BioLineRx Announces Updated Phase 2a Data From Triple Combination Arm of COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Study in Patients With Second-line Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Updated Data from the Triple Combo Arm of the COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Study
As of today's date, 36 out of 40 patients have been enrolled in the study. As of
- Best response for the evaluable population of 22 patients showed 7 partial response (PR) and 10 stable disease (SD) patients – resulting in an overall response rate (ORR) of 32% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 77%; this compares favorably to the current chemotherapy standard-of-care treatment in second-line patients with ORR of 17% and DCR of 52%;
- The combination showed continuity of effect – 5 patients with stable disease became partial responders as treatment continued;
- Out of the 7 partial responders, 5 are still on treatment, with a current maximum treatment time of 330+ days; and 4 responders showed a reduction in tumor burden of >50%;
- Median duration of clinical benefit until progression for the 17 patients with disease control (7 PR and 10 SD patients) is 7.8 months;
- The study is ongoing; progression-free and overall survival data remain on track for mid-2020;
- The combination was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with the individual safety profile of each component alone; adverse event (AE) and severe adverse event (SAE) profiles are as expected with chemotherapy-based treatment regimens.
"Metastatic pancreatic cancer has a very poor response to chemotherapy, and immunotherapy treatments have failed to show any effect as single agents," said
"We are very excited by the positive data accumulating from this triple combination arm of our Phase 2a pancreatic study under our collaboration with
Design of Triple Combination Arm of COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Study
The triple combination arm focuses on second-line pancreatic cancer patients and is expected to include approximately 40 patients originally diagnosed with unresectable metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have progressed following first-line gemcitabine-based therapy. Patients receive BL-8040 monotherapy priming treatment for five days, followed by combination cycles of chemotherapy (Onivyde®/5-fluorouracil/leucovorin), KEYTRUDA® and BL-8040 until progression. The primary endpoint of the study is the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints include overall survival, progression free survival, and disease control rate.
The COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 Study
The Phase 2a COMBAT/KEYNOTE-202 study was originally designed as an open-label, multicenter, single-arm trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of BL-8040 and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), an anti-PD-1 therapy marketed by
In
About BL-8040 in Cancer Immunotherapy
BL-8040 is targeting CXCR4, a chemokine receptor and a well validated therapeutic target that is over-expressed in many human cancers including PDAC. CXCR4 plays a key role in tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis and therapeutic resistance, and CXCR4 overexpression has been shown to be correlated with poor prognosis.
BL-8040 is a short synthetic peptide used as a platform for cancer immunotherapy with unique features allowing it to function as a best-in-class antagonist of CXCR4. It shows high-affinity, long receptor occupancy and acts as an inverse agonist.
In a number of clinical and preclinical studies, BL-8040 has been shown to affect multiple modes of action in "cold" tumors, including immune cell trafficking, tumor infiltration by immune effector T cells, and reduction in immunosuppressive cells (such as MDSCs) within the tumor niche, turning "cold" tumors, such as pancreatic cancer, into "hot" (i.e., sensitizing them to immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy).
Conference Call and Webcast Information
BioLineRx will hold a conference call today,
A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after completion of the live conference call on the Investor Relations page of BioLineRx's website. A dial-in replay of the call will be available until
About BioLineRx
The Company's lead program, BL-8040, is a cancer therapy platform currently being evaluated in a Phase 2a study for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in combination with KEYTRUDA® and chemotherapy under a collaboration agreement with MSD. BL-8040 is also being evaluated in a Phase 2b study in consolidation AML and a Phase 3 study in stem cell mobilization for autologous bone-marrow transplantation. In addition, the Company has an ongoing collaboration agreement with Genentech, a member of the
BioLineRx is developing a second oncology program, AGI-134, an immunotherapy treatment for multiple solid tumors that is currently being undergoing in a Phase 1/2a study.
For additional information on BioLineRx, please visit the Company's website at www.biolinerx.com, where you can review the Company's
Dr. Hidalgo is a paid consultant for
Various statements in this release concerning BioLineRx's future expectations constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include words such as "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," and "intends," and describe opinions about future events. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of BioLineRx to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are: changes in relationships with collaborators; the impact of competitive products and technological changes; risks relating to the development of new products; and the ability to implement technological improvements. These and other factors are more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of BioLineRx's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, 2019. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent BioLineRx's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. BioLineRx does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements unless required by law.
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LifeSci Advisors, LLC
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Tsipi Haitovsky
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