Market Newsdesk

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA / OTCQX: CURLF) (“Curaleaf” or the “Company”), a leading vertically integrated cannabis operator in the United States, today announced that Boris Jordan, Curaleaf Executive Chairman of the Board, will be participating in the Consumer Panel: Cannabis Crystal Ball – Predictions for the Next 4 Years at the Roth Deer Valley Consumer Conference on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 4:00pm ET.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Scott Fortune, Director & Research Analyst of Roth Capital Partners, focused on the Consumer Health and Wellness sector. 

Curaleaf senior management will also be conducting virtual one-on-one investor meetings on December 10 and December 11, 2020.

To access the presentation webcast please visit the Curaleaf IR website at https://ir.curaleaf.com/events.

About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) (“Curaleaf”) is a leading U.S. provider of consumer products in cannabis, with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a vertically integrated, high-growth cannabis operator known for quality, expertise and reliability, the company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 96 dispensaries, 23 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 3,000 team members across the United States. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information please visit www.curaleaf.com.

INVESTOR CONTACT
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. 
Dan Foley, VP, Finance and Investor Relations
[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.
Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications
[email protected]

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SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: STRO), a clinical-stage drug discovery, development and manufacturing company focused on the application of precise protein engineering and rational design to create next-generation cancer and autoimmune therapeutics, today announced a proposed underwritten public offering in which it intends to offer and sell 5,000,000 shares of its common stock. In addition, Sutro intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares of common stock offered in the public offering. All of the shares of common stock are being offered by Sutro. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

Cowen, Piper Sandler and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers in the offering. Wedbush PacGrow and JMP Securities are acting as co-managers for the offering.

Sutro intends to use the net proceeds from the proposed offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, to fund the continued clinical development of STRO-001 and STRO-002 and the remainder to fund the further development of its technology platform, including manufacturing, to broaden its pipeline of product candidates, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The shares are being offered by Sutro pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 previously filed and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to this offering will be filed with the SEC. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained from: Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, Attn: Prospectus Department, by telephone at (833) 297-2926, or by email at [email protected]; Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, by telephone at (800) 747-3924, or by email at [email protected]; or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 500 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001, by telephone at (800) 326-5897, or by email at [email protected]. Electronic copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus will also be available on the website of the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Sutro, nor shall there be any sale of these 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 any such state or jurisdiction.

About Sutro Biopharma

Sutro Biopharma, Inc., located in South San Francisco, is a clinical-stage drug discovery, development and manufacturing company. Using precise protein engineering and rational design, Sutro is advancing next-generation oncology therapeutics.

Sutro’s proprietary and integrated cell-free protein synthesis platform XpressCF® and site-specific conjugation platform XpressCF+™ led to the discovery of STRO-001 and STRO-002, Sutro’s first two internally-developed ADCs. STRO-001 is a CD74-targeting ADC currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with advanced B-cell malignancies, including multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. STRO-001 was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for multiple myeloma in October 2018. STRO-002 is a folate receptor alpha (FolRα)-targeting ADC, currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with ovarian and endometrial cancers. This is the second product candidate to be evaluated in clinical trials resulting from Sutro’s XpressCF® and XpressCF+™ technology platforms. A third program, CC-99712 (BCMA-targeting ADC), which is part of Sutro’s collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb (formerly Celgene Corporation), is enrolling patients for its Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with multiple myeloma. Sutro’s proprietary technology was responsible for the discovery and manufacturing of CC-99712, for which Bristol Myers Squibb has worldwide development and commercialization rights. Sutro is entitled to development and regulatory milestone payments and tiered royalties from Bristol Myers Squibb for this BCMA ADC. Sutro is dedicated to transforming the lives of cancer patients by creating medicines with improved therapeutic profiles for areas of unmet need.

To date, Sutro’s platform has led to cytokine-based immuno-oncology therapies, ADCs, vaccines and bispecific antibodies directed at precedented targets in clinical indications where the current standard of care is suboptimal. The platform allows it to accelerate discovery and development of potential first-in-class and best-in-class molecules through rapid and systematic evaluation of protein structure-activity relationships to create optimized homogeneous product candidates.

