Halozyme Phase 2 Data In Advanced Pancreas Cancer Featured In An Oral Presentation At ASCO

CHICAGO, June 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Encouraging results from a Phase 2 randomized, multi-center clinical trial in pancreas cancer patients conducted by Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ: HALO) were presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual conference.

Principal Investigator Sunil R. Hingorani, M.D., Ph.D., a pancreas cancer expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and professor at University of Washington School of Medicine expanded on findings from patient data as of December 2016 in the HALO-202 study of investigational new drug, PEGPH20 (pegvorhyaluronidase alpha) in combination with ABRAXANE^® (nab-paclitaxel) and gemcitabine.

The study met its primary endpoints and the key secondary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with high levels of a biomarker, hyaluronan (HA-High). PEGPH20 plus standard chemotherapy of ABRAXANE and gemcitabine improved median PFS by 77 percent over chemotherapy alone in HA-High patients.

An exploratory endpoint of objective response rate by RECIST v1.1 in the HA-High population, reported for the first time today, was 45 percent in the PEGPH20 plus chemotherapy arm, including one Complete Response, compared to 31 percent in patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Key patient baseline characteristics also reported for the first time today were generally well balanced across both arms of the study.

Halozyme is currently conducting a global Phase 3 clinical trial, HALO-301, in a similar population of HA-High stage IV pancreas cancer patients.

"The HALO-202 study met key safety and efficacy objectives and confirmed in a randomized Phase 2 trial that a biomarker may be able to identify patients who will have a meaningfully greater response when PEGPH20 is added to standard-of-care chemotherapy," said Dr. Hingorani. "The new data reported today suggest potentially important progress in this very difficult to treat cancer."

Dr. Helen Torley, president and chief executive officer of Halozyme, said, "We are driven in our study of PEGPH20 by the goal of providing new options to patients affected by some of the hardest to treat cancers. The HALO-202 results in HA-High pancreas cancer patients provide encouraging insights into a potentially new treatment option and support our ongoing study of PEGPH20 in the global Phase 3 HALO-301 study."

Pancreas cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer related death in the United States, and more than 65,000 people in the U.S. and top five European countries are diagnosed annually with advanced cases of the disease.

About HALO-301 and HALO-202
HALO-301 is a phase 3 global, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial evaluating investigational new drug PEGPH20 as a first-line therapy for potential treatment of patients with metastatic pancreas cancer. The trial will be conducted at approximately 200 sites with two primary endpoints, progression free survival and overall survival in patients receiving investigational new drug PEGPH20 in combination with gemcitabine and ABRAXANE (nab-paclitaxel) compared to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel alone. Secondary endpoints also include objective response rate and overall survival. More information may be found at clinicaltrials.gov (search HALO 301 or trial identifier NCT02715804) or www.HALO301.com.

HALO-202 (Halo 109-202) is a phase 2 multi-center, randomized clinical trial evaluating investigational new drug PEGPH20 as a first-line therapy for potential treatment of patients with metastatic pancreas cancer. The primary outcome of the trial is to measure improvement in progression-free survival in patients receiving investigational new drug PEGPH20 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel compared to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel alone. A second primary endpoint assesses the thromboembolic event rate in the PEGPH20 treatment arm. Secondary endpoints also include objective response rate and overall survival.

About PEGPH20 (pegvorhyaluronadase alpha)
PEGPH20 is an investigational PEGylated form of Halozyme's proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase under clinical development for the potential systemic treatment of tumors that accumulate hyaluronan. PEGPH20 is an enzyme that temporarily degrades HA, a dense component of the tumor microenvironment that can accumulate in higher concentrations around certain cancer cells, potentially constricting blood vessels and impeding the access of other therapies.

FDA granted orphan drug designation to PEGPH20 for treatment of pancreas cancer and fast track designation for PEGPH20 in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic pancreas cancer. Additionally, the European Commission, acting on the recommendation from the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency, designated investigational drug PEGPH20 an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of pancreas cancer.

About Halozyme
Halozyme Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing novel oncology therapies that target the tumor microenvironment. Halozyme's lead proprietary program, investigational drug PEGPH20, applies a unique approach to targeting solid tumors, allowing increased access of co-administered cancer drug therapies to the tumor in animal models. PEGPH20 is currently in development for metastatic pancreas cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, metastatic breast cancer and has potential across additional cancers in combination with different types of cancer therapies. In addition to its proprietary product portfolio, Halozyme has established value-driving partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies including Roche, Baxalta, Pfizer, Janssen, AbbVie and Lilly for its ENHANZE^® drug delivery platform. Halozyme is headquartered in San Diego. For more information visit www.halozyme.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
In addition to historical information, the statements set forth above include forward-looking statements (including, without limitation, statements concerning the possible activity, benefits and attributes of PEGPH20, the possible method of action of PEGPH20, its potential application to improve cancer therapies and statements concerning future actions relating to the development of PEGPH20) that involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are typically, but not always, identified through use of the words "believe," "enable," "may," "will," "could," "intends," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "predict," "probable," "potential," "possible," "should," "continue," and other words of similar meaning. Actual results could differ materially from the expectations contained in forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including unexpected expenditures and costs, unexpected results or delays in development and regulatory review, regulatory approval requirements, unexpected adverse events and competitive conditions. These and other factors that may result in differences are discussed in greater detail in the Company's most recent Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contacts:
Jim Mazzola
858-704-8122
ir@halozyme.com

Chris Burton
858-704-8352
ir@halozyme.com

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SOURCE Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.