883), a leading company developing innovative products for the treatment of rare genetic diseases utilizing its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM epigenetic gene modulation technology, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, as well as recent operational highlights.

"Our goal is to create CRISPR based gene therapies for genetic disorders, most of which fall into the orphan disease category. There should be no disease that is ignored because of its small patient population, and our mission to develop disease modifying treatments for these diseases reflects our belief that Every Life Deserves Attention. We are proud to be a pioneer in CRISPR based gene modulation therapies and we are grateful to our investors and employees who are working to fulfill this important mission, said Haru Morita, Chief Executive Officer of Modalis.

Operational Highlights:

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results:

About Modalis:

Modalis Therapeutics is developing precision genetic medicines through epigenetic gene modulation. Founded by Osamu Nureki and leading scientists in CRISPR gene editing from University of Tokyo, Modalis is pursuing therapies for orphan genetic diseases using its proprietary CRISPR-GNDM technology which enables the locus specific modulation of gene expression or histone modification without the need for double-stranded DNA cleavage, gene editing or base editing. Modalis is focusing initially on genetic disorders caused by loss of gene regulation resulting in excess or insufficient protein production which includes more than 660 genes that are currently estimated to cause human disease due to haploinsufficiency. Headquartered in Tokyo with laboratories and facilities in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For additional information, visit http://www.modalistx.com.

Consolidated Financial Results for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 [Japanese GAAP]

Company name: Modalis Therapeutics CorporationStock exchange listing: Tokyo Stock ExchangeCode number: 4883URL: https://www.modalistx.com/jp/ Representative: Haruhiko Morita, President and Representative DirectorContact: Naoki Kobayashi, CFO and Executive OfficerPhone: +81-3-6822-4584Scheduled date of filing quarterly securities report: November 13, 2020Scheduled date of commencing dividend payments: -Availability of supplementary briefing material on quarterly financial results: AvailableSchedule of quarterly financial results briefing session: -

(Amounts of less than one million yen are rounded down.)

1.

Consolidated Financial Results for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 (January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020)

(1) Consolidated Operating Results

(% indicates changes from the previous corresponding period.)

Operating revenue

Operating income

Ordinary income

Profit attributable toowners of parent

Nine months ended

Million yen

%

Million yen

%

Million yen

%

Million yen

%

September 30, 2020

340

-

168

-

209

-

214

-

September 30, 2019

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(Note)

Comprehensive income:

Nine months ended September 30, 2020: 215 million [-%]

Nine months ended September 30, 2019: - million [-%]

Basic earnings

per share

Diluted earnings

per share

Nine months ended

Yen

Yen

September 30, 2020

8.34

-

September 30, 2019

-

-

(Notes)

1. The Company has not prepared the consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 2019. Accordingly, no figures are shown for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and no percentage changes are shown for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

2. Although the Company has dilutive shares, diluted earnings per share are not indicated because the Companys shares were not listed and the average share price is not available for the period under review.

(2) Consolidated Financial Position

Total assets

Net assets

Capital adequacyratio

Million yen

Million yen

%

As of September 30, 2020

6,480

6,428

99.2

As of December 31, 2019

3,938

3,842

97.6

(Reference)

Equity:

As of September 30, 2020: 6,428 million

As of December 31, 2019: 3,842 million

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201104005831/en/

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Modalis Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Operational Highlights - BioSpace

WIRED Health:Tech is one of the most prominent annual conferences exploring technological advances in medicine. This year, the main topics included artificial intelligence, remote surgical systems, and the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

This years WIRED Health:Tech conference took place online last month, in an effort to adapt to the challenges posed by the current pandemic.

A range of specialists held presentations about the latest advances in medical technology, including remote surgical systems, e-health, CRISPR technology, and the issue on everyones mind this year: how research can combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this Special Feature, we offer an overview of the panels and main takeaways from the presentations.

Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.

Throughout many of the WIRED Health:Tech presentations, the recurring theme was how technology is helping or hindering the fight against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that has given rise to the current pandemic.

Prof. Heidi Larson from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom spoke of the global response to vaccines, an issue of paramount importance in the context of the pandemic.

Prof. Larson noted that according to her and her colleagues research which appears in The Lancet peoples feelings about vaccines have become far more volatile.

Its a lot more like political opinion polling. They used to be much more stable 1020 years ago. You knew who agreed and who was less confident around vaccines, but thats changing very frequently, she observed.

However, she did offer some positive news:

The overall picture is that [] there is a general trend where people are becoming a little more confident [about vaccines] than they were 5 years ago.

According to Prof. Larson, this may be because public health specialists and communicators are more proactive in dismantling pervasive myths about vaccination over the past few years.

Nevertheless, she cautioned, we do see that Europe remains the lowest in confidence, the most skeptical, with countries like Lithuania [where] only 19% strongly believe that vaccines are safe. The highest [rate] is [in] Finland, at 66% and thats just strongly believe.'

Poland had the most significant drop in confidence in vaccines, she noted.

She also emphasized these fluctuations in confidence in vaccines across the globe occurred before the pandemic. In the current situation, Prof. Larson said, sentiments surrounding vaccinations have become even more volatile.

Because of the hyper-uncertainty and the whole environment of trust and distrust around the COVID vaccine, there are groups that have gotten together to resist even the COVID vaccine, she warned.

The danger of anti-vaccination mentalities can only be mitigated by giving science more of a human face, Prof Larson argued:

We need to bring together the scientific, technological advances that are so valuable, and not lose the human face, but bring that back together [with the scientific perspective]. This isnt just a misinformation problem. This is a relationship problem. This is a cultural revolution, saying we need to change, we need to get back to a more human face in the scientific and medical field.'

Prof. Devi Sridhar a public health advisor and the chair of the Global Public Health department at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. spoke of the next steps in the fight against the pandemic.

Speaking of the U.K. situation, Prof. Sridhar said that there are certain key actions that the country needs to take to put a stop to the spread of the virus more efficiently:

I think the crucial thing is getting the testing sorted. You need to have a test turnaround time [of] less than 24 hours and have testing widely available. And also [] a strategy: What is the point of a lockdown, what [is] the point of the restrictions?

Other countries have used the lockdown Im thinking of New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia [] but theyre using the lockdown to try and eliminate the virus, to get rid of it, and then put in place checks for reimportation, she added.

Prof. Agnes Binagwaho vice chancellor at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda went on to speak of the innovations that Rwandan authorities implemented to curb the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.

Prof. Binagwaho said that the first step was to identify both the obstacles and facilitators when it came to stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

According to the expert, having a clear idea of these factors allowed the authorities to establish the best strategy for containing the spread of the virus.

Most importantly, however, according to Prof. Binagwaho, Rwandan authorities made sure to keep its citizens up-to-date with all the daily news regarding the local spread of the virus both good and bad.

[W]hen you need the population to do something to protect itself [] that is not usual, trust counts more than money, she commented.

Some of the technological innovations that the country implemented during the pandemic were robots that take peoples temperatures in airports and hospitals, to limit human contact, and drones that carry supplies to areas that lack appropriate resources.

Prof. Christofer Toumazou from Imperial College London in the U.K. spoke of how technological advances could help during the current pandemic.

