Shares in Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited (AIM:FARN) climbed 6% after the company reported "remarkable" trial data for its lead drug, bexmarilimab, being tested for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare and aggressive blood cancer.
In the ongoing Phase II BEXMAB study, 80% of patients responded positively to a combination of bexmarilimab and azacitidine, a significant improvement over the typical 0-20% response rate seen with existing treatments.
Patients in the trial showed an estimated median overall survival of 13.4 months, more than double the 5-6 months associated with standard care. The treatment has been well tolerated, with no serious toxicity observed so far.
CEO Dr Juho Jalkanen called the consistently high response rate "remarkable" and highlighted the drug's potential to address unmet treatment needs.
Faron plans to discuss the findings with regulatory authorities and potential partners in 2025, with full recruitment for the study expected by early next year. Further results will be presented in December.
Broker Peel Hunt said: "We already knew that the trial data was giving a very promising high ORR so far of 79% (11 out 14 patients), so the move today to 20 patients and 80% is clearly more positive progress for Faron and bexmarilimab."
In early trading, the stock was changing hands for 169.8p, up 9.8p.