Peel Hunt said the latest data on Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited's (AIM:FARN) cancer drug, bexmarilimab, reinforced confidence in its potential as a new treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a form of blood cancer.
The broker noted that interim results from the BEXMAB phase II trial showed an objective response rate—where a patient’s cancer responds to therapy—of 80 per cent, far exceeding the 0-20 per cent typically seen with existing treatments.
Faron announced on Friday that it had dosed the final patient in two key trials of bexmarilimab, setting up a major readout in April.
The company said the findings presented at the American Society of Haematology meeting in December showed bexmarilimab led to deeper and more durable remissions than current standard-of-care options.
Median overall survival among treated patients was 13.4 months, compared with the usual five to six months under existing therapies.
The trials cover patients whose cancer has returned or stopped responding to treatment, as well as those newly diagnosed with high-risk MDS.