Prof. Toumazou, an electronic engineer, created DnaNudge, a fast and accessible DNA testing technology. Its original purpose was helping people understand what health conditions their genetic makeup might predispose them to, so they could make healthier choices.

At WIRED, the researcher and his colleagues said that they adapted this technology to detect COVID-19, creating tests with a turnaround time of only 90 minutes.

In the U.K., the government ordered 5.8 million such tests for state hospitals.

Effectively, it took a pandemic for us to get a technology thats [] prepared for personalized medicine into the hospital system. So the only way that we could bulldoze this was through COVID, Prof. Toumazou noted.

The researcher emphasized just how important this step may be for health, particularly for people with mental health conditions, who would not have to anxiously wait for 48 hours in isolation for their test results.

In a panel discussion, Dr. Indra Joshi director of Artificial Intelligence at NHSx, the U.K. governmental unit responsible for developing national health policies also went on to stress that advanced technology may help not just to better understand the pathology of COVID-19, but also to identify the people who are most at risk.

This, she added, could allow healthcare professionals to provide help faster to those who are likely to be the most affected by infection with the new coronavirus.

In Dr. Joshis view, advances in technology could therefore offer a holistic view of a persons health status and risks, beyond diagnosing COVID-19.

Another panel discussion focused on recent developments in finding a vaccine against the new coronavirus.

The two participants were Tal Zaks, Chief Medical Officer of Moderna Therapeutics, and Prof. Uur ahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNTech.

Both Moderna and BioNTech are testing mRNA candidate vaccines, which use genetic information rather than a viral base to train the immune system against the new coronavirus.

Speaking of the advantages of an mRNA vaccine versus other forms of vaccines, Zaks said that it is better in a number of fundamental ways.

The first is that because we start with genetic information, there is a component of speed that allows you to get into the clinic and then, once youre in the clinic, scale-up manufacturing. Its not by chance that the two leading efforts both leverage mRNA technologies, he pointed out.

I think the second one [] is the biological preciseness so, when you make a recombinant protein, or you otherwise characterize a biologic, the process makes a lot of difference and a lot of things can go wrong. When youre transmitting the [genetic] information, theres no way for the cell to make the wrong bit. So the biological fidelity, if you will, has a higher likelihood to then translate into the kind of immune response you want.

Tal Zaks

I think the last element here is its a very flexible platform, and this takes us a little bit beyond COVID, but the infrastructure required is relatively small and quick, which means, in the manufacturing space, you have tremendous agility that usual technologies dont, Zaks added.

At the time of the WIRED conference, clinical trials for the Moderna and BioNTech candidate vaccines were at similar stages. Since the two approaches have similar premises, the question arises: does this create a sense of competition between the two companies?

According to Zaks, in the context of a pandemic, this is not a valid question. I only have two competitors here: the virus and the clock, he asserted.

He added that should both the Moderna and the BioNTech candidate vaccines demonstrate safety and efficacy, this would be an ideal situation.

The world needs more than one company to succeed here, he said, noting that, if the virus is truly here to stay, as previous research suggests, more than one vaccine may become necessary in the long run.

Prof. ahin agreed:

The way [in which] the whole industry developed vaccines against COVID-19 [] is the best performance of collaboration. Its important to see how people team up for collaboration. Moderna teamed up with the NIH [the National Institutes of Health], we teamed up with Pfizer, AstraZeneca teamed up with Oxford University. So there are several models of collaboration, and we have the strongest transparency in the development of a vaccine.

People see the data almost in real-time coming in, and people understand how [a] phase 1 trial works, how a phase 3 trial works, and Moderna and we even shared our phase 3 protocols so that everyone can see in a transparent fashion how the studies perform and how they are evaluated, Prof. ahin added.

The two researchers also emphasized that this sense of transparency regarding the development of new pharmaceutical products is essential in the long run. They also expressed hope that it may persist after the pandemic subsides.

When asked whether the candidate vaccine development was rushed, so that pharmaceuticals can distribute them sooner rather than later, Prof. ahin explained that the pandemic has caused researchers to find a better, more efficient method of proceeding with clinical trials not a less reliable one.

One important aspect is that instead of skipping [steps] or cutting corners, we decided to do things in parallel. Usually, [in] vaccine development [] you do a phase 1 study, and maybe 6 or 12 months later a phase 2 study, and then decide whether you would do a phase 3 study, he explained.

This is based on minimizing the cost risk, but also based on the traditional way [in which a vaccine] is developed. It is not the best way it is just the traditional way, he also emphasized.

While many of the talks at WIRED Health:Tech revolved around the fight against COVID-19, some also focused on other technological advances in improving patient care.

Dr. Eric Topol founder and director of the Scripps Research TranslationalInstitute talked about using technology to make medicine more humanistic.

The main objective of AI for healthcare and medicine has been to improve accuracy, so that doctors can improve how they diagnose disease and care for their patients, he observed.

This is what is known as precision medicine. But Dr. Topol believes that using AI in medical practice could bring about more far-reaching benefits.

This could include freeing healthcare practitioners from tasks, such as filing information about their patients into digital systems, so that they can pay more attention to their patients.

Medicine has eroded terribly its a rushed job, Dr. Topol asserted in his talk. We see patients in a single-digit number of minutes, and thats not enough.

You need the gift of time, which AI can give back so that people dont feel so rushed and doctors and nurses and clinicians dont feel so rushed either. [] We want to have clinicians and doctors spending more time with patients and less time [at the computer] keyboard.

Dr. Pearse Keane a National Institute for Health Research clinician-scientist at the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London spoke of how doctors could soon use AI algorithms to diagnose and treat early-stage retinal diseases a set of eye problems that can lead to vision loss.

Dr. Keane made a similar point to Dr. Topols argument, stressing that so many people are affected by eye diseases in the U.K. that specialists are often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of patients waiting for diagnosis and treatment.

Some people are essentially going blind because they cannot be seen and treated early enough, Dr. Keane said. But new technologies and in particular, AI, have at least some role in addressing this problem, he added.

Dr. Keane and colleagues from Moorfields Eye Hospital collaborated with scientists specializing in using the AI technology DeepMind, in demonstrating how to train the system to diagnose retinal diseases correctly and fast-track referrals for specialist treatment.

The researchers published the results of their study in Nature Medicine in 2018. Now, Moorfields Eye Hospital are building a new care and research center, with plans to integrate more advanced technology into this setting.

But Dr. Keane argues that clinical AI help by linking various health data, therefore offering a bigger picture of a persons overall health status and health risks.

Dr. Mark Slack chief medical officer and co-founder of CMR Surgical spoke of the potential of Versius, a surgical robotic system that can help specialists carry out minimally invasive keyhole surgery.

Is keyhole surgery better than open surgery? There are huge advantages for keyhole surgery, Dr. Slack asserted in his presentation.

If you have a large wound [following open surgery], about 50% of those patients will go back to the hospital. If you have a small, minimal-access wound, almost none will go back. If you have a large wound, about a fifth of patients will be required to go back into [the operating] theater if they get a wound infection [] [but] roughly 50% of complications are reduced by having keyhole surgery rather than open [surgery].

