Benzinga | Sep 21, 2020 04:46PM EDT

ERYTECH Provides Business Update: Says Had Cash And Equivalents Of $51M At End Of Jun.

* TRYbeCA-1 Phase 3 trial in second-line metastatic pancreatic cancer: More than 90% of the planned 500 patients enrolled Fast-Track designation granted by U.S. FDA Interim superiority analysis expected in Q1 2021; final analysis in 2H of 2021

* NOPHO-sponsored Phase 2 trial in second-line acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Completed patient enrollment: 55 patients enrolled Encouraging interim results: target level and duration of asparaginase activity reached Final data expected by the end of 2020

* Cash and cash equivalents of (euro)45.4 million ($51.0 million) at the end of June 2020

* Cash horizon extended with a convertible bond financing

* Establishment of At-The-Market (ATM) financing facility announced

LYON, France and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ERYTECH Pharma (Nasdaq & Euronext: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, today provided a business and financial update.

"Our focus during the second quarter of 2020 has been on continuing our clinical operations and preserving study integrity during the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring the health of our employees, the patients and the medical professionals involved in our clinical programs," said Gil Beyen, CEO of ERYTECH Pharma. "We have succeeded well in ensuring our patients' continued access to treatment and appropriate follow-up despite the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since June, trial enrollment in TRYbeCA-1 has resumed at pre-COVID-19 levels, and more than 90% of patients have been enrolled in the trial. We expect to report the results of the interim superiority analysis in the first quarter of 2021 and the final analysis in the second half of 2021. Other key highlights of our second quarter have been the FDA's granting of a Fast Track designation for eryaspase in pancreatic cancer and the encouraging interim results in the NOPHO investigator sponsored Phase 2 trial in second-line acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The NOPHO trial is now fully enrolled with 55 patients treated and we are expecting full data to be available before the end of the year. With the closing of a convertible debt financing, complemented with the recent establishment of an ATM facility, we have put financing alternatives in place that can allow us to extend our cash horizon until the end of the third quarter of next year, beyond the expected upcoming data read-outs."

Business Highlights

* TRYbeCA-1, the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating ERYTECH's lead product candidate, eryaspase, in second-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, has randomized more than 450 of the approximately 500 patients to be enrolled in the trial. The Company has put measures in place to facilitate trial conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to expect to complete enrollment in the fourth quarter of 2020. The interim superiority analysis, to be conducted by the IDMC when two-thirds of the events have occurred, is currently expected to take place in the first quarter of 2021. Therequired eventsfor the interim analysis are projected to accrue before year-end. Due to COVID-19-related challenges with data cleaning, the actual reporting of the interim results is expected in the first quarter of 2021. Since the interim analysis does not include a test for futility, there will be two possible outcomes: the trial will either (1) continue toward a final analysis, expected in the second half of 2021, or (2) be concluded early if the trial successfully meets the primary endpoint of prolonging overall survival. In April 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted eryaspase Fast Track Designation as a potential second-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The Phase 2 trial of eryaspase in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who developed hypersensitivity to pegylated asparaginase, sponsored by the Nordic Organization of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (NOPHO), completed target enrollment in June 2020. Fifty-five patients have been enrolled at 22 clinical sites in the Nordic and Baltic countries of Europe. Preliminary findings of the study suggest that eryaspase achieved the target level and duration of asparaginase activity in these patients. Additionally, the addition of eryaspase to the combination chemotherapy was associated with an acceptable tolerability profile, enabling the majority of these patients to receive their fully intended courses of asparginase. Initial feedback obtained from FDA has confirmed that ALL patients experiencing hypersensitivity to pegylated asparaginase represents an unmet medical need, given the limited treatment choices for these patients. ERYTECH plans to further discuss these data with FDA to determine the potential next steps and to assess the path forward for eryaspase in this setting. Reporting of final data from the NOPHO trial is expected by the end of 2020.