Nerve Tissue Neoplasms

80% of EVX-01 vaccine targets triggered a tumor-specific immune response, a substantially higher frequency than what has been reported for other similar vaccine candidates The data underscores the precision of Evaxion’s AI-Immunology™ platform in selecting therapeutically relevant vaccine targets New findings show EVX-01 inducing a robust and durable immune response, further enhanced by booster immunizations The ongoing phase 2 trial with EVX-01 remains on track for two-year data readout in the second half of 2025 April 28, 2025 - Evaxion Biotech A/S (NASDAQ: EVAX) (“Evaxion”), a clinical-stage TechBio company specializing in developing AI-Immunology™ powered vaccines, announces new data underscoring the ability of cancer vaccine EVX-01 to drive a targeted and robust immune response. Designed with Evaxion’s AI-Immunology™ platform, EVX-01 is a personalized cancer vaccine currently being evaluated as a treatment for advanced melanoma (skin cancer). New immune data from the ongoing phase 2 trial with EVX-01 will be presented at a poster session tomorrow at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting taking place in Chicago. The data demonstrates that 80% of EVX-01 vaccine targets triggered a tumor-specific immune response. In earlier interim analyses presented at the ASCO and ESMO 2024 meetings, a vaccine target hit rate of 71% and 79%, respectively, was demonstrated. Now, with more long-term patient samples analyzed, we’ve improved this hit rate to 80%, reinforcing the potential of EVX-01 as a new and effective treatment for a broad range of solid tumors. “We are excited to report yet another positive set of data for our lead vaccine candidate EVX-01. Its ability to trigger an immune response is unprecedented compared to what has been reported by others. We are further encouraged by the data showing this response to be strong and long-lasting and increasing with additional booster immunizations. The data package for EVX-01 gets stronger and stronger and we are eagerly anticipating the two-year clinical readout,” says Birgitte Rønø, CSO of Evaxion. The trial previously yielded strong interim one-year clinical data and remains on track for readout of two-year clinical data in the second half of 2025. Additionally, the trial has been extended with a third year, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of the full potential of EVX-01. The phase 2 trial investigates EVX-01 in combination with MSD’s (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in patients with advanced melanoma (skin cancer). Each patient enrolled in the trial has received a unique vaccine designed and manufactured based on their individual biology. KEYTRUDA® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. AACR presentation details: Abstract title:T-cell immunogenicity and biomarker profiling in advanced melanoma patients receiving the personalized vaccine EVX-01 in combination with pembrolizumabAbstract#:4538Poster#:9Session (category):Immune responses to therapies including chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Clinical research)Location: Poster section 28Date/Time:April 29, 2025, at 9am-12pm CST/16-19 CET Presenter:Mads Lausen Nielsen, PhD, Project Manager at Evaxion EVX-01 is a personalized peptide-based cancer vaccine intended for first-line treatment of multiple advanced solid cancers. It is Evaxion’s lead clinical asset. EVX-01 is designed with our AI-Immunology™ platform and is tailored to target the unique tumor profile and immune characteristics of each patient. It engages the patient's immune system to fight off cancer by mounting a targeted response against tumors. In clinical trials, EVX-01 has demonstrated 69% and 67% Overall Response Rates in patients with advanced melanoma. Further, significant correlations between clinical responses and AI-Immunology™ predictions have been observed, underlining the predictive power of the platform. Evaxion Biotech A/S is a pioneering TechBio company based upon its AI platform, AI-Immunology™. Evaxion’s proprietary and scalable AI prediction models harness the power of artificial intelligence to decode the human immune system and develop novel immunotherapies for cancer, bacterial diseases, and viral infections. Based upon AI-Immunology™, Evaxion has developed a clinical-stage oncology pipeline of novel personalized vaccines and a preclinical infectious disease pipeline in bacterial and viral diseases with high unmet medical needs. Evaxion is committed to transforming patients’ lives by providing innovative and targeted treatment options. The content above comes from the network. if any infringement, please contact us to modify.

Phase 1b/2a trial designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of IFx-Hu2.0 in combination with Keytruda® when administered via Interventional Radiology (IR) in patients with deep- seated tumors without associated cutaneous tumors TAMPA, Fla., May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:HURA) ("TuHURA" or the "Company"), a Phase 3 immune-oncology company developing novel technologies to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy, today announced the initiation of its Phase 1b/2a trial of IFx-Hu2.0, TuHURA's lead innate immune agonist, in patients with MCCUP who would not be eligible for the Company's planned Phase 3 accelerated approval trial, which is targeted to begin enrollment later in Q2 2025. IFx-Hu2.0 is designed to overcome primary resistance to checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) like Keytruda® and has demonstrated systemic anti-tumor specific immune responses (abscopal effect) when injected intratumorally into cutaneous, subcutaneous, or accessible nodal lesions in its prior Phase 1 and 1b trials in melanoma and advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). "Like our planned Phase 3 accelerated approval trial, this Phase 1b/2a trial will also investigate the ability of IFx-Hu2.0 to increase the anti-tumor response rate when used alongside Keytruda® in first line treatment of CPI naïve, metastatic MCC. However, unlike the planned Phase 3 study, these are patients without skin lesions who present with metastatic deep-seated tumors in the liver, lungs or retropertitoneum (abdomen). Up to 30% of patients with MCC present without primary lesions in the skin, so this trial will not only provide safety, feasibility, and efficacy data, but may also expand the potential number of addressable patients who may benefit from IFx-Hu2.0," said James Bianco, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TuHURA Biosciences. "If feasibility and safety is demonstrated for IFx-Hu2.0 and Keytruda® when radiologically administered to deep-seated tumors, we plan to extend enrollment to a variety of non-MCC cancers that are known not to respond or respond poorly to CPIs. Since the underlying biology of why tumors don't respond to CPIs is for the most part the same, then the mechanism of how IFx-Hu2.0 overcomes that resistance to CPIs should be independent of the type of cancer treated. We have previously demonstrated that IFx-Hu2.0 can overcome CPI resistance in melanoma, squamous cell, and Merkel cell carcinoma, three unrelated types of skin cancers. If successful, this trial could expand the potential benefit of IFx-Hu2.0 to a wide variety of cancers," added Dr. Bianco. The Phase 1b/2a trial of IFx-Hu2.0 is a multicenter, open-label trial designed to assess the safety and feasibility of IFx-Hu2.0 as adjunctive therapy to pembrolizumab in adult patients with non-cutaneous MCC. The trial is designed to enroll a total of nine non-cutaneous MCC patients with either hepatic, pulmonary, or retroperitoneal lesions, enrolling three patients per lesion type (NCT06940440). Each patient will receive IFx-Hu2.0 (0.1 mg) injected into a single visceral tumor once a week for three weeks. Within 48 hours of the first IFx-Hu2.0 injection, patients will receive pembrolizumab, followed by pembrolizumab every three weeks for six months. The primary endpoint of the study is safety and feasibility of IFx-Hu2.0 adjuvant therapy evaluated 28 days following the last dose of IFx-Hu2.0, or Day 49 from the first IFx-Hu2.0 infusion. The study will also evaluate key secondary endpoints, including efficacy per RECIST 1.1 criteria at three months and six months. Data from the trial is anticipated by the end of Q4 2025 or early Q1 2026. TuHURA is also preparing to initiate a single, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 accelerated approval trial of IFx-2.0 administered as an adjunctive therapy to Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) versus Keytruda® plus placebo in first-line treatment for checkpoint inhibitor-naïve patients with advanced or metastatic MCC (NCT06947928). The primary endpoint in the Phase 3 trial will be overall response rate (ORR) at approximately 24 weeks, with a secondary endpoint of progression free survival (PFS) per RECIST 1.1 criteria. The Company has reached agreement with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on requirements for lifting a partial clinical hold on this trial and believes it will meet the requirements in Q2 2025. TuHURA currently anticipates initiating the Phase 3 registrational trial in Q2 2025. Based on data generated in TuHURA's Phase 1b trial of IFx-Hu2.0 in CPI naïve patients with advanced or metastatic MCC who progressed receiving CPI therapy, FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), consistent with the FDA's Project Front Runner Initiative, asked the Company to consider a first-line randomized placebo controlled trial of Keytruda® plus placebo or IFx-Hu2.0. The FDA also agreed that the trial could be conducted under their accelerated approval pathway with the use of Objective Response Rate (ORR) as the primary endpoint. The FDA also asked the Company to consider incorporating into its accelerated approval trial a key secondary end point of Progression Free Survival (PFS), which, if successfully achieved without a detriment to overall survival at the time of analysis, may result in the Company not being required to conduct a post approval confirmatory trial, and this single trial could potentially fulfill requirement for regular approval. The Company and the FDA have entered into a Special Protocol Assessment Agreement for the planned Phase 3 trial. About TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HURA) is a Phase 3 immuno-oncology company developing novel technologies to overcome primary and acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy, two of the most common reasons cancer immunotherapies fail to work or stop working in the majority of patients with cancer. TuHURA's lead innate immune agonist, IFx-2.0, is designed to overcome primary resistance to checkpoint inhibitors. TuHURA is preparing to initiate a single randomized placebo-controlled Phase 3 registration trial of IFx-2.0 administered as an adjunctive therapy to Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) compared to Keytruda® plus placebo in first line treatment for advanced or metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma. In addition to its innate immune agonist product candidates, TuHURA is leveraging its Delta Opioid Receptor technology to develop