Dr. Mark Slack

Finally, Prof. Jennifer Doudna a biochemist at UC Berkeley and founder of the Innovative Genomics Institute, who co-invented CRISPR technology spoke of the revolutionary potential of gene editing. This new technology has taken the medical research world by storm.

Prof. Doudna described gene-editing technology as molecular surgery its a way to alter the DNA in cells and organisms in ways that allow precise correction of disease-causing [genetic] mutations and also allow scientists to do all sorts of other kinds of manipulations of genetic material on living cells and organisms, she explained.

One way in which gene-editing tools might be helpful, she said, might be by helping treat severe blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. Other applications might be in the treatment of eye diseases or even muscular dystrophy.

The scientist explained that, besides CRISPR technologys potential in treating disease, it could also come in handy when detecting viruses, including the new coronavirus.

She even suggested that in the coming months, there may be a CRISPR-based point-of-care diagnostic tool that could help doctors identify infections much faster.

She concluded her talk by noting that:

The potential of this technology continues to advance. I think the keys will be delivery and control of the editing and, of course, ensuring safety, effectiveness, and access. The possibilities are extraordinary its really an exciting time to be working in this field.

For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here.

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WIRED Health:Tech 2020: Latest advances and the fight against COVID-19 - Medical News Today

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket), a clinical-stage company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders, today announces presentations at the upcoming 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held virtually December 5-8, 2020. There will be two oral presentations highlighting clinical data from the Fanconi Anemia (FA) and Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) programs as well as a poster presentation highlighting preliminary clinical data from the Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) program. All three programs utilize Rocket's "Process B" manufacturing platform.

Details for Rockets presentations are as follows:

Oral Presentations Title:Gene Therapy for Fanconi Anemia, Complementation Group A: Updated Results from Ongoing Global Clinical Studies of RP-L102Session Title:Gene Editing, Therapy and Transfer IPresenter:Agnieszka Czechowicz, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Stem Cell Transplantation, Stanford University School of MedicineSession Date:Monday, December 7, 2020Session Time:11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)Presentation Time: 12:15 p.m. (Pacific Time)

Title:Phase 1/2 Study of Lentiviral-MediatedEx-VivoGene Therapy for Pediatric Patients with Severe Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I): Results from Phase 1Session Title:Gene Editing, Therapy and Transfer IPresenter:Donald Kohn, M.D., Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology), Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, and member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, Los AngelesSession Date:Monday, December 7, 2020Session Time:11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)Presentation Time: 12:30 p.m. (Pacific Time)

Poster PresentationTitle: Lentiviral Mediated Gene Therapy for Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency: A Global Phase 1 Study for Adult and Pediatric PatientsSession Title: Gene Editing, Therapy and Transfer: Poster IIPresenter: Jos Luis Lpez Lorenzo, M.D., Hospital Universitario Fundacin Jimnez Daz, Madrid, SpainSession Date: Sunday, December 6, 2020Session Time: 7:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Time)

About Fanconi AnemiaFanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare pediatric disease characterized by bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer predisposition. The primary cause of death among patients with FA is bone marrow failure, which typically occurs during the first decade of life. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when available, corrects the hematologic component of FA, but requires myeloablative conditioning. Graft-versus-host disease, a known complication of allogeneic HSCT, is associated with an increased risk of solid tumors, mainly squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region. Approximately 60-70% of patients with FA have a Fanconi Anemia complementation group A (FANCA) gene mutation, which encodes for a protein essential for DNA repair. Mutation in the FANCA gene leads to chromosomal breakage and increased sensitivity to oxidative and environmental stress. Increased sensitivity to DNA-alkylating agents such as mitomycin-C (MMC) or diepoxybutane (DEB) is a gold standard test for FA diagnosis. Somatic mosaicism occurs when there is a spontaneous correction of the mutated gene that can lead to stabilization or correction of a FA patients blood counts in the absence of any administered therapy. Somatic mosaicism, often referred to as natural gene therapy provides a strong rationale for the development of FA gene therapy because of the selective growth advantage of gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cells over FA cells.

About Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-ISevere Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) is a rare, autosomal recessive pediatric disease caused by mutations in the ITGB2 gene encoding for the beta-2 integrin component CD18. CD18 is a key protein that facilitates leukocyte adhesion and extravasation from blood vessels to combat infections. As a result, children with severe LAD-I are often affected immediately after birth. During infancy, they suffer from recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections that respond poorly to antibiotics and require frequent hospitalizations. Children who survive infancy experience recurrent severe infections including pneumonia, gingival ulcers, necrotic skin ulcers, and septicemia. Without a successful bone marrow transplant, mortality in patients with severe LAD-I is 60-75% prior to the age of 2 and survival beyond the age of 5 is uncommon. There is a high unmet medical need for patients with severe LAD-I.

Rockets LAD-I research is made possible by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (Grant Number CLIN2-11480). The contents of this press release are solely the responsibility of Rocket and do not necessarily represent the official views of CIRM or any other agency of the State of California.

About Pyruvate Kinase DeficiencyPyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) is a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting from a mutation in the PKLR gene encoding for the pyruvate kinase enzyme, a key component of the red blood cell glycolytic pathway. Mutations in the PKLR gene result in increased red cell destruction and the disorder ranges from mild to life-threatening anemia. PKD has an estimated prevalence of 3,000 to 8,000 patients in the United States and the European Union. Children are the most commonly and severely affected subgroup of patients. Currently available treatments include splenectomy and red blood cell transfusions, which are associated with immune defects and chronic iron overload.

RP-L301 was in-licensed from the Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER) and Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Fundacion Jimenez Diaz (IIS-FJD).

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The companys platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients afflicted with rare genetic diseases. Rocket's clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia and Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), a bone marrow-derived disorder. Rockets first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. For more information about Rocket, please visit http://www.rocketpharma.com.

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsVarious statements in this release concerning Rocket's future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket's expectations regarding its guidance for 2020 in light of COVID-19, the safety, effectiveness and timing of product candidates that Rocket may develop, to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) and Danon Disease, and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "will give," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket's ability to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on its business operations and take steps to ensure the safety of patients, families and employees, the interest from patients and families for participation in each of Rockets ongoing trials, our expectations regarding the delays and impact of COVID-19 on clinical sites, patient enrollment, trial timelines and data readouts, our expectations regarding our drug supply for our ongoing and anticipated trials, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket's dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Rocket's Annual Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, filed August 5, 2020 with the SEC. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Rocket Pharmaceuticals to Present Data from its Fanconi Anemia, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Programs at the 62nd...

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, and the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory (BATL) at Northeastern University, have entered into a collaborative agreement in a bid to advance analytical capabilities and drive innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry in areas including personalized medicine, monoclonal antibodies and gene and cell therapies.

BATL's globally-recognized technical training programs for regulators, industry personnel and academics, complemented by Thermo Fisher's leading ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) technology, will facilitate the development of cutting-edge analytical solutions and delivery of training designed to meet the current needs of the industry. The implementation of the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer and Thermo Scientific Vanquish Duo UHPLC System within BATL's state-of-the-art training facility will offer the accuracy, precision and reliability required to analyze the complex molecules defining the medicines of the future. Utilizing the power of these analytical systems, researchers at BATL will be in a position to develop robust, business need-driven, chromatography-based workflows for the streamlined analysis of biotherapeutics and share these methods across the industry to drive analytical advancements.