In addition to developing its own oncology pipeline, Sutro is collaborating with select pharmaceutical and biotech companies to discover and develop novel, next-generation therapeutics. As the pace of clinical development accelerates, Sutro and its partners are developing therapeutics designed to more efficiently kill tumors without harming healthy cells.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements the Company makes regarding its intention to conduct an offering and sale of securities, the grant of the option to purchase additional shares, the  ability to complete the offering and expected use of proceeds and anticipated preclinical and clinical development activities, timing of clinical trials and announcements of clinical results, potential benefits of the Company’s product candidates and platform and potential market opportunities for the Company’s product candidates. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company cannot guarantee future events, results, actions, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and the timing and results of biotechnology development and potential regulatory approval is inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual activities or results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including risks and uncertainties related to the Company’s intention to conduct an offering and sale of securities, the grant of the option to purchase additional shares, the  ability to complete the offering and expected use of proceeds and the Company’s ability to advance its product candidates, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, clinical trial sites, supply chain and manufacturing facilities, the Company’s ability to maintain and recognize the benefits of certain designations received by product candidates, the timing and results of preclinical and clinical trials, the Company’s ability to fund development activities and achieve development goals, the Company’s ability to protect intellectual property, and the Company’s commercial collaborations with third parties and other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Investor Contact
Annie J. Chang 
Sutro Biopharma 
+1 650-255-8806  
[email protected] 

Media Contacts

David Schull

Russo Partners
(212) 845-4271
[email protected]

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SOURCE Sutro Biopharma

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) today announced two nonclinical data presentations for NKTR-255, its IL-15 pathway agonist, at the 62^nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. The presentations include an oral presentation of translational research studies conducted in collaboration with researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Center. 

NKTR-255 is an interleukin-15 (IL-15) receptor agonist that is designed to expand both natural killer (NK) cells and memory CD8 T cell populations. It is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical studies in both hematological and solid tumors in combination with agents that induce antibody-dependent cellular toxicity (ADCC). In the hematological setting, NKTR-255 is being tested in a Phase 1b/2 clinical study as monotherapy and in combination with rituximab or daratumumab in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). It is also being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 solid tumor trial in combination with cetuximab for the treatment of colorectal cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

“Inhibition of NK cell effector functions is a mechanism for immune evasion in patients with multiple myeloma and therefore restoring and enhancing NK cell functionality is a key goal for new immunotherapeutic approaches, ” said Nikhil C. Munshi, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of Basic and Correlative Science, and Associate Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “In our studies, we found the novel IL-15 receptor agonist, NKTR-255, was effective in reverting the inhibitory status observed in NK cells from MM patients, leading to enhanced direct NK cytotoxicity against several MM cell lines and primary MM cells. In addition, we saw a significant increase in ADCC activity in vitro with NKTR-255 in combination with myeloma-targeting antibodies as compared to activity with those antibodies alone. These data accentuate the potential for NKTR-255 as an innovative immunotherapeutic agent in the treatment of multiple myeloma.”

“The ASH presentations add to the growing body of data for NKTR-255 that highlight its ability to enhance NK cell effector function and greatly potentiate the ADCC mechanisms of targeted antibodies,” said Jonathan Zalevsky, Ph.D., Chief Research & Development Officer at Nektar. “We are excited about the development potential of NKTR-255, especially as we’ve already observed biological activity in the first multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients treated in the monotherapy dose-escalation phase of our liquid tumor study.”

Details of the preclinical data presentations at ASH are listed below and are available on the scientific section of Nektar’s website at http://www.nektar.com/science/scientific-posters-and-presentations:

Abstract 667: “Restoring NK Cell Activities in Multiple Myeloma with IL-15 Receptor Agonist NKTR-255,” Fernández, R. A., et al. (This study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Nikhil C. Munshi at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.)