first-in-class, bi-specific antibody drug conjugates and antibody peptide conjugates targeting Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells to inhibit their immune-suppressing effects on the tumor microenvironment to prevent T cell exhaustion and acquired resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and cellular therapies. For more information, please visit and connect with TuHURA on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSED MERGER WITH KINETA, INC. In connection with the proposed acquisition by merger of Kineta, Inc. ("Kineta") by TuHURA (the "Merger"), TuHURA filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a registration statement on Form S-4, dated February 7, 2025 (the "Registration Statement"), which contains a preliminary joint proxy statement of Kineta and TuHURA and a preliminary prospectus of TuHURA (the "Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus"), and TuHURA and Kineta may file with the SEC other relevant documents regarding the Merger. Investors and securityholders of TuHURA and Kineta are urged to read the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and such other materials carefully when they become available because they will contain important information about TuHURA, Kineta, and the proposed Merger. This press release is not a substitute for the definitive Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus, when it becomes available, or any other documents that TuHURA may file with the SEC or send to securityholders in connection with the proposed Merger. A definitive copy of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be mailed to Kineta and TuHURA stockholders when that document is final. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain free copies of the documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by TuHURA, when they become available, through the website maintained by the SEC at . The documents filed by TuHURA with the SEC may also be obtained free of charge at TuHURA's website at or upon written request to: TuHURA, 10500 University Drive, Suite 110, Tampa, Florida 33612. NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the Merger and is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of TuHURA or Kineta, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION TuHURA and Kineta and their respective directors and officers and other members of management may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the Merger and other matters that may be set forth in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Information about TuHURA's directors and executive officers is set forth in TuHURA's filings with the SEC, including TuHURA's Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2025. Additional information regarding the direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies in the Merger may be obtained by reading the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus when it becomes available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described above under "IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION." CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of, and subject to the safe harbor created by, Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These Forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events, and other future conditions. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "should," "would," "project," "plan," "expect," "goal," "seek," "future," "likely" or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Examples of such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to express or implied statements regarding TuHURA's expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and include, without limitation, statements regarding TuHURA's IFx-Hu2.0 product candidate and anticipated Phase 3 trial and its recently initiated Phase 1b/2a trial, its potential acquisition by merger of Kineta Inc., and any developments or results in connection therewith and the anticipated regulatory pathway and timing of TuHURA's development programs, studies and trials. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those set forth in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are described in detail in our registration statements, reports and other filings with the SEC, which are available on the combined company's website, and at . The forward-looking statements and other information contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and TuHURA does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Nothing herein shall constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Investor Contact: Monique Kosse Gilmartin Group [email protected] SOURCE TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Taylor Tieden for BioSpace On the FDA’s docket this month are two expansion bids, one for GSK’s asthma drug Nucala into COPD and another for Merck’s oral cancer drug for a pair of rare tumors. Amid the growing macro-level headwinds in the vaccine space, the FDA this month is expected to decide on Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 shot, alongside a handful of other big verdicts. Read below for more. GSK Asks FDA to Approve Asthma Injection Nucala for COPD GSK is proposing its subcutaneous biologic Nucala to treat adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with an eosinophilic phenotype. The FDA’s decision is due on May 7. A pulmonary disease, COPD is characterized by inflammation in the lungs, manifesting as breathlessness, coughs and airflow obstruction. According to GSK, some 40% of patients suffer from disease exacerbations caused by type 2 inflammation, which in turn is linked to high eosinophil counts in the blood. Nucala , a monoclonal antibody, targets and blocks the IL-5 cytokine, which is crucial to maintain the activity of eosinophils. GSK is supporting Nucala’s COPD application with data from the Phase III MATINEE trial. The pharma released a topline readout from the study in September 2024, noting that Nucala elicited a “statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction” in yearly rates of moderate or severe disease exacerbations as opposed to placebo. Nucala is currently approved for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and hypereosinophilic syndrome, and as an add-on maintenance treatment for asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Arcutis Seeks Zoryve Expansion into Body and Scalp Psoriasis By May 22, the FDA will release its verdict on Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ proposed expansion for Zoryve