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Real Time Coverage Morning Session on Precision Oncology: Advancing Precision Medicine Annual Conference, Philadelphia PA November 1 2024

Reporter: Stephen J. Williams, Ph.D.

Notes from Precision Medicine for Rare Diseases 9:00AM – 10:50

Precision Medicine and markers Cure models vs disease models  Dr Ekker from UT MD Anderson

 

  • UT MD Anderson zebrafish disease model program now focusing more on figuring the mechanisms by which a disease model is reverted to normal upon CRISPR screens
  • Traditional drug development process long and expensive
  • 2nd in class only takes 4 years while 3rd in class drugs take only 1.5 years
  • Health-in-a-fish: using a CRE system to go from disease to normal
  • The theory is making a CRE or CURE avatar; taking a diseased zebrafish and reverse engineering the disease genome
  • He used transposon based CRE mutational mutants with protein trap and 3’ exon trap (transposon based mutagenesis)
  • He reverted the diseased gene by CRE
  • He feels that can scale up to using organoids to develop more cure based models

 

FDA Christine Nguyen MD regulatory perspective of framework of drug approval for rare diseases

  • 1 in 10 Amercians have rare diseases; 70% genetic and half are children
  • Due to Orphan Drug Act in 2023 half of novel drugs approved for rare diseases
  • CDER and FDA 550 unique drugs for over 1000 rare diseases
  • Clinical and surrogate validated endpoints are important for traditional approvals
  • For accelerated approval need predictive surrogate endpoint of clinical benefit
  • For accelerated approval needs completion of a confirmatory trials so FDA has new authority under FDORA; FDA can dictate trial milestones
  • Candidate surrogate endpoints: known to predict (validated) for traditional approval but reasonably likely to predict for accelerated approval
  • Does surrogate endpoint associated with a causal pathway?  Also important to understand the magnitude of benefit so surrogate should be quantitative not just qualitative
  • RDEA is a series of 3 public workshops at FY2027 to promote innovation and novel endpoints and guidance

 

Frank Sasinowski FDA regulatory flexibility beyond One Positive Adequate and Well Controlled Trial

  •  As we move to rare diseases we may only have one well controlled study so FDA feels we need new regulatory frameworks and guidelines especially for rare disease clinical trails especially with precision medicine
  • Accelerated approval does not mean your evidence is any less stringent that traditional approval (only difference is endpoint but quality of evidence the same)

 

  • Confirmatory evidence is a primary concern
  • In 2021 FDA coordinated with the two divisions CBER and CDER
  • Sometimes a primary endpoint shows positive benefit but secondary endpoints may not; FDA now feels that results from one well designed AWC gives confirmatory evidence
  • FDA can be flexible by taking in consideration the quantity and quality of confirmatory evidence and the totality of evidence
  • So pharmacology studies, natural history etc.  can be enough
  • For a drug like Lamzede for mannosidosis there were no positive endpoint studies or for ADA SCID disease there was other compelling evidence
  • The FDA does have flexibility when it comes to advanced precision medicines and ultr rare diseases

10:50 Do we Really Need Liquid Biopsy? A Panel Discussion on the Issues Hampering the full Adoption of Liquid Biopsy

  • In Mexico leading cancer is colorectal but only have the FIT test and noone except one organization who issupplying health access
  • Access to precision medicine is a concern:  the communication between the patient, who is pushing this more than healthcare, needs to be coordinated better with all stakeholders in care
  • We also need to educate many physicians even oncologists (like in Virginia) a better understanding of genetics and omics
  • FT3 consortium does testing to therapy (multistakeholder group comprised of patient advocacy groups); focus on amplifying global efforts to increase access; they are trying to make a roadmap to help access in other countries; when it comes to precision medicine it is usually the nurses that are aksing for training because they are usually the first responders for the patient’s questions
  • In rural areas just getting access to liquid biopsy is a concern and maybe satellite sites might be useful because the time to schedule is getting worse (like 3 or more months)
  •  A recent paper showed that liquid biopsy may actually perpetuate health disparities and not ameliorate them
  • BloodPAC: there are barriers to LB access and adoption so consortium felt that there were many areas that need to be addressed: financial, access, disparities, education
  • ctDNA to define variants was the past focus; there is growing realization that there are representatives populations in your R&D studies
  • Submission of data to BloodPac is easier to do for tissue not for liquid biopsy;  there is lack of harmonization across many of these databanks
  • Reimbursement: is a barrier to access for liquid biopsy
  • Illumina: challenge finding clinical utility for payers; FDA approval is not as hard; show improved outcomes for patients; Medicare is starting to approve some tests but the criteria bar keeps changing with payers; 
  • How do we leverage the on-market data to support performance of your diagnostic test or genomic panel