• Oral Session: 652. Myeloma: Pathophysiology and Pre-Clinical Studies, excluding Therapy
• Date:
  Monday, December 7, 2020, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• The induction of an activated profile in NK cells by NKTR-255 results in an effective enhancement of their anti-myeloma effector function in ex vivo assays.
• In vivo studies confirmed superiority of the combination of daratumumab and NKTR-255 compared to single agents in controlling MM growth.
• NKTR-255 improves the immune cell compartment both in the tumor tissue and blood following anti-CD38 treatment.

Abstract 825: “Optimizing Ex-Vivo Expanded NK Cell- Mediated Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC) Combined with NKTR-255 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL), and Burkitt Lymphoma (BL),” Chu, Y., et al. (This study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Mitchell Cairo at New York Medical College.)

• Poster Session: 203. Lymphocytes, Lymphocyte Activation, and Immunodeficiency, including HIV and Other Infections: Poster I
• Date:
  Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• NKTR-255 significantly enhanced the in vitro cytotoxicity of expanded NK cells when combined with rituximab against MEC-1, PGA-1, and DOHH2 as compared to the control groups.
• NKTR-255 also significantly enhanced the in vitro cytotoxicity of expanded NK cells when combined with obinutuzumab against rituximab-resistant BL cells like Raji-2R and Raji-4RH as compared to the control groups.
• NKTR-255 significantly enhanced the ADCC of expanded NK cells with anti-CD20 type I and type II antibodies against CLL, FL and rituximab-resistant BL cells in vitro with enhanced IFN-γ, granzyme B and perforin release.

About NKTR-255

NKTR-255 is an IL-15 receptor agonist designed to activate the IL-15 pathway and expand NK cells and promote the survival and expansion of memory CD8+ T cells without inducing suppressive regulatory T cells. Through optimal engagement of the IL-15Rα/IL-2Rβγ receptor complex, NKTR-255 enhances functional NK cell population and formation of long-term immunological memory, which may lead to sustained anti-tumor immune response. NKTR-255 is uniquely designed to overcome the challenges of recombinant IL-15 and other IL-15 agonists, which are rapidly cleared from the body and have shown diminishing response to successive doses.¹ NKTR-255 was designed using Nektar’s polymer conjugation technology to extend circulating half-life.

About Nektar

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company with a robust, wholly owned R&D pipeline of investigational medicines in oncology, immunology, and virology as well as a portfolio of approved partnered medicines. Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India. Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements which can be identified by words such as: “potential,” “design,” “enhance,” “may,” “test,” “evaluate” and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding the expected benefits of NKTR-255 (both alone as a single agent as well as in combination with other agents, such as targeted antibodies), the ability to obtain useful data from the Phase 1b/2 clinical study of NKTR-255, and the future clinical development plans for NKTR-255. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, anticipated events and trends, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others: (i) NKTR-255 is in early-stage clinical development and there are substantial risks that can unexpectedly occur for numerous reasons including negative safety and efficacy findings in the Phase 1b/2 clinical study notwithstanding positive preclinical findings; (ii) clinical study outcomes, including the Phase 1b/2 clinical study outcome of NKTR-255, remain very unpredictable and it is possible that a clinical study could fail due to efficacy, safety or other important clinical findings; (iii) the timing of the commencement or end of clinical trials and the availability of clinical data may be delayed or unsuccessful due to regulatory delays, slower than anticipated patient enrollment, manufacturing challenges, changing standards of care, evolving regulatory requirements, clinical trial design, clinical outcomes, and competitive factors; (iv) scientific discovery of new therapeutics is an inherently uncertain process and the future success of applying our technology platform to potential new drug candidates (such as NKTR-255) is therefore highly uncertain and unpredictable; (v) patents may not issue from our patent applications for NKTR-255, patents that have issued may not be enforceable, or additional intellectual property licenses from third parties may be required; and (vi) certain other important risks and uncertainties set forth in Nektar’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contact:

For Investors:

Jerry Isaacson of Nektar Therapeutics
628-895-0634
Vivian Wu of Nektar Therapeutics
628-895-0661

For Media:

Dan Budwick of 1AB
973-271-6085
[email protected]

1.  Blood 2018 Jun 7;131(23):2515-2527

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SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics