Category Archives: Autologous

Thoughts on Autolus’s CAR-T Program; Q2 2020 Earnings Call

On Thursday, August 6, Autolus held their Q2 2020 earnings call (press release/ presentation). The company announced that updated data from the AUTO3 Ph1/2 ALEXANDER study in ≥3L DLBCL will be presented at ESMO on September 18, 2020. In addition, management stated that they have experienced minimal interruption to their clinical program from COVID-19, except for the Ph1 AUTO4 trial (≥2L r/r TRBC1+ TCL) where data readout has been delayed from Q4 2020 to H1 2021. Below, Celltelligence provides key takeaways from the call, and thoughts on how Autolus’s CAR-T program, particularly in ALL (AUTO1) and DLBCL (AUTO3), may be able to compete with CAR-T leaders Novartis, Gilead, and BMS.

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Gilead Highlights No Impact of COVID-19 on Yescarta Sales; Two New LCM Initiatives for Yescarta; Q2 2020 Earnings Call Summary

On Thursday, July 30, Gilead held their Q2 2020 earnings call (press release / financial report / presentation). The company highlighted resilient Yescarta sales despite the COVID-19 pandemic, growing 11% QoQ and 37% YoY WW. Of note, Gilead highlighted the recent approval of Tecartus and ongoing LCM efforts for both approved CAR-T’s. Below Celltelligence highlights key LCM initiatives for 2021 and the significance of a synergistic authorized treatment center (ATC) onboarding protocol for Gilead.

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bluebird bio Highlights Ide-cel Resubmission; Q2 2020 Earnings Call

On Wednesday, August 5, bluebird bio released their Q2 2020 financial results (press release). No new data was reported; however, the company highlighted the successful resubmission of their ide-cel BLA application. Below, Celltelligence provides insights on ide-cel’s potential approval date in the EU and a possible alternative messaging strategy for the CAR-T in earlier lines of therapy.

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Thoughts on Gilead’s Recent FDA Approval for Tecartus (KTE-X19) in R/R Mantle Cell Lymphoma

On Friday, July 24, Gilead announced (press release) FDA approval of Tecartus (brexucabtagene autoleucel, formerly KTE-X19), the first and only CAR-T treatment for r/r mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Priority review for Tecartus was based on results from the Ph2 ZUMA-2 trial; a single-arm, open-label study in which 87% of patients responded, with a 62% CR rate. Below, Celltelligence provides manufacturing insights between Yescarta/Tecartus, and how Gilead’s onboarding policy may influence competitors’ future roll-out of additional CAR-T products.

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Kymriah Sales Unaffected By COVID-19, but Ph3 Adult ALL Trial Withdrawn; Novartis Q2 2020 Earnings Update

On Tuesday, July 21, Novartis held their Q2 2020 earnings call (press release / financial report / presentation). Of note, Kymriah sales were resilient despite COVID-19, growing +103% WW QoQ and +27% WW versus Q1 2020. Interestingly, the Ph3 OBERON trial investigating Kymriah in adult ALL has been omitted from Novartis’s pipeline. Below, Celltelligence provides thoughts on Novartis’s cell therapy program, particularly surrounding the withdrawal of the Ph3 OBERON study and the ongoing risks posed by competitors, Gilead and Autolus, on Kymriah’s continued sales growth.

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BMS and bluebird bio Resubmit Ide-cel to FDA; Dynamic H1 2021 BCMA Launch Environment Expected with Janssen

On Wednesday, July 29, BMS and bluebird bio announced (press release) the resubmission of their BLA application for ide-cel (bb2121) to the FDA. According to the press release, the submission provides further details on the CMC module, addressing the additional regulatory information requested by the FDA in May 2020 (see previous insight). Below, Celltelligence provides additional thoughts on ide-cel’s potential approval, and the possible benefit a delayed ide-cel launch could have for Janssen.

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Thoughts on Autolus’s Preclinical Pipeline Update; AACR II 2020 Investor Call Summary

On Thursday, June 25, Autolus held an investor call (press release / presentation), highlighting updated preclinical data from their AUTO5 (T cell lymphoma), AUTO6NG (neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, small cell lung cancer, and melanoma), and AUTO7 (metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, mCRPC) programs. Below, Celltelligence provides thoughts on the significance of these data sets, and the potential impact that Autolus’s next-generation CAR-T products could have on treating solid tumors.

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Novartis Ph1b PORTIA Results Presented at Virtual AACR II

On Monday, June 23, Novartis presented (Ulrich Jaeger et al, June 2020) updated clinical data from the Kymriah + pembrolizumab (pembro, a PD-1 inhibitor) Ph1 PORTIA study in ≥3L R/R DLBCL. Below, FENIX provides thoughts on the significance of this data, and particularly how it compares to recent CAR-T + checkpoint inhibitor data from Gilead (Yescarta), BMS (Liso-cel), and Autolus (AUTO3).

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Two New Gracell Early Ph1 Trials in MM and NHL Posted

Two new early Ph1 trials from Gracell have been observed on CT.gov: a BCMA/CD19 dual CAR-T in ≥4L R/R MM and another trial evaluating GC022F, a CD22 CAR-T rapidly manufactured <24 hours in ≥2L R/R NHL. Interestingly, both trials are being conducted at the same hospital. Below, FENIX provides insights on these new trials, particularly around how a BCMA/CD19 dual CAR-T could differentiate Gracell within the crowded BCMA MM space.

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