 

This event will be covered by the LPBI Group on Twitter.  Follow on

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LIVE 8:10 am – 11:20 am 4/27/2016 Combination Cancer Therapies: Drug Resistance and Therapeutic Index & Cancer Diagnostics: New Uses, New Reimbursements? & New Philanthropy: Patients Driving Innovation@2016 World Medical Innovation Forum: CANCER, April 25-27, 2016, Westin Hotel, Boston

2016 World Medical Innovation Forum: CANCER, April 25-27, 2016,

Partners HealthCare, Boston, at the Westin Hotel, Boston

ANNOUNCEMENT

Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business intelligence (LPBI) Group

Covering in Real Time using Social Media this Event on

CANCER Innovations

Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN, Founder LPBI Group & Editor-in-Chief

http://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com

Streaming LIVE @Westin in Boston

worldmedicalinnovation.org

 

8:10 am – 9:00 am
Novartis Ballroom

Combination Cancer Therapies: Drug Resistance and Therapeutic Index

Game-changing modern cancer therapies—immunotherapies and targeted therapies, among others—are providing promising treatment outcomes. While the results have been compelling, monotherapy does not meet the needs of many patients who require alternative strategies to achieve optimal therapeutic benefit. Panel experts will describe how combining these therapies with other drugs will steer the field in a direction that promises even better outcomes.

Moderator: Jens Eckstein, PhD, President, SR One, Venture Fund, ex-GSK
  • Optimism
  • what drives
  • sequencing tissue of tumor
  • resistence in combination therapy
  • regulatory
  • IO very rapid advancement
  • price drugs
Kenneth Anderson, MD, Director, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Kraft Family Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • 36 yrs at Dana Farber, – Multiple Myeloma specialty – 16 drugs approved last year alone 7 more drugs approved
  • genetics of tumor
  • no one class of agents:
  • immune therapies: vaccines and other immune to achieve memory immune response deals wiht all the mechanisms bringing relapse
  • Genetics have evolution, confirm a phenotype, in Myelome – excess protein production DNA damage
  • replicative stress, genetic and phenotyp e block replicative RAS
  • targeting the biology
  • preclinical and their utility for therapy in IO
  • models predictive  -success failure is as useful as predictive expected efficacy to be achieved
  • combination therapy: immune events in Host to be follow and precursor conditions –
  • sequential monitoring
  • Moonshot — need for a NATIONAL DB of unifying DATA from blood cancers and solid tumors need be combined
  • surrogate marker that can predict
  • Praise FDA proactive for breakthrough
  • new noval trial design – CMS, NIH, Academia, — small trials with surrogate end points – novel combination
  • How to use a surrugate target endpoints – how clinician will used that in the clinic
  • priming with combination of [radiation + checkpoints] in use – local tumor and distant in methastesis impact
Jeffrey Engelman, MD, PhD, Director, Thoracic Oncology and Director, Molecular Therapeutics, Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Laurel Schwartz Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • thorasic oncology
  • combination – as targeted therapy
  • lung cancer – no cure, how resistence occure combinations kill resistance clones
  • 5 drugs at once for therapeutic index
  • combination effective BRAF alone in addition with another drug – efficacy – Protocol
  • target therapy with immune -oncologu KRAS with Checkpoint blockage
  • resistance of single agent known not known in combination
  • Cancer – remission – therapy again – who it evolved – research need to include biopsy alla along: Pre-treatment vs in treatment — NOT enough
  • therapy can induce inflammation what is measured is nor immuno – biomarkers, immuno-immuno
  • non invasive approches, new therapies
Jamie Freedman, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Development, Medimmune
  • AZ 0 IO
  • agents Profiferation of combination
  • Enhance efficacy combine agents for multiple pathway attach
  • experimental examination in Patients — what is the stongest hypothesis
  • combination Immuno and Chemo – selection
  • PDL1 expression interferon gemma CD8 infiltrates – approval to one diagnostics,
  • combination synergistic effect in GCO, PGL1 alone combined with PDL1 negative
  • PDL1, PL1 inhibitors – FDA realize benefit these agents have in combination- work iwht FDA they are enabling developemnt of combination
  • memory effect, durable responses, interferon pathway combined with PL1
  • adverse effect after dose escalation, later toxicity
  • 6-8 weeks – toxicity over time – management treatment algorithms in the clinic – markers to predict toxicity
  • value of the combination – pricing each agent or the combination as a game changer – stacking 3-4 drugs, not known comtribution of each component – double the price

