UNITED STATES
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CURRENT REPORT
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Item 8.01. | Other Events. |
On April 11, 2022, Curis, Inc. (“Curis” or the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has placed a partial clinical hold on the Company’s TakeAim Lymphoma Phase 1/2 study (NCT03328078). The TakeAim Lymphoma study is a Phase 1/2 open-label dose escalating clinical trial investigating orally-administered emavusertib (CA-4948) in patients with B-cell malignancies. While the partial hold is in place, no new patients will be enrolled in the study, and current study participants benefiting from treatment may continue to be treated with emavusertib at doses of 300mg BID or lower after being reconsented. The Company had already paused enrollment in the TakeAim Lymphoma study voluntarily in connection with its announcement on April 4, 2022 of the FDA’s partial clinical hold on the Company’s Phase 1/2 TakeAim Leukemia trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (NCT04278768).
The full text of the press release issued in connection with this announcement is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, any statements concerning Curis’s expectations regarding its interactions with the FDA, its ability to resolve the partial clinical hold of the TakeAim Leukemia study or the partial clinical hold of the TakeAim Lymphoma study, and Curis’s plans to advance its development programs for emavusertib, including with respect to anticipated results, clinical trials, regulatory plans and timelines; and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may contain the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “intends,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “assumes,” “predicts,” “projects,” “targets,” “will,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” “potential,” “focus,” “strategy,” “mission,” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. For example, the FDA may not remove the partial clinical hold on the Phase 1/2a TakeAim Leukemia trial or the partial clinical hold on the Phase 1/2 TakeAim Lymphoma trial, or may take further regulatory action with regard to such trials. Curis may experience adverse results, delays and/or failures in its drug development programs and may not be able to successfully advance the development of its drug candidates in the time frames it projects, if at all. Curis’s drug candidates may cause unexpected toxicities, fail to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in clinical studies and/or may never achieve the requisite regulatory approvals needed for commercialization. Favorable results seen in preclinical studies and early clinical trials of Curis’s drug candidates may not be replicated in later trials. There can be no guarantee that the collaboration agreements with Aurigene and ImmuNext, or the CRADA with NCI, will continue for their full terms, that Curis or its collaborators will each maintain the financial and other resources necessary to continue financing its portion of the research, development and commercialization costs, or that the parties will successfully discover, develop or commercialize drug candidates under the collaboration. Regulatory authorities may determine to delay or restrict Genentech’s and/or Roche’s ability to continue to develop or commercialize Erivedge in BCC. Erivedge may not demonstrate sufficient or any activity to merit its further development in disease indications other than BCC. Competing drugs may be developed that are superior to Erivedge. In connection with its agreement with Oberland Capital, Curis faces risks relating to the transfer and encumbrance of certain royalty and royalty-related payments on commercial sales of Erivedge, including the risk that, in the event of a default by Curis or its wholly-owned subsidiary, Curis could lose all retained rights to future royalty and royalty-related payments, Curis could be required to repurchase such future royalty and royalty-related payments at a price that is a multiple of the payments it has received, and its ability to enter into future arrangements may be inhibited, all of which could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and stock price. Curis will require substantial additional capital to fund its business. If it is not able to obtain sufficient funding, it will be forced to delay, reduce in scope or eliminate some of its research and development programs, including related clinical trials and operating expenses, potentially delaying the time to market for, or preventing the marketing of, any of its product candidates, which could adversely affect its business prospects and its ability to continue operations, and would have a negative impact on its financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategies. Curis faces substantial competition. Curis and its
collaborators face the risk of potential adverse decisions made by the FDA and other regulatory authorities, investigational review boards, and publication review bodies. Curis may not obtain or maintain necessary patent protection and could become involved in expensive and time-consuming patent litigation and interference proceedings. Unstable market and economic conditions, natural disasters, public health crises, political crises and other events outside of Curis’s control could significantly disrupt its operations or the operations of third parties on which Curis depends, and could adversely impact Curis’s operating results and its ability to raise capital. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic may result in closures of third-party facilities, impact enrollment in clinical trials or impact sales of Erivedge by Genentech and/or Roche. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may impact Curis’s business or operating results is uncertain. Other important factors that may cause or contribute to actual results being materially different from those indicated by forward-looking statements include the factors set forth under the captions “Risk Factor Summary” and “Risk Factors” in our most recent Form 10-K, and the factors that are discussed in other filings that we periodically make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the views of Curis only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing Curis’s views as of any subsequent date. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit Number |
Description | |
99.1 | Press Release dated April 11, 2022 | |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Curis, Inc. | ||||||
Date: April 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ James E. Dentzer | ||||
James E. Dentzer | ||||||
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Exhibit 99.1
PRESS RELEASE
Curis Announces FDA Partial Clinical Hold for TakeAim Lymphoma Study of Emavusertib (CA-4948)
Curis voluntarily paused enrollment in this study earlier
LEXINGTON, Mass., April 11, 2022 Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial clinical hold on the Companys TakeAim Lymphoma study (NCT03328078). The TakeAim Lymphoma study is a Phase 1/2 open-label dose escalating clinical trial investigating emavusertib in patients with B-cell malignancies.