"In the last few decades we've seen the development of novel biotherapies, such as gene therapies and personalized medicines, to treat a myriad of diseases, and this level of innovation within the biopharmaceutical industry continues to grow," said Eric Grumbach, director, biopharma/pharma, chromatography and mass spectrometry, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "With new therapies, there comes a need for forward-looking analytical techniques and methods to deliver the sensitivity and accuracy required to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs. Our collaboration with BATL will provide biopharmaceutical organizations with the analytical solutions required to answer groundbreaking scientific questions, while still meeting regulations and optimizing their operations."

Jared Auclair, associate dean of professional programs and graduate affairs and director of the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory said,"Our progressive training programs focus on the science- and risk-based evaluation of therapeutics, allowing scientists to reduce the regulatory burden and deliver potentially lifesaving drugs to patients more quickly. This collaboration with Thermo Fisher not only provides us with the analytical power we need from our instruments, but also allows us to drive the development of valuable biopharmaceutical characterization and monitoring workflows to address the ever- evolving analysis needs within the industry."

BATL has implemented the Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer because of the system's proven ability to meet the requirements of late-stage biopharmaceutical developers for superior application flexibility, improved accuracy, operational simplicity and rapid turnaround times. The Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer is a natural choice for BATL, which typically works across an extensive range of samples of varying characteristics, due to the system's ability to deliver consistent results regardless of sample complexity. Additionally, BATL selected the Vanquish Duo UHPLC System for its ability to be operated in tandem mode, eliminating wait time for column equilibration, thereby further accelerating biopharmaceutical analyses.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information:Laura BrightThermo Fisher Scientific+1 562-335-8318laura.bright@thermofisher.com

Janice FoleyBioStrata+1 617-823-5555jfoley@biostratamarketing.com

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Collaboration with Northeastern University to Advance Biopharmaceutical Characterization and Monitoring Workflows -...

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that new experiments with genetically engineered mice have found clear connections among a range of autism types and abnormalities in brain cells whose chemical output forges platonic (non-sexual) feelings of love and sociability.

The findings, the researchers say, could eventually fuel the development of autism therapies that target disease symptoms spurred on by abnormalities in parvocellular oxytocin neurons, which are brain cells in the hypothalamus of mammals.

A report on the experiments was published online Oct. 27 in Neuron.

The investigators pursued evidence of the connections because of long-known variations in forms and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, and because those with Fragile X -- an inherited disorder that occurs in one in 4,000 males and one in 6,000 females -- frequently is characterized by the inability to form close social bonds.

"Autism is defined by impaired social behaviors, but not all social behaviors are the same," says Gl Dlen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "People with autism generally have less difficulty with developing very close, family bonds than with friendships. Our experiments provide evidence that these two types of affection are encoded by different types of oxytocin neurons, and that disruption of one of these types of neurons is responsible for the characteristic social impairments seen in autism."

For more than a century, Dlen says, scientists have known there are two types of neurons in the hypothalamus. The neurons release the so-called "love hormone" oxytocin, which induces contractions during childbirth, reduces stress and fosters bonding among animals across mammalian species, including humans.

A magnocellular oxytocin neuron, which is one type of oxytocin-releasing neuron, releases huge quantities of oxytocin to the brain and body -- as much as 500 times or more than is released by parvocellular oxytocin neurons, which limit their scope and avoid flooding the body with all-consuming feelings of love.

As their name suggests, magnocellular oxytocin neurons are larger than other neurons and can send their arm-like axons beyond the blood-brain barrier. Among their functions, magnocellular oxytocin neurons stir filial love -- what Dlen calls "mad love" -- and bonding between infants and mothers, and between sexual partners.

Dlen's research shows that parvocellular oxytocin neurons, which comes from the Greek word "parvo" or "small" -- also encode social behaviors, but a different kind than the magnocellular neurons encode. While magnocellular oxytocin neurons encode social behaviors related to reproduction (pair bonding and parental bonding), parvocellular oxytocin neurons encode social behaviors related to what Dlen calls "love in moderation," or the platonic love that is important to communities (friends and colleagues).

To study if and how autism symptoms are associated with disruptions in either or both of magnocellular and parvocellular neurons, Dlen and her team first genetically engineered mice to glow a fluorescent light in all oxytocin neurons, magno and parvo. Then, knowing that magnocellular neurons project their axons and chemicals beyond the blood/brain barrier, the research team used dyes that stay within the barrier to mark only the parvocellular neurons -- which are rarer and harder to detect, as well as smaller in size.

Next, Dlen enlisted the help of Johns Hopkins scientist Loyal Goff, Ph.D., an expert in charting the genetic profile of individual cells. The technique, called single cell sequencing, specifically reads an individual cell's RNA -- a genetic cousin to DNA -- which indicates how the cell's genetic code is being read and which proteins are being produced. The way our genetic code is read makes one cell type different from another.

"This study is a comprehensive characterization of two types of closely-related neurons involved in the regulation of social behavior," says Goff, assistant professor of genetic medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "One of the things that makes this study so unique is the multi-modal aspect of this characterization; relating anatomical, morphological, electrophysiological, transcriptional, genetic, and behavioral features to fully define the relevant and important differences between these two types of neurons."

The research team used single cell sequencing and other gene-tracking tools and techniques to ensure that the subpopulations of magnocellular and parvocellular neurons were, indeed, distinct, so that they could genetically alter each group to determine if a change would induce autism-like behaviors in mice. What the researchers measured included how much the mice liked their social interactions and how much they preferred things associated with those social interactions (such as bedding).

To re-create a model of autism in mice, the scientists turned to the FMR1 gene, which is linked to Fragile X, an inherited disorder characterized by intellectual disability, but also one of the most commonly identified causes of autism, occurring in about five percent of people with the condition.

In humans, the FMR1 gene is silenced through a cellular process that adds chemicals called methyl groups to the gene. This same process does not occur in mice, so to replicate the FMR1 gene abnormality, the scientists genetically engineered the mice to have no functioning FMR1 gene either throughout the brain or only in parvocellular neurons.

The researchers studied how mice without FMR1 valued the rewards from forming a social bond with an adult female mouse serving as a surrogate parent. These mice learned to like bedding associated with the surrogate parent, but not bedding associated with social interactions with peer mice -- evidence that mutations in genes that cause autism selectively disrupt platonic love, but spare filial love.

When the scientists deleted the FMR1 gene in parvocellular cells only, not magnocellular cells, the mice had the same reaction: intact affinity for things associated with their surrogate parent, compared with things associated with peer mice. The scientists found no such preference in mice lacking FMR1 in oxytocin magnocellular cells.

In a further set of experiments to pin down the specificity of their findings with the oxytocin-producing neurons, the scientists studied how certain genes linked to risk for autism were turned on or off, or expressed, among the two types of oxytocin neurons. They found that significantly more autism risk genes had higher expression levels in parvocellular neurons compared with magnocellular neurons. However, when the scientists looked at genes for schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, there were no such differences in gene expression between the two oxytocin neuron types.