into body and scalp psoriasis. Arcutis is backing its expansion bid with data from the Phase III ARRECTOR trial, which found that 66.4% of Zoryve-treated patients achieved clear or almost-clear skin, as opposed to 27.8% in placebo patients. Results also showed that 65.3% of patients in the Zoryve arm saw significant improvements in itch, versus 30.3% in the placebo group. Arcutis also filed findings from a Phase IIb study as well as long-term efficacy and safety data for Zoryve in plaque psoriasis. Zoryve is a topical phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor that works by helping to suppress inflammation in the skin. The drug won FDA approval in 2011 for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in patients aged 12 years and up. If approved for body and scalp psoriasis, Zoryve would be a “truly meaningful innovation” for patients who suffer from inadequately controlled symptoms, Arcutis CEO Frank Watanabe said in a September 2024 release. Sanofi Eyes Extension of Meningococcal Disease Shot to Infants, Toddlers Sanofi’s meningococcal disease vaccine MenQuadfi is currently approved for the primary immunization of children aged two years and up. As a booster, it can be used in those 13 years and older who continue to be at risk of meningococcal disease. Sanofi is seeking to expand MenQuadfi’s label to also include infants and toddlers from six weeks to 23 months of age. The FDA is currently reviewing this proposal and is due to release its decision on May 23. If approved, MenQuadfi could protect this younger population from the A, C, W and Y serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis . In an April presentation before the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, Sanofi presented data from several trials, including the Phase III MET42 study. Results showed that MenQuadfi was safe to use in infants and toddlers, with most side effects being mild or moderate in severity. Efficacy-wise, MenQuadfi was able to match a commercially approved vaccine in immune response and seroprotection. Liquidia Awaits Final Yutrepia Approval in Interstitial Lung Disease On May 23, Liquidia is expecting to win final approval of its inhalation powder Yutrepia for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). The FDA gave the drug tentative approval in August 2024, indicating that it had cleared all efficacy and safety hurdles and satisfied regulatory standards of product quality. However, Liquidia still needed to wait out regulatory exclusivity for a competing product. Yutrepia is Liquidia’s inhalable version of treprostinil, a vasodilator that has known activity against pulmonary hypertension. Yutrepia is backed by data from the Phase III INSPIRE study, which found that the drug was both safe and well-tolerated in patients who were naïve to treprostinil or who were switching to Yutrepia from nebulized treprostinil. The INSPIRE trial found that patients treated with Yutrepia saw symptoms stabilize or improve over one year of dosing. Merck Hopes to Tack Two Rare Cancers Onto Welireg’s Label Merck is hoping to expand its oral cancer drug Welireg into advanced pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). The FDA’s decision deadline is May 26. PPGL refers to two types of rare tumors of the adrenal gland. Diagnosed in some 2,000 patients per year, they are typically caused by specific genetic mutations. Symptoms include high blood pressure, palpitations and headaches. According to Merck, up to 25% of PPGL cases are already at the metastatic stage at diagnosis. Merck is supporting Welireg’s PPGL bid with data from Cohort A1 of the Phase II LITESPARK-015 study. The pharma did not provide specific data in a January news release , revealing only that the application is based on objective response rate and duration of response in PPGL patients after Welireg treatment. The FDA has granted the drug priority review in this indication. Welireg is an orally available inhibitor of the HIF-2α transcription factor, which is involved in oxygen sensing and in the body’s response to hypoxia. The drug is indicated for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and those with von Hippel-Lindau disease—a rare genetic disease involving the formation of tumors across various organs—who also require treatment for associated RCC. If approved, Welireg will become the only drug for advanced PPGL in the U.S., Merck said. After Delay, Eton Nears Approval for Oral Hydrocortisone By May 28, the FDA will release its verdict on Eton Pharmaceuticals’ ET-400, an oral formulation of hydrocortisone, for the treatment of adrenal insufficiency in infants. This new target action date comes after the FDA in February announced that it needed more time to review Eton’s data package for ET-400. Eton submitted supplemental information in December last year, in response to a request from the regulator. ET-400 is a proprietary oral formulation of hydrocortisone that, according to the biotech, is stable at room temperature. If approved, ET-400 will follow in the footsteps of Eton’s Alkindi Sprinkle, which also has hydrocortisone as an active ingredient, but is formulated as oral granules. Alkindi Sprinkle, approved in 2020 , is designed to rapidly deliver glucocorticoids to children with adrenocortical insufficiency. In a July 2024 announcement , Eton CEO Sean Brynjelsen said that the approval of ET-400 would allow the biotech to “capture a greater percentage of the oral hydrocortisone market” and, alongside Alkindi Sprinkle, would open up a peak opportunity of “more than $50 million annually.” Moderna Seeks Approval for Next-Generation COVID-19 Shot The FDA’s last big milestone for the month belongs to Moderna and its investigational next-generation COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1283. The regulator is expected to release its decision on May 31. In June 2024, the company released Phase III data for the experimental shot, touting better efficacy than Spikevax, its currently approved COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna did not provide specific data, only claiming that mRNA-1283 elicited a “higher immune response” against SARS-CoV-2 than Spikevax. Of note, Moderna emphasized at the time that mRNA-1283 could induce robust responses against Omicron and original strains of the virus—a benefit the company claimed was most evident in seniors over 65 years of age. The CDC’s vaccine advisors were supposed to convene in late February to discuss various vaccines, including mRNA-1283, before the meeting was postponed . The panel finally convened last month.