David Schenkein, MD, CEO, Agios Pharmaceuticals, exHead Oncology at Genentech

  • ex-Lymphoma DOc
  • combination in ClinicalTrial.gov — is not alway scientific
  • disappointing – companion diagnostics for a pre specified population
  • Science is hard – what id the predictive marker – hard to find predictive markers
  • match molecules with right parient — only then take to marker
  • relapse – how to bypass Standard of Care – adjuvant setting
  • FDA allows novel-novel– is it a synthetic combination
  • find surrogates – novel surrogates
William Sellers, MD, Vice President and Global Head of Oncology, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, ex-Broad, ex-Dana Farber
  • disappointment, incrementally will bring cure
  • in IO – setting Standard of care can block innovation because a newly approve will must be include in therapy
  • targeted therapy, conceptual GENOMICS structure: like EFGR – preclinical studies to move forword
  • RAS
  • Preclinical translational model do not work so well
  • scale translational preclinically, develop combinations and get approval
  • trial of multiple combination in an experimental fashion
  • Pharma needs to generate combination the FDA will approve
  • early novel-novel combination wihtout knowing the toxicology
  • spacing dosing makes differences
  • molecular response was not known as predictor, retroactively, become known40% needs 20 patients – early signals
9:00 am – 9:40 am
Novartis Ballroom
Chris – Beyonfd the Pill at Partners — what do we mean?

Fireside Chat: Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis

Moderator: Gregg Meyer, MD Chief Clinical Officer, Partners HealthCare

  • How Novartis stay focus??
  • Drug pricing
  • Cost of Healthcare
  • developing markets
  • Integration of Diagnostics
  • Thanks to NOVARTIS for contributions to Cambridge, MA
  • Management of Chronic illness
  • Athletic Team vs CEO
Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis, ex-Heinz arrived from Basel, out of Stanford, competitive swimmer
  • early 2000 – Gleevec
  • FIVE Types: lung, breast, renal, hematologic cancers,
  • immune-oncology 2nd generations – 5 agents – in 5 years next generation IO in a 20 year play
  • agents in the pipeline: CML + Gleevac, anti CDK4,
  • CAR-T was early –
  • 10 year to 15 year play – we added
    William Sellers, MD, Vice President and Global Head of Oncology, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, ex-Broad, ex-Dana Farber
  • R&D BioSciences — Cambridge and Basel – Pipeline must be full
  • drug pricing: 10% of HealthCare costs – shift from transactional to OUTCOME approach
  • we started with Payers – change toVALUE vs Standard of Care
  • Clinical benefit, quality of life, lower cost to the Providers, less Physician visit more self administration, help to the SOciety
  • shift pricing medicine toward Value to Patients and Society
  • Data needed on outcome base price + rebate — to reduce hopitalization in a Cardiovascular drug
  • Novartis will be paid on OUTCOME
  • Sustainability of HealthCare: adding a billion of new population of young age in the World
  • Save 25%-30% in cost of HealthCare if Outcomes of no efficacy will be eliminated
  • Emerging markets, out of pocket expense in light no insurance in
  • Novartis Access for $1 a month per person – bringing 8 drugs to the developed World
  • Oncology Group – use companion diagnosis, other drug are coming to market with a companion diagnostics
  • Biologics – Manufacturing – 4 Global plants, last year one was built in Singapore — capacity problem resolved for psorasis drug and other three now manufacture in Singapore
  • Positive Patient Outcome: Digital IT Projects
  • FDA – Patty Hamburg, brought therapies to patients by changes in FDA
  • PKCS2 – Breackthrough therapy designation by FDA
  • CAR-T – first with UPenn, site in NJ – Pediatrics – ALL – replication in Vivo cells engineered in the Lab
  • Quality assurance built into the process – set the Standard – everyone will follow
  • Chronic to survival
  • Gleevac – brought normality to life of Patients – 12 – 20 years of survival
  • CRISPR technology Intellia, gene Editing – genetic disease
  • 2nd generation IO agents
  • CAR – T
  • over 15 years R&D in Cambridge, MA Basel, SHanghai
  • Patents — Gleevac – Transform Cancer exclusivity went generic in US for 100 years CML patients for $1 a day – biggest drug, no more Patent ptotection
  • Continium  – incentives for innovation
  • Science based – LARGEST Pharma in the world: Motivate, Resources,
9:40 am – 10:30 am
Novartis Ballroom