"This tells us that the difference we are seeing between the two types of oxytocin neurons relates to the disease that is characterized by impaired social behaviors, but not diseases where this behavior is not a defining symptom," says Dlen.

She also notes, "What may be happening in the brain is that even though all brain cells may carry a particular mutation associated with autism, some neurons are more vulnerable to the symptoms related to social bonding."

Dlen plans to conduct similar studies on genes associated with other types of autism. She says her work may indicate that drugs currently being tested for autism -- such as intranasal oxytocin -- could prove ineffective because the treatments target magnocellular neurons, which the new study indicates is not central to the disease. Instead, she says, their evidence suggests that parvocellular oxytocin neurons should be the focus of drug development for autism.

Reference:Connie Jiang, Loyal A. Goff, Gl Dlen et al. Parallel Social Information Processing Circuits Are Differentially Impacted in Autism. Neuron, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.10.002

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Mouse Studies Link Some Autism to Brain Cells That Guide Sociability and Platonic Love - Technology Networks

Vertex Announces European Commission Approval for KALYDECO (ivacaftor) as First and Only CFTR Modulator to Treat Eligible Infants With Cystic Fibrosis as Early as Four Months of Age

- Approval provides opportunity to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis earlier than ever before in Europe -

LONDON 4 November 2020 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that the EuropeanCommission has granted approval of thelabel extension for KALYDECO (ivacaftor) granules to include the treatment of infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 4 months and older and weighing at least 5 kg who have the R117H mutation or one of the following gating (class III) mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene: G551D, G1244E, G1349D, G178R, G551S, S1251N, S1255P, S549N or S549R.

Our very first CFTR modulator, KALYDECO, was first approved eight years ago, for certain CF patients ages 6 years and older. With todays approval, babies as young as 4 months are eligible and we believe early treatment is important in managing CF, said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President, Vertex. Todays approval is a testament to our commitment to keep going until all people with CF have a treatment option.

The label update is based on data from a cohort in the 24-week Phase 3 open-label safety study (ARRIVAL) consisting of six children with CF ages four months to less than six months who have eligible gating mutations.

KALYDECO (ivacaftor) will be now available to additional eligible patients in Germany and will be available shortly in countries that have entered into innovative long-term reimbursement agreements with Vertex, including the UK, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. In all other countries, Vertex will work closely with relevant authorities in Europe to secure access for eligible patients.

KALYDECO (ivacaftor) is already approved in Europe for people with CF ages 6 months and older weighing at least 5 kg who have one of the following mutations in the CFTR gene: G551D, G1244E, G1349D, G178R, G551S, R117H, S1251N, S1255P, S549N or S549R.

About Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a rare, life-shortening genetic disease affecting approximately 75,000 people worldwide. CF is a progressive, multi-system disease that affects the lungs, liver, GI tract, sinuses, sweat glands, pancreas and reproductive tract. CF is caused by a defective and/or missing CFTR protein resulting from certain mutations in the CFTR gene. Children must inherit two defective CFTR genes one from each parent to have CF. While there are many different types of CFTR mutations that can cause the disease, the vast majority of all people with CF have at least one F508del mutation. These mutations, which can be determined by a genetic test, or genotyping test, lead to CF by creating non-working and/or too few CFTR proteins at the cell surface. The defective function and/or absence of CFTR protein results in poor flow of salt and water into and out of the cells in a number of organs. In the lungs, this leads to the buildup of abnormally thick, sticky mucus that can cause chronic lung infections and progressive lung damage in many patients that eventually leads to death. The median age of death is in the early 30s.

About KALYDECO (ivacaftor)

Ivacaftor is the first medicine to treat the underlying cause of CF in people with specific mutations in theCFTRgene. Known as a CFTR potentiator, ivacaftor is an oral medicine designed to keep CFTR proteins at the cell surface open longer to improve the transport of salt and water across the cell membrane, which helps hydrate and clear mucus from the airways.

For complete product information, please see the Summary of Product Characteristics that can be found on http://www.ema.europa.eu.

About Vertex

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has multiple approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) a rare, life-threatening genetic disease and has several ongoing clinical and research programs in CF. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust pipeline of investigational small molecule medicines in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including pain, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. In addition, Vertex has a rapidly expanding pipeline of genetic and cell therapies for diseases such as sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Founded in 1989 inCambridge, Mass.,Vertex's global headquarters is now located inBoston'sInnovation Districtand its international headquarters is inLondon. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America,Europe,AustraliaandLatin America.Vertexis consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including11 consecutive years onScience magazine'sTop Employers listand a best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visitwww.vrtx.comor follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements made by Dr. Reshma Kewalramani in this press release, and statements regarding the eligible patient population in Europe, our expectations regarding the timing of access to KALYDECO for eligible patients four months of age and older across countries in Europe, and our plans to secure access to KALYDECO for additional eligible patients four months of age and older in Europe. While Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company's beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that data from the company's development programs may not support registration or further development of its compounds due to safety, efficacy or other reasons, risks related to commercializing KALYDECO in Europe, and other risks listed under Risk Factors in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available through the company's website at http://www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.

(VRTX-GEN)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals IncorporatedInvestors:InvestorInfo@vrtx.com

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617-961-7163

Media:mediainfo@vrtx.com orInternational: +44 20 3204 5275

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Vertex Announces European Commission Approval for KALYDECO (ivacaftor) as First and Only CFTR Modulator to Treat Eligible Infants With Cystic Fibrosi...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT), a pioneering genomic diagnostics company, announced that the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has approved its Prosigna Breast Cancer Gene Signature Assay. The G-BA decision to reimburse the Prosigna test will provide access to the test for all breast cancer patients in Germany with HR+/HER2- early-stage breast cancer.

The Prosigna Assay is a second-generation breast cancer test, meaning that it uses advanced genomic technology combined with clinical and pathologic features to inform next steps for patients with early-stage breast cancer. The test analyzes the activity of 50 genes known as the PAM50 gene signature, along with tumor size, lymph node involvement, and a tumor proliferation score to provide early-stage breast cancer patients and their physicians with a prognostic score indicating the probability of cancer recurrence during the next 10 years.

We are pleased with the G-BA decision, which will enable more breast cancer patients and their physicians in Germany to benefit from the genomic insights offered by our Prosigna test, said Bonnie Anderson, chairman and chief executive officer of Veracyte. Further, because Prosigna is performed by laboratories locally, this decision will enable German laboratories to deliver precision medicine solutions directly to their physician customers.

The Prosigna test is recommended in guidelines from the German Association of Gynecologic Oncology (AGO), as well as the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom.

Every year around 70,000 women in Germany develop early breast cancer. In many cases, a clear therapy recommendation for or against adjuvant chemotherapy is challenging based on the clinicopathological criteria alone. The Federal Joint Committee supports the use of biomarkers, now including Prosigna, to inform treatment decisions based upon the patients individual cancer recurrence risk.

