Shares in ValiRx Plc (LON:VAL) jumped at the opening bell on Tuesday after the biotech released more positive results from the phase II lung cancer trial of its VAL401 anti-cancer compound.
Just before Christmas, the AIM-quoted released the top-line results from the study which showed the drug had a “statistically significant” improvement in overall survival for patients with non-small cell lung cancer compared to those receiving no treatment.
Quality of life improved
Since then ValiRx has been working on the further analysis of other endpoints, with the data confirming that VAL401 has a “measurable improvement” on a patient’s quality of life, in addition to the “positive impact” on the disease.
In total, VAL401 achieved an overall response rate – the percentage of patients who saw their tumours shrink by at least a predefined amount – of 60%.
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ValiRx also said the results showed that the drug does not cause immune suppression – as evidenced by increases in the white blood cell counts of several patients – which ValiRx said was a “pleasingly unexpected addition” to the data.
That potentially opens the door to using VAL401 in combination with another immuno-oncology treatment such as chemotherapy for example.
ValiSeek boss ‘very excited’ by data
The chief executive of ValiSeek – the joint venture company which has developed VAL401 – Suzy Dilly, said: “This data advocates the potential for VAL401 in treating very late stage cancer patients in the palliative arena. It also advocates the potential for VAL401, in the as yet untested combinations with, both traditional chemotherapies and immune-oncology treatments.”
Dilly added: “This encouraging 60% overall response rate seen in this first all-comer trial, provides a strong foundation for the next stage of clinical testing. In sum, we are very excited to see such good response rate for a condition with huge unmet medical need.”
Shares were up 8.7% to 4.75p early on Tuesday.