Candel Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CADL) shares skyrocketed by nearly 43% on Thursday following a string of positive news surrounding the company’s cancer drug pipeline.
Last week the Needham, Massachusetts-based company released promising results from its Phase 3 clinical trial for CAN-2409, its experimental immunotherapy for localized prostate cancer.
The trial demonstrated a significant 14.5% improvement in disease-free survival (DFS) at 54 months for patients treated with CAN-2409 compared to those in the control group. The immunotherapy also significantly reduced the risk of recurrence and improved prostate cancer-free survival.
The CAN-2409 group achieved statistically significant results across multiple key metrics. In the intent-to-treat population, DFS improvement was pronounced, underscoring the therapy’s potential efficacy. Additionally, 67.1% of patients in the CAN-2409 group reached a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir of less than 0.2 ng/ml, compared to 58.6% in the control arm.
The therapy’s impact on pathological complete responses was another standout result, with 80.4% of patients in the CAN-2409 treatment group achieving this benchmark at two years, significantly higher than the 63.6% observed in the control group.
Funding boost
On the back of the results, Candel announced plans for a public offering to raise around $92 million.
Proceeds from the fundraising effort will be allocated to advancing Candel’s pipeline, including the submission of a Biologics License Application for CAN-2409.
In a recent interview with Proactive, Candel’s CEO, Paul Peter Tak, shared his vision for the company’s impact on cancer treatment. "We aim to create a paradigm shift in treating non-metastatic, localized prostate cancer," he explained.
The promising results and financial backing position Candel Therapeutics as a frontrunner in the development of innovative cancer treatments, with CAN-2409 at the forefront of its efforts. Investors are clearly hopeful that these developments could pave the way for regulatory approvals and broader adoption of the therapy in non-metastatic, localized prostate cancer cases.