About Prosigna

Prosigna is a prognostic Breast Cancer Gene Signature assay indicated in female breast cancer patients who have undergone either mastectomy or breast-conserving therapy in conjunction with locoregional treatment consistent with standard of care, either as a prognostic indicator for distant recurrence-free survival at 10 years in post-menopausal women with Hormone Receptor- Positive (HR+), lymph node-negative, Stage I or II breast cancer or lymph node-positive (13 positive nodes, or 4 or more positive nodes), Stage II or IIIA breast cancer to be treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy alone, when used in conjunction with other clinicopathological factors.

In addition to the risk of recurrence (ROR) information, in Europe the assay provides the intrinsic subtypes of the tumor tissue within three groups low, intermediate and high. The tests performance is validated for use on the nCounter Analysis System in laboratories across Europe.

About Veracyte

Veracyte (Nasdaq: VCYT) is a global genomic diagnostics company that improves patient care by providing answers to clinical questions, informing diagnosis and treatment decisions throughout the patient journey in cancer and other diseases. The companys growing menu of genomic tests leverage advances in genomic science and technology, enabling patients to avoid risky, costly diagnostic procedures and quicken time to appropriate treatment. The companys tests in thyroid cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are available to patients and its lymphoma subtyping test is in development. With Veracytes exclusive global license to a best-in-class diagnostics instrument platform, the company is positioned to deliver its tests to patients worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.veracyte.com and follow the company on Twitter (@veracyte).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, our statements related to our plans, objectives, expectations (financial and otherwise) or intentions with respect to Veracytes Prosigna Breast Cancer Gene Signature Assay for use in predicting long-term risk of recurrence among breast cancer patients. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "expect," "believe," "should," "may," "will" and similar references to future periods. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding Veracytes belief that its Prosigna Breast Cancer Gene Signature Assay helps physicians accurately predict long-term risk of recurrence among breast cancer patients. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from our predictions, and include, but are not limited to: Veracytes ability to achieve and maintain reimbursement coverage for its tests; the continued inclusion of its tests in recommendations of medical associations and agencies; the benefits of Veracytes tests and the applicability of clinical results to actual outcomes. Factors that may impact these forward-looking statements can be found in Item 1A Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2020 and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 2, 2020. A copy of these documents can be found at the Investors section of our website at http://www.veracyte.com. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Veracyte specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or reasons why actual results might differ, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Veracyte, Afirma, Percepta, Envisia, Prosigna, LymphMark, and the Veracyte logo are trademarks of Veracyte, Inc.

Continued here:
Prosigna Breast Cancer Assay Now Approved for Reimbursement in Germany - Business Wire

DetailsCategory: Small MoleculesPublished on Thursday, 05 November 2020 11:36Hits: 152

Patients treated with Lynparza and bevacizumab lived without disease progression for a median of 37.2 months vs. 17.7 months with bevacizumab alone

One in two women with advanced ovarian cancer has an HRD-positive tumour

LONDON, UK I November 5, 2020 I AstraZeneca and MSDs Lynparza (olaparib) has been approved in the European Union (EU) for the 1st-line maintenance treatment with bevacizumab of patients with homologous recombination deficient (HRD)-positive advanced ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the EU and the five-year survival rate is approximately 45%, due partly because women are often diagnosed with advanced disease (Stage III or IV).1-3

The approval by the European Commission was based on a biomarker subgroup analysis of the PAOLA-1 Phase III trial which showed Lynparza, in combination with bevacizumab maintenance treatment, demonstrated a substantial progression-free survival (PFS) improvement versus bevacizumab alone for patients with HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer. It follows the recommendation for approval by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency in September 2020.

Isabelle Ray-Coquard, principal investigator of the PAOLA-1 Phase III trial and medical oncologist, Centre Lon Brard and President of the GINECO group, Paris, France, said: For women with advanced ovarian cancer, the goal of 1st-line treatment is to delay disease progression for as long as possible with the intent of achieving long-term remission. Unfortunately, once a patients cancer recurs, it historically has been incurable. Lynparza together with bevacizumab has demonstrated an impressive median progression-free survival benefit of more than three years and is poised to become the standard of care for eligible patients with HRD-positive tumours in the EU.

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, said: Half of all newly diagnosed patients with advanced ovarian cancer have HRD-positive tumours. Women treated with Lynparza in combination with bevacizumab in the PAOLA-1 Phase III trial lived progression free for a median of more than three years, showing that HRD testing should be an essential component of clinical diagnosis. HRD status can help physicians select a personalised 1st-line treatment regimen for patients to substantially delay relapse in this devastating disease.

Roy Baynes, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Development, Chief Medical Officer, MSD Research Laboratories, said: Biomarker testing has rapidly enhanced our understanding of how PARP inhibition can help target this disease. The EU approval reinforces that HRD-positive tumours represent a distinct subset of advanced ovarian cancer and HRD testing is critical for women in this setting.

The PAOLA-1 Phase III trial showed thatLynparza,in combination with bevacizumab maintenance treatment, reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 67% (based on a hazard ratio of 0.33; 95% confidence interval 0.25-0.45). The addition ofLynparzaimproved PFS to a median of 37.2 months versus 17.7 with bevacizumab alone in patients with HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer. The data from the PAOLA-1 trial was published inThe New England Journal of Medicinein 2019.

Further results recently presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020 showed a statistically significant improvement in the key secondary endpoint of the time to second disease progression (PFS2). Lynparza with bevacizumab provided benefit beyond first disease progression, improving PFS2 to a median of 50.3 months versus 35.3 with bevacizumab alone.

The full EU indication is for Lynparza in combination with bevacizumab for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with advanced (FIGO Stages III and IV) high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who are in response (complete or partial) following completion of 1st-line platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab and whose cancer is associated with HRD positive status defined by either a breast cancer susceptibility gene 1/2 (BRCA1/2) mutation and/or genomic instability.

Lynparzain combination with bevacizumab isapproved in the USand in several other countries as a 1st-line maintenance treatment for patients with HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer and is currently under regulatory review in other countries around the world.

Financial considerations

Following this approval for Lynparza in the EU, AstraZeneca will receive a regulatory milestone payment from MSD of $25m, anticipated to be booked as collaboration revenue during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Ovarian cancer

In 2018, there were nearly 68,000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in the EU and around 45,000 deaths.3Approximately 50% of ovarian cancers are HRD-positive including BRCA1/2 mutation.4,5Approximately 15% of ovarian cancers have a BRCA1/2 mutation.6 The primary aim of 1st-line treatment is to delay disease progression for as long as possible with the intent to achieve long-term remission.7-9

Homologous recombination deficiency

HRD, which defines a subgroup of ovarian cancer, encompasses a wide range of genetic abnormalities, including BRCA mutations and beyond. As with BRCA gene mutations, HRD interferes with normal cell DNA repair mechanisms and confers sensitivity to PARP inhibitors including Lynparza.10

PAOLA-1

PAOLA-1 is a double-blinded Phase III trial testing the efficacy and safety ofLynparzaadded to standard-of-care bevacizumab versus bevacizumab alone, as a 1st-line maintenance treatment for newly diagnosed advanced FIGO Stage III-IV high-grade serous or endometroid ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer patients who had a complete or partial response to 1st-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab.AstraZeneca and MSD announced in August 2019 that the trial met its primary endpoint of PFS in the overall trial population.