Cancer Diagnostics: New Uses, New Reimbursements?

Advances in genetics, genomics and proteomics are driving advances in identifying and treating disease, developing new therapeutics and improving health. Use of genetic testing and molecular diagnostics is rapidly expanding in clinical practice, creating a new, personalized approach to medicine. Panelists describe key new technologies and how they will be integrated into the delivery of care.

Moderator: Jeffrey Golden, MD, Chair of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Ramzi S. Cotran Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School – ex-CHOP’s Pathology-in-Chief
  • Pathway to bring new discoveries to Patients
  • implementation barriers — how aproacing them
  • Genomics and the workflow of Care and treatment — guidelines are outdated, Clinicial busy schedule
  • Personalized Medicine at ODD with current reimbursement
Helmy Eltoukhy, PhD, CEO, Guardant Health, Inc. COntinium of care in Cancer< liquid Biopsy platform
  • hurdle upfront, liquid biopsy
  • Payers and Clinicians need to converge
  • Genomics altertions several in one Patient – technology is needed for resistance genes to be used
  • challenge incorporation of DSS – how use genomics and diagnostics one step removed from therapeutics – paradigm shifts
  • Precision Therapeutics (done best) vs Precision Diagnostics (evolving)
  • Panel sequencing in tissue – show utility
  • monitor disease, biomarker, data analytics
Marc Grodman, MD, CEO, Bioreference Laboratory $1Billion Sequence
  • Regulatory
  • scale 10,000 complex Labs
  • Test changes – iterative process
  • challenges is access – acceptance that diagnostics is not therapeutics
  • Silos: Manufacturing, institution, within institution, EMR
  • cooperative – X5 growth in volume – value of diagnostics is a contribution to care
  • Cardioniopay — 2006 – 17 genes in 2016 70 genes are implicated
  • Cancer is a rare disorders
  • Regulation for the sake
  • Physician criteria vs MedicCare, Insurance, Premium does not cover testing Genomics
  • self insured are subsidizing al the tests done and not paid for
  • Drive cost down, clinical collrelations on phynotypes
John Iafrate, MD, PhD, Associate in Pathology, Medical Director, Center for Integrated Diagnostics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
  • Companion diagnostics
  • Genetic Testing – demand in Cancer – no FDA approved and No reimbursement for the diagnostics
  • Uncertainty of FDA fro approval
  • guidelines in Molecular classification of tumot=rs for treatment of tumors
  • Test for RAS1 Kit has no diagnostics
  • Panel testing Utility need be shown gto genomics
  • data analytics
Neal Lindeman, MD, Associate Pathologist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Associate Professor, Pathology, Harvard Medical School
  • Lung Cancer Geno typing 17000 sequens whole Genome
  • Therapeutics and Diagnostics
  • what is the new innovation:
  • 1. Regulatory – CMS does not have regulatory for Laboratory work
  • 2. reimbursement
  • 3. implementation deployment
  • 4. assess success for a diagnostics
  • Barriers to implementation: at Partners vs the rest of the Country
  • CONFLICT BETWEEN EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE AND PRECISION MEDICINE
  • REIMBURSEMENT – based on clinical trials and approvals for treatment
  • Insurance does not cover EGRF even though FDA approved drugs are available for 10 years
  • detection
Michael Pellini, MD, CEO, Foundation Medicine
  • application NGS in Oncology
  • world class diagnostics and sequencins molecular diagnostics, develop DSS
  • are the standard  high
  • innovations in Diagnostics – FDA will be moving for a resseanable solution
  • Foundtion One – Genomic testing for Solid Tumors – alteration targeted to clinical target of available drug for OFF Label usage
  • reimbursement
  • access clinical trial difficult outside Big Centers
  • COnnections to community requires DSS IT for implementation
  • diagnostics is one step behind for therapeutics — if
  • seamless subtyping – subclassification – share information, for-profit need to share with Academis
  • gene-fusion solid tumor, sharing needed for Precision Medicine
  • different approach – EGFR – reseaonable done with 20% false negative
  • 4 out 1000 has the mutation – sharing informations needed
  • Molecular diagnostics vs Therapeutics – No Payer will reimburse for testing which using Molecular diagnostics
  • integrate clinical from all innovations represented by the Panel technologies

