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Faron Pharma says study provides 'compelling' evidence cancer drug increases survival in patients with late-stage tumours

Published: 07:53 17 Sep 2021 BST

Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy - Faron Pharmaceuticals' updated cancer data underlines the drug's potential across a range of solid tumours

Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy (AIM:FARN, OTC:FPHAF) said latest data from a phase I/II study of its cancer treatment bexmarilimab “strengthen our belief” it can increase survival in patients with a variety of late-stage solid tumours.

The updated results from the MATINS trial will be shared with delegates at the European Society for Medical Oncology later Friday in what’s called a proffered paper.

The audience will be told that median progression-free survival for those receiving Faron’s bexmarilimab was 59 days, while overall survival was 151 days.

A total of 83% of those who received three courses of treatment that achieved disease control rate status were still alive beyond six months.

The drug appeared to work best in people with cutaneous melanoma, gastric cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer.

"The efficacy and survival data are particularly compelling when you consider the late-stage, treatment-refractory disease patient population and inclusion of nonimmunogenic cold tumours in the trial," said Petri Bono, principal investigator on the MATINS evaluation.

The study has so far been conducted in two parts – the first ‘cohort’ was made up of 30 cancer sufferers, the second group numbered 110.

As well as looking for early signs of efficacy, researchers also wanted to ascertain how well the drug was tolerated.

"The updated MATINS data provide additional evidence that bexmarilimab is well tolerated and shows for the first time that clinical benefit is associated with long term survival in patients with late-stage solid tumours who have exhausted all standard treatment options," said Bono.

According to  chief executive Dr Markku Jalkanen the next step is to discuss the latest results with the US regulator in order to finalise the expansion of part III of the MATINS study, “which we hope to convert to pivotal stage development for a regulatory submission”.

“Additionally, all biomarker data are currently being analysed for potential patient selection purposes and we simultaneously continue to advance our plans to investigate bexmarilimab in additional clinical settings, including neoadjuvant therapy, in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and as a treatment for haematological malignancies,” he added.

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