Full Press Release Details
Iovance Biotherapeutics Reports Results
from FDA End of Phase 2 meeting and Provides Updates About the Company's Clinical Program
SAN CARLOS, CA - Oct 11, 2018 -
-FDA acknowledged acceptability of a single-arm cohort
for registration in metastatic melanoma post PD-1 blocking antibody and, if BRAF mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor or BRAF inhibitor
-FDA recommended amending existing ongoing Phase 2 study
C-144-01 to add a registration-enabling cohort (Cohort 4)
-Cohort 4 enrollment is expected to begin early 2019 with
a BLA submission expected in the second half of 2020
-37% objective response rate (ORR) demonstrated in 46
metastatic melanoma patients previously treated with a PD-1 blocking antibody and, if BRAF mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor,
with duration of response ranging from 1.3+ to 14+ months
-31% ORR in 13 recurrent
metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cancer patients and a 27% ORR in 15 recurrent, metastatic or persistent
cervical carcinoma patients
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IOVA), a biotechnology
company developing novel cancer immunotherapies based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) technology, today reported results
from an FDA End of Phase 2 meeting and provided a corporate update.
The company reported that an End of Phase 2 meeting with the
FDA was held. FDA has acknowledged the potential acceptability of a single-arm cohort for registration. FDA has further acknowledged
that conduct of a randomized Phase 3 trial may not be feasible in its intended population of advanced melanoma patients who have
been treated with at least one systemic therapy including a PD-1 blocking antibody and if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor
or BRAF inhibitor with MEK inhibitor and is not required for initial registration of lifileucel. A new cohort of 80-100 patients
in C-144-01 will be enrolled with a prospective definition of the primary endpoint of ORR to be read out by a Blinded Independent
Review Committee (BIRC) to support registration of lifileucel. This new cohort, which the company refers to as Cohort 4, will be
initiated in early 2019 and is expected to be fully enrolled by late 2019/early 2020. BLA submission to FDA is expected in the
second half of 2020.
The company also reported that
Iovance was granted a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation for lifileucel in advanced melanoma based
on data provided to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the company's C-144-01 study. RMAT designation is granted
for regenerative medicine drugs and allows for increased access to FDA during development. Under this designation, surrogate endpoints
can be used to receive approval for a product, accelerated approval may be granted, and a rolling review of a Biologics License
Application (BLA) may be possible for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).
"We are very excited with the progress made at Iovance
during 2018. Specifically, we are pleased to have alignment with FDA regarding acceptability of
a single-arm cohort to support registration of our lead product. In addition, we have greatly optimized our manufacturing
process with Gen 2, leading to a scalable, commercial manufacturing process. We now have a global footprint with our clinical sites
resulting in increased clinical enrollment and have produced sufficient data to discuss our registration path with FDA. As part
of the recent interactions, we have also received an RMAT designation allowing for more frequent interactions with the FDA, benefiting
from the agency's guidance during development of lifileucel," said Dr. Maria Fardis,
Ph.D., MBA, president and chief executive officer of Iovance Biotherapeutics.
About Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
Iovance Biotherapeutics,
Inc. (the Company) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of cancer immunotherapy products for
the treatment of various cancers. The Company's lead product candidate is an adoptive cell therapy using TIL technology being investigated
for the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma, recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck,
recurrent, metastatic or persistent cervical cancer and locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. For more information,
please visit http://www.iovance.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking
statements". The Company may, in some cases, use terms such as "predicts," "believes," "potential,"
"continue," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "intends,"
"may," "could," "might," "will," "should" or other words that convey
uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. In particular, the Company's statements
trends and potential future results, including those relating to its financial condition,
its clinical programs and product pipeline, its clinical data, its regulatory plans, and the timing and costs of these trends
and results, are examples of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include, but are not limited
to, the efficacy, safety, tolerability and cost of the Gen 2 manufacturing process, the
success, timing and cost of the Company's ongoing clinical trials and anticipated clinical trials for its current
product candidates, including both Company-sponsored and collaborator-sponsored trials (for example, the FDA strongly recommended
that the Company validate a potency assay prior to starting its Cohort 4 of the C-144-01 study for metastatic melanoma, and if
there is a delay in such validation, then the timing of our clinical trial may be delayed); statements
regarding the timing of initiation and completion of the trials; statements with respect to the preliminary clinical results from
ongoing Phase 2 studies described above, which may not be reflected in the final analyses of these trials; whether results obtained
in the Company's ongoing clinical trials, such as the studies and trials referred to in this release, will be indicative
of results obtained in future clinical trials or supportive of product approval; the timing of and the Company's
ability to obtain or maintain FDA or other regulatory authority approval of, or other action with respect to, its product candidates
(specifically, our FDA interactions are subject to FDA's interpretation and authority
to request new and additional information), such as the Company's ability to
address FDA or other regulatory authority requirements relating to its clinical programs and registrational plans, such requirements
including, but not limited to, clinical, safety (the safety findings from the Company's studies remain consistent
with previous reports for advanced cancer patients, including two grade 5 treatment adverse events to date), manufacturing,
or control requirements by FDA for additional cohorts of our clinical trials, as well as the Company's ability to utilize
accelerated FDA review designations, such as the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation, to address regulatory requirements
for approval of its products; the strength of the Company's product pipeline; the successful implementation of the
Company's research and development programs and collaborations; statements regarding the approval of lifileucel and that
a Phase 3 trial may not be required; statements regarding the timing for BLA submission; the success of the Company's manufacturing,
license or development agreements; the ability of the Company to obtain and maintain intellectual
property rights relating to its product pipeline; the acceptance by the market of the Company's product candidates
and their potential reimbursement by payors, if approved; the Company's cash guidance; and other factors, including general
economic conditions and regulatory developments, and adequate capital resources to meet the projected timelines (for example,
the start of the Company's Cohort 4 and the included timeline will depend on the Company's ability to raise additional
capital), not within the Company's control. The factors discussed herein could cause actual results and developments to
be materially different from those expressed in or implied by such statements. A further list and description of the Company's
risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's
subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov
or www.iovance.com. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and the Company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
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