Lynparza

Lynparza (olaparib) is a first-in-class PARP inhibitor and the first targeted treatment to block DNA damage response (DDR) in cells/tumours harbouring a deficiency in homologous recombination repair (HRR), such as mutations in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2. Inhibition of PARP with Lynparza leads to the trapping of PARP bound to DNA single-strand breaks, stalling of replication forks, their collapse and the generation of DNA double-strand breaks and cancer cell death. Lynparza is being tested in a range of PARP-dependent tumour types with defects and dependencies in the DDR pathway.

Lynparza is currently approved in a number of countries, including those in the EU, for the maintenance treatment of platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. It is approved in the US, the EU, Japan, China, and several other countries as 1st-line maintenance treatment of BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer following response to platinum-based chemotherapy. It is also approved in the US as a 1st-line maintenance treatment with bevacizumab for patients with HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer (BRCAm and/or genomic instability). Lynparza is approved in the US, Japan, and a number of other countries for germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative, metastatic breast cancer, previously treated with chemotherapy; in the EU, this includes locally advanced breast cancer. It is also approved in the US, the EU and several other countries for the treatment of germline BRCAm metastatic pancreatic cancer. Lynparza is approved in the US for homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (BRCAm and other HRR gene mutations). Regulatory reviews are underway in several countries for ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

Lynparza, which is being jointly developed and commercialised by AstraZeneca and MSD, has been used to treat over 30,000 patients worldwide. Lynparza has the broadest and most advanced clinical trial development programme of any PARP inhibitor, and AstraZeneca and MSD are working together to understand how it may affect multiple PARP-dependent tumours as a monotherapy and in combination across multiple cancer types. Lynparza is the foundation of AstraZeneca's industry-leading portfolio of potential new medicines targeting DDR mechanisms in cancer cells.

The AstraZeneca and MSD strategic oncology collaboration

In July 2017, AstraZeneca and Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, US, known as MSD outside the US and Canada, announced a global strategic oncology collaboration to co-develop and co-commercialise Lynparza, the worlds first PARP inhibitor, and Koselugo (selumetinib), a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitor, for multiple cancer types. Working together, the companies will develop Lynparza and Koselugo in combination with other potential new medicines and as monotherapies. Independently, the companies will develop Lynparza and Koselugo in combination with their respective PD-L1 and PD-1 medicines.

AstraZeneca in oncology

AstraZeneca has a deep-rooted heritage in oncology and offers a quickly growing portfolio ofnew medicines that has the potential to transform patients lives and the Companys future. With seven new medicines launched between 2014 and 2020, and a broad pipelineof small molecules and biologics in development, the Company is committed to advance oncology as a key growth driver for AstraZeneca focused on lung, ovarian, breast and blood cancers.

By harnessing the power of four scientific platforms Immuno-Oncology, Tumour Drivers and Resistance, DNA Damage Response and Antibody Drug Conjugates and by championing the development of personalised combinations, AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer treatment and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

References

1. EuroHealth. (2018). Ovarian Cancer: The Silent Killer. Available at: https://eurohealth.ie/policy-brief-women-and-ovarian-cancer-in-the-eu-2018/ [Accessed October 2020].

2. ECIS. (2020).Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in 2020, for all cancer sites. Available here [Accessed October 2020].

3. The World Health Organization. IARC. Globocan. (2018). Available at: http://gco.iarc.fr/ [Accessed October 2020].

4. Moschetta et al. (2016). BRCA somatic mutations and epigenetic BRCA modifications in serous ovarian cancer. Annals of Oncology, 27(8), pp.1449-1455.

5. Bonadio et al. (2018). Homologous recombination deficiency in ovarian cancer: a review of its epidemiology and management. Clinics, 73(Suppl 1): e450s.

6. Ramus. (2009). The Contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to Ovarian Cancer. Molecular Oncology, 3(2), pp.138150.

7. Raja et al. (2012). Optimal first-line treatment in ovarian cancer. Annals on Oncology. 23 Suppl 10, x118-127.

8. NHS Choices, Ovarian Cancer Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cancer/treatment/ [Accessed October 2020].

9. Ledermann et al. (2013). Newly diagnosed and relapsed epithelial ovarian carcinoma: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology, 24, pp.vi24-vi32.

10. Moore, K. (2018). Maintenance Olaparib in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(26), pp.2495-2505.

SOURCE: AstraZeneca

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Lynparza approved in the EU as 1st-line maintenance treatment with bevacizumab for HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer | Small Molecules | News...

NEW YORK, Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortress Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO) (Fortress), an innovative revenue-generating company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing or monetizing promising biopharmaceutical products and product candidates cost-effectively, today announced that data from two of its clinical programs have been accepted for presentation at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, which is being held virtually from December 5 8, 2020.

Phase 2 data on Caelum Biosciences (Caelum) CAEL-101 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory amyloid light chain AL amyloidosis will be presented by the Cleveland Clinic during oral and poster sessions. CAEL-101, which is being developed in a collaboration between Caelum, a company founded by Fortress, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently progressed into Phase 3 development. In addition, interim Phase 1/2 data on Mustang Bios (Mustang) MB-106, a CD20-targeted, autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, will be presented by Mustangs research partner Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) during a poster session.

Lindsay A. Rosenwald, M.D., Fortress Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, We are looking forward to data from two of our clinical programs being presented in oral and poster sessions at the ASH Annual Meeting. CAEL-101 and MB-106 are important product candidates that are poised to fill the urgent need for new treatment options and make a meaningful difference for patients.

Details of the presentations are as follows:

CAEL-101 Oral Presentation:

Title: Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of CAEL-101 in AL Amyloidosis Patients Treated on a Phase 2, Open-Label, Dose Selection Study to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerability of CAEL-101 in Patients with AL AmyloidosisSession: 653. Myeloma/Amyloidosis: Therapy, excluding Transplantation; Novel Approaches for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma and AmyloidosisAbstract: 729Date and Time: Monday, December 7, 2020, 5:45 p.m. ETPresenter: Jason Valent, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University; Staff Department of Hematology and Oncology, Director Multiple Myeloma Program, Taussig Cancer Institute, Co-Director Amyloidosis CenterCleveland Clinic

CAEL-101 Poster Presentation:

Title: CAEL-101 Is Well-Tolerated in AL Amyloidosis Patients Receiving Concomitant Cyclophosphamide-Bortezomib-Dexamethasone (CyborD): A Phase 2 Dose-Finding Study (NCT04304144)Session: 653. Myeloma: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Poster II Abstract: 2277Date and Time: Sunday, December 6, 2020, 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. ETPresenter: Jason Valent, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University; Staff Department of Hematology and Oncology, Director Multiple Myeloma Program, Taussig Cancer Institute, Co-Director Amyloidosis CenterCleveland Clinic

MB-106 Poster Presentation:

Title: Third Generation CD20 Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy (MB-106) for Treatment of Patients with Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Non-Hodgkin LymphomaSession: 704. Immunotherapies: Poster IAbstract: 1443Date and Time: Saturday, December 5, 2020, 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. ETPresenter: Mazyar Shadman, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch, Seattle, WA

For more information, please visit the 62nd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition website at https://www.hematology.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts.

