OTTAWA, ON, April 24, 2021 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create stress and anxiety for many Canadians, particularly those who do not have ready access to their regular support networks. Through the Wellness Together Canada online portal, people of all ages across the country can access immediate, free and confidential mental health and substance use supports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Over the past week, I have been celebrating the efforts of people across the country to support Canada's COVID-19 response. Today I would like to highlight some of the many contributions of Indigenous communities. Recently, members of Siksika First Nation volunteered their time to support a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Calgary for urban Indigenous people. Their efforts reduced barriers to access by providing vaccination in a culturally safe manner. As well, in communities throughout the territories, volunteers have been connecting via social media to arrange food and supplies deliveries to support people while in quarantine or isolation, as well as to arrange transportation for people going for COVID-19 testing or vaccination appointments. As National Volunteer Week draws to a close I encourage everyone to reflect on this year's theme – The Value of One, the Power of Many – as we move to overcome the challenges presented by COVID-19. By continuing to work together, we can make sure that we all end this crisis together, stronger and more united.As COVID-19 activity continues in Canada, we are tracking a range of epidemiological indicators to monitor where the disease is most active, where it is spreading and how it is impacting the health of Canadians and public health, laboratory and healthcare capacity. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada is providing Canadians with regular updates on COVID-19 vaccines administered, vaccination coverage and ongoing monitoring of vaccine safety across the country. The following is the latest summary on national numbers and trends, and the actions we all need to be taking to reduce infection rates, while vaccination programs expand for the protection of all Canadians. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,164,581 cases of COVID-19, including 86,355 active cases and 23,883 deaths reported in Canada; these cumulative numbers tell us about the overall burden of COVID-19 illness to date. They also tell us, together with results of serological studies, that a very large majority of Canadians remain susceptible to COVID-19. As vaccine delivery ramps up at an accelerated pace, there is cause for optimism that widespread and lasting immunity can be achieved through COVID-19 vaccination. We now have multiple safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines with unique advantages that are authorised for use in Canada. Vaccine coverage is increasing across Canada, with benefits being seen in prioritized high-risk populations. Ramp up of vaccine supply and acceleration of vaccination programs will return further benefits to protect more Canadians, over the coming weeks and months. As of yesterday, provinces and territories have administered almost 11.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and are further expanding programs as supply ramps up at an accelerated pace.
Although COVID-19 activity remains elevated, with a high proportion of cases involving more contagious variants of concern, we are cautiously optimistic that our efforts and strengthened restrictions are beginning to have an impact, as presented in the latest epidemiology and modelling update. However, strong public health measures must be sustained where COVID-19 is circulating and individual precautions are important everywhere. The latest national-level data show a 7-day average of 8,444 new cases daily (Apr 16-22), a 2.6% decrease compared to the previous seven days. For the week of April 11-17, there were on average of 131,086 tests completed daily across Canada, of which 7.4% were positive for COVID-19, an increase from 6.5% the week prior. Elevated infection rates continue to impact COVID-19 severity indicators, particularly in areas with sustained high levels of disease activity. The rise in severe and critical illnesses continues to place a prolonged and heavy strain on the health system and healthcare workforce. Provincial and territorial data indicate that an average of 4,167 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Apr 16-22) representing a 22% increase over last week. This includes, on average 1,268 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), which is 21% higher than the previous week. The mortality trend is also still on the rise, with the 7-day average of 46 deaths reported daily 11% higher than the week prior. While COVID-19 continues to impact people of all ages in Canada, infection rates are highest among those under 60 years of age. Likewise, we are seeing an increased number of adults below 60 years of age being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, including in ICUs. This is a reminder that serious illness can occur at any age and evidence indicates that variants of concern can be associated with more severe illness and increased risk of death. In addition, circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially connected adults is an ongoing risk for spread into high-risk populations and settings. As of April 22, a total of 78,729 variant of concern cases have been reported across Canada, including 75,413 involving B.1.1.7 variants, 2,853 P.1 variants and 463 B.1.351 variants. These represent the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more COVID-19 cases that have screened positive for mutations indicative of variants of concern. Although B.1.1.7, continues to account for the majority of these variants in Canada and has replaced the original virus as the dominant strain in several areas. At the same time, the continued rise in P.1 cases remains concerning, particularly with early evidence suggesting the P.1 variant may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, making it even more important to control its spread. Canadians are urged to remain vigilant, continue following local public health advice, and consistently maintain individual practices that keep us and our families safer: stay home/self-isolate if you have any symptoms, think about the risks and reduce non-essential activities and outings to a minimum, avoid all non-essential travel, and maintain individual protective practices of physical distancing, hand, cough and surface hygiene and wearing a well-fitted and properly worn face mask as appropriate (including in shared spaces, indoors or outdoors, with people from outside of your immediate household). Canadians can also go the extra mile by sharing credible information on COVID-19 risks and prevention practices and measures to reduce COVID-19 in communities and by downloading the COVID Alert app to break the cycle of infection and help limit the spread of COVID-19. Read my backgrounder to access more COVID-19 Information and Resources on ways to reduce the risks and protect yourself and others, including information on COVID-19 vaccination.
SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada
ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT), a late clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of highly potent and targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors, today announced that preclinical data related to camidanlumab tesirine (Cami, formerly ADCT-301) has been published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, the online journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, in a paper titled, "CD25-targeted antibody-drug conjugate depletes regulatory T cells and eliminates established syngeneic tumors via antitumor immunity.”
The study evaluated the antitumor activity of a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer-based, CD25-targeted ADC, either alone or in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor, in CD25-negative syngeneic colon cancer models that exhibit tumor infiltration of CD25-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs). Data demonstrated that single low doses of the CD25-targeted ADC resulted in potent and durable antitumor activity against established CD25-negative solid tumors with infiltrating Tregs, both as a monotherapy and in combination with an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor.
Patrick van Berkel, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development at ADC Therapeutics, said, "CD25 is expressed on Tregs that infiltrate the local tumor environment. We were pleased to see that our CD25-targeted ADC depleted CD25-expressing Tregs and not only showed strong anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy in preclinical models, but it also enhanced the activity of anti-PD1 treatment in these models. This study provides proof of concept for a new application of ADCs as immunotherapeutic agents and supports the continued evaluation of Cami in our ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with selected advanced solid tumors. We look forward to advancing the exploration of Cami as a novel immune-oncology approach for the treatment of solid tumors.”
For information about the company’s Phase 1b clinical trial of Cami in solid tumors, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier NCT03621982).
About Camidanlumab Tesirine (Cami)
Camidanlumab tesirine (Cami, formerly ADCT-301) is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) comprised of a monoclonal antibody that binds to CD25 (HuMax®-TAC, licensed from Genmab A/S), conjugated to the pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer payload, tesirine. Once bound to a CD25-expressing cell, ADCT-301 is internalized into the cell where enzymes release the PBD-based warhead killing the cell. This applies to CD25-expressing tumor cells, and also to CD25-expressing Tregs. The intra-tumoral release of its PBD warhead may also cause bystander killing of neighboring tumor cells and PBDs have also been shown to induce immunogenic cell death. All these properties of Cami may enhance immune-mediated anti-tumor activity. Cami is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), as well as in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory HL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a Phase 1b clinical trial in solid tumors.
About ADC Therapeutics
ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE:ADCT) is a late clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of highly potent and targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The Company develops ADCs by applying its decades of experience in this field and using next-generation pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) technology to which ADC Therapeutics has proprietary rights for its targets. Strategic target selection for PBD-based ADCs and substantial investment in early clinical development have enabled ADC Therapeutics to build a deep clinical and research pipeline of therapies for the treatment of hematological and solid tumor cancers. The Company has multiple PBD-based ADCs in ongoing clinical trials, ranging from first in human to pivotal Phase 2 clinical trials, in the USA and Europe, and numerous preclinical ADCs in development.
Loncastuximab tesirine (Lonca, formerly ADCT-402), the Company’s lead product candidate, has been evaluated in a 145-patient pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that showed a 48.3% overall response rate (ORR), which exceeded the target primary endpoint. Camidanlumab tesirine (Cami, formerly ADCT-301), the Company’s second lead product candidate, is being evaluated in a 100-patient pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) after having shown an 86.5% ORR in HL patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The Company is also evaluating Cami as a novel immuno-oncology approach for the treatment of various advanced solid tumors.
ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopôle), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, product candidates, research pipeline, ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory submissions and approvals, research and development costs, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200910005550/en/
(RTTNews) - Rite Aid (RAD) said it is now administering the COVID-19 vaccine at all 2,500 stores in 17 states. Following the latest guidance from the Biden Administration, all those aged 16 years or older are now eligible for vaccination.
The pharmacy chain currently carries the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Rite Aid encourages people to schedule their vaccine appointments, but can also accommodate some walk-ins on a limited basis.
"..Enabling walk-in appointments supports customers that may not have access to internet while also meeting the need for flexibility for customers. People interested in a walk-in appointment are encouraged to visit their local Rite Aid to confirm availability," Rite Aid said in a statement.
Individuals ages 18 and over can schedule appointments using the Rite Aid scheduling tool found at its website. Those ages 16 and 17 can schedule an appointment with guardian consent at any store administering the Pfizer vaccine by contacting the store's pharmacy directly.
