- The company anticipates clinical timelines for HS-410 to remain materially unchanged
DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heat Biologics, Inc. (“Heat”) (Nasdaq:HTBX), an immuno-oncology company developing novel therapies that activate a patient’s immune system against cancer, announced that the company has recently concluded that the cell line on which HS-410 is based had been previously misidentified. Heat has advised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of this conclusion, and the FDA has placed Heat’s HS-410 Phase 2 clinical trial on partial clinical hold while they review the updated documentation provided by Heat. Heat believes the partial clinical hold does not relate to concerns regarding the safety of HS-410. All currently enrolled patients can continue receiving HS-410 treatment, or comparator drugs, as per the current study protocol, but no new patients can be enrolled in Heat’s open-label, monotherapy arm until the partial clinical hold is lifted. Heat will amend all necessary documents including the related investigator brochure, study protocol and informed consent document.
Heat is working diligently in collaboration with the FDA to resume enrollment in its clinical trial. Heat has confirmed that HS-410 drug product has remained consistent throughout all clinical trials and anticipates continuing development of HS-410 for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with the existing cell line, contingent upon FDA’s removal of the partial clinical hold. All data generated and reported to date remains unchanged, including HS-410’s positive safety profile, immune response and shared antigenic profile with patient tumors. Heat anticipates that the partial clinical hold will be resolved quickly and that enrollment timelines for its Phase 2 trial evaluating HS-410 either alone or in combination with standard of care, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), for the treatment of NMIBC will remain materially unchanged. As previously announced, Heat completed enrollment for the trial’s randomized, combination arms in October 2015 and continues to expect to report topline efficacy, immune-response and safety data in the fourth quarter of 2016.
About HS-410 (vesigenurtacel-L)
HS-410 is an investigational product candidate for NMIBC based on Heat’s proprietary ImPACT immunotherapy platform, designed to generate CD8+ “killer” T cells that attack cancer cells. HS-410 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2, placebo-controlled, 100-patient NMIBC trial at multiple centers and has been granted U.S. FDA Fast Track Designation for the treatment of NMIBC.
About Heat Biologics, Inc.
Heat Biologics, Inc. (Nasdaq:HTBX) is an immuno-oncology company developing novel therapies that activate a patient’s immune system against cancer. Heat’s highly specific T cell-stimulating platform technologies, ImPACT and ComPACT, form the basis of its product candidates. These platforms, in combination with other therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors, are designed to address three distinct but synergistic mechanisms of action: robust activation of CD8+ “killer” T cells (one of the human immune system’s most potent weapons against cancer); reversal of tumor-induced immune suppression; and T cell co-stimulation to further enhance patients’ immune response. Currently, Heat is conducting a Phase 2 trial with its HS-410 (vesigenurtacel-L) in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and a Phase 1b trial with its HS-110 (viagenpumatucel-L) in combination with an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For more information, please visit www.heatbio.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions. These statements are based upon current beliefs, expectations and assumptions and include statements regarding Heat’s belief that the partial clinical hold does not relate to concerns regarding the safety of HS-410; the anticipated quick resolution of the partial clinical hold; the anticipated continued development of HS-410 for the treatment of NMIBC with the existing cell line; the anticipation that enrollment timelines for Heat’s Phase 2 trial evaluating HS-410 either alone or in combination with BCG will be unaffected by the clinical hold; the topline Phase 2 data expected in the fourth quarter of 2016; and the potential of Heat’s ImPACT and ComPACT therapies. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict, including the ability of Heat's ImPACT and ComPACT therapies to perform as designed, the ability to enroll patients and complete the clinical trials on time, the timing of the lifting of the partial clinical hold and the impact of the clinical hold and the other factors described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and Heat's other filings with the SEC. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release based on new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.