arvn-20231231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
________________________________________________
FORM 10-K
________________________________________________
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
Commission File Number: 001-38672
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ARVINAS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Charter)
________________________________________________
5 Science Park395 Winchester Ave.New Haven, Connecticut 06511
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (203) 535-1456
________________________________________________
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yesx No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.YesoNox
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesx No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yesx No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated Filer x Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o Smaller reporting company o
Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. □
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). □
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No x
As of June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $1,293.4 million, based on the closing price of the registrant’s Common Stock on such date. The number of shares of registrant’s Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding as of February 20, 2024 was 68,083,928.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III of this Annual Report incorporates by reference information from the definitive Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Table of Contents
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 5
Item 1A. Risk Factors 75
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 121
Item 1C Cybersecurity 121
Item 2. Properties 122
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 122
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 122
PART II
Item 6. [Reserved] 124
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 141
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 141
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 141
Item 9B. Other Information 144
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspection 144
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 145
Item 11. Executive Compensation 145
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 145
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 146
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “goals,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, among other things, statements about:
•the initiation, timing, progress and results of our current and future clinical trials of vepdegestrant (ARV-471), ARV-766, ARV-393 and ARV-102, and current clinical trials of bavdegalutamide, including statements regarding the period during which the results of the clinical trials will become available;
•the timing of, and our ability to obtain, marketing approval of our product candidates and the ability of our product candidates to meet existing or future regulatory standards;
•the potential achievement of milestones and receipt of payments under our collaborations, including our collaboration with Pfizer Inc. entered into in July 2021;
•our plans to pursue research and development of other product candidates;
•the potential advantages of our platform technology and our product candidates;
•the extent to which our scientific approach and platform technology may potentially address a broad range of diseases and disease targets;
•the potential receipt of revenue from future sales of our product candidates;
•the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates;
•our estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for our product candidates;
•our sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and strategy;
•our ability to establish and maintain arrangements for manufacture of our product candidates;
•our ability to enter into additional collaborations with third parties;
•our intellectual property position;
•our estimates regarding expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;
•the impact of government laws and regulations; and
•our competitive position.
We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K completely and with the understanding that our future results may differ
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materially from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and other data about our industry. This data
involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such data and estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the markets in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk. Cross-trial comparisons are not based on head-to-head studies and no direct comparisons can be made.
Throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the “Company,” “Arvinas,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” except where the context requires otherwise, refer to Arvinas, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, or any one or more of them as the context may require, and “our board of directors” refers to the board of directors of Arvinas, Inc.
The Arvinas name and logo are our trademarks. We also own the service mark and the registered U.S. trademark for PROTAC®. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains references to our trademarks and service marks and to those belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other entity.
Risk Factor Summary
Our business is subject to a number of risks that if realized could materially affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. These risks are discussed more fully in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks include the following:
•We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses over at least the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability. Our net losses totaled $367.3 million, $282.5 million and $191.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and may never be profitable.
•We will need substantial additional funding to continue our operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research, product development programs or any future commercialization efforts and raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
•Our approach to the discovery and development of product candidates based on our PROTAC technology platform is unproven, which makes it difficult to predict the time, cost of development and likelihood of successfully developing any products.
•We are early in our development efforts. If we are unable to commercialize our product candidates or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
•Drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process, with an uncertain outcome. We cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our preclinical testing and clinical trials. and cannot predict if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or similar regulatory authorities outside the United States will accept our proposed clinical programs or if the outcome of our preclinical testing and studies will ultimately support the further development of our programs. The results of preclinical or early clinical studies of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later clinical trials. In addition, interim top-line and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we may announce or publish from time to time can change as more patient data becomes available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data. If we are unable to obtain, or there are delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates and our business will be materially harmed.
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•We are developing and plan to continue to develop our product candidates in combination with other drugs. If the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside of the United States do not approve these other drugs, or revoke their approval of such drugs, or if safety, efficacy, manufacturing or supply issues arise with the drugs we choose to evaluate in combination with our product candidates, we may be unable to obtain approval of or market our products.
•We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.
•We currently have, and anticipate in the future seeking additional, third-party collaborators for the research, development, and potential future commercialization of some of our PROTAC programs. Our ability to generate revenues from these arrangements will depend on our collaborators’ abilities to successfully perform the functions assigned to them in these arrangements. Further, we may seek to establish additional collaborations. If we are not able to establish collaborations on commercially reasonable terms, we may have to alter our development and commercialization plans.
•We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third party research organizations to conduct our clinical trials and third party manufacturing organizations for the manufacture of both drug substance and finished drug product for our product candidates for preclinical testing and clinical trials, and we expect to continue to do so for commercialization. If the third party research organizations on which we relay do not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of trials, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our product candidates. Further, our reliance on third party manufacturing organizations may increase the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
•We will need to grow the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth, which could disrupt our operations. In particular, if we are not able to establish sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be successful in commercializing our product candidates if and when they are approved.
•If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and products or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize technology and products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and products may be impaired, and we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
•Compliance with global privacy and data security requirements could result in additional costs and liabilities to us or inhibit our ability to collect and process data globally, and the failure to comply with such requirements could subject us to significant fines and penalties, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
•Our internal computer systems and those of our collaborators, contractors, consultants and other third parties are vulnerable to cyber attacks, cyber intrusions and security breaches, which would not only materially disrupt our business operations and result in the loss of confidential information, but also damage the integrity of our clinical trials, impact our regulatory filings, compromise our ability to protect our intellectual property, and subject us to regulatory actions that could result in significant fines or other penalties.
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview, Our Product Pipeline and Programs
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies that degrade disease-causing proteins. We use our PROTAC Discovery Engine, our proprietary technology platform to engineer proteolysis targeting chimeras, or PROTAC targeted protein degraders, that are designed to harness the body’s own natural protein disposal system to selectively and efficiently degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. We believe that our targeted protein degradation approach is a therapeutic modality that may provide distinct advantages over existing modalities, including traditional small molecule therapies and gene-based medicines. We have a robust preclinical pipeline of PROTAC protein degraders targeting a broad range of intracellular disease targets, including those representing proteins that currently cannot be addressed by existing small molecule therapies, commonly referred to as “undruggable” targets. We are using our PROTAC Discovery Engine to build an extensive pipeline of protein degradation product candidates to target diseases in areas of unmet need, including oncology (including immuno-oncology), neuroscience and other therapeutic areas. We and our collaborators have initiated programs across multiple therapeutic areas with the goal of developing and delivering life-changing therapies to patients in need. We have three investigational clinical stage programs: Vepdegestrant (ARV-471), a novel PROTAC estrogen receptor, or ER, protein degrader for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER positive / human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2, negative, or ER+/HER2-, breast cancer and ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), each an oral PROTAC protein degrader that targets the androgen receptor protein, or AR, for the treatment of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC. We also have two preclinical stage product candidates: ARV-393, a PROTAC degrader designed to target the B-cell lymphoma 6, or BCL6 protein, and ARV-102, a PROTAC degrader designed to target the LRRK2 protein. Our prioritized pipeline, which includes our clinical and preclinical programs, is summarized below.
Based on signs of superior tolerability and efficacy of ARV-766 in clinical settings to date as compared to bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), early in the fourth quarter of 2023, we determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide and expect to initiate discussions with regulatory authorities to align on the Phase 3 program for this Phase 3 clinical trial by the second quarter of 2024. While we have determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for
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bavdegalutamide and have therefore excluded it from the table above, we expect to continue ongoing trial activities with bavdegalutamide (ARV-110-101 and ARV-110-103) as planned.
In addition to the programs above and our early-stage development collaborations with Pfizer, Inc., or Pfizer, Genentech, Inc. and F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., or Genentech, and Bayer AG, or Bayer (each of which are discussed below), we are conducting exploratory research and development work on multiple other undisclosed targets.
Estrogen Receptor Program: Vepdegestrant (ARV-471)
Vepdegestrant (ARV-471) is an investigational orally bioavailable PROTAC protein degrader designed to target and degrade the ER for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer. We are co-developing vepdegestrant with Pfizer pursuant to a collaboration agreement that we and Pfizer entered into in July 2021. We granted Pfizer worldwide co-exclusive rights to develop and commercialize vepdegestrant.
In preclinical studies, vepdegestrant demonstrated near-complete ER degradation in tumor cells, induced robust tumor shrinkage when dosed as a single agent in multiple ER-driven xenograft models and showed superior anti-tumor activity when compared to a standard of care agent, fulvestrant, both as a single agent and in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase, or CDK, 4/6 inhibitor.
We, along with Pfizer, have several ongoing clinical trials of vepdegestrant, designed to potentially position vepdegestrant as a backbone ER-targeting therapy in breast cancer, including:
•VERITAC-2, a Phase 3 second-line clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•Study lead-in of VERITAC-3, a Phase 3 first-line clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with IBRANCE® (palbociclib), for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•VERITAC, a Phase 2 second-line dose expansion clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy, for which enrollment of patients is complete;
•TACTIVE-N, a Phase 2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting, to inform a potential adjuvant trial, for which enrollment of patients is complete;
•TACTIVE-U, a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with multiple targeted therapies including abemaciclib, ribociclib and Carrick Therapeutics, Inc.'s, or Carrick, CDK7 inhibitor, samuraciclib, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•TACTIVE-E, a Phase 1 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with everolimus, for which enrollment of patients is complete; and
•TACTIVE-K, a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor (PF-07220060), for which we are currently enrolling patients.
We, along with Pfizer, also are planning additional clinical trials of vepdegestrant, pending health regulatory feedback on these clinical trials expected in the second half of 2024, including:
•a new first line Phase 3 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor (PF-07220060); and
•a new second line Phase 3 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib and potentially other CDK4/6 inhibitors.
Additional detail regarding each of these trials is included below.
In the first quarter of 2023, we and Pfizer gained alignment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, on an approach for VERITAC-3 and in the second quarter of 2023, we, along with Pfizer, initiated the study-lead in of the VERITAC-3 Phase 3 clinical trial in combination with palbociclib as a first-line treatment in patients with ER+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Moving forward, we expect to continue enrollment in the study-lead in of the VERITAC-3 Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the dose of
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palbociclib (100 mg or 75 mg) in combination with 200 mg of vepdegestrant once daily. The objective of this trial is to select a dose of palbociclib (100 mg or 75 mg) that, when dosed with 200 mg of vepdegestrant, results in a similar exposure and safety profile as palbociclib 125 mg in combination with aromatase inhibitors. This approach follows the analysis of data from the ongoing Phase 1b/2 ARV-471-mBC-101 combination trial of vepdegestrant with palbociclib, in which an increase in palbociclib exposure was observed relative to historical palbociclib pharmacokinetic data.
In the second quarter of 2023, we evaluated and announced preliminary data from Part C of the ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant. Preliminary results from the Part C dose escalation trial (November 2022 data cutoff from the Phase 1b combination of vepdegestrant with palbociclib at 125 mg) demonstrated an observed clinical benefit rate, or CBR (rate of confirmed complete response, confirmed partial response, or stable disease ≥24 weeks), of 60.7% (95% CI, 40.6 – 78.5) across all dose cohorts (17 of 28 CBR-evaluable patients; patients are CBR-evaluable if they received their first dose >24 weeks prior to the data cut-off). In the fourth quarter of 2023, we presented, with Pfizer, updated data (data cutoff of June 6, 2023) from the Phase 1b trial assessing vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, or SABCS. These data demonstrated a CBR of 63%, (95% CI: 47.5–76.8), or 29/46 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=21), the CBR was 67% (95% CI: 43.0 – 85.4), or 14/21 patients, an ORR in evaluable patients with measurable disease at baseline (n=31) of 42% (95% CI: 24.5–60.9), or 13/31 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=15), the ORR was 53% (95% CI: 26.6 – 78.7) and median PFS of 11.1 months 95% CI: 8.2 – NE); 22 of 46 patients across all doses had progression events by time of data cutoff. These data, including the differences in patients with mutant ESR1 or wild-type ESR1 tumors, are discussed in more detail below.
Also in the second quarter of 2023, we presented vepdegestrant preclinical data at the American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR, annual meeting that demonstrated the potential utility of vepdegestrant as an endocrine therapy backbone for combination with other targeted agents in early and late-stage ER+/HER2- breast cancer and the potential mechanisms of acquired resistance to vepdegestrant that may be associated with alterations within Receptor Tyrosine Kinase/MAPK signaling pathways rather than ER signaling or E3 ligase machinery.
In addition, in the second quarter of 2023, we announced the inclusion of vepdegestrant in the I-SPY-2 (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular Analysis 2) Endocrine Optimization Platform trial sponsored by Quantum Leap. The I-SPY-2 trial was designed to include a vepdegestrant monotherapy arm and a vepdegestrant plus letrozole arm. We were also awarded Innovation Passport Designation for vepdegestrant by the U.K. Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway Steering Group in the third quarter of 2023.
We entered into a collaboration agreement with Pfizer and Carrick to evaluate samuraciclib in combination with vepdegestrant as part of the TACTIVE-U study in the second quarter of 2023. In the third quarter of 2023, we received a Study May Proceed letter from the FDA for the planned Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor, and we and Pfizer initiated this trial in the fourth quarter of 2023. We also initiated an additional arm of the Phase 1b combination umbrella trial with Carrick's CDK7 inhibitor in the first quarter of 2024.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, at the European Society for Medical Oncology, or ESMO, we presented updated dose escalation data from the Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with vepdegestrant showing continued strong anti-tumor activity and highly differentiated tolerability.
