Faron Pharmaceuticals Limited (AIM:FARN) shares strengthened on Monday, rising to 43p, after it told investors that median overall survival had not yet been reached in two groups of treatment-naïve higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients after 14.9 months of follow-up in its BEXMAB Phase 1/2 trial.
The finding applied to patients without TP53 mutations and those with monoallelic TP53 mutations. The only subgroup to reach median survival was the biallelic TP53-mutated population, at 8.8 months, which Faron said was in line with historical results for the highly aggressive form of the disease.
BEXMAB is evaluating Faron’s bexmarilimab immunotherapy alongside standard-of-care azacitidine. Of the 21 frontline patients, 48% carried TP53 mutations. Among those with known allele data, 33% had monoallelic alterations and 67% had biallelic alterations.
Chief medical officer Dr Petri Bono said the results provided additional support as Faron prepares BEXERA, its planned randomised frontline study. Survival follow-up remains underway, with several patients still alive, and the full BEXMAB dataset is due to be presented at a scientific meeting later this year.