This notification from the FDA Division of Hematologic Malignancies 2 (DHM2), which regulates clinical studies in lymphoma, is separate from the notification previously received from the FDA Division of Hematologic Malignancies 1 (DHM1), which regulates clinical studies in leukemia.
This weeks notification extends the partial hold across both studies. This is not unexpected, as both studies treat patients with emavusertib. And, as previously announced, the Company had already voluntarily paused enrollment in the TakeAim Lymphoma study in connection with its announcement on April 4, 2022 of the FDAs partial clinical hold on the TakeAim Leukemia study.
We reiterate our previous comments: we are committed to ensuring the safety of patients in our studies and to working collaboratively with the FDA to develop therapies that meaningfully improve and extend patients lives, said James Dentzer, Chief Executive Officer of Curis. Given the clinical profile of emavusertib observed to date, we are hopeful that the study can be resumed soon, after appropriate review. We continue to be confident in the potential of emavusertib to address the high unmet need of patients with B-cell cancers, AML, or MDS.
While the partial hold on the TakeAim Lymphoma study is in place, no new patients will be enrolled in that study, and current study participants benefiting from treatment may continue to be treated with emavusertib at doses of 300mg BID or lower after being reconsented.
Consistent with the previous notification, FDA is requesting additional safety, efficacy, and other data relating to emavusertib, including data related to rhabdomyolysis and the Companys determination of the Recommended Phase 2 Dose for emavusertib.
Curis expects to provide updated guidance on the timing of discussing the potential for a rapid registrational path for emavusertib with the FDA after the partial clinical holds are resolved and the related impact on the trials can be determined.
About Curis, Inc.
Curis is a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. In 2015, Curis entered into a collaboration with Aurigene in the areas of immuno-oncology and precision oncology. As part of this collaboration, Curis has exclusive licenses to oral small molecule antagonists of immune checkpoints including the VISTA/PDL1 antagonist CA-170, and the TIM3/PDL1 antagonist CA-327, as well as the IRAK4 kinase inhibitor, emavusertib (CA-4948). Emavusertib is currently undergoing testing in the Phase 1/2 TakeAim Lymphoma trial, in patients with B-cell malignancies, both as a monotherapy and in combination with BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, and the Phase 1/2 TakeAim Leukemia trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, for which it has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has placed a partial clinical hold on the TakeAim Leukemia trial during which no new patients will be enrolled in the study, and current study participants benefiting from treatment may continue to be treated with emavusertib at doses of 300mg BID or lower. The FDA has also placed a partial clinical hold on the TakeAim Lymphoma trial during which no new patients will be enrolled in the study, and current study participants benefiting from treatment may continue to be treated with emavusertib at doses of 300mg BID or lower after being reconsented. In addition, Curis is engaged in a collaboration with ImmuNext for development of CI-8993, a monoclonal anti-VISTA antibody, which is currently undergoing testing in a Phase 1 trial in patients with solid tumors. Curis is also party to a collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, under which Genentech and Roche are commercializing Erivedge® for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma. For more information, visit Curiss website at www.curis.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, any statements concerning Curiss expectations regarding its interactions with the FDA, its ability to resolve the partial clinical hold of the TakeAim Leukemia study or the partial clinical hold of the TakeAim Lymphoma study, and Curiss plans to advance its development programs for emavusertib, including with respect to anticipated results, clinical trials, regulatory plans and timelines; and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may contain the words believes, expects, anticipates, plans, intends, seeks, estimates, assumes, predicts, projects, targets, will, may, would, could, should, continue, potential, focus, strategy, mission, or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. For example, the FDA may not remove the partial clinical hold on the Phase 1/2a TakeAim Leukemia trial or the partial clinical hold on the Phase 1/2 TakeAim Lymphoma trial, or may take further regulatory action with regard to such trials; Curis may experience adverse results, delays and/or failures in its drug development programs and may not be able to successfully advance the development of its drug candidates in the time frames it projects, if at all. Curiss drug candidates may cause unexpected toxicities, fail to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in clinical studies and/or may never achieve the requisite regulatory approvals needed for commercialization. Favorable results seen in preclinical studies and early clinical trials of Curiss drug candidates may not be replicated in later trials. There can be no guarantee that the collaboration agreements with Aurigene and ImmuNext, or the CRADA with NCI, will continue for their full terms, that Curis or its collaborators will each maintain the financial and other resources necessary to continue financing its portion of the research, development and commercialization costs, or that the