About CAEL-101 (Light Chain Fibril-reactive Monoclonal Antibody for AL Amyloidosis)CAEL-101 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody (mAb) designed to improve organ function by reducing or eliminating amyloid deposits in the tissues and organs of patients with AL amyloidosis. The antibody is designed to bind to misfolded light chain protein and amyloid and shows binding to both kappa and lambda subtypes. In a Phase 1a/1b study, CAEL-101 demonstrated improved organ function, including cardiac and renal function, in 27 patients with relapsed and refractory AL amyloidosis who had previously not had an organ response to standard of care therapy. CAEL-101 has received Orphan Drug Designation from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicine Agency as a therapy for patients with AL amyloidosis.

About Caelum BiosciencesCaelum Biosciences, Inc. (Caelum) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases. Caelums lead asset, CAEL-101, is a novel antibody for the treatment of patients with amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis. In 2019, Caelum entered a collaboration agreement with Alexion under which Alexion acquired a minority equity interest in Caelum and an exclusive option to acquire the remaining equity in the company based on Phase 3 CAEL-101 data. Caelum was founded by Fortress Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO). For more information, visitwww.caelumbio.com.

About MB-106 (CD20-targeted CAR T Cell Therapy)CD20 is a membrane-embedded surface molecule which plays a role in the differentiation of B-cells into plasma cells. The CAR T was developed by Mustangs research partner, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), in the laboratory of Oliver Press, M.D., Ph.D., and Brian Till, M.D., in the Clinical Research Division and exclusively licensed to Mustang Bio in 2017. MB-106 has been optimized as a third-generation CAR derived from a fully human antibody and is currently in a Phase 1/2 open-label, dose-escalation trial at Fred Hutch in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Additional information on the trial can be found at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov using the identifier NCT03277729.

About Mustang BioMustang Bio, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating todays medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases. Mustang aims to acquire rights to these technologies by licensing or otherwise acquiring an ownership interest, to fund research and development, and to outlicense or bring the technologies to market. Mustang has partnered with top medical institutions to advance the development of CAR T therapies across multiple cancers, as well as a lentiviral gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID), also known as bubble boy disease. Mustang is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Mustang was founded by Fortress Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO). For more information, visit http://www.mustangbio.com.

About Fortress Biotech Fortress Biotech, Inc. (Fortress) is an innovative biopharmaceutical company that was ranked number 10 in Deloittes 2019 Technology Fast 500, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing North American companies in the technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech sectors, based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth over a three-year period. Fortress is focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing high-potential marketed and development-stage drugs and drug candidates. The company has five marketed prescription pharmaceutical products and over 25 programs in development at Fortress, at its majority-owned and majority-controlled partners and at partners it founded and in which it holds significant minority ownership positions. Such product candidates span six large-market areas, including oncology, rare diseases and gene therapy, which allow it to create value for shareholders. Fortress advances its diversified pipeline through a streamlined operating structure that fosters efficient drug development. The Fortress model is driven by a world-class business development team that is focused on leveraging its significant biopharmaceutical industry expertise to further expand the companys portfolio of product opportunities. Fortress has established partnerships with some of the worlds leading academic research institutions and biopharmaceutical companies to maximize each opportunity to its full potential, including Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AstraZeneca, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, InvaGen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (a subsidiary of Cipla Limited), St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Nationwide Childrens Hospital. For more information, visit http://www.fortressbiotech.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain 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, as amended. As used below and throughout this press release, the words we, us and our may refer to Fortress individually or together with one or more partner companies, as dictated by context. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our growth strategy and product development programs and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include: risks relating to our growth strategy; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; risks relating to the results of research and development activities; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; risks relating to the timing of starting and completing clinical trials; our dependence on third-party suppliers; risks relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and its potential impact on our employees and consultants ability to complete work in a timely manner and on our ability to obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all; our ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel; the early stage of products under development; our need for substantial additional funds; government regulation; patent and intellectual property matters; competition; as well as other risks described in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as may be required by law, and we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information contained herein is intended to be reviewed in its totality, and any stipulations, conditions or provisos that apply to a given piece of information in one part of this press release should be read as applying mutatis mutandis to every other instance of such information appearing herein.

Company Contacts:Jaclyn Jaffe and William BegienFortress Biotech, Inc.(781) 652-4500ir@fortressbiotech.com

Investor Relations Contact:Daniel FerryLifeSci Advisors, LLC(617) 430-7576daniel@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Relations Contact:Tony Plohoros6 Degrees(908) 591-2839tplohoros@6degreespr.com

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Fortress Biotech Announces Oral and Poster Data Presentations at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting - GlobeNewswire

CRANBURY, N.J., Nov. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD), a patient-dedicated global biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel medicines for rare diseases, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. The Company also summarized recent program updates and reiterated its full-year 2020 guidance.

John F. Crowley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Amicus Therapeutics, Inc., stated, During the third quarter, we made tremendous progress advancing our mission for patients and are on track to achieve our 2020 key strategic priorities, including our global Fabry commercial launch, Pompe late-stage development program, and advancing our industry-leading gene therapy pipeline. Through these efforts, we remain strongly positioned to achieve our vision of delivering groundbreaking new medicines and hopefully, one day, cures for people living with rare diseases.

Corporate Highlights

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

1 Full reconciliation of GAAP results to the Companys non-GAAP adjusted measures for all reporting periods appear in the tables to this press release.

2020 Financial Guidance

2 A reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP expectation and the corresponding GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable effort due to high variability, complexity and low visibility as to the items that would be excluded from the GAAP measure.

Anticipated Milestones by Program

Galafold (migalastat) Oral Precision Medicine for Fabry Disease

AT-GAA for Pompe Disease

Gene Therapy Portfolio

About Galafold

Galafold (migalastat) 123 mg capsules is an oral pharmacological chaperone of alpha-Galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A) for the treatment of Fabry disease in adults who have amenable GLA variants. In these patients, Galafold works by stabilizing the bodys own dysfunctional enzyme so that it can clear the accumulation of disease substrate. Globally, Amicus Therapeutics estimates that approximately 35 to 50 percent of Fabry patients may have amenable GLA variants, though amenability rates within this range vary by geography. Galafold is approved in over 40 countries around the world, including the U.S., EU, U.K., Japan and others.

U.S. INDICATIONS AND USAGEGalafold is indicated for the treatment of adults with a confirmed diagnosis of Fabry disease and an amenable galactosidase alpha gene (GLA) variant based on in vitro assay data.

This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on reduction in kidney interstitial capillary cell globotriaosylceramide (KIC GL-3) substrate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

About Amicus Therapeutics

Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD) is a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel high-quality medicines for people living with rare metabolic diseases. With extraordinary patient focus, Amicus Therapeutics is committed to advancing and expanding a robust pipeline of cutting-edge, first- or best-in-class medicines for rare metabolic diseases. For more information please visit the companys website at http://www.amicusrx.com, and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Amicus Therapeutics Announces Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results and Corporate Updates - Citybizlist