Also in the fourth quarter of 2023, at SABCS, we presented interim data from the Phase 1b trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib. Also in the fourth quarter of 2023, atSABCS, we presented interim data from the Phase 1b trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib. The interim data presented showed signs of efficacy as follows:
•Objective response rate: 42% (ESR1 mutant, 47%; ESR1 wild-type, 42%)
◦Median duration of response: 10.2 months
•Median PFS: 11.1 months (ESR1 mutant, 11.0; ESR1 wild-type, 11.1)
•Clinical benefit rate: 63% (ESR1 mutant, 74%; ESR1 wild-type, 53%)
The interim data presented also showed that safety was manageable, with standard on-label dose reductions of palbociclib resulting in a 72% decline in Grade 4 neutropenia in subsequent cycles. In addition, no
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cases of febrile neutropenia were reported and there were low rates of discontinuation. Among 36 patients who had at least one palbociclib dose reduction, only five (13.9%) had Grade 4 neutropenia after the last palbociclib dose reduction. While there was a higher occurrence of Grade 4 neutropenia in this trial, discontinuation rates of palbociclib and rates of infection were in line with historical palbociclib data.
We completed enrollment in the TACTIVE-N Phase 2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting in patients with ER+/HER2- localized breast cancer in the first quarter of 2024. We also expect to complete enrollment for the VERITAC-2 Phase 3 trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer in the second half of 2024.
Also in the first quarter of 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for the investigation of vepdegestrant for monotherapy in the treatment of adults with ER+/HER- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with endocrine based therapy.
Androgen Receptor Program: ARV-766 and Bavdegalutamide (ARV-110)
ARV-766
ARV-766 is an investigational orally bioavailable PROTAC protein degrader designed to target AR with a different profile than bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), as discussed in further detail below, that we are developing as a potential treatment for men with mCRPC and metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, mCSPC. In preclinical studies, ARV-766 degraded all tested resistance-driving point mutations of AR, including L702H, a mutation associated with treatment with abiraterone and other AR-pathway therapies.
We have several ongoing clinical trials of ARV-766 including:
•a Phase 2 dose expansion clinical trial in the post-novel hormonal agent, or NHA, setting;
•a Phase 1 dose escalation clinical trial in the post-NHA setting; and
•a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in combination with abiraterone in the pre-NHA setting.
Additional detail regarding our clinical development of ARV-766 is discussed below.
In the second quarter of 2023, we presented ARV-766 preclinical data and compound structure at the AACR annual meeting and we shared data from the Phase 1/2 dose escalation and expansion trial of ARV-766 for the treatment of men with mCRPC. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the ARV-766 trial was designed to assess its safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in men with mCRPC who have progressed on standard of care therapies, as well as to identify recommended Phase 2 doses for further dose optimization. The Phase 2 expansion cohort was designed to evaluate the antitumor activity of ARV-766 at the two recommended doses (100 mg and 300 mg) and determine the appropriate dose for future development.
Data from the Phase 1/2 dose escalation and expansion trial (data cut off April 2023) showed that ARV-766 was well-tolerated and demonstrated promising activity in a heavily pre-treated, post-receipt of NHAs, all-comers patient population. In both the Phase 1 dose escalation and Phase 2 dose expansion, 100% of patients were previously treated with at least one or more NHA. Patients had a median of four prior lines of therapy in the Phase 1 portion of the trial and five prior lines of therapy in the Phase 2 portion of the trial. Multiple prior therapies have been associated with a decreased responsiveness to AR-directed therapies and an increase in tumor heterogeneity. AR ligand binding domain, or LBD, mutations were present in 28% (13 of 47) of patients’ tumors in the Phase 1/2 trial as determined by plasma DNA analysis. Overall, 42% of patients with AR LBD mutations achieved reductions in PSA levels of greater than or equal to 50%, or PSA50, in the trial. In all patients with L702H mutations, three of five patients with achieved PSA50, and three of three patients with co-occurring T878/H875/L702 mutations achieved PSA50. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, or RECIST, partial responses were observed. Of four patients with AR LBD mutations where RECIST was evaluable, one achieved a confirmed partial response, and one achieved an unconfirmed partial response.
ARV-766 was well tolerated and the majority of treatment related adverse events, or TRAEs, were Grade 1 or 2, with no Grade ≥4 TRAEs and no dose limiting toxicities. Forty-seven patients across the Phase 1 and 2 portions of the trials were evaluable for safety and, of these patients, one patient discontinued treatment due to a TRAE in Phase 2 and two of 47 patients, both in Phase 1, were dose reduced due to TRAE.
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As announced at ESMO in the fourth quarter of 2023, interim data from an updated analysis of the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of ARV-766 (data cut-off August 23, 2023), demonstrated broad signals of efficacy and favorable tolerability in mCRPC patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutations, including AR L702H. The data showed a PSA50 of 41% amongst 17 patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation and a PSA 50 of 50% in patients with any tumor harboring an AR L702H mutation. ARV-766 was well-tolerated in data across 84 patients who were treated as of the last data cut-off, with no grade > 4 TRAEs. The most common TRAEs were grade 1 or 2 and included fatigue (29%), nausea (14%), vomiting (11%), and diarrhea (11%). The discontinuation rate due to TRAEs was 4%.
Based on signs of superior tolerability and efficacy of ARV-766 in clinical settings to date as compared to bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), early in the fourth quarter of 2023, we determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide and expect to initiate discussions with regulatory authorities to align on the Phase 3 program for this Phase 3 clinical trial by the second quarter of 2024. We expect to continue enrollment of the Phase 2 dose expansion trial with ARV-766, with progression free survival, or PFS, data anticipated in mid-2024. We also initiated a Phase 1b/2 trial for ARV-766 in combination with abiraterone in patients with AR-dependent tumors who have not previously received NHAs in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Bavdegalutamide (ARV-110)
Bavdegalutamide (ARV-110) is an investigational orally bioavailable PROTAC protein degrader designed to target and degrade the AR for the treatment of men with mCRPC.
In preclinical studies, bavdegalutamide demonstrated activity of AR mutation or overexpression, both common mechanisms of resistance to currently available AR-targeted therapies. In 2019, we initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of bavdegalutamide designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of bavdegalutamide and which trial also included measures of anti-tumor activity as secondary endpoints, including reduction in prostate specific antigen, or PSA, a well-recognized biomarker of prostate cancer progression.
In the third quarter of 2023 we completed enrollment in the Phase 1b combination trial of bavdegalutamide and abiraterone.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, we presented interim data at ESMO from the Phase 1/2 trial with bavdegalutamide (data cut-off date August 11, 2023). In a post-NHA (median prior therapies = 4) mCRPC population, bavdegalutamide at the recommend Phase 2 dose (420 mg, oral, once daily) demonstrated:
•Median radiographic progression free survival, or rPFS of 11.1 months in patients harboring AR 878/875 mutations (n=26) and median rPFS of 8.2 months in patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation except L702H alone (n=45)
•PSA50 rates of 54% in patients with tumors harboring AR 878/875 mutations and 36% in patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation except L702H alone
•The presence of AR L702H mutations greatly diminished the efficacy of bavdegalutamide
◦In patients with any tumor harboring an AR L702H mutation the PSA50 was 8%
•Bavdegalutamide had a manageable tolerability profile with no grade > 4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). The most common TRAEs were nausea (56%), fatigue (35%), vomiting (33%), decreased appetite (25%) and diarrhea (24%). The discontinuation rate due to TRAEs was 12%.
Each of vepdegestrant (ARV-471), ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110) has demonstrated potent and selective protein degradation in our preclinical studies. We believe favorable clinical trial results in these initial oncology programs could provide validation of our platform as a new therapeutic modality for the potential treatment of diseases caused by dysregulated intracellular proteins regardless of therapeutic area. While we have determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide, we expect to continue ongoing trial activities with bavdegalutamide (ARV-110-101 and ARV-110-103) as planned.
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We have been a leader in the field of directed protein degradation using chimeric small molecules since our founding in 2013. We have assembled a scientific team with extensive know-how and translational medicine expertise to develop PROTAC targeted protein degraders with features not previously disclosed in published third-party studies. Our management team draws on extensive experience in all phases of drug discovery and development gained at large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to continue to advance our product pipeline and expand the capabilities of our platform.
We have designed and optimized our proprietary PROTAC Discovery Engine for the discovery of PROTAC therapeutics to address diseases caused by abnormal proteins or aberrant protein expression. We engineer our PROTAC targeted protein degraders to tag a target protein for degradation through the ubiquitin proteasome system, one of the cell’s natural protein disposal systems, and then to iteratively degrade additional target protein molecules. The PROTAC Discovery Engine includes advanced screening capabilities, including in-house high-throughput and deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, -encoded library screening abilities that are tailored to the needs of incorporation into PROTAC protein degraders and to optimize their drug-like properties. Following selection and identification, we use tools including predictive computational modeling and privileged linkers that allow the potential for increased potency and selectivity. Finally, we have utilized our own proprietary PROTAC-specific optimization strategies, which we refer to as the Arvinas Rules, to create PROTAC degraders that, for example, are capable of being delivered through multiple routes of administration, including oral delivery, as well as PROTAC targeted protein degraders that are able to penetrate the blood brain barrier.
Pipeline
In addition to our clinical product candidates, we are expanding our pipeline by utilizing our platform to potentially address historically undruggable targets. Unlike existing small molecule inhibitor therapies, our PROTAC targeted protein degraders can degrade proteins using any available binding site, including low-affinity active binding sites or non-functional binding sites, bringing biological utility to ligands that would otherwise be ineffective. While some gene-based medicines are also seeking to address undruggable targets, we believe that our PROTAC targeted protein degraders confer the advantages of traditional small molecule therapies, such as broad tissue distribution, multiple routes of administration, including oral delivery, a well-established development pathway and relative ease of manufacturing.
We are further diversifying our pipeline by developing new PROTAC targeted protein degraders against targets for which we believe protein degradation offers advantages to existing therapeutic modalities, including PROTAC degraders that are designed to reach targets in deep brain regions and are capable of being delivered through multiple routes of administration, including oral delivery. We have engineered PROTAC targeted protein degraders that, in preclinical studies, have successfully achieved blood-brain barrier penetration, a key step in developing drugs with the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases. We believe there are many other indications for which our PROTAC technology may be advantageous.
In the second quarter of 2023, we presented in vivo and in vitro data at the AACR - Targeting RAS Special Conference that demonstrated that our Kirsten rat sarcoma, or KRAS, G12D PROTAC degraders were potent, selective and led to tumor stasis in a mouse xenograft model with intermittent dosing and degradation of KRAS G12D provides an advantage versus inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Our KRAS G12D-targeted PROTAC degrader is currently in IND-enabling studies.
We also presented preclinical data at the CHDI Foundation’s Annual Huntington’s Disease Therapeutics Conference showing our PROTAC degraders potently and selectively degraded soluble mutant huntingtin (mHTT) in multiple cellular readouts, including rodent neurons, while sparing wild-type HTT.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the FDA and the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, respectively, cleared our investigational new drug application, or IND, for ARV-393, a PROTAC® degrader designed to target the BCL6 protein, and our clinical trial application, or CTA, for ARV-102, a PROTAC® degrader designed to target the LRRK2 protein. We initiated the first in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for ARV-102 in the first quarter of 2024, and we plan to initiate first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for ARV-393 in the first half of 2024.
Our Strategy
Our mission is to discover, develop, and commercialize therapies that improve the lives of patients suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. We use our proprietary PROTAC Discovery Engine Platform to engineer PROTAC targeted protein degraders that are designed to harness the body’s own natural
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protein disposal system to selectively and efficiently remove disease-causing proteins. We believe that our proprietary PROTAC technology is a new therapeutic modality with the potential to provide distinct advantages over existing therapies and to address a broad range of targets, including undruggable proteins. The key elements of our strategy are to:
•Advance clinical development of our lead programs, which address the well-understood oncology targets ER and AR, and focus on near-term patient impact. Our initial strategy for our PROTAC platform included the pursuit of oncology targets with well-understood biology, well-characterized disease models and established biomarkers. We have one product candidate in Phase 3 clinical development and two product candidates in Phase 2 clinical development. We are planning for multiple launches with vepdegestrant. We are also focused on creating potential therapies for patients in oncology, neuroscience, and hematology including ARV-393 and ARV-102, and we believe favorable clinical trial results in these initial oncology and neurology programs will validate the broader therapeutic potential of our PROTAC technology and PROTAC Discovery Engine.
•Utilize our PROTAC Discovery Engine platform to address historically undruggable and difficult-to-drug targets. We are applying our platform to develop treatments for diseases associated with historically undruggable targets. Our platform enables us to build PROTAC targeted protein degraders with the potential to degrade these proteins through the cell’s natural protein degradation process using any available binding site, including low-affinity active binding sites or non-functional binding sites, bringing biological utility to ligands that would otherwise be inactive. We also believe that many “difficult-to-drug” targets, where prior approaches are inadequate, will also provide opportunities to apply our PROTAC Discovery Engine.