2
parties will successfully discover, develop or commercialize drug candidates under the collaboration. Regulatory authorities may determine to delay or restrict Genentechs and/or Roches ability to continue to develop or commercialize Erivedge in BCC. Erivedge may not demonstrate sufficient or any activity to merit its further development in disease indications other than BCC. Competing drugs may be developed that are superior to Erivedge. In connection with its agreement with Oberland Capital, Curis faces risks relating to the transfer and encumbrance of certain royalty and royalty-related payments on commercial sales of Erivedge, including the risk that, in the event of a default by Curis or its wholly-owned subsidiary, Curis could lose all retained rights to future royalty and royalty-related payments, Curis could be required to repurchase such future royalty and royalty-related payments at a price that is a multiple of the payments it has received, and its ability to enter into future arrangements may be inhibited, all of which could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and stock price. Curis will require substantial additional capital to fund its business. If it is not able to obtain sufficient funding, it will be forced to delay, reduce in scope or eliminate some of its research and development programs, including related clinical trials and operating expenses, potentially delaying the time to market for, or preventing the marketing of, any of its product candidates, which could adversely affect its business prospects and its ability to continue operations, and would have a negative impact on its financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategies. Curis faces substantial competition. Curis and its collaborators face the risk of potential adverse decisions made by the FDA and other regulatory authorities, investigational review boards, and publication review bodies. Curis may not obtain or maintain necessary patent protection and could become involved in expensive and time-consuming patent litigation and interference proceedings. Unstable market and economic conditions, natural disasters, public health crises, political crises and other events outside of Curiss control could significantly disrupt its operations or the operations of third parties on which Curis depends, and could adversely impact Curiss operating results and its ability to raise capital. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic may result in closures of third-party facilities, impact enrollment in clinical trials or impact sales of Erivedge by Genentech and/or Roche. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may impact Curiss business or operating results is uncertain. Other important factors that may cause or contribute to actual results being materially different from those indicated by forward-looking statements include the factors set forth under the captions Risk Factor Summary and Risk Factors in our most recent Form 10-K, and the factors that are discussed in other filings that we periodically make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the views of Curis only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing Curiss views as of any subsequent date. Curis disclaims any intention or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
For further information:
Craig West
VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Curis, Inc.
617-503-6507
cwest@curis.com
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Document and Entity Information |
Apr. 11, 2022 |
---|---|
Cover [Abstract] | |
Entity Registrant Name | CURIS INC |
Amendment Flag | false |
Entity Central Index Key | 0001108205 |
Document Type | 8-K |
Document Period End Date | Apr. 11, 2022 |
Entity Incorporation State Country Code | DE |
Entity File Number | 000-30347 |
Entity Tax Identification Number | 04-3505116 |
Entity Address, Address Line One | 128 Spring Street |
Entity Address, Address Line Two | Building C - Suite 500 |
Entity Address, City or Town | Lexington |
Entity Address, State or Province | MA |
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code | 02421 |
City Area Code | (617) |
Local Phone Number | 503-6500 |
Written Communications | false |
Soliciting Material | false |
Pre Commencement Tender Offer | false |
Pre Commencement Issuer Tender Offer | false |
Security 12b Title | Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 per share |
Trading Symbol | CRIS |
Security Exchange Name | NASDAQ |
Entity Emerging Growth Company | false |
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