 

Risa Stack, PhD, General Manager, New Business Creation, GE Ventures – ex-CardioDx
  • molecular and sequencing
  • CLIA
  • Genomics Testing and CLIA
  • Integrated data from sources available now
10:30 am – 11:20 am
Novartis Ballroom

New Philanthropy: Patients Driving Innovation

Philanthropy’s role in driving improved cancer care has evolved rapidly over the last decade. Disease foundations have become active in nearly every phase of the care spectrum supporting innovations in the lab, clinic, patient engagement, and regulatory approval among others. Senior philanthropic leaders will describe how the foundation community is redefining roles and finding new ways to help patients as they seek to drive breakthroughs in understanding and care.

Introduction by Scott Sperling, Co-President, Thomas H. Lee, Partners

  • Funding Research
Moderator: Mallika Marshall, MD, Health Reporter, WBZ-TV/CBS Boston
  • Govrntment funding $5Billion not enough
  • Goals for the Foundation – support research and find cure
  • ALS Buckett concept
Louis DeGennaro, PhD, President and CEO, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – 140 blood diseases, no early detection
  • discover therapies
  • cure since 1994 – deploy $1Billion for research of blood cancers
  • access
  • average donation $75 achieve $300Millions
  • Program to train athletes 20 years ago – reach beyond the core constituiencies
  • social media active
  • funding 300 Projects – 1000 applications a years are accepted, Peer review
  • 2008 – Small Biotech – provide non-delutive funds to fund concepts
  • Clinical Trial matching  – accelerate the rate of going through the
  • UPenn Project was funded $20Million – Novatris Partnered on CAR-T
  • Scientific Board – 10 MDs
  • FDA – meeting with 14 Patients -dialog with Patients – preferences in therapy – Dr. Pazdor, FDA – give voice to Patients
Judy Salerno, MD, President and CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure
  • Breast cancer cause – Race for Cure – 150 Races per year — come back to the cause
  • 103 areas in US 30 regions in the World
  • $800Millions for research
  • $1.2Billion – for Community Programs
  • Areas for BRCA:
  • 1. reduce disparity in community of color – Health Equity Initiative
  • 2. metastatic disease Initiative
  • 3. Young investigators – 50% of funds Young Cancer Researchers – funds dried out
  • Survivors $200Million for Immuno-Therapy vs Shawn Parker Fund
  • We can’t ignore investment in basic science – diversifying the portfolio
  • 100 advocate trained in Science – give presentations in the C0mmunity
  • Advocate on Capital Hill on Patients ans Treatment
Billy Starr, Founder and Executive Director, Pan-Mass Challenge, 1/2 Billion Dollars for Research – 1980
  • Raise money for Dana Farber since 1980 — Money is given to Dana Farber they decide what to do
  • PMC – 1/4 million donors – $46 Million donations to Dana Farber annually – alumni event of bike riders
  • initiative is replicated in Cleveland, Seattle and other communities
  • Kids ride, alumni Parents wanted kids to know, families
  • PMC weekend – age 15 – endorsement
  • Open ceremonies on TV
  • Tracking data of Cancer survivors
  • Yakey Building built with input from Patients

#WMIF16  @PartnersWMIF

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