- Investigator-led Phase IIa study met its primary endpoint of disease control
rate at 12 weeks -
BERGEN, Norway, June 5, 2023 - BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for
severe unmet medical needs, announced that an oral presentation detailing the
initial results from a Phase IIa trial evaluating bemcentinib in patients with
mesothelioma was presented today at the 2023 American Society of Clinical
Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The abstract, Bemcentinib and pembrolizumab in patients with relapsed
mesothelioma: MiST3, a phase IIa trial with cellular and molecular correlates of
efficacy, was presented by the study lead investigator, Dr. Matthew Krebs,
Ph.D., FRCP, The University of Manchester, UK. MiST, the Mesothelioma Stratified
Therapy umbrella trial, led by Professor Dean Fennell at the University of
Leicester, UK, is a British Lung Foundation funded study dedicated to improving
survival outcomes for patients with mesothelioma. MiST3, the third arm of the
trial, was designed to assess the efficacy of AXL/PD-1 inhibition with the
combination of BerGenBio's AXL inhibitor bemcentinib and pembrolizumab.
26 patients with relapsed mesothelioma were enrolled in MiST3 and all received
at least one dose of bemcentinib and pembrolizumab. The primary endpoint of
disease control rate at 12 weeks (DCR12w) was met: 46.2% (90% CI: 29.2, 63.4).
Secondary endpoints included a disease control rate at 24 weeks (DCR24w) of
38.5% (95% CI: 20.2, 59.4) and an overall response rate of (ORR) of 15.4% (95%
CI: 4.4, 34.9). The combination of bemcentinib and pembrolizumab was generally
safe and well-tolerated.
Dr. Matt Krebs remarked, "We are encouraged by the initial results of the MiST3
trial and believe that this combination warrants further evaluation in patients
with relapsed/refractory mesothelioma. While standard PD-1 targeting
immunotherapies alone have helped some, the majority of patients are in need of
better options. Data continues to point towards AXL inhibition being synergistic
with PD-1 inhibition and that it has the potential to add significant benefit to
this population."
"We are quite pleased with the findings and thankful for all of the
collaborators in the MiST3 trial," Martin Olin, Chief Executive Officer of
BerGenBio. "These results provide additional evidence of the role of
bemcentinib's AXL inhibition in another aggressive disease such as
mesothelioma."
-End-
Contacts
Martin Olin CEO, BerGenBio ASA
ir@bergenbio.com
Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA
rune.skeie@bergenbio.com
Media Relations
Jan Lilleby
jl@lillebyfrisch.no
+47 90 55 16 98
About BerGenBio ASA
BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing
transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for
aggressive diseases, including cancer and severe respiratory infections. The
Company is focused on its proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, a potentially
first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in development for STK11 mutated NSCLC
and severe respiratory infections.
BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The
company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). For more
information, visitwww.bergenbio.com
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