•Selectively collaborate to realize the full potential of our platform. We are using our PROTAC Discovery Engine to build an extensive pipeline of product candidates. Our co-development/co-commercialization collaboration with Pfizer has the potential to accelerate and broaden global development and commercialization of vepdegestrant (ARV-471). In an effort to realize the full potential of our PROTAC technology, our ongoing strategic collaborations with Bayer, Genentech, and Pfizer address targets across multiple therapeutic areas. In addition to these collaborations in human therapeutics, in 2019 we established a joint venture, with Bayer, called Oerth Bio LLC, or Oerth Bio, which was converted to a corporation in 2023, to pursue our PROTAC technology in agricultural applications. We have and plan to continue to selectively pursue collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical companies with specialized capabilities or know-how, including global development and commercial expertise and capabilities for those products for which we retain full development and commercialization rights. We believe this selective approach to collaboration will further broaden the therapeutic reach of our PROTAC technology, as well as complement and expand our internal development expertise.
•Develop new therapeutics with distinct advantages over existing modalities, including gene-based medicines. We intend to address targets for which we believe protein degradation and the tunable features of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders are designed to offer advantages compared to existing therapeutic modalities. Our PROTAC protein degraders eliminate, rather than inhibit, disease-causing proteins, disrupt scaffolding functions of target proteins, bind and degrade classically "undruggable" proteins, and can act iteratively. Unlike gene-based medicines, our PROTAC targeted protein degraders confer the advantages of traditional small molecule therapies, such as multiple routes of administration, including oral delivery, a well-established development pathway and relative ease of manufacturing. In addition, we have engineered PROTAC targeted protein degraders that, in preclinical studies, have successfully achieved broad tissue distribution, including across the blood-brain barrier, creating potential opportunities for our PROTAC technology in neurodegenerative diseases. We also believe there are many other indications for which our technology may be advantageous, including autoimmune, anti-infective and inflammatory conditions.
•Continue to expand the capabilities of our PROTAC Discovery Engine and the breadth of our intellectual property portfolio. We are investing in our research and development activities to expand the capabilities of our PROTAC Discovery Engine and the breadth of our intellectual property portfolio. This includes: research into novel E3 ligases, key proteins in the ubiquitin proteasome system, that may have tissue-specific or disease-specific features; the discovery of novel binding ligands; the discovery of orally bioavailable and blood brain barrier penetrant
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PROTAC protein degraders; and improvement of our PROTAC targeted protein degrader design and optimization processes. We have exclusive worldwide rights to our platform technology. We also have issued patents for composition of matter in the United States and other countries for
vepdegestrant (ARV-471) and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), as well as an issued U.S. patent for ARV-766. In addition, we have patent applications pending for composition of matter in the United States and other key countries for vepdegestrant (ARV-471), ARV-766, bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), as well as our exploratory and preclinical programs, including ARV-393, ARV-102, and a KRAS targeting PROTAC protein degrader. We also have patents and pending patent applications for broad platform coverage for other PROTAC targeted protein degraders using specific E3 ligases.
Our Focus
The Role of Proteins in Disease
Human cells produce tens of thousands of different proteins, the entirety of which is referred to as the proteome. Proteins are responsible for many structural, functional and regulatory processes in cells.
Proteins are large, complex biomolecules made through a series of steps based on instructions carried from DNA, the genetic “blueprint” within the cell. Generally, sequences of DNA are converted into messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, during a process called transcription. mRNA provides the template that specifies the assembly of a particular sequence of amino acids into proteins during a process known as translation. The amino acid sequence dictates, among other things, the conformation, or 3-D shape, of the resulting protein. Proteins can have complex shapes, with multiple chains of amino acids folding together in some cases to reach a final form. The final form of the protein, as well as the timing, location and concentration of its expression within the cell, is essential to the protein’s intended function.
In healthy cells, the transcription and translation processes contribute to producing properly folded proteins in the right amounts and at the correct times to ensure normal cell health and function. This balance can be disrupted by a variety of events and factors, such as cellular stress, genetic mutations and transcriptional or translational errors, which can then lead to cellular overexpression, abnormal production rates, misfolding or mutations of proteins. When proteins are overexpressed or mutated, a wide variety of diseases can result. For example, it is well documented that overexpression of androgen receptor, a nuclear hormone receptor, is implicated in prostate cancer. Similarly, overexpression of estrogen receptor is known to be associated with breast cancer. In neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal deposition of misfolded or aggregated proteins in the brain, including the intraneuronal aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau, are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Recent genomic advances continue to implicate the role of specific proteins in many disease states.
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There are multiple therapeutic approaches, both approved and in development, to treat diseases caused by abnormal proteins or aberrant protein expression. Each operates at a different point in the lifecycle of the protein, as illustrated in the following graphic:
Small Molecule Inhibitors, Gene Therapy and Gene Editing
Traditional small molecules seek to block or inhibit the expression or function of an errant protein. While there are numerous examples of safe and effective small molecule therapies, their efficacy can be limited by weak or incomplete binding of the therapeutic molecule to the relevant binding site on the protein, the cell’s ability to counteract the inhibitory effect of the drug by producing more of the protein, mutation of the target, or evolution of the cell to rely on alternate pathways. These cellular responses often result in a need for higher dosing levels, which can in turn introduce safety challenges from off-target and toxic effects, or drug resistance.
Gene therapy approaches act by augmenting the errant protein with normal protein by using viral vectors to introduce DNA from an exogenous source that codes for a functional protein. While there have been promising advances in this field, the fundamental approach is limited by delivery, expression efficacy, pre-treatment conditioning, durability and manufacturing challenges that curtail the practical utility of gene therapy.
Gene editing or gene silencing approaches such as CRISPR/Cas9, RNA interference and antisense act by either correcting or inactivating, or knocking out, the gene that would otherwise be transcribed and translated to express the errant protein. By correcting or knocking out the gene, the errant protein is never made, preventing its downstream negative effects. In the case of CRISPR/Cas9, the resulting modification of the gene occurs at the DNA level and is believed to be irreversible. While there are examples of approved therapies in this field that have the potential to correct specific genetic defects, gene editing and gene silencing approaches generally face delivery, stability, biodistribution, specificity and selectivity challenges, in addition to significant manufacturing hurdles.
Protein Degradation
When proteins become old, mutated, misfolded or simply have served their purpose, they are naturally degraded by the body through the ubiquitin proteasome system in which cells mark or tag a particular protein for
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disposal by attaching several molecules of the small regulatory protein ubiquitin to the protein to be disposed. This process generally proceeds along the following steps in rapid sequence:
•The E1 enzyme activates ubiquitin, which is then transferred to an E2 enzyme.
•An E3 ubiquitin ligase, or E3 ligase, transfers the ubiquitin from the E2 enzyme to a specific target protein.
•Once a chain of at least four ubiquitins are attached to the target protein, the proteasome recognizes the polyubiquinated protein.
•The proteasome breaks down or degrades the protein into its amino acid components.
Several therapeutic approaches work at the protein level by modulating the ubiquitin proteasome system to harness the cell’s natural protein disposal system to degrade and remove a protein. Degradation can be induced by inhibiting chaperone molecules such as HSP90, which are known to facilitate correct protein folding, resulting in tagging misfolded proteins for degradation. HSP90 inhibitors, however, have shown limited efficacy in the clinic to date.
Some degraders use an approach that causes a conformational change in a specifically targeted protein, resulting in a misfolded protein, which triggers the cell’s innate protein degradation system to dispose of the misfolded protein. Although these compounds have shown efficacy, they only induce the degradation of those proteins able to adopt a non-native state, leaving a wide array of protein targets unaddressed.
Chimeric small molecules use a different protein degradation approach. Instead of causing improper folding or inhibiting molecules that facilitate proper folding of the target protein, chimeric small molecules directly recruit an E3 ligase to tag specifically targeted proteins with ubiquitin, signaling the proteasome to degrade the targeted protein. Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders take this approach to protein degradation.
PROTAC Targeted Protein Degraders — Our Approach to Protein Degradation
We have engineered our PROTAC targeted protein degraders to utilize the cell’s naturally occurring protein disposal system, directing the proteasome to recognize and degrade specific proteins associated with disease. Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders are chimeric small molecules with two operative ends—one, a ligand that binds to the protein targeted for degradation, and the other, a ligand that binds to an E3 ligase. These two ligands are connected by a chemical chain linker. Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders bring the targeted protein and the E3 ligase together into a three-component grouping known as a trimer complex to facilitate the transfer of ubiquitin to the target protein. Once four ubiquitins are attached in a chain to the target protein, the proteasome recognizes and degrades the protein. The entire cycle from the formation of the trimer complex, which can occur in a period of nanoseconds, to degradation of the target protein by the proteasome happens over a period of minutes. After our PROTAC targeted protein degrader facilitates the tagging of a target protein molecule with ubiquitin through formation of the trimer complex, it can move on to another target protein molecule to conduct the degradation process again, potentially completing this cycle hundreds of times before eventually being metabolized or eliminated from the cell. We refer to this recycling as our PROTAC targeted protein degraders’ iterative mechanism of action.
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The figure below depicts our PROTAC-induced cycle from E3 ligase binding and target protein recruitment, to trimer formation and ubiquitin transfer, to degradation of the target protein by the proteasome, to the release of ubiquitin and PROTAC targeted protein degrader for further degradation cycles.
Our Discovery Platform — PROTAC Discovery Engine
We have designed and optimized our PROTAC Discovery Engine for the discovery of PROTAC targeted protein degrader therapeutics to address diseases caused by abnormal proteins or aberrant protein expression. The PROTAC Discovery Engine includes advanced screening capabilities, including in-house high-throughput and DNA-encoded library screening abilities that are tailored to the needs of incorporation into PROTAC protein degraders and to optimize their drug-like properties. Following selection and identification, we use tools including predictive computational modeling and privileged linkers that allow the potential for increased potency and selectivity. Finally, we have utilized our own proprietary Arvinas Rules to create PROTAC degraders that, for example, are capable of being delivered through multiple routes of administration, including oral delivery, as well as PROTAC targeted protein degraders that are able to penetrate the blood brain barrier.
Design and Optimization of our PROTAC Targeted Protein Degraders
As genomic knowledge and advances in genome mapping have increased, the understanding of proteins implicated in diseases has similarly increased. We undertake a rigorous evaluation process to prioritize protein targets for which we believe our PROTAC approach can achieve differentiated clinical outcomes for patients over existing modalities. Our PROTAC Discovery Engine is built from over 20 years of experience, know-how, and intellectual property and comprises three stages:
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Ligase Selection and Ligand Identification
•E3 KnowledgeBase - The human body has more than 600 E3 ligases, and we select ligands for E3 ligases from our proprietary library for incorporation into our PROTAC targeted protein degraders. We continue to research additional E3 ligases that are expressed in specific tissues or diseases, and identify or discover associated binding ligands, to create novel PROTAC protein degraders that recruit E3 ligases with targeted expression patterns, such as tumor or central nervous system-localized E3 ligases, that may be beneficial for the development of targeted cancer and neurologic therapies. To enable targeted protein degradation via alternative E3 ligases, we have discovered and characterized novel small molecule ligands targeting the E3 ligase KLHDC2. We have functionalized these novel KLHDC2-targeting small molecules into robust and potent KLHDC2- PROTAC degraders and demonstrate KLHDC2-dependent degradation of target proteins across cell lines. Furthermore, we have leveraged biochemical studies to understand mechanistic assembly of the KLHDC2 holo-E3 complex together with its cognate adapter proteins in addition to structural studies to show the dynamic tetramer formation of KLHDC2 E3 assemblies induced by small molecule engagement. In doing so, we have expanded the arsenal of E3 ligases that can be targeted by small molecules and may be hijacked for targeted protein degradation. We believe our success with the diverse set of E3 ligases that we are currently employing and the binders of other E3 ligases that we are researching provide us with a competitive advantage as we develop a range of products with different technical characteristics.
•Advanced Screening Capabilities - We select ligands for incorporation into our PROTAC targeted protein degraders from a variety of sources. The ligands we select, which target the desired protein for degradation or E3 ligase for incorporation into our PROTAC targeted protein degraders, may include (1) de novo ligands discovered through high-throughput screening, biophysical directed binding approaches, virtual or in silico computer-based screening, and affinity-based hit identification through our in-house DNA-encoded libraries that that are tailored to the needs of incorporation into PROTAC protein degraders and to optimize their drug-like properties or (2) ligands that are known to bind protein targets but may have faced therapeutic limitations that we believe our PROTAC technology can overcome, such as lack of potency or function, metabolic instability or off-target effects.
Rapid PROTAC Design
•Zone of Ubiquitination - Bringing the targeted protein and the E3 ligase together into a trimer complex is necessary but not sufficient for degradation. We use structural and biochemical information to predict precisely which lysine residues on the target protein can be “tagged” with ubiquitin, and we design PROTAC degraders to exploit this knowledge.
•ANGLE: Arvinas Next Generation Linker Evolution - We connect the selected protein-targeting ligands and E3 ligase ligands with our privileged chemical linkers. Linker selection is critical for rapid identification of protein degraders and can introduce function and selectivity to a nonfunctional or nonselective binding ligand upon incorporation into a PROTAC targeted protein degrader molecule. Linker composition can also be used to modulate properties of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders, such as membrane permeability, aqueous solubility, metabolic stability and biodistribution. We select from a proprietary library of conformationally privileged linkers to enable the efficient formation of the trimer complex essential to ubiquitin transfer and protein degradation.
•Predictive Computational Modeling - We use trimer structure-based computational modeling, sometimes aided by structural biology-generated insights, and design algorithms to rapidly identify potent degraders.
•Proteomics - A PROTAC degrader is often more selective than the targeting warhead. We have proteomics capabilities that enable us to understand that specificity in precise detail and iterate quickly to optimize the selectivity of our PROTAC degraders for the protein target.
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Turning Degraders into Drugs
•Arvinas Rules - Optimization of traditional small molecule agents tends to focus on guidelines that increase the chances of such molecules having sufficient permeability and solubility to make them orally bioavailable. Chimeric small molecules, including our PROTAC targeted protein degraders, are larger than traditional small molecule therapeutics, such that the conventional optimization parameters prevalent in traditional drug discovery do not readily apply. As such we have developed and apply our own proprietary Arvinas Rules for our PROTAC targeted protein degraders. Through our Arvinas Rules, we have made PROTAC targeted protein degraders that are orally bioavailable and that cross the blood brain barrier.
•Deep knowledge of in vivo PK/PD and efficacy relationships - Our understanding of molecular features that impact PROTAC biodistribution and target degradation, in the body, enables us to create PROTAC degraders with drug-like properties and activities. We can use this understanding to rapidly progress from target identification to PROTAC optimization and development.
Key Features of Our PROTAC Targeted Protein Degraders
In the design, optimization and development of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders, we focus on the following key features that we believe are critical to successfully engineering PROTAC targeted protein degrader therapeutics with potentially robust application across multiple indications and therapeutic areas: potency, selectivity, and deliverability and versatility. We have harnessed these features to successfully target and degrade a wide range of protein classes, including nuclear proteins, transcription factors, epigenetic modulators, membrane proteins, cytosolic proteins and high molecular weight neuroprotein aggregates.
Potency
The potency of our PROTAC technology is driven by two key characteristics: the iterative mechanism of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders and the ability to turn weak binders into potent degraders.
Iterative Mechanism
Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders behave iteratively to repeatedly induce the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of proteins. As a result, protein degradation may be observed with PROTAC targeted protein degrader concentrations much lower than those required for typical small molecule inhibition, even operating at picomolar concentrations. We expect that the high cellular potency of PROTAC targeted protein degrader could provide the possibility of removal of proteins at levels equivalent to the knock out effect intended by gene-based medicines currently being explored. Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders offer potentially significant therapeutic advantages, including low doses, low drug exposures and practical dosing intervals, potentially mitigating toxicity and tolerability risks.
The iterative mechanism of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders potentially leads to more complete and lasting inactivation of downstream signaling in cells. In oncology, this translates into improved inhibition of tumor cell growth and reduces the likelihood of cell compensation through activation of alternative proteins, a common risk associated with small molecule inhibitors. This enables PROTAC targeted protein degraders to operate in a broad therapeutic space between desired degradation-induced pharmacology and unwanted inhibition-induced effects.
Once the pre-existing reservoir of the targeted protein is depleted, our PROTAC targeted protein degraders only need to degrade newly resynthesized protein to maintain their effect. Depending on the resynthesis rate of the protein, this may be achievable with low tissue concentrations of PROTAC targeted protein degrader, which could lead to safety benefits and opportunities for flexible dosing regimens.
Weak Binders Become Potent Degraders
Using our platform and know-how, we are able to engineer potent PROTAC targeted protein degraders that do not require a high degree of binding strength to their targets. This contrasts with small molecule inhibitors, which require strong binding to a target protein and function by continually occupying the protein’s active site. The potency of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders is determined by a number of kinetic
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factors: formation of the trimer complex, rapid ubiquitination, trafficking of the ubiquitinated target to the proteasome and release of the PROTAC targeted protein degrader to enter another iterative cycle of degradation. As a result, a PROTAC targeted protein degrader with a low level of target protein occupancy can maintain a deep and prolonged suppression of protein levels, leading to the desired pharmacological effect. This provides opportunities to use our PROTAC technology to repurpose small molecules that only weakly bind to their target to create potent degraders as PROTAC targeted protein degraders.
For example, we have published experiments where we built PROTAC targeted protein degraders from the known protein kinase inhibitor foretinib, which is a relatively weak binder to the protein p38α, a protein implicated in immune disorders and heart disease. We constructed a foretinib-based PROTAC targeted protein degrader we refer to as PROTAC 1, which happened to further weaken the binding affinity to p38α. Binding affinity is measured by KD, or equilibrium dissociation constant. In this case, we observed that PROTAC 1 exhibited a tenfold reduction in binding affinity relative to foretinib, decreasing from 1 micromolar, or μM, to 11 μM. Despite the significantly weaker binding affinity, PROTAC 1 achieved potent degradation of p38α with a DC50, a concentration that results in half maximal degradation, of 210 nanomolar, or nM, which means that its degradation potency is approximately 50-fold better than its binding strength. The figure below shows a western blot of cells treated with increasing concentrations (left to right) of foretinib, the PROTAC 1, and an inactivated (non-degrading) version of PROTAC 1. The decreasing presence of the p38α protein is depicted by a lighter shade of the p38α band in the western blot as the doses of the PROTAC 1 increase. This demonstrates our ability to use a weak binder to create a potent PROTAC targeted protein degrader. Based on our experience, we believe that with additional medicinal chemistry effort, the degradation potency of this weak-binding PROTAC targeted protein degrader could be further increased.
Selectivity
When a ligand is incorporated into a PROTAC targeted protein degrader, the trimer complex initiated by the PROTAC targeted protein degrader often causes the ligand’s selectivity to increase, meaning that the degradation profile of a PROTAC targeted protein degrader can be even more selective than the binding profile of the ligand alone. By minimizing the binding of a ligand to off-target proteins and maximizing selectivity for a target protein, our PROTAC targeted protein degraders may reduce the potential for incidental degradation of normal, healthy proteins and unwanted drug effects and toxicity.
We published experiments in which a ligand binding to 133 kinases degraded fewer than ten proteins when incorporated into a PROTAC targeted protein degrader with limited additional modification. The figure below on the left depicts foretinib binding to 133 protein kinases as measured by a competitive binding assay. The figure on the right depicts cells treated with a foretinib-based PROTAC targeted protein degrader degrading
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only a small subset of cellular proteins (lower left quadrant of the graph) as shown by mass spectrometry analysis.
With further modification, and based on our experience, we believe it is possible to engineer promiscuous binders such as this into more selective protein degraders, and when starting with less promiscuous, yet still unselective, binders, identify very selective PROTAC target protein degraders.
This selectivity allows for engineering of PROTAC targeted protein degraders that degrade only the mutated and unwanted protein, while sparing the normal, or wild-type, protein that may be necessary for healthy function. For example, we have demonstrated degradation of abnormal, but not wild-type, forms of the BRAF protein using a PROTAC targeted protein degrader. Wild-type BRAF helps transmit chemical signals from outside the cell to the cell’s nucleus and is part of a pathway that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. Mutations of BRAF, however, have been associated with a number of different cancers. As shown in the figure below, our PROTAC targeted protein degrader degraded BRAF mutants, as depicted by a lighter shade in the columns labeled 300 nM, representative of each of the three classes of BRAF mutations, while not degrading the wild-type BRAF, as depicted by an unchanging shade in each of the columns shown on the western blot.
1hMito is a protein this particular PROTAC targeted protein degrader is not targeted to degrade, and is included as a control to ensure total protein is equivalent in each lane.
Deliverability and Versatility
Our PROTAC targeted protein degraders have the potential for delivery through multiple routes of administration to reach target proteins, and certain of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders are capable of penetrating the blood brain barrier. In addition, the broad expression of the E3 ligases we target and the potential to turn weak binding ligands into potent degraders allows the application of our PROTAC technology to develop treatments for diseases associated with proteins that cannot be addressed by existing small molecule therapies.
Deliverability
We have developed PROTAC targeted protein degraders that are capable of being delivered orally, intravenously, subcutaneously and intrathecally, among other routes of administration, as well as PROTAC
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targeted protein degraders that are able to penetrate the blood brain barrier. The multiple routes of delivery for our PROTAC targeted protein degraders potentially provide many attractive clinical dosing options. For example, oral delivery can offer a differentiating, competitive and commercial advantage over other therapeutic approaches such as gene-based medicines which require parenteral administration. Further, oral administration avoids risks of adverse events associated with intravenous or intramuscular administration, such as the potential for infection and blood clots at the infusion site.
Versatility
We believe our PROTAC targeted protein degraders may have potential application in a wide range of therapeutic areas because the E3 ligases we currently target are expressed widely across tissue types. Ligands that bind to some proteins may be of only weak affinity. However, we believe that our PROTAC technology will allow the degradation of proteins through such low affinity active binding sites or non-functional binding sites. Our ability to design weak binding PROTAC targeted protein degraders that nonetheless initiate rapid ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of targeted proteins has the potential to expand the number of disease-causing proteins targeted for drug development to include undruggable targets. We believe that rendering these targets druggable for the first time represents the true breadth and potential of our PROTAC Discovery Engine.
We conducted an experiment designed to demonstrate that non-functional binding sites, analogous to those that may be present on proteins considered undruggable, can be used to target proteins for degradation by PROTAC targeted protein degraders. The figure below depicts a structural model of the Abl tyrosine kinase. This protein kinase possesses an enzymatic active site that is inhibited by the marketed small molecule, imatinib. The Abl kinase also has a second, non-functional active site, called an allosteric site, in its structure that can bind a different small molecule, named GNF-2, which despite binding allosterically (with a relatively weak KD of 500 nM), inhibits only the wild type protein (C-Abl), but not BCR-Abl-a mutated form of Abl implicated in chronic myelogenous leukemia.
When GNF-2 is converted into a PROTAC targeted protein degrader and used to treat cells, both BCR-Abl and C-Abl are effectively degraded. The figure below shows western blots of cells treated by increasing concentrations of our PROTAC targeted protein degrader and shows decreasing presence of each of BCR-Abl
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and C-Abl protein (depicted by a lighter shade of the BCR/Abl and C-Abl band in the western blot). Downstream signaling, as denoted by reduction of phosphorylated Stat5 (pStat5), is subsequently inhibited.
1Tubulin is a protein the GNF-2 PROTAC targeted protein degrader is not targeted to degrade, and is included as a control to ensure total protein is equivalent in each lane.
PROTAC-induced degradation may offer a solution for historically undruggable proteins because only binders, not functional inhibitors, are needed to facilitate E3 ligase recruitment and initiation of the degradation process. The probability of finding a suitable ligand using binding-site-agnostic screening is increased because the function of the ligand itself is not required. As a result, there is the potential for PROTAC targeted protein degraders to generate therapeutics from poorly selective ligands, weak-affinity ligands, or ligands that may not be intrinsically biologically active.
Our Clinical Stage Programs
Estrogen Receptor Program: Vepdegestrant (ARV-471) for the Treatment of Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic ER + / HER2 - Breast Cancer
We are developing vepdegestrant (ARV-471), an orally bioavailable ER degrading PROTAC targeted protein degrader, as an alternative to, and potentially more potent degrader than, the intramuscular injection fulvestrant and other selective ER degraders currently approved or in development for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer. We have chosen ER degradation as a therapeutic focus given the well-documented biology of ER signaling as a principal driver in a high percentage of breast cancers. Vepdegestrant (ARV-471) has demonstrated activity in ER+ breast cancer preclinical models. We are clinically investigating vepdegestrant (ARV-471) for use as a single agent and in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib, abemaciclib and ribociclib, everolimus, CDK7 inhibitors, and other targeted therapies. We believe vepdegestrant (ARV-471) has the potential to improve clinical outcomes over current standards of care for patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer as well as in earlier treatment settings.
Breast Cancer - Patient Population and Market Opportunity
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2024 there will be approximately 310,720 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the United States and that one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Approximately 80% of all breast cancers are ER+.
Treatment options for breast cancer depend on many different factors, including the stage of the cancer and whether the cancer cells contain hormone receptors. Patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer are treated with systemic therapy, including hormone therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy, either as single-agents or in combination. Patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer are
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often treated with hormone therapy, such as an aromatase inhibitor, sometimes in combination with targeted drugs such as CDK4/6 inhibitors. In patients with aggressive disease or whose disease continues to progress with a hormonal treatment regimen, chemotherapy may be prescribed. Treatment with chemotherapy is generally postponed for as long as possible due to the potential for severe side effects including neuropathies, nausea, diarrhea, decreased mental capacity and increased risk of infections.
A current standard of care for patients with ER+ / HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer is fulvestrant, an ER degrader administered as a monthly intramuscular injection, either as a single-agent or in combination with another targeted therapy. While fulvestrant has validated the importance of ER degradation as a therapeutic intervention, up to 50% of ER can remain when compared to baseline levels after six months of treatment with fulvestrant, providing an opportunity for more potent ER degraders. In January 2023, the FDA approved the ER degrader elacestrant for postmenopausal women or adult men with ER+ / HER2-, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following at least one line of endocrine therapy.
Preclinical Development
We have conducted a comprehensive preclinical program to study ARV-471 as a potential treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer. In our preclinical studies, ARV-471 demonstrated superior ER degradation compared to fulvestrant. ARV-471 has also demonstrated superior tumor regression when combined with a CDK4/6 inhibitor compared to fulvestrant and the same combination partner.
In in vitro models, ARV-471 has induced ER degradation in multiple cell lines typically used in breast cancer research. In in vivo experiments ARV-471 has achieved superior tumor growth inhibition and degradation compared to fulvestrant. We have tested ARV-471 for tumor growth inhibitory activity using an industry-standard MCF-7 xenograft mouse model. MCF-7 is a well-characterized estradiol-dependent ER+ / HER2- cell line that forms tumors when implanted in the mammary fat pad of female mice. ARV-471 resulted in very high tumor growth inhibition when dosed daily orally at 10 mpk and more than 80% tumor shrinkage when dosed daily orally at 30 mpk for 28 days. At both doses, ARV-471 demonstrated superior activity compared to a clinically relevant dose of fulvestrant, which is 200 mpk twice per week for two weeks and then once per week for two weeks. After 28 days of dosing in this efficacy study, the MCF-7 tumors were removed from the mice and processed for western blots to observe the level of ER degradation induced by oral dosing of ARV-471. ARV-471 reduced ER by 85%, on average, at 10 mpk as compared to the control tumors and by 89%, on average, at 30 mpk as compared to the control tumors.
We have also conducted preclinical studies to test ARV-471 in a tumor line derived directly from a patient, referred to as a patient derived xenograft, or PDX, model. This model is derived from a tumor with an ESR1 mutation (Y537S), which is a mutation in the ER that occurs in patients who have been treated with standard-of-care agents such as tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, such as letrozole, and has been cited as a mechanism of resistance to those drugs. These studies included a comparison with fulvestrant. In this 28-day dosing study, oral ARV-471 inhibited tumor growth by 99% at the 10 mpk dosing level and by 106% at the 30 mpk dosing level which was observed to be superior at both dosing levels to a clinically relevant dose of 200 mpk of fulvestrant. Further, ARV-471 was shown to reduce ER by 79% and 88% at the 10 mpk and 30 mpk dosing levels, respectively, compared with 63% at the 200 mpk of fulvestrant dosing level.
We have also conducted studies of ARV-471 in combination with palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor that is standard of care when used together with fulvestrant. In these studies, we have achieved significant tumor shrinkage with ARV-471 in ER+ / HER2- MCF-7 xenograft models. As shown in the figure below, in a 28-day dosing study in MCF-7 xenografts, ARV-471 at 30 mpk daily in combination with palbociclib was superior in shrinking tumors, as compared to either palbociclib as a single agent at 60 mpk daily, or the standard-of-care
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combination of palbociclib at 60 mpk daily plus fulvestrant at 200 mpk twice per week for two weeks and then once per week for two weeks.
We believe that ARV-471 may also show compelling activity in combination with other targeted agents currently used or in clinical trials for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer including PI3K and mTOR inhibitors and have tested and plan to continue to test these combinations in preclinical models.
Our Clinical Trials
We, along with Pfizer, have several ongoing clinical trials of vepdegestrant, designed to potentially position vepdegestrant as a backbone ER-targeting therapy in breast cancer, including:
•VERITAC-2, a Phase 3 second-line clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•Study lead-in of VERITAC-3, a Phase 3 first-line clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•VERITAC, a Phase 2 second-line dose expansion clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy, for which enrollment of patients is complete;
•TACTIVE-N, a Phase 2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting, to inform a potential adjuvant trial, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•TACTIVE-U, a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with multiple targeted therapies including abemaciclib, ribociclib and Carrick's CDK7 inhibitor, for which we are currently enrolling patients;
•TACTIVE-E, a clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with everolimus, for which we are currently enrolling patients; and
•TACTIVE-K, a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor (PF-07220060, for which we are currently enrolling patients.
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We, along with Pfizer, also are planning additional clinical trials of vepdegestrant, pending health regulatory feedback on these clinical trials expected in the second half of 2024, including:
•a new first line Phase 3 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor (PF-07220060; and
•a new second line Phase 3 clinical trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib and potentially other CDK4/6 inhibitors.
Additional detail regarding each of these trials is included below.
In 2019, we initiated dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial for ARV-471. The trial is an open-label dose-escalation study in which we dosed with locally advanced or metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer who had progressed on at least two prior endocrine therapy regimens and a CDK4/6 inhibitor. Eligible patients may have also received up to three prior regimens of cytotoxic chemotherapy.
In 2020, we amended the protocol for our Phase 1 clinical trial for ARV-471, to include the Phase 2 expansion cohort and a Phase 1b cohort expansion of ARV-471 in combination with IBRANCE® (palbociclib), respectively.The dose escalation portion of our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ARV-471 was designed to assess safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics, or PK, of ARV-471 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer, as well as measures of anti-tumor activity as secondary endpoints.
In 2021, we initiated VERITAC, the Phase 2 cohort expansion portion of the ARV-471 clinical trial. We announced initial results from VERITAC in the fourth quarter of 2022. In VERITAC, patients were treated with either 200 mg or 500 mg ARV-471 with a primary endpoint of CBR. Secondary endpoints included overall response rate, or ORR, duration of response, or DOR, PFS, and overall survival, as well as safety and pharmacokinetics.
As of the data cut-off date of June 6, 2022, 71 patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer in the VERITAC expansion cohort were treated once-daily with oral doses of ARV-471 at 200 mg (n=35) or 500 mg (n=36). All patients were previously treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors; 79% of patients were previously treated with fulvestrant; 73% of patients were previously treated with chemotherapy; and 45% received chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Patients in VERITAC had a median of four lines of prior therapies.
In the third quarter of 2022, we initiated TACTIVE-E, a Phase 1b clinical trial with ARV-471 in combination with everolimus in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Also in the third quarter of 2022, we initiated with Pfizer a Phase 1b trial of ARV-471 as a monotherapy in Japanese patients.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, we and Pfizer initiated the VERITAC-2 Phase 3 trial with ARV-471 as a second-line treatment in patients with ER+ / HER2- metastatic breast cancer, which trial is actively recruiting. In the fourth quarter of 2022, we also initiated with Pfizer TACTIVE-U, the Phase 1b trial with ARV-471 in combination with ribociclib and abemaciclib, in two of the combination arms, which trial is actively recruiting. In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2022, we initiated sites for TACTIVE-N, a Phase 2 clinical trial with ARV-471 as a monotherapy in patients with early breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting and are actively recruiting patients for this trial.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, we presented initial data from VERITAC at the SABCS and we initiated, with Pfizer, the VERITAC-2 Phase 3 trial with ARV-471 as a monotherapy as a second-line and later treatment in patients with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer. Also in the fourth quarter of 2022, we initiated the first of two arms in the ongoing Phase 1b umbrella trial of ARV-471, with ARV-471 in combination with each of the CDK4/6 inhibitors abemaciclib and ribociclib (TACTIVE-U). We initiated the second of two arms in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2022, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial with ARV-471 as a monotherapy in patients with early breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting (TACTIVE-N).
In the first quarter of 2023, we provided an update from the ongoing Phase 1b trial of ARV-471 in combination with palbociclib. The following were observed:
•An approximate increase of 50% in mean palbociclib exposure (i.e., pharmacokinetic area under the curve and Cmax) in the fed state was observed relative to historical palbociclib pharmacokinetic data in the fasted state.
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•Grade 3/4 neutropenia, a known dose-related adverse reaction associated with palbociclib, was 76% for 200 mg ARV-471 with 125 mg palbociclib (n=21).
•As per the U.S. Package Insert, or USPI, the starting dose of palbociclib for patients with ER+ / HER2- metastatic breast cancer is 125 mg. As per the palbociclib USPI, a Grade ≥3 decrease in neutrophil counts was reported in 66% of patients receiving IBRANCE plus letrozole in Study 1 (PALOMA-2) and 66% of patients receiving IBRANCE plus fulvestrant in Study 2 (PALOMA-3).
•There was no increase in the rate of infection reported in the ARV-471 with palbociclib Phase 1b investigation relative to the rates reported in the registrational Phase 3 studies of palbociclib.
•The neutropenia events in the ARV-471 Phase 1b trial were manageable with standard dose reductions of palbociclib.
•In the arm combining palbociclib with 200 mg ARV-471, one of 21 patients discontinued.
In the first quarter of 2023, we announced updated guidance related to the anticipated initiation of the VERITAC-3 first-line, metastatic ER+ / HER2- breast cancer Phase 3 trial of ARV-471 in combination with IBRANCE® (palbociclib). In the most recent analysis of data from the ongoing Phase 1b combination trial of ARV-471 with palbociclib, an increase in palbociclib exposure was observed relative to historical palbociclib pharmacokinetic data.
In the first quarter of 2023, we and Pfizer gained alignment with the FDA on an approach for VERITAC-3 and in the second quarter of 2023, we, along with Pfizer, initiated the study-lead in of the VERITAC-3 Phase 3 clinical trial in combination with palbociclib as a first-line treatment in patients with ER+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Moving forward, we expect to continue enrollment in the study-lead in of the VERITAC-3 Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the dose of palbociclib (100 mg or 75 mg) in combination with 200 mg of vepdegestrant once daily. The objective of this trial is to select a dose of palbociclib (100 mg or 75 mg) that, when dosed with 200 mg of vepdegestrant, results in a similar exposure and safety profile as palbociclib 125 mg in combination with aromatase inhibitors. This approach follows the analysis of data from the ongoing Phase 1b/2 ARV-471-mBC-101 combination trial of vepdegestrant with palbociclib, in which an increase in palbociclib exposure was observed relative to historical palbociclib pharmacokinetic data.
In the second quarter of 2023, we evaluated and announced preliminary data from Part C of the ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant. Preliminary results from the Part C dose escalation trial (November 2022 data cutoff from the Phase 1b combination of vepdegestrant with palbociclib at 125 mg) demonstrated an observed CBR of 60.7% (95% CI, 40.6 – 78.5) across all dose cohorts (17 of 28 CBR-evaluable patients; patients are CBR-evaluable if they received their first dose >24 weeks prior to the cut-off). In the fourth quarter of 2023, we presented, with Pfizer, updated data from the Phase 1b trial assessing vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib at SABCS, which data are discussed in more detail below.
Also in the second quarter of 2023, we presented vepdegestrant preclinical data at the AACR annual meeting that demonstrated the potential utility of vepdegestrant as an endocrine therapy backbone for combination with other targeted agents in early and late-stage ER+/HER2- breast cancer and the potential mechanisms of acquired resistance to vepdegestrant that may be associated with alterations within Receptor Tyrosine Kinase/MAPK signaling pathways rather than ER signaling or E3 ligase machinery.
In addition, in the second quarter of 2023, we announced the inclusion of vepdegestrant in the I-SPY-2 (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular Analysis 2) Endocrine Optimization Platform trial sponsored by Quantum Leap. The I-SPY-2 trial was designed to include a vepdegestrant monotherapy arm and a vepdegestrant plus letrozole arm. We were also awarded Innovation Passport Designation for vepdegestrant by the U.K. Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway Steering Group in the third quarter of 2023.
We entered into a collaboration agreement with Pfizer and Carrick to evaluate samuraciclib in combination with vepdegestrant as part of the TACTIVE-U study in the second quarter of 2023. In the third quarter of 2023, we received a Study May Proceed letter from the FDA for the planned Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating vepdegestrant in combination with Pfizer's CDK4 inhibitor, and we initiated this trial in the fourth quarter of 2023. We also initiated an additional arm of the Phase 1b combination umbrella trial with Carrick's CDK7 inhibitor in the first quarter of 2024.
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In the fourth quarter of 2023, at ESMO we presented updated dose escalation data from the Phase 1 clinical trial with vepdegestrant showing continued strong anti-tumor activity and highly differentiated tolerability.
Also in the fourth quarter of 2023, at SABCS, we presented interim data from the Phase 1b trial of vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib. Interim data from the Phase 1b cohort of the first-in-human ARV-471-mBC-101 trial evaluating vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib (NCT04072952) assessed the safety, tolerability and anti-tumor activity of the combination among 46 patients with heavily pre-treated locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer. At the time of data cutoff (June 6, 2023), patients had received a median of four prior therapies across all lines (median of three in the metastatic setting); 87% were previously treated with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor; 80% were previously treated with fulvestrant; and 76% were previously treated with chemotherapy, including 46% in the metastatic setting.
Patients were treated once daily with oral doses of vepdegestrant at 180 mg (n=2), the recommended Phase 3 dose (RP3D) of 200 mg (n=21), 400 mg (n=3) or 500 mg (n=20), plus 125 mg of palbociclib given orally once daily for 21 days, followed by seven days off treatment in 28-day cycles.
Vepdegestrant in combination with palbociclib demonstrated:
•A CBR of 63% (95% CI: 47.5–76.8), or 29 of 46 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=21), the CBR was 67% (95% CI: 43.0 – 85.4), or 14 of 21 patients
◦CBR in patients with mutant ESR1: 72% (95% CI: 52.8-87.3), or 21 of 29 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=14), the CBR was 79% (95% CI: 49.2 – 95.3), or 11 of 14 patients
◦CBR in patients with wild-type ESR1: 53% (95% CI: 26.6-78.7), or 8 of 15 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=7), the CBR was 43% (95% CI: 9.9 – 81.6), or 3 of 7 patients
•An objective response rate (ORR) in evaluable patients with measurable disease at baseline (n=31) of 42% (95% CI: 24.5–60.9), or 13 of 31 patients; at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=15), the ORR was 53% (95% CI: 26.6 – 78.7)
◦ORR in patients with mutant ESR1: 47% (95% CI: 23.0-72.2), or 8 of 17 patients
•ORR at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=10): 60% (95% CI: 26.2 – 87.8)
◦ORR in patients with wild-type ESR1: 42% (95% CI: 15.2-72.3), or 5 of 12 patients
•ORR at the RP3D of 200 mg (n=5): 40% (95% CI: 26.6 – 78.7)
◦Median DOR: 10.2 months
•Median PFS of 11.1 months (95% CI: 8.2 – NE); 22 of 46 patients across all doses had progression events by time of data cutoff
◦PFS in patients with mutant ESR1: 11.0 months (95% CI: 8.2-NE), 13 of 29 patients had progression events by data cutoff
◦PFS in patients with wild-type ESR1: 11.1 months (95% CI: 2.8-NE), 8 of 15 patients had progression events by data cutoff
In an assay of circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, patients with ESR1 mutations (n=22 evaluable for ctDNA analysis after 1 cycle of treatment) demonstrated a -96.8% mean decrease (range: -75.6% to -100%) in ESR1 mutant allele fraction after 1 cycle of treatment.
The safety profile of vepdegestrant plus palbociclib was manageable with palbociclib dose reductions and/or interruptions per protocol which are consistent with those described in the prescribing label. The primary toxicity associated with the vepdegestrant plus palbociclib combination was neutropenia. Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 8 of 21 patients (38%) treated at the RP3D of vepdegestrant (200 mg) plus palbociclib 125 mg. Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 89% of all patients. There was a higher occurrence of Grade 4 neutropenia, although discontinuation rates of palbociclib and rates of infection were in line with historical palbociclib data.
No cases of febrile neutropenia were reported in any of the 46 patients treated with the combination. Three of 46 patients discontinued palbociclib due to neutropenia including one out of 21 treated with the RP3D of vepdegestrant (200 mg) plus palbociclib 125 mg.
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The majority of Grade 4 neutropenia events occurred in the first cycle of treatment and occurrences of Grade 3/4 neutropenia decreased with palbociclib dose reductions as described in the prescribing label. The safety profile was otherwise consistent with the profile of palbociclib and what has been observed in other clinical trials for vepdegestrant.
An increase in palbociclib exposure (46% - 58%) was observed compared to historical pharmacokinetic data, with similar increases observed with vepdegestrant 200 mg and 500 mg once daily.
In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2023, we and Pfizer also presented a VERITAC Phase 2 dose expansion update at SABCS. the Phase 2 monotherapy dose expansion of the ARV-471-mBC-101 study analyzed the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of vepdegestrant amongst 35 heavily pre-treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer. The update included 12 months of additional follow-up data, and the tolerability and efficacy profile remained largely consistent with previous data disclosures. In addition, in post-hoc analysis, of the eight patients in the Phase 2 VERITAC trial who would meet eligibility criteria for Phase 3 VERITAC-2 trial (no prior fulvestrant, no prior chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic disease), CBR was 62.5% or 5 of 8 patients, PFS was 19 months or four of eight events and the ORR was 29% or two confirmed responses in seven evaluable patients. In the PK/PD model simulation, a 100 mg dose of palbociclib in combination with vepdegestrant produced similar incidence of Grade 4 neutropenia and comparable average palbociclib exposure compared to historical reference. We and Pfizer expect to present top-line data for the VERITAC-2 Phase 3 trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer in the second half of 2024.
Further, we completed enrollment in the TACTIVE-N Phase 2 clinical trial of vepdegestrant as a monotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting in patients with ER+/HER2- localized breast cancer in the first quarter of 2024. Also in the first quarter of 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for the investigation of vepdegestrant for monotherapy in the treatment of adults with ER+/HER- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with endocrine based therapy.
Androgen Receptor Program: ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110) for the Treatment of Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
We have been developing ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), each an orally bioavailable, AR degrading PROTAC targeted protein degrader, for the treatment of men with mCRPC. Both ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110) demonstrated activity in preclinical models of AR overexpression and AR mutations, both common mechanisms of resistance to current standard-of-care agents in men with prostate cancer. We believe that the differentiated PROTAC pharmacology of ARV-766 and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), including their iterative activity, has the potential to translate into significantly improved clinical outcomes over current standard-of-care agents. However, our clinical data has shown signals of improved tolerability and efficacy with ARV-766 as compared to bavdegalutamide. In addition, ARV-766's activity in late-line settings suggests additional potential benefit in earlier-line, less pretreated patients. As such, we determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide. However, we expect to continue ongoing trial activities with bavdegalutamide (ARV-110-101 and ARV-110-103) as planned.
Prostate Cancer - Patient Population and Market Opportunity
In the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Current estimates predict that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2024 there will be over 299,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States and approximately 35,250 deaths from the disease. Men with mCRPC have a poor prognosis and a predicted survival rate of fewer than two years from the initial time of progression.
Treatment options for prostate cancer depend on many different factors, including the stage of the cancer. Castration-resistant prostate cancer is defined by disease progression despite androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT, and is often indicated by rising levels of PSA. In making treatment evaluations, physicians monitor disease burdens in several ways, including changes in PSA levels. Increased PSA blood levels are considered by many physicians as indicative of cancer progression, and alternative treatment options may be considered. Current standard of care for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer provides that patients should initially receive a combination of ADT and either abiraterone, which works by decreasing androgen
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levels, or enzalutamide, which works by blocking androgen binding to AR. If the disease progresses despite these second-generation hormonal therapies, chemotherapy is considered the next treatment option. Treatment with chemotherapy is generally postponed for as long as possible due to the potential for severe side effects including neuropathies, nausea, diarrhea, decreased mental capacity and increased risk of infections.
AR remains the principal driver of castration-resistant prostate cancer progression during the transition from localized to metastatic disease, with AR gene amplification occurring in 40% to 60% of patients, amplification of a transcription regulatory region upstream of the AR gene occurring in 70% to 87% of patients, and AR point mutations occurring in approximately 15% of patients. Between 15% to 25% of patients do not respond to either abiraterone or enzalutamide and the vast majority of the responsive patients will ultimately become resistant, resulting in limited survival. There remains meaningful unmet medical need in the treatment paradigm of mCRPC, including a significant underserved set of patients who are or become resistant to current therapies. Based on our preclinical data, we believe our AR-targeting PROTAC protein degraders may overcome these known resistance mechanisms and create meaningful clinical benefit for patients.
ARV-766: Our Preclinical and Clinical Development
We are developing ARV-766, which has a different profile than bavdegalutamide, to target and degrade wild-type and mutated AR including at least one additional, clinically relevant AR point mutation, the L702H point mutation. The L702H point mutation in the ligand-binding domain of AR results in activation of the AR by glucocorticoids and can cause resistance to a standard of care regimen. Studies have reported that between approximately 2-9% of patients with mCRPC had an L702H point mutation.
In 2021, we initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for ARV-766 designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of ARV-766, which trial also includes measures of anti-tumor activity as secondary endpoints, including reduction in PSA. In the second half of 2022, we initiated a Phase 2 expansion trial of ARV-766 for the treatment of men with mCRPC.
In the second quarter of 2023, we presented ARV-766 preclinical data and compound structure at the AACR annual meeting and we shared data from the Phase 1/2 dose escalation and expansion trial of ARV-766 for the treatment of men with mCRPC. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the ARV-766 trial was designed to assess its safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in men with mCRPC who have progressed on standard of care therapies, as well as to identify recommended Phase 2 doses for further dose optimization. The Phase 2 expansion cohort was designed to evaluate the antitumor activity of ARV-766 at the two recommended doses (100 mg and 300 mg) and determine the appropriate dose for future development.
Data from the Phase 1/2 dose escalation and expansion trial (data cut off April 2023) showed that ARV-766 was well-tolerated and demonstrated promising activity in a heavily pre-treated, post-receipt of NHAs, all-comers patient population. In both the Phase 1 dose escalation and Phase 2 dose expansion, 100% of patients were previously treated with at least one or more NHA. Patients had a median of four prior lines of therapy in the Phase 1 portion of the trial and five prior lines of therapy in the Phase 2 portion of the trial. Multiple prior therapies have been associated with a decreased responsiveness to AR-directed therapies and an increase in tumor heterogeneity. AR ligand binding domain, or LBD, mutations were present in 28% (13 of 47) of patients’ tumors in the Phase 1/2 trial as determined by plasma DNA analysis. Overall, 42% of patients with AR LBD mutations achieved reductions in PSA levels of greater than or equal to 50%, or PSA50, in the trial. In all patients with L702H mutations, three of five patients with achieved PSA50, and three of three patients with co-occurring T878/H875/L702 mutations achieved PSA50. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, or RECIST, partial responses were observed. Of four patients with AR LBD mutations where RECIST was evaluable, one achieved a confirmed partial response, and one achieved an unconfirmed partial response.
ARV-766 was well tolerated and the majority of TRAEs were Grade 1 or 2, with no Grade ≥4 TRAEs and no dose limiting toxicities. Forty-seven patients across the Phase 1 and 2 trials were evaluable for safety and, of these patients, one patient discontinued treatment due to a TRAE in Phase 2 and two of 47 patients, both in Phase 1, were dose reduced due to TRAE.
As announced at ESMO in the fourth quarter of 2023, interim data from an updated analysis of the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of ARV-766 (data cut-off August 23, 2023), demonstrated broad signals of efficacy and favorable tolerability in mCRPC patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutations, including AR L702H. The data showed a PSA50 of 41% amongst 17 patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation and a PSA 50
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of 50% in patients with any tumor harboring an AR L702H mutation. ARV-766 was well-tolerated in data across 84 patients who were treated as of the last data cut-off, with no grade > 4 TRAEs. The most common TRAEs were grade 1 or 2 and included fatigue (29%), nausea (14%), vomiting (11%), and diarrhea (11%). The discontinuation rate due to TRAEs was 4%.
Based on signs of superior tolerability and efficacy of ARV-766 in clinical settings to date as compared to bavdegalutamide (ARV-110), early in the fourth quarter of 2023, we determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide and expect to initiate discussions with regulatory authorities to align on the Phase 3 program for this Phase 3 clinical trial by the second quarter of 2024. We expect to continue enrollment of the Phase 2 dose expansion trial with ARV-766, with PFS data anticipated in mid-2024. We also initiated a Phase 1b/2 trial for ARV-766 in combination with abiraterone in patients with AR-dependent tumors who have not previously received NHAs in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Bavdegalutamide Preclinical and Clinical Development
We have conducted a comprehensive preclinical program to study bavdegalutamide as a potential treatment for men with mCRPC. In in vitro models, bavdegalutamide degraded 95% to 98% of AR in multiple cell lines typically used in prostate cancer research. Bavdegalutamide is also highly selective for AR. A proteomic analysis of VCaP cells treated in vitro with bavdegalutamide at a 10 nM concentration for eight hours demonstrated that only AR was degraded from the nearly 4,000 measured proteins.
Importantly, in addition to AR degradation and selectivity, we have observed in preclinical studies the ability of bavdegalutamide to potently inhibit prostate cancer cell growth and reduce PSA levels. In addition to guiding treatment decisions, reduction in PSA is often an indicator of the effectiveness of treatment in clinical trials, however, it is not recognized as a surrogate endpoint for purposes of regulatory approval. For example, bavdegalutamide demonstrated equivalent reduction in PSA to enzalutamide at ten-fold lower concentration levels in an in vitro inhibition study of PSA synthesis in Lymph Node Cancer of the prostate cells, which are androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma cells, that have been engineered to overexpress AR.
In in vivo mouse models, bavdegalutamide has inhibited AR-dependent tumor growth in a statistically significant manner. Bavdegalutamide exhibited superior tumor growth inhibition compared to enzalutamide in both castrated and intact (non-castrated) xenograft models derived from VCaP cell lines.
To assess the ability of bavdegalutamide to treat enzalutamide-resistant cancers, we conducted in vivo studies of bavdegalutamide in an enzalutamide-resistant VCaP xenograft model. These VCaP tumors acquired resistance to enzalutamide after being continuously propagated in castrated, enzalutamide treated mice for approximately three years. This resistance can be seen in the figure below, as tumors in mice dosed with enzalutamide grew at nearly the same rate as tumors in mice dosed only with the drug vehicle - a control similar
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to dosing a placebo. Orally delivered bavdegalutamide significantly inhibited tumor growth, described as tumor growth inhibition, or TGI, in these enzalutamide-resistant VCaP tumors.
We have also conducted preclinical studies of bavdegalutamide for enzalutamide-insensitive tumors. We conducted an in vivo study in a PDX model that is derived from a tumor from a patient not treated with enzalutamide but that is insensitive to enzalutamide. This insensitivity can be seen in the figure below, as tumors in mice dosed with enzalutamide grew at only a slightly slower rate than tumors in mice dosed only with the drug vehicle. In contrast, orally delivered bavdegalutamide significantly inhibited tumor growth in these enzalutamide-insensitive tumors, achieving a TGI value of 100%. Further, PSA levels in the plasma of mice
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following 20 days of bavdegalutamide dosing significantly decreased in comparison to those dosed with only the drug vehicle or enzalutamide.
We believe the activity of bavdegalutamide in the above VCaP and PDX models may closely reflect enzalutamide resistance or insensitivity in the clinic and shows the potential for treatment of patients whose tumors have become resistant to, or demonstrate intrinsic resistance to, a current standard-of-care agent.
Bavdegalutamide has also reduced the levels of PSA in plasma comparable to levels achieved with enzalutamide in a different VCaP xenograft mouse model but at a lower dosing level.
In 2019, we initiated dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of bavdegalutamide. Our Phase 1 trial was designed as an open label, dose-escalation study of bavdegalutamide in men with mCRPC whose disease had progressed on at least two prior systemic therapies, one of which must have been enzalutamide or abiraterone. The Phase 1 trial was designed to primarily investigate the safety and tolerability of bavdegalutamide. Secondary endpoints included characterization of bavdegalutamide’s pharmacokinetic profile and preliminary assessment of biochemical and clinical activity based on evaluation of PSA levels, and radiographic measurement of evaluable lesions. The anti-tumor effects of bavdegalutamide in measurable lesions were assessed using RECIST, a standardized set of rules for response assessment based on tumor shrinkage which is widely used in oncology clinical trials. We also evaluated exploratory markers of disease burden, such as circulating tumor cell enumeration, as exploratory endpoints of the trial.
A potential drug-drug interaction between bavdegalutamide and rosuvastatin, or ROS, was identified during the trial. One patient receiving 280 mg bavdegalutamide experienced a Grade 4 dose-limiting toxicity of elevated aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase, or AST/ALT, liver enzymes followed by acute renal failure. A second patient, receiving 70 mg bavdegalutamide, experienced a Grade 3 AST/ALT elevation, which resolved after the removal of ROS, and the patient was retreated with bavdegalutamide. Follow-up exploratory findings indicate that ROS concentrations, but not bavdegalutamide concentrations, were elevated in both patients who had liver function test increases. Subsequent in vitro transport pump studies indicated that bavdegalutamide inhibited breast cancer resistant pump transporter, of which ROS is a substrate. Following the initial data that supported a potential interaction with ROS, concomitant use of ROS was precluded.
In 2020, we amended the protocol for our Phase 1 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide to include the addition of a Phase 2 expansion cohort. Based on our observations of a molecularly defined, late-line population with a particularly strong response to bavdegalutamide in the Phase 1 portion of the trial, we designed our
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Phase 2 dose expansion to assess bavdegalutamide in four specific subgroups: patients with tumors with AR T878X (T878X = T878A or T878S) and/or H875Y mutations but excluding other AR variants; patients with tumors with wild-type AR or AR alterations other than T878X, H875Y, L702H, and AR-V7; patients with tumors with AR-V7 or L702H, which are variants of AR that, preclinically, bavdegalutamide did not degrade, or did not degrade potently, respectively; and patients with biomarker agnostic tumors treated with no more than one prior NHA, such as enzalutamide or abiraterone, and had no prior chemotherapy.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, we initiated the ARDENT Phase 2 expansion portion of the trial at a dose of 420 mg once-daily, the recommended Phase 2 dose, or RP2D.
In February 2022, we announced completed Phase 1 and interim ARDENT data for bavdegalutamide with a data cut-off date of December 20, 2021 at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. We reported that bavdegalutamide showed reduced PSA50 in 46% of the 28 patients with tumors harboring AR T878X/H875Y mutations. These results also demonstrated PSA declines and tumor regressions in patients without tumors harboring AR T878X/H875Y mutations, suggesting an opportunity to develop bavdegalutamide more broadly in prostate cancer.
As of the data cut-off date, 195 patients were enrolled across the Phase 1/2 clinical trial (71 in Phase 1; 124 in Phase 2).
The Phase 1 dose escalation trial evaluated bavdegalutamide at doses ranging from 35–700 mg, once-daily, or 210–420 mg twice-daily, in patients with mCRPC and two or more prior therapies (including abiraterone and/or enzalutamide).
Patients in the ARDENT trial received a median of four prior lines of therapy with 100% receiving at least one NHA (64% abiraterone, 75% enzalutamide or other AR inhibitor, 39% both abiraterone and an AR inhibitor) and 31% receiving at least one chemotherapy regimen.
Efficacy Measures
We presented efficacy measures on a combined basis for patients in both the completed Phase 1 dose escalation trial and the interim analysis from the ongoing ARDENT Phase 2 dose expansion trial. In the biomarker defined (“more pretreated”) subgroups, we observed the following:
•In eight patients with tumors with AR T878X and/or H875Y mutations but excluding other AR variants, PSA50=75%; PSA decline of more than 30%, or PSA30, =75%
•In 44 patients with tumors with wild-type AR or AR alterations other than T878X, H875Y, L702H, or AR-V7, PSA50=11%; PSA30=20%
•In 25 patients with tumors with AR L702H or AR-V7, PSA50=4%; PSA30=20%
In the biomarker agnostic (“less pretreated”) subgroup comprising 27 patients with no more than one prior NHA and no prior chemotherapy, the PSA50 response rate was 22% and the PSA30 response rate was 26%.
In biomarker-evaluable patients treated at or above the RP2D and with tumors harboring AR T878X/H875Y mutations (across all subgroups and thus regardless of prior therapy regimens or other mutations; n=28), the PSA50 response rate was 46% and the PSA30 response rate was 57%.
Of seven RECIST-evaluable patients across the Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials with tumors harboring AR T878X/H875Y mutations, two had confirmed durable partial responses. These patients were on treatment for approximately nine months (ongoing as of the data cut-off) and ten months; the duration of treatment ranged from eight weeks to 44 weeks, with three of the seven patients continuing on treatment as of the data cutoff of December 20, 2021.
Twelve (43%) of the 28 patients with AR T878X/H875Y-positive mutations received bavdegalutamide for 24 weeks or more, with nine patients ongoing as of the data cutoff.
PSA reductions and evidence of anti-tumor activity as measured by RECIST were observed across all subgroups regardless of mutation status, including tumors not harboring AR T878X/875Y mutations.
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RECIST responses were seen in patients with tumors lacking AR T878X/H875Y mutations (one confirmed and three unconfirmed RECIST responses).
The “less pretreated” subgroup (n=27) had a similar molecular profile—as assessed by circulating tumor DNA analysis—to the more pretreated, biomarker-defined subgroups in the ARDENT trial. These similarities included both AR variations (point mutations and AR-V7 splice variants) and non-AR mutations frequently associated with poor outcomes (e.g., TP53, BRCA1). Six of the 27 patients (22%) had PSA50 reductions, and this PSA50 rate was similar to that observed collectively in the “more pretreated” subgroups (16%; n=77). Four of the six “less pretreated” patients with PSA50 declines had tumors with AR T878X/H875Y mutations.
Safety and Tolerability
Bavdegalutamide had a manageable tolerability profile at the RP2D. The majority of treatment-related adverse events, or TRAEs, were Grade 1/2 and there were no Grade 4 or greater TRAEs in the 138 patients treated at the RP2D.
TRAEs that occurred in 10% or more of patients treated at the RP2D were nausea (Gr 1: 30%; Gr 2: 16%; Gr 3: 1%), fatigue (Gr 1: 23%; Gr 2: 12%; Gr 3: 1%), vomiting (Gr 1: 20%; Gr 2: 5%; Gr 3: 1%), decreased appetite (Gr 1: 14%; Gr 2: 11%; Gr 3: 1%), diarrhea (Gr 1: 14%; Gr 2: 4%; Gr 3: 2%), alopecia (Gr 1: 13%; Gr 2: 1%; Gr 3: N/A) AST increased (Gr 1: 9%; Gr 2: 3%; Gr 3: 1%), weight decreased (Gr 1: 7%; Gr 2: 5%; Gr 3: 0%), and anemia (Gr 1: 4%; Gr 2: 1%; Gr 3: 5%).
TRAEs at the RP2D led to dose reduction in 11 (8%) patients and discontinuation in 12 (9%) patients.
In the third quarter of 2023 we completed enrollment in the Phase 1b combination trial of bavdegalutamide and abiraterone. In the fourth quarter 2023, we presented interim data at ESMO from the Phase 1/2 trial with bavdegalutamide (data cut-off date August 11, 2023). In a post-NHA (median prior therapies = 4) mCRPC population, bavdegalutamide at the recommend Phase 2 dose (420 mg, oral, once daily) demonstrated:
•Median rPFS of 11.1 months in patients harboring AR 878/875 mutations (n=26) and median rPFS of 8.2 months in patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation except L702H alone (n=45)
•PSA50 rates of 54% in patients with tumors harboring AR 878/875 mutations and 36% in patients with tumors harboring any AR LBD mutation except L702H alone
•The presence of AR L702H mutations greatly diminished the efficacy of bavdegalutamide
•PSA50rate of 8% in patients with any tumor harboring an AR L702H mutation
•A manageable tolerability profile with no grade > 4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). The most common TRAEs were nausea (56%), fatigue (35%), vomiting (33%), decreased appetite (25%) and diarrhea (24%). The discontinuation rate due to TRAEs was 12%.
While we have determined to prioritize the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial with ARV-766 in mCRPC instead of the previously planned Phase 3 clinical trial for bavdegalutamide, we expect to continue ongoing trial activities with bavdegalutamide (ARV-110-101 and ARV-110-103) as planned.
Our Preclinical Programs Addressing Other Oncology and Neurodegenerative Disorders, Including ARV-102 and ARV-393
We have active preclinical programs to evaluate additional established targets in oncology for both solid and hematological malignancies and neurodegenerative disorders. In line with our strategy, we assess potential exploratory programs on a target-by-target basis to decide whether our PROTAC targeted protein degraders provide a compelling differentiated approach over standard-of-care or other, existing or potential competing mechanisms of action directed against a specific target. In the case of currently or historically undruggable targets, we assess whether the features of our PROTAC targeted protein degraders, including their potential to degrade proteins via sites other than enzymatic active sites and the ability to initiate the degradation process using only weak binders, offer us opportunities to degrade those targets. In the first half of 2024, we expect to
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initiate first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials for both ARV-393, a PROTAC® degrader designed to target the BCL6 protein, and ARV-102, a PROTAC® degrader designed to target the LRRK2 protein.
Oncology
Our exploratory and research activity in oncology includes programs directed to the BCL6 protein, a transcription factor implicated in B cell lymphomas; Kirsten rat sarcoma, an oncogenic cell growth regulator; Myc, an oncogenic transcription factor driving tumor cell proliferation; and hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1, a suppressor of T cell activation.
In particular, we believe our BCL6 PROTAC degrader has the potential to be a first-in-class potential therapy for the NHL subtype DLBCL and believe additional opportunities for a BCL6 degrader exist in Burkitt's Lymphoma, Follicular Lymphoma, Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and solid tumors. BCL6 is genetically mutated in up to 85% of DLBCL, a subset of NHL. More than 74,000 people are diagnosed with DLBCL each year. Treatment for DLBCL is largely devoid of oral options and there are currently no approved BCL6-targeted therapies on the market or in the clinic. BCL6 may also be a clinically relevant therapeutic target in various solid tumors including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and glioblastoma.
Based on our preclinical models, complete tumor stasis, which correlates with 95%-100% degradation of measurable BCL6, was achieved when our oral, BCL6-targeting PROTAC clinical candidate was taken at low, oral daily doses. We saw similar activity in multiple DLBCL models, including for activated B-cell and germinal center B-cell lymphoma.
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are generally progressive in nature and result in the degeneration and often death of neurons in the brain, leading to cognitive decline, functional impairment and eventually death. These diseases affect a rapidly growing patient population and represent one of the largest unmet medical needs of our time. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases encompass the largest patient populations among the neurodegenerative diseases. The Alzheimer’s Association estimated that 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older, about one in nine individuals, were living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2023, and the Parkinson’s Foundation estimated that nearly one million Americans are living with Parkinson’s disease, or PD. Alzheimer’s disease is marked by the progressive accumulation of aggregated tau protein, while aggregation of alpha-synuclein is thought to cause PD.
Inhibitor-based therapies targeting the proteins thought to be the cause of these neurodegenerative diseases have failed to show clinically meaningful benefit to date. While some existing products provide symptomatic relief to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, they have significant side effect risks and over time gradually lose their effectiveness in treating the symptoms of the disease. Further, there are no approved disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
Developing PROTAC Targeted Protein Degraders that Cross the Blood Brain Barrier
Engineering PROTAC degraders that cross the blood-brain barrier is necessary to achieve targeted elimination of disease-causing proteins from the central nervous system. The ability of a targeted therapy to cross the blood-brain barrier is a highly desirable characteristic in developing effective therapeutics for patients with neurodegenerative diseases as compared with therapies delivered directly into the central nervous system, or CNS. Any product candidates for neurodegenerative disease must reach their intended targets in the brain at exposure levels that will provide a therapeutic effect, while having an acceptable safety profile.
Importantly, we have achieved brain penetration in preclinical models following parenteral administration of PROTAC degrader molecules designed to specifically target pathologic oligomers of mutant huntingtin, tau, and α-synuclein, for the treatment of Huntington's disease, Alzheimer’s disease (tauopathies) and PD (synucleinopathies), respectively. These PROTAC degrader molecules achieved concentrations in the brain sufficient to induce degradation of the aggregated proteins, widespread penetration into different parts of the brain, and brain/plasma ratios of 0.5 to 5.0, comparable to approved therapeutics with CNS activity.
Developing PROTAC Targeted Protein Degraders that Degrade Proteins Associated with Neurodegenerative Diseases
We have conducted preclinical studies to establish the potential of our PROTAC Discovery Engine in the CNS for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including tauopathies, the largest of which is
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Alzheimer’s disease. We have demonstrated that tau PROTAC protein degrader molecules could be dosed peripherally and degrade pathogenic tau in the brain of a mouse tauopathy model.
In preclinical studies, we have demonstrated that alpha-synuclein PROTAC degraders can specifically degrade aggregated forms of the protein. We have conducted in vitro experiments in cells expressing the A53T mutant form of alpha-synuclein, a mutation that causes aggregation of alpha-synuclein and early-onset PD in patients. We treated these cells with alpha-synuclein targeting PROTAC degraders at 1 μM for 48 hours.
In addition to our tau and alpha-synuclein programs, our neuroscience pipeline includes a program directed to mutant huntingtin, or mHTT, a key protein target for Huntington’s disease. We have identified novel ligands that when incorporated into PROTAC protein degrader molecules induce potent and selective degradation of mutant mHTT protein without impacting wild-type HTT protein in preclinical studies. This selectivity differentiates these ligands from other small molecule splice modulators that reduce both mHTT and wild-type HTT protein.
PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting more than 10 million people world-wide. Nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with PD each year. It is commonly thought of as a movement disorder because patients can experience tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness and difficulty with walking and balance. In addition, Parkinson's patients can have other non-motor type problems such as constipation, depression and memory loss. The disease results from the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain and is likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. No disease-modifying therapies have been approved for PD.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, or PSP, is a pure tauopathy with rapid progression to death within five to seven years. There are currently no approved therapies for treatment of PSP and there are LRRK2 genetic variants associated with accelerated progression time to death.
Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are one of the most common genetic risk factors for PD. LRRK2 is a multidomain GTPase/ kinase that acts, in part, as a scaffolding protein to interact with components of downstream signaling pathways regulating lysosomal function, mitochondrial processes, neuroinflammation and alpha-synuclein accumulation to negatively impact neuronal survival. Human genetics and preclinical animal model data suggest that a reduction of 50% of LRRK2 protein, but not kinase inhibition, may impact pathology and dysfunction in PD. Therefore, reduction of LRRK2 in the brain may be beneficial for the treatment of PD. We have identified potent, selective, orally bioavailable LRRK2 PROTAC protein degraders that cross the blood-brain barrier in preclinical species and biodistributed to deep brain regions impacted in PD.
Our oral PROTAC LRRK2-targeting protein degrader clinical candidate has been shown preclinically to broadly bio-distribute to deep brain regions in non-human primates and degrades LRRK2 more than 95%.
Intellectual Property
Our commercial success depends in part upon our ability to secure and maintain patent and other proprietary protection for our platform protein degradation technologies, including our PROTAC targeted protein degrader programs, product candidates, and know-how related to our business, defend and enforce our intellectual property rights, in particular our patent rights, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and operate without infringing valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others.
The patent positions for biotechnology companies like us are generally uncertain and can involve complex legal, scientific and factual issues. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before a patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted and even challenged after issuance. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any of our product candidates will be protected or remain protectable by enforceable patents. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties.
As of January 30, 2024, our patent estate that we own, co-own and in-license includes 45 issued U.S. patents, 193 granted foreign patents, and 790 pending patent applications (141 domestic and 649 foreign).
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Vepdegestrant (ARV-471)
Vepdegestrant (ARV-471) is a PROTAC ER targeting protein degrader for the potential treatment of metastatic and locally advanced breast cancer. As of January 30, 2024, our vepdegestrant patent portfolio includes a family with issued composition of matter patents in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions, including China and Europe, as well as pending applications in U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2037, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. This patent portfolio also includes patent families with pending applications directed to methods of treatment with a combination of vepdegestrant and palbociclib; methods of treating breast cancer with ER mutations; crystalline forms; formulations; manufacturing methods; dosage regimens; drug treatment combinations; and drug-drug interactions in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Patents from these additional families, if issued, will expire between 2040 and 2044, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
ARV-766
ARV-766 is a PROTAC AR targeting protein degrader for the potential treatment of men with metastatic prostate cancer. As of January 30, 2024, our ARV-766 patent portfolio includes a patent family directed to the ARV-766 composition of matter, which includes an issued U.S. patent and pending applications in certain foreign jurisdictions including Europe, Japan, and China. Any granted patent in this family will expire in 2040, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. This patent portfolio also includes a pending patent family directed to ARV-766 method of treatment. This additional family, if issued, will expire in 2043, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
Bavdegalutamide (ARV-110)
Bavdegalutamide (ARV-110) is a PROTAC AR targeting protein degrader for the potential treatment of men with metastatic prostate cancer. As of January 30, 2024, our bavdegalutamide patent portfolio includes a family with issued composition of matter patents in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions including Europe, Japan, and China, as well as pending applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2037, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. This patent portfolio also includes pending method of treatment applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, which if granted would expire in 2040, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. In addition, the bavdegalutamide portfolio includes patent families directed to drug treatment combinations, treatment of cancer having somatic AR tumor mutations, crystalline forms, drug formulation, and manufacturing, in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. These additional families, if issued, will expire between 2041 and 2044, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
BCL6
We are developing a BCL6 PROTAC targeting protein degrader for the potential treatment of B-cell malignancies. As of January 30, 2024, our BCL6 patent portfolio includes a composition of matter patent family, which includes pending applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions including Europe, China, and Japan, and a method of treatment patent family with pending U.S. and PCT applications. Any granted patents in these families will expire between 2042 and 2044, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
LRRK2
We are developing LRRK2 PROTAC degraders, including ARV-102, for the potential treatment of PD, PSP, and other neurodegenerative disorders. As of January 30, 2024, we have one family in our LRRK2 patent portfolio directed, in part, to the composition of matter of ARV-102 that includes pending U.S. and foreign applications, which, if granted, will expire in 2042, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
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KRAS
KRAS has historically been considered a “undruggable” target due to its lack of deep “pockets” and is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to standards of care in several tumor types.We are developing mutant-specific KRAS G12D degraders. As of January 30, 2024, our KRAS patent portfolio includes a family directed to KRAS G12D degraders that includes pending U.S. and PCT applications, as well as two pending foreign applications. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2044, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
PROTAC Platform
Our PROTAC platform patent estate that we own, and in-license, covers constructs that have ligands for the Von Hippel Lindau, or VHL, E3 ubiquitin ligase, the cereblon, or CRBN, E3 ubiquitin ligase, the inhibitor apoptosis protein, or IAP, E3 ubiquitin ligase, and the human mouse double minute homolog (MDM2) E3 ubiquitin ligase. As of January 30, 2024, the VHL patent portfolio, which we exclusively license from Yale University, includes composition-of-matter patents in the U.S., as well as certain foreign jurisdictions, as well as pending applications in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions including Europe, China, and Japan. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2033, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. As of January 30, 2024, the CRBN patent portfolio that we own includes issued composition of matter patents in Europe China, and Japan, as well as pending applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Any patents in this family will expire in 2035, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid. As of January 30, 2024, the IAP patent portfolio that we own has pending composition of matter applications in the U.S. and Europe. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2036, excluding potential patent term extension and potential patent term adjustment, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
As of January 30, 2024, the MDM2 patent portfolio that we own includes pending composition of matter applications in the U.S. and Europe. Any granted patents in this family will expire in 2036, excluding any potential patent term extensions or adjustments, assuming all appropriate maintenance fees are paid.
Co-Owned Patent Portfolios
We co-own with Yale University six patent families describing composition of matter claims of PROTAC targeted protein degrader compounds addressing certain discovery and other potential protein targets, and associated methods of use. As of January 30, 2024, one or more U.S. patents have been issued in five of these families, and one or more patents have been issued in certain foreign jurisdictions for two of these families. There are also pending patent applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions in five of these families.We also co-own with Yale University a composition of matter patent family that covers constructs that have ligands for the VHL E3 ubiquitin ligase.This family includes issued patents in the U.S and Japan, as well as certain foreign jurisdictions, and pending patent applications in the U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Our rights to these patent applications are governed by the Yale License Agreement described below under Licenses and Strategic Collaborations.
We co-own with Genentech two pending U.S. patent applications and 30 foreign patent applications, as well as three granted foreign patents directed to PROTAC targeted protein degrader compounds addressing a specific protein. Our rights to these patent applications are governed by the Genentech License Agreement described below under Licenses and Strategic Collaborations.
The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, the term of a patent covering a drug approved by the FDA may be eligible for a patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act as compensation for the loss of patent term during the FDA regulatory review process. The period of extension may be up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent but cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval. Only one patent among those eligible for an extension may be extended. Similar provisions are available in Europe and in certain other jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. It is possible that issued U.S. patents covering bavdegalutamide and ARV-471 may be entitled to patent term extensions. If our product candidates receive FDA approval, we intend to apply for patent term extensions, if available, to extend the term of patents that cover the approved product candidates. We also intend to seek patent term extensions in any jurisdiction where they are available; however, there is no
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guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the FDA, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and if granted, the length of such extensions.
The United States also offers Patent Term Adjustment, or PTA, whereby a particular patent’s term is automatically extended beyond the 20-year term if the United States Patent and Trademark Office caused delays during the underlying patent application’s examination. However, potentially available PTA will be reduced by any amount of delay caused by the applicant.
Trade Secrets
We also rely on trade secrets, technical know-how and continuing innovation to develop and maintain our competitive advantage. Our policy requires inventors who are identified on any company-owned patent applications to assign rights to us. We also rely on confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and other advisors to protect our proprietary information. Our policy is to require third parties that receive material confidential information to enter into confidentiality agreements with us.
Trademarks
We own a U.S. service mark registration for PROTAC for pharmaceutical products development of new small molecules aimed at degrading disease-causing cellular proteins for treatment in the fields of oncology, immunology, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous system disorders. We also own a U.S. trademark registration for the mark PROTAC for small molecule products aimed at degrading disease-causing cellularproteins for treatment in the fields of oncology, immunology, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous system disorders. In China, we own a pending application for PROTAC for “quality control; meteorological information; architectural consultancy; dress designing; authenticating works of art; logo design services.”
We also own U.S. trademark and service mark registrations for ARVINAS in word and logo form for pharmaceutical preparations and pharmaceutical products development of cellular proteins for treatment in the fields of oncology, immunology, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous system disorders. The ARVINAS word mark is registered for pharmaceutical products development services in Australia, China, the EU, Japan, Norway, South Korea, and Switzerland, and is pending registration in several other countries. The ARVINAS word mark is also registered for pharmaceutical products in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the EU, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, and is pending registration in several other countries. The ARVINAS logo mark is registered for pharmaceutical products development services in China, the EU, and the United Kingdom, and is pending registration in several other countries. The ARVINAS logo mark is also registered for pharmaceutical products in the EU, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, and is pending registration in several other countries.
We also own U.S. service mark registrations for our “degrading dots” logo mark in both black and white and color form for pharmaceutical products development of new small molecules aimed at degrading disease-causing cellular proteins for treatment in the fields of oncology, immunology, inflammatory diseases, and central nervous system disorders.
We own pending applications in the U.S. for the PROTAC mark for bi-functional small molecules that mediate targeted protein degradation through the ubiquitin proteasome system for agricultural and pesticide use and agricultural products development services. These applications are licensed for use by Oerth Bio.
Licenses and Strategic Collaborations
Yale University License Agreement
In July 2013, we entered into a license agreement with Yale pursuant to which Yale granted us an exclusive, worldwide license under specified intellectual property rights for the treatment or prevention of any human or animal disease in which a product mediates degradation of one or more target proteins, which we refer to as the Field, subject to certain exceptions. These licensed intellectual property rights arose from the research conducted by Dr. Craig Crews at Yale.
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We are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to implement a written plan we agreed to with Yale setting forth a description of any research and development, testing, governmental approval and commercialization activities relating to licensed products and our financing plans. We must update this plan on an annual basis to indicate progress to date on the plan and a schedule of major events required to commercialize licensed products.
Pursuant to the license agreement, we paid to Yale an upfront payment of $0.1 million. We are responsible for paying Yale an annual license maintenance fee in varying amounts (ranging from the low tens-thousands of dollars to the mid to high tens-thousands of dollars) until the first sale to a third party of any licensed product, which is creditable against our royalty obligations for the given year. As of December 31, 2023, we have paid a total of $0.7 million in license maintenance fees to Yale. We are required to pay Yale, subject to the achievement of specified development and regulatory milestones, payments aggregating up to approximately $3.0 million for the first licensed product and up to approximately $1.5 million for the second licensed product. We are not required to make any milestone payments for any licensed products beyond the first two. As of December 31, 2023, we have paid a total of $0.2 million in milestone payments to Yale. While the agreement remains in effect, we are required to pay Yale low single-digit royalties on aggregate worldwide net sales of certain licensed products, which may be subject to reductions. Yale is guaranteed a minimum royalty payment amount (ranging from $0.2 million to $0.5 million) for each year after the first sale of a licensed product that results in net sales. The agreement requires that we must also pay Yale a mid-single digit to mid-double digit percentage of certain consideration we receive from a sublicensee for the first licensed product we sublicense. We are also responsible for costs relating to the prosecution and maintenance of the licensed patents. Finally, subject to certain conditions, all payments made by us to Yale (except patent costs) will be tripled during the pendency of any patent challenge made by us against Yale.
The license agreement remains in effect until (a) for certain products, the date on which the last claim of the licensed patents expires; and (b) for certain products, 10 years after the sale of such products. The expiration of the last to expire patent right licensed from Yale, if it issues as a patent and all appropriate maintenance fees are paid, is currently expected be in 2039. Either we or Yale may terminate the agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach of certain provisions, we may terminate the agreement for convenience upon six months’ prior notice, and Yale may terminate the agreement if we fail to make a payment when due, fail to obtain or maintain adequate insurance coverage or fail to achieve specified financing or regulatory milestone events. The agreement will automatically terminate if we become insolvent.
Genentech License Agreement
In September 2015, we entered into an Option and License Agreement with Genentech focused on PROTAC targeted protein degrader discovery and research for target proteins, or Targets, based on our proprietary platform technology, other than excluded Targets as described below. This collaboration was expanded in November 2017 through an Amended and Restated Option, License and Collaboration Agreement, which we refer to as the Restated Genentech Agreement.