Rockville, MD, Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced updated results from a Phase 1/2 dose expansion study of flotetuzumab, an investigational, bispecific CD123 x CD3 DART molecule in patients with primary induction failure and early relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The data were presented in an oral session at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Orlando, FL, taking place December 7-10, 2019.

Patients with AML who have failed primary induction therapy or relapsed early after an initial response represent a significant unmet medical need. A remission rate of 32% observed in the ongoing study of flotetuzumab in this extremely challenging patient population is noteworthy, said Geoffrey Uy, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Importantly, by implementing a lead-in dosing schedule for flotetuzumab, as well as early intervention with tocilizumab in this study, we were able to mitigate cytokine release syndrome, known to be associated with T-cell engagers.

In the Phase 1/2 (NCT02152956) open-label, dose expansion study, 30 patients classified as primary induction failure or early relapsed AML who had received a median of four prior therapies were treated with flotetuzumab at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of 500 ng/kg/day by continuous infusion. Data were reported as of the cut-off date of November 1, 2019. The study is currently ongoing, with additional patients being enrolled.

Responses, including complete remission (CR), CRh (CR with partial hematological recovery) and CRi (CR with incomplete hematological improvement) per a modified International Working Group (IWG) Response Criteria for AML, are summarized in the table below. Four responders received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as consolidation therapy and remain in remission after 6 to 21 months.

The most common treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) was infusion-related reaction/cytokine release syndrome (IRR/CRS) that occurred in all (30/30) patients. However, most CRS events observed were of short duration and mild to moderate (grade 1 or 2) in severity, with only one grade 3 event reported in one patient.

Based on the encouraging data from this study, and pending anticipated discussions with the FDA in the first half of 2020, we are planning for a potential registration-enabling study of flotetuzumab in this high unmet need population of patients with refractory AML, who have limited treatment options, said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics.

A separate oral presentation described translational research that showed an inflammatory (IFN--related) gene expression signature in a subset of patients with AML that correlated with a lack of response to induction chemotherapy. Furthermore, the same gene signature was associated with patients more likely to respond to flotetuzumab, supporting the mechanism being exploited by this molecule. In addition, AML patients with an immune-infiltrated tumor micro-environment show high expression of immune checkpoint molecules, including PD-L1, which provides a scientific rationale for combining flotetuzumab with checkpoint blockade as a potential mechanism for enhanced anti-leukemic activity. MacroGenics has initiated a study combining flotetuzumab with MGA012, an anti-PD-1 antibody, given the strong preclinical and translational data that indicate the combination may enhance CD123-directed T cell killing.

Flotetuzumab Presentations at ASH

Oral Presentations

Poster Presentations

These slide and poster presentations are available on the Events & Presentations page on MacroGenics' website at http://ir.macrogenics.com/events.cfm.

Conference Call & Webcast

MacroGenics management and external guest speakers will host a conference call and audio webcast today at 8:00 p.m. ET to review the flotetuzumab data presented at the ASH Annual Meeting and discuss ongoing clinical development plans.

To participate in the MacroGenics ASH 2019 Conference Call, please dial (877) 303-6253 (domestic) or (973) 409-9610 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and provide the Conference ID: 3625435. A listen-only slide and audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://ir.macrogenics.com/events.cfm. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and archived on the Company's website for 30 days.

About Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic stem cell malignancy characterized by differentiation arrest and uncontrolled clonal proliferation of neoplastic precursors that prevent normal bone marrow hematopoiesis. Nearly 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, with a median age of 69 years at diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of newly diagnosed patients fail to achieve a complete remission with intensive induction therapy (primary induction failure) or experience disease recurrence after a short remission duration (<6 months; early relapsed). A very small number of these patients are expected to respond to salvage therapy. In addition, although new targeted agents have been approved for the treatment of frontline or relapsed/refractory AML in recent years, approximately 50% of patients have no known targetable mutations.

About Flotetuzumab

Flotetuzumab (also known as MGD006) is a clinical-stage molecule that recognizes both CD123 and CD3. CD123, the interleukin-3 receptor alpha chain, has been reported to be over-expressed on cancer cells in AML and other hematologic malignancies. The primary mechanism of action of flotetuzumab is believed to be its ability to redirect T lymphocytes to kill CD123-expressing cells. To achieve this, the DART molecule combines a portion of an antibody recognizing CD3, an activating molecule expressed by T cells, with an arm that recognizes CD123 on the target cancer cells.

Flotetuzumab is currently being evaluated in the U.S. and Europe in a Phase 1/2 dose expansion study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and initial anti-leukemic activity of the molecule in patients with relapsed/refractory AML. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to flotetuzumab for the treatment of AML. A Phase 1/2 study in combination with MGA012, a proprietary anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed/refractory AML is being conducted ex-U.S. MGA012 (also known as INCMGA00012) was exclusively licensed to Incyte Corporation in 2017 under a global collaboration and license agreement; MacroGenics retains the right to develop its pipeline molecules with MGA012. MacroGenics retains global development and commercialization rights to flotetuzumab.

About MacroGenics, Inc.

MacroGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company generates its pipeline of product candidates primarily from its proprietary suite of next-generation antibody-based technology platforms, which have applicability across broad therapeutic domains. The combination of MacroGenics' technology platforms and protein engineering expertise has allowed the Company to generate promising product candidates and enter into several strategic collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information, please see the Company's website at http://www.macrogenics.com. MacroGenics, the MacroGenics logo and DART are trademarks or registered trademarks of MacroGenics, Inc.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future operations, clinical development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, milestone or opt-in payments from the Company's collaborators, the Company's anticipated milestones and future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy constitute 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. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation and enrollment of future clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials, expectations for regulatory approvals, other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the Company's product candidates and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

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MacroGenics Presents Flotetuzumab Data in Patients with Primary Induction Failure and Early Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the 2019 ASH Annual...