Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited (AIM:FARN) climbed 3% to 188p after unveiling new data from an early-stage trial of its experimental drug bexmarilimab.
It is being tested in combination with azacitidine for patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, a bone-marrow disorder that can progress to acute leukaemia.
The treatment produced a median overall survival of 14.5 months in patients whose disease had relapsed or failed to respond to earlier therapies.
These patients typically live five to six months, highlighting the scale of the improvement.
Results were especially strong among newly diagnosed patients with the TP53 gene mutation, a group that is usually difficult to treat.
Here, 70% achieved a complete remission, and 50% were able to progress to a stem-cell transplant, one of the few treatments that can offer a long-term outcome. Among relapsed patients, 21% reached transplant.
The study also pointed to signs that the drug combination may help restore bone-marrow function. More than 57% of newly diagnosed patients who had relied on regular transfusions became transfusion-independent — a shift that can dramatically ease day-to-day living.
Faron said no treatment-related deaths were reported and described the safety profile as “excellent”. The company plans to advance the programme into a pivotal phase III trial.