A biomarker study from a Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy (AIM:FARN, OTC:FPHAF) phase I/II cancer trial yielded what chief executive Dr Markku Jalkanen described as ‘exciting' findings that should help identify which patients will respond best to its drug bexmarilimab when it is used on its own.
The top-line analysis of the latest patient feedback reveals bexmarilimab ignites a response from those that have not traditionally benefited from current immunotherapy treatments.
Specifically, patients with low baseline levels of inflammatory cytokines in their blood achieved significantly higher clinical benefit following the administration of bexmarilimab as a monotherapy than others in the cohort of patients assessed.
This suggests that a low inflammatory biomarker profile is likely to be a predictor of clinical benefit.
It also means bexmarilimab may serve as a catalyst for the immune system, allowing patients resistant to checkpoint inhibitor drugs to become responsive.
"The initial biomarker analysis is exciting as it helps us better understand which patients are most likely to respond to treatment with bexmarilimab monotherapy," said Faron CEO Jalkanen.
"The data also demonstrates that bexmarilimab is igniting an immune response, turning a cold tumour hot, in certain heavily pre-treated patients with checkpoint inhibitor-resistant disease.
“This means bexmarilimab may serve as a catalyst for the immune system allowing initially checkpoint inhibitor-resistant patients to become responsive to PD-1 blockade."
Faron’s MATINS trial is a phase I/II clinical assessment. The biomarker analysis included the first three cohorts of special interest from the trial: cutaneous melanoma, gastric cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma.